I'm reviewing my Random Read for the month. This month my random read was a read I'd been meaning to get to for a while, so I was glad it selected from my pile of to read books. And wow, was the story ever beautiful! It's been shelfed with my favourites :) I hope you all enjoy my review!
Summary from Goodreads
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Paperback, 308 pages
Published February 28th 2012
by Piatkus Books
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Review
Now, everyone knows I love Lisa Kleypas. Her writing is vivid, beautiful and transports me to times and places in a way that is absolutely masterful. But every time I read one of her books, I somehow expect the experience to be diminished. I think that somehow exposure to her work will have made it less powerful for me. I'm glad to say, that has never been the case. And in Rainshadow Road, Kleypas spun a tale so magical, so beautiful that it was like the first time I picked up one of her novels; I was swept away.
Rainshadow Road continues the saga of the Nolan brothers that we were first introduced to in Christmas Eve at Friday Harbour. Now, I was a bit disappointed in that read, if you recall, I only gave it 3.5 stars because I wanted more. And that's what Kleypas does, she makes you just want to read more and more of her books. This second book in the Friday Harbour series is about the middle Nolan brother, Sam and I absolutely loved his story. Sam is anti marriage. He's anti relationship. He thinks his childhood experiences as a child of two alcholic parents have made it impossible for him to be able to function in a relationship. In short, Sam is afraid of serious emotional attachments. And yet, he has emotional attachments. He's very close to his niece, Holly, who I was glad to see in the novel had overcome a lot of her grief and seemed to be functioning well and happily in her new family dynamic. Sam is also clearly a man who cares about his brothers and about other people.
And Lucy is one of those people. Lucy knew better than to get involved with Sam, but when circumstances force them together, she decides eventually to throw caution to the wind and begin a friends with benefits relationship. Now, that might have many of you groaning, and usually I'd be rolling my eyes, but in this case it really worked because Lucy was entering this relationship with Sam with the full knowledge that he was afraid of emotional entanglements and accepting of the fact that Sam wasn't going to fall in love with her just because they were sleeping together. In fact, she comforts Sam with her constant reassurances of "I don't love you" which I thought was oddly sweet. Without really meaning to, she eased Sam into love with her enough that he was willing to admit to himself that he could take the leap and try to have the sort of relationship with Lucy that others do: one that's constant and committed.
So, for me, this love story was sweet and beautiful. But what I thought was truly interesting was the way that Kleypas spins magic into her tale. Both Sam and Lucy have unusual abilities and can, in essence, work magic. And it's Lucy gift to work emotion into glass that really gives Sam the push to see that in the end, love is worth taking the leap for, because it's transformative. I thought the symbolism very interesting. But what I'm dying to find out about is Alex's gift. The third, and youngest Nolan brother is broken and damaged, teetering on the edge of an abyss, but it's clear Sam isn't the only Nolan that can work magic. I can't wait to read the next book Dream Lake.
5 glittering stars
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