Customer Reviews

Blackberry Winter (Harlequin Next Tall)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
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Cherly Reavis expertly weaves a story of seasons- the seasons of a mother's life as it comes to an end and a spring,and a new beginning for her daughter Loran as she finds a new way to define herself based upon her new knowledge of her family. Lovely book with all kinds of atmosphere- the people in the town in the North Carolina mountains come to life and bring all kinds of depth to this beautiful novel.
I have been a fan of Reavis from way back- her Rita Award winning debut for Silhouette Special Edition Crime of the Heart is a classic ( see my review of it for a romance between an Amish man and his English neighbor). Her recent forays including Older Woman have shown the maturity the author has achieved- this book Blackberry Winter is just great. I recommend it to anyone who likes the Oprah Book Club fare- this relationship novel is not sappy but it is emotional. Well written - I think I said that already but it bears repeating! I enjoy the diversity of the NEXT line and look forward to more great books like this!

This is exactly what I've been hoping to find in Harlequin's NEXT line. A touching story of a mother and daughter finding their past and future in a small mountain town.

I read the first half of this book while it was still in the development stages, and I knew it was going to be wonderful. I wasn't wrong. Cheryl Reavis is a fantastic writer and has been one of my favorite authors for years, ever since I read CRIME OF THE HEART. Since then she's become a friend. Others have synopsized the story, so I won't. I'll just say it's touching, complex, emotional, and explores that complicated relationship between mothers and daughters. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Blackberry Winter by Cheryl Reavis
Harlequin Next # 22 - December 2005

2006 Rita Nominee for Best Long Contemporary Romance

Loran's mother, Maddie, is dying and she suddenly has a desire to go home after 40 years away. Seeing her mother in the mountain town of North Carolina and the people there who welcome her home, confuses Loran. All her life, Maddie never spoke of her past, who Loran's father was or where she had grown up. Loran finds herself charmed by the people and welcomed as if she too where coming home. Loran is introduced to the father she never knew and a story of a love betrayed by evil parents. Meyer is a mountain man come home after years away in the Army. He loves his community and finds himself yearning for Loran. Meyer seems to always be there, just when Loran needs him the most.

This is a story of secrets and homecoming, of betrayal and love everlasting, of death and learning to live again. Well done, Ms. Reavis! Although the romance in this story is secondary, Meyer and Loran find a love that is deep and binding. Loran's new relationship with her father is equally compelling. But foremost is the bond between mother and daughter and a mother's wish to give her daughter some roots.

There is much in this story that stands out. Ms. Reavis is a very talented story teller. She describes her setting and the wonderful characters of the town with such flare that the town and the people become alive. The story tells of dying and about those that are left behind. Ms. Reavis handles this topic with compassion and with joy as well. Maddie's quiet acceptance of her fate brings a certain tranquility to the lives around her. This is an awesome book, one I'm sure I'll be reaching for again.

BLACKBERRY WINTER tells the tale of a dying woman who returns to the North Carolina mountains of her youth, to await death. She drags along her unwilling adult daughter.

Release Date- December 2005
From the Back Cover-
I am illegitimate. But this was never a problem for me -- it was just me and my mother against the world. Mother never told me much about her past, and after a couple of unanswered questions in childhood, I stopped asking. Now, Mother is sick, and she's decided to revisit the past -- literally -- by taking an unexpected trip to the mountains where she was born.

I was worried; I was scared. I followed her. And my mother's journey became my journey, too. I discovered that I have a father -- and my parents are still in love. Their life together just took a detour that lasted over forty years.

Their relationship was like a blackberry winter . . . the colder the weather, the sweeter the berries in spring. And now that I've found the truth, will I have the strength to make it through my own blackberry winter?

My Review-
BLACKBERRY WINTER, with its spiritless pace, drained away my interest. A story without much momentum and for all the words and intrigue devoted to Maddie and Tommy, both characters remained bland. Sadly, the relationship between Maddie and her daughter Loran appeared too superficial for comfort; far too often Loran stood on the outside, only to have her mother refuse her entry.

If it wasn't for Cheryl Reavis' fine reputation, I probably wouldn't have bothered finishing BLACKBERRY WINTER. I know an author can't hit a home run every time; unfortunately, BLACKBERRY WINTER was too flat to even be considered a solid strike.

Rating: D+
Sensuality: Subtle
MaryGrace Meloche.

Plot Summary: Loran Kimball is a successful Washington D.C. investment banker, and her only parent, her mother, is dying. Maddie has always been quiet about her past, but she wants to go home before it's too late for Loran to have answers to the questions she hasn't even asked yet. Loran follows Maddie to Lilac Hill, a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. There, Maddie will confront her own past, and pass down her family history to Loran, including the identity of her absent father. A compelling war veteran named Meyer offers Loran a strong shoulder to cry on while she deals with her mother's illness, and revelations about her family's past.

I ended this book with tears rolling down my cheeks, and it felt perfect. Since I haven't had such a satisfying cry in such a long time, I've got to award this book full points for telling a simple story with tender sincerity. Cheryl Reavis filled her story with profound, immortal truths, and every time I read one I had to pause and absorb the message.

It's rare to find a story with so many fully fleshed characters. I feel like I know Loran, Maddie, Meyer, Tommy, and Nelda intimately, and the author accomplishes this all within a scant 299 pages. There's nothing fancy or earth-shattering about the story. It's about the loving, living, and dying that we'll all face sooner or later, and how some people squander that these gifts, and others who don't.

There are two love stories at work, one between Maddie and Tommy, and another between Loran and Meyer. Maddie and Tommy are in the winter of their lives, and they've been burdened with so many regrets it breaks my heart. Loran and Meyer are not exactly young punks themselves (Loran is 39-years-old), but their romance had so much potential, it felt like Spring when new life blooms.

This was a bittersweet treat that left me with a warm glow inside. I'm extremely glad I read this one, and I'll be sure to try more Cheryl Reavis novels.

Investment banker Loran Kimball braves the Capital Beltway as she does a lot since her mother Maddie became ill. The two have always been together as Maddie raised her as a single mother never telling her illegitimate daughter who her father is or anything else about her past. Loran gave up asking as a child as Maddie was and is too private of a person to reveal any information. However, this time Maddie is not home to Loran's panic. After checking with the hospital she learns from the neighbor that Maddie went to the North Carolina hills for a few days.

Frightened that for the first time since she has known her mom, Maddie went home apparently in search of her past, Loran decides to follow. She wonders what she will find in the Carolina mountains including instance roots like a father and other family members after four decades without anyone except her mother, but most important she prays that mom is okay.

Rarely does a novel contain the depth that the key characters contain as they do in BLACKBERRY WINTER. Readers will understand the motives of mom, Loran, and others that led to the forty year hiatus. The story line grips the audience from the moment a puzzled Loran learns mom went south for apparently a planned short visit, but like the banker ponders why. Fans will appreciate this you can go home with empathetic strong people as Loran discovers her roots and much more in the Carolina mountains.

Harriet Klausner