Customer Reviews

Rainsinger

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3 star:		(1)
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Ruth Wind - Rainsinger

The previous reviewer has done a good job summarizing this book, so I won't go into the plot. I don't generally like this particular Harlequin line, but I liked a previous book by this author, so I tried this book. Ruth Wind is such a consistently excellent writer that anything she writes is excellent, and I really enjoyed this book.

This is an exceptionally beatiful book about two unlikely people from extremely different backgrounds who end up being just right for each other (though of course they both don't think so at first). This is also an exceptionally heartwarming and emotionally compelling read. Ruth Wind is one of those few romance writers who *really* know how to write *romance*, and the feelings she evokes in her story are feelings that will stay with you long after you turn the last page...

This book is a keeper.

P.S. Ruth Wind also writes uner the name of Barbara Samuel for those who really like her writing. I personally like the style of "Ruth Wind" better, these stories are more romantic, while the stories she writes under the name "Barbara Samuel" seem more like "real-life" books. But that's my personal taste.

From the back of the book: "Winona Snow came to the wilderness of New Mexico expecting to claim her inheritance and establish a new life for her and her troubled young sister. Love was the last thing she wanted. But the seductive man who had taken up residence in her abandoned house had other ideas.

Daniel Lynch paid little heed to Winona's "expectations." He was determined to work the land in the way of his proud Navajo ancestors, and just because they lived under the same roof didn't mean she was going to get in his way...until their hearts got involved."

This is a complex story of a woman who is retreating to a house that she legally owns to reclaim a life for her and her younger sister, and a man who returns to the same house that was once in his family to recover and hopefully repair a part of his past. There is an instant clash of wills as to who the "rightful owner" of the house and property is. Since neither person is willing to give in to the other, they end up living together so to speak. The eventual resolution of their individual and mutual concerns is accomplished in typical Ruth Wind fashion - with great sensitivity, passion, and love. I highly recommend this book.

Daniel said to Winona:

"It isn't a matter of love. It's a matter of belonging."

3.5 stars.

Daniel and Winona have to face a crucial decision. Both of them are claiming about 440 acres of precious ranch land.

The land belonged to Winona's uncle who left it to her. Winona was out of the country and wasn't aware that he'd died. Daniel paid the back taxes, but Winona paid the current ones before she knew he was on the ranch. Now they're co-owners at the moment. However, they think that there can be only a single owner. One will have to leave eventually.

While Winona and Daniel are trying to resolve the problem, they're getting to know one another. Winona doesn't indulge in casual sex. But somehow, when she wasn't looking, Winona fell in love with Daniel. She loves his laughter, and his mischievous eyes. She can even deal with his prickly ways and she likes the fierceness in him and the hints of brooding darkness. Winona wants to ease the loneliness she's sensing buried deeply behind all his smoke screens.

The characters are nicely fleshed-out, very likeable, and believable. Boy, Daniel was gorgeous! He's a half Native American with very long black hair. Yum! I liked Winona a lot. Her appearance is somewhat uncommon. Winona is very tall, busty, wide-hipped, and she's got big hands and big feet. She's the opposite of a tiny fairy. On top of that, she is pretty shy, very inexperienced, and she feels a bit clumsy. Winona is not Daniel's type of woman but then he realized:

"You fit me perfectly," he said. "I love how much there is of you. I love the sounds you make. I love the way you feel."

The chemistry between H/h was good and palpable. While I loved the build-up I didn't really enjoy their first sexual encounter. It felt kinda anticlimactic.

I loved their basketball matches. Their one-on-one games were amazing! Daniel was an all-state player and Winona was pretty close to play pro. She's very athletic and plays pretty hard. It was sweaty, yet so incredibly sexy! I did enjoy this part of the story very much! Do you want to guess who won? (view spoiler) Furthermore, the author did a very fine job in portraying Winona's little sister. Joleen is 13 years old and has her own problems to deal with. It did appeal to me how Winona handled her sister. The interaction between Winona, Joleen, and Daniel was very well done and absolutely believable.

What didn't work for me

Rainsinger is a good and pretty quick read. While I loved the beginning I just came to a certain point where I had to accept that it was a bit too sweet and sugary for my liking. When the author's describing the H/h's feelings I felt like I was reading an eighties or nineties novel. Don't get me wrong - overall I enjoyed Rainsinger but I just had a few issues to deal with. There's another point that really bothered me. We're living in the 21st century, yet the author didn't mention that Daniel had a penis. Duh? I mean what's wrong with this word? Just call things as they are, and there is no need at all to be so uptight. I don't want to read that she put her hands around him. What's "him"? Of course I got it. Fortunately, she didn't say something alike "down there". And there was no vagina, no pu**y, no nothing at all, either. I was quite relieved that Winona had breasts, though. We shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about genitals. My younger son will turn six in a few months and he's talking about his penis since he's two years old. It's absolutely natural!

Daniel Lynch, a secondary character in Walk in Beauty, is given his own love story in this wonderful novel. It explores love in so many ways: romantic, family, cultural, land, etc. The relatioship between Daniel and Winona unfolds realistically, yet the author takes it to a higher plane with her evocative writing...truly lovely in its emotion and truth. I loved Rainsinger just as much as Walk in Beauty and highly recommend both.

This is the perfect follow-up for "Walking in Beauty". You will love reading Daniel and Winnona's story. It is warm, romantic, and like all of Barbara Samuel's stories, very thought-provoking. You will be taken into the heart of Daniel, a Native American, struggling with lonliness, and trying to hold on to his ancestors land. He has some serious relationship and trust issues that were caused by his upbringing. Winnona and her sister have lost their parents and have their own battles to overcome. Barbara Samuel takes you into their hearts and minds and you will find yourself very quickly falling in love with all of them.