After the Rain

After the Rain by Lillian Darcy

Casey Jay Brown never thought he would return to Marietta, Montana.  Not after the prom night that changed his life forever.  During a drug-fueled night of partying and excess Casey's girlfriend, Neve Shepherd, lost her life in a freak accident.  The only problem is Casey has always questioned just how responsible he was for that accident.  Consumed by guilt he has abused his body to it's breaking point and still has never found release from his demons.  When a once in a lifetime job opens up half an hour from Marietta, Casey decides to take it.  After all, what are the chances that he will ever need to set foot in town?

Kira Shepherd Blair has been angry most of her life.  Even before her sister's death  eighteen years ago she felt the sting of resentment and anger brewing beneath the surface.  There has always been someone to direct the anger at, too.  Her sister, for the unfair treatment she received when Neve was around; Jay Brown, for Neve's death; her ex's first wife, for treating her like trash even though she had no part of that marriage's demise; her ex, for constantly disappointing her and their son.  But when she is faced with a horrifying truth, she is forced to realize that it might just be time to let go.

Like most of Ms. Darcy's offerings, this story is a mixture of sweet, emotional, and mysterious.  Casey truly is tortured by his past, but he has also learned to move past the guilt and live with the questions.  Kira has never learned to do that.  Her personality is such that she thinks if she lets go of the anger then she will fall apart.  I found it interesting that she saw her mother as weak, when the truth was that her mother was stronger that everyone else.  Not because she "got over it", but because she learned to cope with it.

I really liked the transition from the other books in the series and the foreshadowing of Gemma's story.  There really was a sense of closure for Tully in this book and a promise that Kate and Harrison will be involved in Gemma's story as well.  There was also a lot of information in the book that checked out in real life and made me as reader appreciate the amount of research that really goes in to writing a contemporary book.

The supporting characters in this book were a mixture of filler (the artists and party goers) and secondary-mains (Lindeen, Corrine, Neve's parents, Kate, and Gemma).  I felt they were handled quite deliberately, and it worked beautifully.

Overall, the book was well balanced and beautiful.  A worthy continuation to captivating series.  

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 5

The Sweetest Sound

The Sweetest Sound By Lilian Darcy

Dr. Charlie Barnett doesn't have time for new commitments.  Between his patient rounds, research project, exams, and his birth mother's sudden reappearance in his life, his life is pretty complicated as it is.  Except he just can't seem to walk away from the beautiful street busker playing her mesmerizing music in front of the hospital every day.  Her music and smile seem to be the only things that can calms his frantic world.  But is it worth adding one more complication to his life?

Ramona Garrido-Lopez wants to go home.  Yet, her parents have stubbornly insisted that she not give up her dreams for them.  They want her to stay in New York and make her star burn bright.  The only problem is that her dreams have changed.  She is just a couple of months away from fulfilling her promise to her parents, now is not the time to fall for the Hot Doc who drops coins in her case and gives her secret smiles.  Is there anyway that she can have her new dream and her dream man at the same time?

After reading, and loving, The Sweetest Thing, I was excited to hear that Ms. Darcy was going to be releasing a novella to explain Charlie's story.  I loved reading the scenes that corresponded with things happening in The Sweetest Thing.  It was like finally hearing the other end of a phone conversation (which in one scene that is exactly what it was).

Charlie is very high octane.  He is driven and fast paced, but is counting the days until he can slow down.  He is concerned about the people around him, but his distraction sometimes makes him come off as a little self-centered and demanding.  He is a complex and enjoyable character.  Focused and highly optimistic, which can be a great combination when grounded in reality.

Ramona is a "recovering dreamer".  I say this with snark because there is nothing wrong with being a dreamer as long as those dreams aren't irresponsible.  Unfortunately, some of hers were.  She is a pessimist who wants to be and optimist, but is afraid of becoming an opportunist.  She is prideful and personifies what happens when you spend too much time grounding yourself in reality.

With most novellas there is not a lot of time to get to know the characters.  Since readers were already introduced to Charlie in The Sweetest Thing, less time seems to have been devoted to his character than Ramona.  I actually didn't find this a problem, as I really enjoyed both.  However, I really wanted to slap Ramona toward the end because of her inability to make up her mind.  She changed it so many times, there was even one scene that she changed her mind mid sentence.  It was impressive, but still annoying.

Overall, this book was a fun, quick read.  I recommend reading the first two River Bend novels first.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4 

Storyline – 4

Overall – 4

Marry Me, Cowboy

Marry Me, Cowboy By Lilian Darcy

Teagan Ashe had always dreamed of taking over the family ranch one day.  Unfortunately, during her time in America becoming a champion barrel racer, her father did the unthinkable:  he sold the ranch and retired.  Now, feeling cut adrift, she has no desire to go back to Australia.  However, that might be just what she has to do.  Her visa is about to expire and her green card wedding has just been called off.  Enter the groom's best friend...

Jamie MacCreadie has spent his life chasing something.  Scratching the proverbial itch before planning to settle down and help with his family's cattle ranch in Montana.  Now, after his best friend has dumped Teagan at the alter, he is faced with a tough choice:  step in and marry a woman he doesn't even like, or step away and make her mend her own fences while he mends his at home.

This is the second book in the Copper Mountain Rodeo series and the first book to feature the MacCreadie family (Jamie's parents, Rob and Melinda, are featured in Rodeo Sweethearts; his aunt, Kate, is featured in Late Last Night).

Teagan is fairly straight forward and "salt of the earth".  She not only doesn't shy away from hard work, she expects to carry her own load.  Her anger at her father and resentment of her step-mother come out in some fairly ugly ways, but she is smart enough to keep those feelings under wraps, all things considered.  She misses Australia, but feels that there is nothing for her to go back to.

Jamie is partially estranged from his own family.  He has never understood his parents' relationship; his mother is upbeat and scatter-brained (not ideal for a rancher's wife), while his father is hard working and quiet.  He also has a strained relationship with his older brother, RJ, who seems to resent his life style.

I have to say this was not one of my favorite stories by Lilian Darcy.  She has a way of making chemistry come out of extraordinary circumstances.  It just didn't seem to work in this case.  I didn't really connect with Teagan, and I didn't find Jamie very heroic.

That being said, I did enjoy the end of the book, which definitely made up for the lack of emotional response in the rest of the book.  The characters finally lived up to their promise at this point and made this book worth reading in the end.

Overall, I would say buy the book, hang in there to the end, and you shouldn't be disappointed.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 3 

Language – 4 

Storyline – 3

Overall – 3

  

The Sweetest Thing

The Sweetest Thing By Lilian Darcy

Lillian Darcy has managed to weave a story of tragedy and intrigue and still make it feel endearing and hopeful.  Fans of The Copper Mountain Rodeo Series will recognize many names and places, so it feels very much like a homecoming, as well.

That being said, I have a huge and heart-felt recommendation right off the bat:  Read The Sweetest Thing BEFORE you read Late Last Night.  Both work great as stand-alone novels, but I honestly believe I would have felt less cheated in the first chapter of The Sweetest Thing if I would not have read Late Last Night first.  Despite Late Last Night being a prequel, it would be better to describe it as a “back-story sequel”.

 The hero, Ren Fletcher, is sensitive without coming across as a wimp.  He is a delightful bundle of contradictions that you don’t normally find in contemporary romance any longer.  He is cynical, yet hopeful; confident, yet completely clueless.  He finds himself at a point in his life that he really doesn’t have the answers, but he is comfortable not finding them, either.

The heroine, Tully Morgan, however, is precisely the type of heroine that is found in most contemporary romance today.  The fiercely independent, but extremely lonely career woman who is nearing middle age and deciding that if she is going to settle down and start a family she needs to do it sooner rather than later.

What’s great is that the story doesn’t dwell on either of these elements.  Instead it relies heavily on interpersonal relationships of both of the characters.  The intrigue of the back-story (one fateful night 18 years before) and the hope that starts to come out of the corresponding tragedy keeps the reader engaged and rooting for everyone, not just the hero and heroine.

There are a few things that turned out a bit disappointing.  Some of the most revealing moments came across as anti-climactic, revealed much too quickly (in my opinion).  All of this aside, these moments do not disrupt the storyline.

Overall, this story was a wonderful ride of emotions, hope, and romance.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 4

Sex – 4 

Language – 4

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4