Customer Reviews

Windfall

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fans of Cindy Holby's Wind series at last have a long-awaited fix with her latest novel which follows cowboy Jake through the upheaval of the Civil War. Wounded in "Crosswinds" and presumed dead by family and friends, Jake awakens in a hospital with amnesia, the only clue to his identity a damaged letter from Cat, whom he mistakenly suspects is his wife.

Jake struggles to heal from his wounds and regain his memory while falling in love with spunky nurse Shannon, a more-than-worthy addition to the strong-willed women of this series. Shannon, illiterate immigrant daughter of an abusive father, devotes her considerable energies to nursing wounded soldiers and struggles to resist forbidden love with this handsome soldier.

Meanwhile, back in Wyoming, Jenny cares for her war-torn, damaged family, including Cole and Grace whose new marriage is disrupted by the appearance of Cole's estranged wife.

The Duncan-Lynch clan faces tragedy and triumph set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and the result is sure to please fans of this series and attract new ones. If you havent' read the other books, don't despair - each novel is complete in itself, and Holby adds enough back story to bring the reader up to speed without overwhelming the story. Once you've read one, you'll want to read them all. Highly recommend for Western fans, historical romance fans, Civil War buffs, and anyone else who loves a great romantic adventure.

This is the 4th of Holby's books and I suggest you do yourself a big favor. Buy all 4 of them and start from the first one and read them through. They have a fluidity and continuity that is just incredible. Windfall, without having read the previous book, would be a little disjointed given the past references but it is just the best series I have ever read. This author is certainly gifted. Her characters have depth, the plots are interwoven and the books are each a tribute to relationships of all kinds. Awesome, awesome......can't wait for the next one.

In 1864 Jake suffers an injury during a battle. He awakens in a hospital thinking that an angel is taking care of him, but also realizes he has no idea who he is. All he possesses is a vague letter inside his confederacy uniform. The angel Shannon Mahoney sees Jake as her salvation to escape an abusive home.

While Jake tussles with his loss of memory, his other injuries heal. Shannon feels some guilt for taking advantage of Jake's condition, but soon they begin to fall in love even as she worries that he has someone perhaps a wife waiting for him to return. Unbeknownst to him his sister Jenny struggles to save the family ranch from robber land barons while trying to protect a close all alone pregnant friend.

This is an entertaining Civil War family drama that provides readers with an astute tale that focuses on the cost of war on civilians as much as soldiers that makes for an anti-war theme due to the hardships on innocent lives. The story line is insightful but difficult at times to keep track of as so much is going on to several different key but likable players. Fans who enjoy a discerning tale that answers the Edwin Starr question "War what is it good for?" with a resounding "absolutely nothing" will appreciate Cindy Holby's deep WINDFALL.

Harriet Klausner

Another typical Holby novel, with great heroes that get into huge trouble anywhere they go. I liked the growing love between Jake and Shannon. I don't like all the wounds they suffer all the time - and they heal far too quickly. Anyway, this is a nice read, a perfect book for a lazy afternoon :)

The fourth in the series, Windfall was just as exceptional as the first three: Chase the Wind, Wind of the Wolf, and Crosswinds. A perfect blend of the untamed West and Civil War pains. Holby has just moved up to my best author's list along with LaVeryl Spencer and Nora Roberts.

After waking from a coma with no memory, Jake has a new chance at life with the woman who saved him, but questions of his past impede the future he might have with Shannon, a woman who needs that futre even more than he. The journey these two fractured souls take is similiar to that of many in the Post Civil War world. Dreams died on the battlefield and afterwards. Alongside the story of Jake and Shannon run several others- Jake's forgotten sister, Jenny, who is fighting to keep her home and Grace's, a woman carrying an illegitmate child and many fears. Somehow, all these seemingly unrelated stories come together, but not without a price. The many shifts and plots tend to make it feel fractured and confusing for the most part.
Free will doesn't mean you choose what happens to you, just how you react to it.