*I received a free copy of Rainy Day Friends from William Morrow Paperbacks via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis Series: Wildstone #2
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks on 19 June 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.
Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan.
Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Brown changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.
Rainy Day Friends was a very emotional read. I cried so hard! But I also laughed and swooned very hard!
Story:
Lanie had really been through hell and back before Rainy Day Friends even started. She felt like nothing in her life was right anymore, which is one of the reasons why she took a temporary job at a winery away from her LA home. As soon as she arrives, she’s taken in by a huge, noisy family who run the winery together. And she feels utterly out of place. Even if everyone there tries to help her feel welcome.
Lanie doesn’t want her employers to know just what it is she’s running away from, and Rainy Day Friends definitely deals with acceptance a lot. Mostly, Lanie needs to accept her life for what it is, and know that the way her late husband acted had nothing to do with her. She still feels like she should have known something was wrong, though, and that is a hard cross to bear.
Then one day, River arrives, pregnant, alone, and broke. Rainy Day Friends is also a story about friendship. And Lanie was really good at those – even when she tried not to put down any roots, she did. And River got under her skin in more than one way. They were both alone in the world. Both had to fight to move forward – and they became rainy day friends in more than one way.
When River’s secrets surface, Lanie’s only wish is to flee. To get as far away from her new job, her new friends, and her new family as possible. And there is also the simmering chemistry and attraction between Lanie and Mark.
Characters:
Lanie has been broken by life, her late husband, and has no more love or trust to give – or so she thinks.
Mark is a single father to two adorable girls, and he’s a rock when it comes to his family – but not so much when it comes to love.
River has been through so much, alone and pregnant, she wants to figure out where everything went wrong.
The rest of the Capriotti family is delightful! I loved them all, and felt like I was with them at the winery.
Writing style :
Rainy Day Friends is very well written. Shalvis managed to convey the characters feelings through the third person point of view, past tense, and the numerous dialogues between them all.
Feels :
Oh my feels! I just felt both sad and hopeful for Lanie. And the simmering romance between her and Mark was well done, because it was slow, and very reluctant. The friendships and strong family ties made everything even better.
She let out a laugh, though it was rusty as hell. It’d been a while since she’d found something funny. Not that this changed her idea of him. He was still too sure of himself, too cocky, and she’d had enough of that to last a lifetime. But she also was good at multitasking and could both not like him and appreciate his sense of humor at the same time.
She crawled back into her bed and this time fell right asleep, although she maybe had a few crazy dreams involving a tall, dark stranger with a bad ‘tude and a really great laugh and incredible hands. She had no idea if the incredible hands part was true, but in her dream it definitely was.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
I loved this books so much. No matter what Jill Shalvis writes, she always delivers.
I absolutely love Jill Shalvis, Astrid, and I always pre-order her books. This one really did it for me, too 🙂
How cute is that cover? That dog on it is just adorable! Also sounds like the Capriotti family is so loving. <3
I agree – the dog is so cute! The Capriotti family is awesome, I would definitely hang out with them.
Twitter: Mollykatie112
I need to read it just to see if I am right about River. You’ve already got me thinking! Sounds like a good one and I am happy you loved it!
I can’t wait to see if you’re right, Lorna!
I loved this! I am a little bit lost as to how it connects to the people in the first books other than the town, maybe it doesn’t? Or have I just lost it? Anyway, other than the I’m never going to trust anyone again, except I have so much lust we will just have sex sort of start, I really enjoyed it. It was amazing how the Capriotti’s allowed them them the safety net to rebuild themselves and their lives. Anne – Books of My Heart
I think there was a brief mention of the winery in the first book – but apart from that, the connection is rather loose, I think 🙂 Haha lust / sex is right. I had almost forgot about that part.
Wow, Lanie really goes through a lot of hard times and downs, and she must have some kind of resilience to keep on going despite all of these struggles. What a strong woman. I read a book revolving around someone who knows wine well and I enjoyed it, so I want to read more to do with wine!