As she reached for the handle, the door opened and a little girl rushed out, maybe six or seven years old, with beautiful long blond hair caught up in a blue denim bow.  She ran to a light blue sedan next to Rachel’s and giggled as she skipped through puddles circling the car. Rachel couldn’t help but smile at the child’s carefree innocence.

After three circles, the girl stopped at the back end of the car, cocked her head and waved two fingers at her. “Hi.”

“Um, hi.” Rachel raised her hand and waved back. “Did you forget somebody? Your mommy maybe?”

“Claire, I told you to stay close.”

At the sound of the tenor voice beside her, Rachel started.  A man three to four inches taller than her had stepped out. In one hand he held several colorful ribbons attached to a bright pink, heart-shaped helium balloon that read Happy Birthday. He looked toward the car where the child was still giggling.

The little girl raced back. Skidding to a stop in front of Rachel, they bumped and Rachel teetered slightly toward the wall.

“Careful there.” A weathered hand reached toward her and wrapped around her elbow. His touch was softer than she expected, but her knees still locked, ready to spring if she needed to move fast. He held her up with one hand. Deep brown eyes, emphasized by his full head of short, wavy blonde hair, looked at her then turned toward the girl.”

“Apologize, Claire. You almost knocked her over.”

“I’m sorry.” A small hand lifted to touch her other arm.

“That’s okay. Really.  I should have been paying more attention.” Rachel smiled and pointed to the balloon. “Latha breith.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I…” She had lapsed into Gaelic.  Something she hadn’t done in public since Kavan left her almost three years ago. “I said ‘Happy Birthday.’”

I am so very pleased that I had the opportunity to read this book.  I was drawn into the story from the first page, and I assure you there was never a dull moment. And, of course, since it was about a music group (that I absolutely must look up!)and took place in the Mt. Hood area (I’m a Washingtonian!), I couldn’t have been happier! Rachel was a wonderfully flawed character that was an outstanding reminder that rape is NEVER a woman’s fault, no matter what.

From the beginning, I loved Noel and Claire, and I was distrustful of Clarissa–no matter what she said.  My heart cried for Kat, and the twists and turns continued to keep me guessing.  Do you want raw emotion, romance, and heartbreak?  You will find this and more in this exceptionally well-crafted tale.  I was glad that the author was able to inject appropriate humor into the story.  I often get tired of authors writing about serious topics and adding no humor in them to break the tension.   I am so glad this author doesn’t fall into that pattern!

As much as I love this book, I will caution you about a few things.  First of all, this book does deal with rape, and some of the scenes/descriptions are intense.  None of this offended me due to the nature of the book.  Secondly, there is some profanity.  Most of it is not too bad, but it is there (and especially in the second half of the book, I grew tired of that).  And finally, there are some intense bedroom scenes.  In addition to the rape situations, there are a couple detailed bedroom scenes.  I didn’t find myself highly offended during these.  They were detailed without making me feel “dirty,” but they were there.  This is not a sweet, clean romance, but let me tell you that the romance is hot!  While Rachel’s morals do not mirror my own, I was pleased to see some positive changes, but I’ll let you read about that yourself.

I did not read the first book in the series, but now I wish I had–and maybe I will do just that!  I definitely want to read the third book when it comes out.  And I can highly recommend this book to any woman who loves a good romance and would like to read a book about healing and the issue of rape, this would be an ideal book!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

Maggie Lynch is the author of 20+ published books, as well as numerous short stories and non-fiction articles. Her fiction tells stories of men and women making heroic choices one messy moment at a time. Maggie is also the founder of Windtree Press, an independent publishing cooperative with over 200 titles among 20 authors.

Her love of lifelong-learning has garnered degrees in psychology, counseling, computer science, and education; and led to opportunities to consult in the United States, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Since 2013, Maggie and her musician husband have settled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she now enjoys the luxury of writing full-time. Her fiction spans romance, suspense, science fiction and fantasy titles. Her current non-fiction titles are focused on helping career authors succeed in the business side of writing and publishing.

Maggie is also a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter. She has presented workshops for authors all around the country and is currently creating a video series on indie publishing, distribution, and marketing.

Website: http://maggiejaimeson.com 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Jaimeson/118916694787820