4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful romance about second chances at love, October 22, 2004
This review is from: The Farmer's Wife (Harlequin Superromance No. 1099) (Paperback)
Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
In this prequel to Lori Handeland's `Luchetti Brothers' Series, readers meet their youngest sibling and only sister, Kim, who has secrets she can tell no one.
Kim Luchetti had fled her home at the young age of 18, swearing to never return, and indulging in all manners of things in an attempt to forget. Her heart had been broken as the result of a tragedy that only she and her boyfriend at the time, Brian Riley, knew about. When her father falls ill eight years later, she comes home to see him. Everyone wants to know why she left everything behind but she can't bring herself to reveal their secret.
Brian has always loved Kim, in spite of the hurt and anger he feels and her having abandoned him when he needed her most. When she appears in the driveway of his farm, he is disbelieving and in his shock, tumbles off the barn roof breaking both of his wrists. Kim's guilt over their heartbreak, and his current situation, makes her decide to do the right thing and stay to help him until he is healed.
Their love has never died, even after what happened so many years ago, and being in such close quarters brings all those memories to the surface. Can they finally talk about what happened and help each other heal? Or is that one heartrending event going to keep them apart forever?
This is a beautiful story about two young people who made some mistakes in their past that still affect them to this day. Kim and Brian were so in love in their younger days, that they never thought anything could ever hurt them. As is always found in the fearlessness of youth, they believed they were indestructible. However, their past affected them more than they realize.
Kim has become a woman who believes love is nothing but pain, and she attempted to drown that in alcohol and men. But the emptiness remains. Brian feels like a failure because he could not make her stay back then. Both are still so blinded by their hurt and loss that they can't see the truth before their eyes... that the love they share can see them through anything. This comes through in the writing, having caused this reviewer to become teary-eyed on more then one occasion.
The growth of the characters in this book is well done, with the readers being able to understand what drives them. The interaction between Kim and her family is realistic and true to the nature of large families. There is even a sweet secondary love story here, that of Kim's parents, as they learn once again why they love each other and they learn to handle the changes in their relationship. Tantalizing glimpses of the Luchetti Brothers are given throughout, preparing readers for the stories to come about each of them.
Having only read Ms. Handeland's paranormal romances in the past, this book gave the reviewer a better realization of the author's talent for penning emotional stories that grasp readers from beginning to end. This reviewer looks forward to reading the rest of the series that has started with `The Farmer's Wife'.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2004. All rights reserved.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evocative tale of second chances - Highly recommended, February 19, 2003
This review is from: The Farmer's Wife (Harlequin Superromance No. 1099) (Paperback)
Eight years ago Kim Luchetti fled the small Illinois farming community where she was raised, eventually buying a partnership in a law firm in Savannah. Only her father's hospitalization brings Kim back to face the ghosts and disappointments of the past. When she hears of the death of her former boyfriend's parents, Kim feels compelled to visit his farm to offer her condolences.
Unsuspecting of Kim's approach, Brian works on repairing the roof of his barn, tumbling to the ground in shock and breaking both wrists when he sees her. With both of Brian's wrists in casts, Kim's guilt over his injury drives her to offer to care for him and help out in the house until he recovers. But living in such close proximity forces Kim and Brian to face the past and their own unresolved feelings, despite her determination to leave everything between them in the past.
Second chances taking an entrancing twist in THE FARMER'S WIFE by Lori Handeland. Kim's determination to never be a farmer's wife and the contradictions and conundrums her choice presents result in a journey of self-discovery and transformation. Brian's determination to expose and heal the past provides a powerful counterpoint, maintaining a fascinating tension. Indeed, these vividly realized characters reveal weaknesses and strengths that will hold readers entranced. In addition, a secondary cast of characters mostly consisting of Kim's wonderful family will have readers hoping for more love stories coming from the fertile Illinois vista. A delightful read, THE FARMER'S WIFE comes highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
