The Traveling Man is a unique, whimsical, beautiful love story.  Aimee and Kestrel met one day at the local carnival and an instant friendship was formed.  They may have come from different backgrounds, but they just clicked.  I always enjoy a book that starts off when the main characters are just children.  It’s always lovely to see a friendship in its purest, most innocent form, evolve into something deeper and more meaningful as the years go by.   

Aimee wanted nothing more than to visit the carnival for her tenth birthday, much to her parents chagrin.  Aimee was so excited to watch the empty field being transformed into a magical, exciting park, where she was sure that fun awaited her.  Little did she know that on her visit to the carnival, she would meet a young boy who would become someone very special to her, and forever hold a piece of her heart. 

Aimee and Kestrel became instant friends.  They spent as much time together as they could for the two weeks that the carnival was in town.  Aimee was fascinated by the carnival life that Kestrel lived.  It was so different from the ordinary life that she led every day.  Kestrel was from a long line of carnival workers, his grandfather was somewhat of a carnival legend.  Kestrel and his brother both performed at the carnival in an acrobatic pony show.  Kes was a performer through and through, even at such a young age, he was a showman.  Aimee loved being with Kes and learning about his lifestyle and all that encompassed the carnival.  Kes liked being with Aimee, too.  She was different from the other children and people that he associated with.  Maybe ordinary was fascinating to an extraordinary boy.

As the years passed, Aimee would count down the days until the large carnival trucks would come rumbling down the road and kick up the dust in her mundane town.  She lived for those two weeks every summer, and Kes was just as happy to be reunited with Aimee.  As they became teenagers, their feelings blossomed into something much more than friendship.  But, their relationship was never easy.  Her parents were adamant that she not hang around at the carnival, since it was beneath her.  This proved to be challenging for them, but they still managed to sneak around in order to be together – whether she hid out at the carnival or he climbed into her bedroom window at night.  Their desire to be together would eventually cause them both a great deal of heartache and pain.

​In the second part of the book, it jumps ahead eight years.  Aimee and Kes may be all grown up, but they have never forgotten about each other.  This book just tugged at my heartstrings from the first moment that I picked it up and held on until the very last page. Aimee and Kes never had a normal relationship, but it was intense!  It certainly wasn’t always filled with sweet moments and tender kisses, they had a feisty, passionate relationship.  Kes could say the nicest words in one breath and then break her heart in the next.  Oh, The Traveling Man definitely gave me all of the feelings that I love in a book.

​Jane Harvey-Berrick created such an interesting and colorful cast of characters, and I was immediately drawn to them.  Her descriptions of the carnival life were so vivid that I could almost taste the cotton candy.  The Traveling Man is a fantastic friends-to-lovers story that had my heart palpitating and the butterflies fluttering.  There is so much that I would like to share about this book, but I certainly don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone.  I can’t wait to read the next book in this amazing series.

 

*5 Stars*

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