Waiting for the Rain by M. Jean Pike - Fiction eBook Review
Here’s a book that anyone who enjoys a great Romance novel will not want to miss.
It’s actually a Paranormal/Romance published by Champagne Books. The book is called Waiting for the Rain, by M.Jean Pike, and I am highly recommending this one to anyone who enjoys either genre.
On a normal day I likely wouldn’t say that I am a Romance reader, but I did enjoy this book.
Waiting for the Rain tells the story of Willow Mackenzie. A woman who is suffering from, and possibly dying from, cancer and who is generally lost on what path her life should take. That is until she meets Darby Sullivan, and her life begins to take a turn for the better.
I’m not going to give away the storyline. All I will say beyond what I already have is that this one is a Romance novel with a paranormal twist. The book contains just the right mix of suspense, paranormal, and romance to make it one that will appeal to many readers and not just romance fans.
This was another one of those books that I had trouble putting down. I finished from front to back in 2 days (I had to sleep somewhere in between), and with every page I found myself wanting to read more.
All-in-all Waiting for the rain is a great read, and this is one book that I think anyone could enjoy. It’s especially one that romance readers won’t want to miss!
An Excerpt from Waiting for the Rain
This is it, an inner voice whispered. This is the home I have searched for. The home I have waited a lifetime to find. The thought came with an intensity that surprised her. She certainly hadn’t come up Baker’s Gully Road looking for a cottage to rent.
A crack of thunder tore through the quiet, pulling her from her thoughts. The dog barked. Gazing across the yard, she saw him waiting just beyond the house, at the end of a rutted dirt path, his tail beating furiously. Feeling the first drops of rain splash her face, she opened her umbrella and hurried toward him.
The path led through a grove of pine trees, then to a covered bridge that spanned a wide, chortling river. Just beyond the bridge, Willy could see another cabin, this one made of logs. Most of the dwelling was concealed by trees, but the thin curl of smoke escaping the chimney told Willy the cabin was inhabited. The dog stopped in mid-stride and pricked up its ears, then took off on a dead run toward the cabin. Willy followed at a slower pace, wondering where the old dog got his energy.
-- Trevas
Romance Reader at Heart
Every once in awhile, a book comes along that touches me so deeply. It’s such a wonderful feeling to be moved by an author’s words. I had a feeling that WAITING FOR THE RAIN by M. Jean Pike was going to be a spectacular book, right from the beginning. I’m so happy that I was right. This book is wonderfully written and very emotional. Before you get comfortable and begin to read this book, might I suggest having a big box of tissues at hand!
WAITING FOR THE RAIN is the story of Willow (Willy) Mackenzie and Darby Sullivan. Willow has cancer and her prognosis isn’t good. After stumbling across a quaint cottage, she decides to rent it. It’s just what she needs for her emotional and physical health. If only she could get along with her somewhat mysterious neighbor, Darby.
While Darby doesn’t rent out the cottage to anyone, he knows that there’s something special about Willow. He’s drawn to her, yet he can’t open up his heart and let her in. Darby has an incredible secret and he’s just not ready to let Willow in on it. He’s been hurt once and can’t bear it if Willow would leave him.
Darby is an amazing character. His secret is very unique, and the love he has for Willow is powerful enough for him to give her all that he has—body and soul. I get goose bumps just thinking about him.
Pike definitely pulled my heartstrings with this book. I literally stopped reading because I couldn’t see the pages through the tears that were overflowing and running down my face. There was a certain point at the end of the story that was so touching that again, I was overcome with emotion and had to stop reading the book until I composed myself. WAITING FOR THE RAIN touched me on an emotional level where not many books have touched me before.
There aren’t enough words for me to use when describing how much I loved this book. The writing is brilliant, the characters are so real, and what they experience is at times, heartbreaking, and other times, joyous. The ending will have you believing in miracles (if you’re able to read through tears).
WAITING FOR THE RAIN by M. Jean Pike is a treasure. I loved it, and I really want you to read it and hopefully love it as much I do. Pike is an amazing storyteller, the proof of which is between the pages of her new book. I recommend reading this story and sharing it with your friends.
Julie Kornhausl
www.romancereaderatheart.com
ROSE'S CORNER REVIEWS
ROMANCE AT HEART MAGAZINE
Willow Mackenzie was dying. That was about the last straw in her life, and she knew it without much real thinking. Well, Tom, her soon to be ex-husband would never know, and now all she wanted was to get the divorce behind her and go someplace to die. She had regrets, friends she was leaving behind loved her, there were only a few but they were people who cared. There was no surviving this enemy, and at this point, Willow was beyond that because the serpent, the cancer that wrapped relentlessly around her brain, that evil which infused her with pain would soon put an end to it all. She had a rocky start in life, it was hard for her to love and to trust, but it only made those she let into her life all the more precious. There were a few things she wanted to see, things she had dreamed of, and on one particular day, just before she was to start a useless round of chemotherapy, she got lost hunting for that elusive Bald Eagle she had heard was nesting near a small town outside the city.
She must have gotten turned around, because the roads were not familiar, she was a city girl after all. With the dead end now behind her, she had to retrace her trail, and the last thing she needed was a flat, but there she was, stuck. She had a flat tire, no cell service, and no way to get the help she needed so badly way out in the boonies. Little did she know a dog, named Lucky, would be her lifeline, and a sullen man her savior. When the flat tire forced her out of her Explorer, she had to get out and look for help, and when the old chocolate lab found her, she was never so glad to see anything or any one in her life. With the help of the strangely silent but intriguing man, she was back on the road, and yet determined to find out more about the small cottage she had glimpses of, and of the for rent sign she had seen in the overgrown yard. It was picturesque, tucked away under roses, already overflowing with blooms in the early spring. The setting was peaceful, tranquil, and she could well imagine herself spending what was left of her short life in that kind of an idyllic setting. After all, she had to have enough money to rent it for the rest of her life, six months rent couldn’t be that much, could it?
Darby Sullivan had a secret, and it was not the usual kind one kept. It was not a matter of a criminal act, not a matter of inheritance, or trespass. Darby’s problem, his secret if you will, was a matter that he didn’t wish to discuss, he kept to himself, and did not wish to have the world intrude. He didn’t want a woman’s intrusion either, yet something in the young woman attracted him, called to him, and he knows trouble when he sees it, but this is not the kind he could walk away from, not this time. This woman had a fragility about her, she was not well, and if there was anything he could do to help her, to ease her pain, then he was willing to try. He had an idea she would be back, and Darby knew it was her, when he was contacted buy the real estate agent about renting the cottage. What possessed him to allow this was totally beyond him, and he thought he was headed for trouble.
Little did Darby Sullivan know that what he was getting into with Willow Mackenzie would upset his usual outlook on life, and solitary existence he shared with no one but Lucky for so very long. Oh sure, Lucky had the habit of bringing injured things to him, he had helped to heal his share of wounded critters, but he put his foot down at people, they were a danger. But that had not stopped Willow. She was here, a vibrant force in his ordered, normally calm and sometimes placid surroundings. She was ill, and yet she thrummed with life that was bursting to get out, even if it was not and could not last. There was a desperation in Willow, a desire to live every moment to the fullest, and yet Darby sensed the magic slowly seeping into her, and sensing it could help her to survive. He had his secrets, and the more enamoured of her he became, the harder it would be to say goodbye, the harder it would be to see her walk away, and Darby knows only too well the pain that followed the departure. After all, he had gone through that once with tragic results, and he couldn’t go through it again.
For some, the Fates are kind, but in Waiting for the Rain, that is not necessarily the case. This very poignant paranormal by M. Jean Pike will bring you to tears, but leave you believing in the hope of love that goes beyond the shallowness of human existence. Darby is a man of great sensitivity, a man who wonders exactly what his purpose in life truly is, and whether he’s ready or not is about to find out. He and Lucky have been together for a long time, they know each other, and share a powerful bond. Now Darby and Lucky are about to take another step forward, and finally let another into their lives. Willow is not your run-of-the-mill girl. She grew up rough too, and as she shares herself with the man and his dog, Darby starts to hope. Willow does too, and when the rough patches come, she rallies to Darby’s side, much to his great surprise.
Some things, however, are just not meant to be, and if you think you can handle the ups and downs, the hope and the disappointments, and above all the story of a love that will sacrifice all for the beloved, then Waiting for the Rain is a book you need to read. This book is ripe with the love and loss that makes some romances maudlin, but with the paranormal elements brought in, Ms Pike keeps the reader riveted, and wanting more. The twists and turns of this story can’t prepare you for the impact of the story as a whole, and this makes M. Jean Pike an author you will want to hear more from, and soon. Available now from Champagne Books, this is one book you won’t want to miss.
Yours in Good Reading,
Rose!
ParaNormal Romance Reviews:
"A True Love to Be Cherished!"
Willow (Willy) Mackenzie's husband left her for another woman and has filed for divorce, but this is the least of her troubles. She's been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. However, fate takes Willy down another path where she stumbles upon a rose covered cottage for rent in Baker's Gully and into the life of Darby Sullivan.
Darby takes one look at Willy and senses this beautiful woman has a deadly illness. She needs the cottage and he agrees to let her rent it. As their friendship grows, Darby battles against telling her he's fallen in love with her. He's afraid she won't accept him for what he is. Willy knows Darby has a secret, but she is more afraid of letting herself love him when she only has months to live.
Darby and Willy come alive in this tale of passion, love and the supernatural. They are two despairing souls who are barely hanging onto their fragile existence—until they meet each other. Their love is heartbreakingly sweet and given unselfishly—a true love to be cherished. Ms. Pike's tale will capture your heart!
I also recommend The Winds of Autumn by M. Jean Pike
--ParaNormal Romance Reviews
http://paranormalromance.org/reviews/
Reviewed by Karen Michelle Nutt
Posted July 25, 2007
I dare any lover of strong heroines not to fall in love with Willow Mackenzie and her assortment of strange and colorful friends. Willow is in a terrible position at the outset of her story – diagnosed with brain cancer and abandoned by her husband, she is looking for ways to make the last months of her life satisfying and full. Her determination to find adventure in her everyday existence leads her to rent an abandoned, rose-covered cottage on an isolated stretch of road.
Tended at first by her best friend Sid, Sid’s roommate Chance, and other assorted "city folk," Willow soon discovers the pleasures of her new country existence and begins to be intrigued by her odd, but sexy neighbor, Darby Sullivan.
As we learn more about both Darby and Willow, we realize before they do that each has some terrible secrets that must be shared in order for them to learn to love each other. Some of these secrets may hold salvation for Willow but tragedy for Darby, and we end up hoping against hope that together they will rise above their obstacles.
The paranormal edge to this tale is gentle and subtle. This is no typical vampire or otherworldly romance; the touches are intriguing and original.
The twists and turns will leave the reader involved from beginning to end, and the two main characters are delightfully impossible to pin down – they unfold delicately throughout the story.
The Long and Short of it Book Reviews
By Reviewer Jen S. Haines
www.longandshortreviews.com
Waiting for the Rain
