July Thunder [Mass Market Paperback]

Rachel Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002

The death of his wife and estrangement from his father has left Deputy Sheriff Sam Canfield a shell of his former self. Schoolteacher Mary McKinney knows about the pain that haunts Sam--the death of her young son devastated her. They each begin to heal and help rebuild each others' spirit. As a wildfire near Whisper Creek rages, it threatens everything--and everyone--in its path. Third installment in Lee's Whisper Creek trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers looking for a contemporary romance focused almost entirely on character development will enjoy this saccharine story, which explores the relationship between a widowed deputy sheriff and a divorced schoolteacher in the small Colorado town of Whisper Creek. Sam Canfield and Mary McKinney meet after a car accident leaves her without a vehicle. Although they share a mutual attraction for one another, they are both hesitant to become entangled in a relationship since Sam still mourns the death of his wife and Mary hasn't been able to forgive herself for her son's death. However, they embark on a rocky relationship that heats up when a brush fire threatens their community and Sam's estranged father, a fire-and-brimstone pastor, arrives in town. The plot is minimal, and Lee's prose, though evocative, is sometimes excessive (such as when Sam contemplates the vulnerability of the soft skin inside Mary's upper arm). Lee (Under Suspicion) thoroughly explores the themes of forgiveness and tolerance religious and otherwise and fleshes out the story with a small but endearing cast of secondary characters. Although Sam's and Mary's healing occurs in a relatively short period, the intensity of their relationship and emotions will win over the most hard-hearted readers. (Feb.)Forecast: Lee also pens romantic comedies under the pseudonym Sue Civil-Brown, but her primary readership comes from her mainstream contemporaries. This quiet romance will appeal to fans of Debbie Macomber's Buffalo Valley series and Linda Lael Miller's Springwater Seasons series.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551668858
• ISBN-13: 978-1551668857
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,428,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!!, June 9, 2008

By 

Rena Ruadh - See all my reviews

This review is from: July Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

All I can say is WOW! This was one of the most beautiful poignant love stories I have ever read. It's a tale of forgiving not just others but yourself and it was written in such a great, non-sanctimonious way that I really couldn't put the book down. The book turned into an "all-nighter" for me, but I don't regret the lack of sleep!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average contemporary romance, May 20, 2008

By 

Gemma "bookworm" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: July Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

From the back cover:

Deputy Sheriff Sam Canfield is a man shouldering too many burdens. He defied his demanding father to become a cop and marry the woman he loved, never for an instant regretting his choice. Then his wife's tragic death left him a shell of the man he once had been.

Schoolteacher Mary McKinney knows about the pain and regret that haunt Same. The death of her son seven years ago destroyed her marriage and left her with her own sorrow and guilt. Now she wants--she needs--to free Sam from his demons...to help heal the rift between father and son. But in doing so, she'll put her own vulnerable heart in jeopardy.

It's July in Whisper Creek. And as a blazing wildfire sears the land, the heat of emotion rages through its residents. But when the flames die down, will there be a place left to rebuild lost hopes and dreams?

And my review:

This was a pretty good read, but quite easy to put down. I finished without a lot of trouble, but it wasn't a story that tempted me to keep reading past my bedtime.

I felt that the author was trying to deal with too much in too little space. Because of that, the romance suffered a bit. More time was given to developing other story threads, like the hero's hang-ups over his father, or his father learning to communicate and be more flexible. At times, so much attention was given to the forest fire that I felt this was more a story about fighting forest fires than it was a romance. While I'm glad the author did her research for the backdrop to her story, I often felt that it stole centre stage. I like the books I read to be well researched, but I read romance primarily for the relationship between hero and heroine. The characters were well developed, but I just didn't get to see enough interaction between the hero and heroine to satisfy my desire to watch a relationship grow and flower into true love. There were some sparks, but not as much chemistry as I'd like to see between the leads.

One other thought--the hero's rigid father is a preacher. So God gets discussed a lot in this story. While I have no problem with God being mentioned (I'm an actively practicing Roman Catholic), it felt out of place for a mainstream romance novel. A couple of times I found myself checking to see if this was an inspirational romance, because it often read like one. It wasn't preachy, but I don't think that discussing different ways to view God really belongs in this kind of book. Some readers might find this off-putting.

Not a keeper, but okay for a one-time read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Slooow Going, June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: July Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

This has GOT to be the slowest moving book I have ever read. To summarize it it sounds like a good storyline, but it was just so slow moving I could hardly push myself to finish it. It just kept going over the same ground again and again. You just couldn't wait for something to happen to resolve the stalemate.