*I received a free copy of [title] from [publisher] via Edelweiss. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *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.