The Silent Woodsman

By: Cat Treadgold
Publication Date: July 15, 2023
ISBN: 979-8-9877363-0-2
Reviewed by: Kathy Stickles
Review Date: June 19, 2023

The Silent Woodsman, which is book one in a new series by Cat Treadgold, is a fun, suspenseful at times and amusing at other times, romance book that looks to be the start of something really great. While this first book covers the lives of only two of the characters, there is so much woven into the storyline about other characters that it is easy to see how things can and will be continued and makes the reader crave for the next person’s story to be developed and put on paper.

The beginning of The Silent Woodsman introduces Ali Ryan, a young woman who is out in the woods searching for some peace in her life. Her twin brother, Liam, is presumed dead and Ali goes to the woods they both truly enjoyed in hopes of feeling something, as she is the one person who does not believe her brother is gone for good. Of course, life and nature intervene and Ali is stuck in the woods during a bad storm. She collapses on the porch of a small cabin, completely lost and suffering from hyperthermia. JJ, the man living in the cabin, takes her in and nurses her back to health as they spend two days learning a bit about each other. JJ is stuck in the cabin recovering from serious surgery which has left him unable to talk so our two characters have to learn what they can about each other through only writing as a form of communication. What Ali does not know at the time is that JJ is actually Joe Bob Blade, a very famous country music singer who is known to all...except, obviously, Ali. At the end of their two days, JJ sends Ali back to her own world as quickly as he can because he finds himself really falling for this girl and knows that his world is not a place for someone as caring and sweet as she is.

Now the story takes us back to reality and we find Ali trying hard to get over the feelings that she developed for her silent caretaker in such a brief period of time, as well as spending time trying to find the right job, the right place to live, and whether or not her brother is truly alive. In JJ’s case, he returns to the world and writes a song about Ali that quickly becomes an overnight hit. But is the song enough to find her and see if all of these feelings that he still has are real and possible in light of his true lifestyle? For these answers my friends, you will have to read the book.

The Silent Woodsman is a well-written story that is enjoyable on so many levels. The main characters are strong and interesting people and it is easy to fall into the story and truly care about what happens to them and route for them to come together in the end. While Ali and JJ are both excellent characters, the supporting cast is outstanding and makes the book come alive. From JJ’s overbearing mother Carrie to his on-again, off-again singing partner and girlfriend Rina to Ali’s best friend Becca and Becca’s new boyfriend, Jean-Louis, just to name a few, there are just tons of great characters and small additional storylines that make the book so much fun to read.

Cat Treadgold’s extremely descriptive writing is such a plus to the story. The way she describes the woods, the cabin, and the city make the reader feel that they are really there. In addition, the story is set in the 1990’s which is a time period where the world was much less reliant on social media and cell phones. The author’s wonderful details such as the characters reading books, listening to the radio, using an actual telephone, and picking up tabloid magazines at the supermarket help bring the story to life. For those of us who were actual adults in the 90’s, it makes it feel a bit like going home.

This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who loves a good romance that is actually a well-written and creative story, and not just a lot of fluff without a lot of substance. The Silent Woodsman is just such a book, which will be enjoyed by many fans of the genre, I am sure. Given such an interesting and enjoyable storyline in this first of the series, I cannot wait to see what this author will produce for the second book in the series.

Quill says: An excellent example of the romance genre, A Silent Woodsman, should be a must on your reading list. While the main characters are excellent and make it worth the time, a book with such an incredibly written supporting cast is one that is absolutely not to be missed.

For more information on The Silent Woodsman, please visit the author's website at: cattreadgold.com