Rainshadow Road, by Lisa Kleypas

5 STARS!!!!!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington.  She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal:  her fiancé Kevin has left her.  His new lover is Lucy’s own sister.   Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.   Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  -

LISA KLEYPAS is the Award-winning author of 21 novels.  Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world.  She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.

MY REVIEW -
Oh my goodness, this book was so good! It even exceeded my expectations. This story had a very interesting and original beginning, but it didn't stop there. This story just got better and better. It seemed to build upon itself. In my opinion - there was nothing wrong with this book!

They are calling it the first in the trilogy but I don't understand that? Because Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor should be called the first. I would suggest reading that one first because this book uses the same characters, is a continuation, and does make many references to the first one.
Read my review of "Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor" - HERE (I also gave it 5 Stars).

Once again Lisa is very witty! I love so many lines in this book. There is a great line on almost every page. I kept flagging them so I could refer to them late.

This is what a good book looks like -

The character development just kept getting better and better. The more you read the more you fell in love with them, which is how it should be.
There are 3 brothers -
Mark - Who is the main character in "Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor" where he meets Maggie.
Alex - he is in this book but the next book is mainly about him "Dream Lake"
Sam - is the male love interest in this story. Sam in an open book. A forever bachelor,  no commitment, a friends with benefits kind of guy and then he meets Lucy.
Lucy - Love her! Oh my goodness I loved her!You can't help but feel a little sorry for her, but at the same time admire her. She is a talented glass artist, trying to get back on her feet after a break-up, and ... she has a touch of magic!

"When Lucy Marinn was seven years old, three things happened: Her little sister got sick, she was assigned her first science fair project, and she found out that magic existed."

 One of my favorite lines -

"And he has all those tattoos."
"He only has three" Justine protested.
"He has way more than that', Zoe said 'I could read him like a Kindle."

 Another great plus about this book - Sam owns a Vineyard! All through the book it talks about wine making and growing grapes! If you have been a visitor of my blog for long, you know I live in the "Fingerlakes" of NY which is Wine country!  There are about 50 wineries within 30 min. of my house. So it was really great reading all about how he started growing grapes and why, and how he is experimenting with different wines.

"Thousands of people all over the world make wine.There's no point in coming up with yet another one, when there are already so many being produced."
"That's like saying no one should produce any more art, because we already have so much out there."

I never thought of it that way. But now that I am a frequent winery visitor I can see that wine making is an art form!  Even made from the same type of grapes - every wine tastes different. Riesling from 10 different wineries will taste 10 different ways!

THE ALL-IN-ALL -
This book put me through so many emotions! It was quirky and so funny at times I had to put the book down I was laughing so hard. Then it got serious, and romantic, then sad. People I hated in the beginning I was actually feeling sorry for at the end.
Not recommended for young readers - Sex - yes (but not the icky graphic kind, I could actually read with my eyes open). swearing - some, and adult situations.

There is still time to sign up for my giveaway - HERE
Download Rainshadow Road - HERE

The next book in the series coming out this month-

I read the first chapter at the end of Rainshadow Road and let me tell you it gave me goosebumps!