Recently, I joined the ranks of millions of women that reached the end of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. (Noooo!!! Say it isn’t so?!?!) I was forced to resume mom duties again, no longer saying “yes” to every question just so they will leave me to my book (oh come on!!, don’t judge! I am not the only one who lets their kids eat ice cream for dinner during a book binge) and I even distinctly remember whining to my husband “What’s even the point to being literate anymore?!?!?! (yea, I know that was a bit dramatic, but hey, it happened, I’ll own it)
So similar to the post “Finding My Next Shura” where Beth enlisted several friends to find a new book boyfriend, I needed to replace Jamie and Claire’s place at our holiday dinner table conversations (I said don’t judge!). Listen, when you are a mom of teenage and tween girls, escaping reality is a mode of survival and a hot book boyfriend is key to achieving that. So acting like the recovering Outlander book addict I am, I packed away my Jamie shrine (again, don’t judge), dropped out of my Gaelic classes (I was failing anyway) and Googled “what to read after Outlander”.
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There was one series that repeatedly kept showing up on every true Outlander fan’s Must Read List:
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
For me Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati has everything any self respecting book binge-er needs.
First and foremost, it’s a multi-book series with continuing characters! Nathaniel and Elizabeth are #relationshipgoals (yea, I said it, and my 15 year is cringing right now). While a little less steamy, their love reminds me of Jamie and Claire’s and they are the anchor for the majority of series. Sorry, no turtle soup here, but there is an annual visit to a secluded waterfall cave that will keep your attention.
With six books, each with a hefty word count, there are twists, turns, antagonists galore, not to mention a fair share of babies, best friends and marriages to make any historical romance series lover happy. If it was tragic in the 1800s, it happens, but without being dry or predictable. The attention to historical detail is fabulous, just enough to make you feel there without being a history lesson. Ms. Donati weaves the most memorable characters (my personal favorite has to be Daniel), and spends ample time on plot enrichment which in the end made me say, “Thank you, may I have another!”
Any good book series needs to “Take me away”, and a good majority of this book is spent in Mohawk Indian Territory (Northeast New York for those historically/geographically challenged). It made me want to learn how to speak like a true Mohawk, but Rosetta Stone hasn’t gotten there yet unfortunately (yes, I looked). By book two we are off and seeing the world, traveling fascinating locales such as Scotland, New Orleans and Boston. You never get bored and I now have several new destinations on my bucket list.
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And finally something big happens… Claire Fraser, is that really you?!?! yep, she was there and I was all like….
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After reading all the books, in a fashion to do any reading addict proud, I can report that this series is binge worthy and more than capable of helping you through your Outlander book withdrawal.
So go pick up a copy, download to the kindle, whatever way makes you happy, just READ it, it will help.. I promise!
Read Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati
Written by Tammy
Tammy spends her days playing working in IT, crossing paths occasionally with her husband and being the “cool mom” (at least in her mind) to her teen and tween girls. She believes reading should be for pleasure, and can be found scoping out alpha males in pretty much any historical fiction book setting. She is currently documenting her mission of finding a better book boyfriend than Jamie Fraser at her blog Findingmynextoutlander.com #LongliveJAMMF. Follow her on Twitter at @TammyHarvey731.
