Review: Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Rainshadow Road
Lisa Kleypas
Series: Friday Harbor #2
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: February 28, 2012
Audio Book {8 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Lucy Marinn, Sam Nolan
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington, with a boyfriend, Kevin, who she believes is her soul mate. She has always had a magical side - a gift that finds its way into the breathtaking glasswork she creates - and she struggles to keep it contained. But when Lucy is blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal, she questions many of her choices. Her boyfriend leaves her and his new lover is none other than Lucy's own sister. Lucy's bitterness over this devastation is multiplied buy the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Meanwhile, facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's family, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on the San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy so that she can more easily move on. But when Sam and Lucy begin to feel real sparks between them, Lucy must ask herself if she can easily risk her heart again.

As Lucy questions her beliefs about love, loyalty, and old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings, she explores the possibility that some things in life - even after are being broken - can be re-made into something beautiful. And that is the only by discovering who you really are that you can find the one who truly deserves you.

The romance in this one was slow to start, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Sam and Lucy were cute together, and didn't really have any conflicts, which in my opinion was good. The only problem they had was Sam's fear of committment, but you have that with most men.

The whole relationship started out as a friendship, which was sweet, that eventually turned into more. The love was more sweet than steamy and took time to grow. Even with that being the case, I enjoyed their journey to happily ever after.

As always, I enjoyed the other residents of Friday Harbor. Well except for Lucy's ex-boyfriend and her sister. I know Sam's brother Alex is the hero of the next book, but I'm unsure how that's going to work since he was a hot mess in this installment. If you read Christmas at Friday Harbor, then you were introduced to the little darling Holly. She had me tearing up in some of her scenes and laughing in others. She's always the bright spot in this series.

Read by Tanya Eby

Duration: 8 hours

Brilliance Audio

Narration: B

Tanya does a nice job of capturing the feel of not only the characters, but of Friday Harbor in general.

Review: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
Lisa Kleypas {Facebook | Twitter}
Series: Friday Harbor #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Audio Book {4 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Maggie Collins, Mark Nolan
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories
My Rating:

ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY

One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.

ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE

The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC…

Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

…TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE

Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…

Mark has gained custody of his five year old niece upon the death of his sister. He’s a single man who knows next to nothing about children, so he moves them into his brother’s house, who also nothings nothing about children, for the extra help that provides.

Holly, his niece, has withdrawn into herself since her mother died, and has not spoken a single word in about six months. So a trip to the local toy store was not when Mark would have expected it to happen. This local toy store is owned and operated by Maggie, who takes an immediate interest in Holly. With her gentle spirit and a little bit of magic, she accomplishes what Mark and his brother Sam could not. She gets Holly to speak.

The two of them, Mark and Maggie, dance around their feelings for one another. Mark because he’s currently in a serious relationship and Maggie because she has recently lost her husband to cancer.

This is my first novel by Kleypas and it came across as a nice light-hearted read. It kind of reminds me of Debbie Macomber’s romances where it’s a tad light on the romance. There are a few scenes with some kissing and hand holding, but nothing too heavy. It has more emphasis on the building of the relationships, not just the lead couples, but all the characters in the novel.

Read by Tanya Eby

Duration: 4 hours

Brillance Audio

The narration was okay. I'd give it a B+