Gentle Like Rain by seasoned, romantic-at-heart author JoAnn Durgin is a true treasure! I enjoyed this story completely and read it in only two days.
The heroine Isabella is loveable and relatable. The hero Sidney Prescott is dashing, romantic, resilient and his love for Isabella made my heart smile.
The most memorable moment for me as the reader was to experience a breakthrough in Sidney’s journey to Jesus Christ. I loved it when he was so excited about his first prayer spoken to God—a prayer that came from his heart and was natural, not forced—that he rushed to Isabella’s store and scooped her up in his arms, spun her around and shared his delight in the Lord. It was adorable and true to real life situations where people first come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, Redeemer, and Friend.
JoAnn, the author, made the goals/motivation/conflict for each character clear from the start and revealed their heart’s desires gradually as she moved the story forward with sensory details at the perfect pace.
Like any good story, Gentle Like Rain is not told without conflict. Isabella and Sidney had their own personal issues. Sidney’s journey resembled a mid-life crisis where he wonders if he chose the right path for his career and fears that he’s missing out on what really matters in life. So he goes to Evergreen in Maine to visit his sister Caroline. Her story starts in JoAnn’s previous book, Heart’s Design and for the full picture, I’d recommend you read it. But long story short, Caroline found true love when she moved to Evergreen and she married him. His name is Seth and at the time of Sidney’s visit, it was only six months after Caroline gave birth to her first child, an adorable baby girl.
JoAnn does a delightful job of portraying the close bond between family in this story but she keeps it real. There’s still conflict and fights that are expected in any family. However, they don’t last long and apologies are made as everyone holds their bond as family over anything that would try to keep them apart.
Another memorable moment for me as a reader was discovering why JoAnn named this book Gentle Like Rain. But you’ll have to read it to find out for yourself! *smile*
This story was not only near and dear to my heart but it was beautifully told! I would like to see this story made into a movie. It’s worthy of five-stars!
*The author provided Alexis A. Goring (founder of "God is Love" blog) with a complimentary copy of Gentle Like Rain in exchange for an honest review.
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Author bio:
Her other novels include Whisper to My Heart, Catching Serenity, Heart’s Design, Gentle Like the Rain, Love So Amazing and Love So Divine (The Wondrous Love Series, Books 1 and 2), Perchance to Dream, Echoes of Edinburgh, and the popular Starlight Christmas Series.
Next up in 2016 are By Grace Draw Near, Book 3 in The Wondrous Love Series as well as the highly anticipated Pursuit, Book 8 in The Lewis Legacy Series. JoAnn loves to hear from her readers! Please feel free to contact her:
Website:
http://joanndurgin.com/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin
Website:
http://joanndurgin.com/
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin
Thank you for your beautiful review of Gentle Like the Rain, Alexis! I'm so happy you enjoyed it as much as you did its predecessor, Heart's Design. Blessings!
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