Publication Date: 11/04/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Sensation
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425259838
ISBN-13: 978-0425259832
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Sensation)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound
Jill Gregory on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads
Books in the series:
Lonesome Way
1. Sage Creek
2. Larkspur Road
3. Blackbird Lake
4. Sunflower Lane
Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.
Excerpt from, Sunflower Lane, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
A heartwarming new novel by New York Times bestselling author Jill Gregory about taking a chance on passion, trust, love—and finally healing the past . . .
For Annabelle Harper, summer in her hometown of Lonesome Way, Montana, means a chance to make a home for her orphaned young nieces and nephew. It’s also a chance to find a new direction for her life—one that doesn’t include romance. So when rugged Wes McPhee shows up back in town, she has every reason to keep him at a distance…
Even unhappy memories can’t keep Wes from returning to Lonesome Way to help his grandmother recover from an injury. And his fear of commitment isn’t enough to make him resist the tantalizing heat that he feels whenever he’s near Annabelle. But can a wandering man like Wes ever settle down? When an old enemy comes to Lonesome Way, and their dreams of love are threatened, Wes and Annabelle must fight for the future their hearts have always wanted.
Thoughts:
Jill Gregory brings readers the fourth book in her Lonesome Way contemporary romance series, Sunflower Lane. Readers looking for a tender romance with a ton of emotion will find this one hard to put down. Gregory has created a novel about two wounded people who have a chance at finding love together. It has romance, it has pain and healing, it has a heat and a threat from the past that may ruin everything. A great new novel by Jill Gregory!
What I liked:
I have to admit this the first Jill Gregory novel I have read. I haven't read any of the other Lonesome Way books, but I plan to rectify that very soon. One of the things that I enjoyed about Sunflower Lane right off the bat was the Montana setting. Big Sky Country. I loved the descriptions about the mountains in the distance and the wide open spaces. It somehow spoke to me and the small town atmosphere was amazing. I wanted to get to know these people and see what they were all about.
Another thing that was evident from the first page of the book, was the family drama and dynamic that Gregory was setting up. Wes has been away from home for a long time and he had good reason, but he loved his grandmother enough to come home when she is injured. Annabelle (love the name) is returning home to raise her sisters children after she and her husband are killed. It just showed a that this book was more just a romance. It was about family. About the good parts of it and the bad parts.
Both of these main characters are grieving in their own way. Wes is grieving over his relationship with is father and how that affected him and the rest of his family and Annabelle is trying to raise three children she wasn't prepared for on her own. She is grieving the loss of her sister and the loss of her own independence and dreams. Both characters are wounded and raw and the emotion that Gregory imparts with this story was just palpable. You could feel Wes' pain when he thought of his father, his anger and aggression. I loved how they complimented each other and helped each other get through the issues they had. They were destined for each other and Gregory made me believe it.
The threat from Wes' past adds a lot of intensity to the mix and some needed conflict other than the emotional turmoil. I liked seeing how Wes reacted to the situation and how he was able to resolve it. Being a former DEA officer he had some enemies and some demons that needed to rest and I think that added a whole new dimension to the story.
Bottom Line:
I loved this book and I loved Jill Gregory's writing style. Coming in at book 4 was not a problem at all, except that now I want to go back and read the rest. This is an emotional romance that shows that love is possible even in grief. It also a family drama that shows a lot of heart and a romance that will take your breath away!
Sunflower Lane is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Sunflower Lane by Jill Gregory.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, November 25th.
1. Please leave a comment. Has something in your past every caused you to stay away a certain place?
2. Please fill out the FORM.
19 comments:
I stay away due to climate and disinclination to visit since no one I wish to see. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
Not a place but an intersection. I was in a car accident in 1973 and for the next 10 years I wouldn't drive through that intersection. Then I moved away so I was okay.
No,not that I can recall.
I can't think of any place that I try to stay away from.
Maybe when I was young - but I can't remember that far back!
Not that I can think of
I had a bad experience with a couple ladies on a golf league and haven't gone back to that course since.
The only thing I can think of is that I try to avoid intersections which are a bit dangerous.
Patoct (Pat L.)
I hate to go back to my childhood home because I miss my mother so much.
lag110 at mchsi dot com
No that has never happened.
Yes and that's why I will never step foot in the State of Florida again. I spent over a year there when I was 7 yrs old. Mommy Dearest dragged me down there from NY so she could file for divorce. I could have stayed with an uncle or grandmother but she HAD to shlep me along. Not my best time in life.
No, that hasn't happened to me.
No!
yes, it includes a town, a couple of stores and restaurants i will not frequent either. some times it is a relationship, others just bad experiences
I really cannot think of any place.
Karen T.
Yes a gossipy family who never tell the truth about anything but they love to gossip about people.
Theresa n
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com
Yes, my reason is very good but rather horrendous. Just before the Millennium someone kidnapped me and put me through the worst 11 hours of my life. I was fortunate to survive and I suffered from PTSD for years and couldn't go anywhere near that part of town for almost 10 years. Now most of it's gone but I can still regress on a really bad day, but at least I'm thousands of miles away.
No, I cannot really think of any place that I stay away from.
No, it has not.
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