I was given this ebook for review for Fresh Fiction by the
wonderful Molly O'Keefe, one of the authors who is an auto-
buy author for me. All proceeds from the sale of this
charity romance anthology go to support the Rape, Abuse, and
Incest National Network (RAINN, the largest anti-sexual
violence organization in the United States.(www.rainn.org)
The overarching concept in these short stories is a summer
rain falling during a time of personal discovery or growth.
The nine authors were asked to write a story of love and
hope to benefit RAINN. Author Alexandra Haughton tells us,
"There's nothing in romance I enjoy so much as a second
chance. Because we've all been there, and sometimes the only
thing that gets us through is focusing on love and hope."
All of the characters in this book had lost their way
somehow. Some had suffered severe psychological or physical
trauma. Some had lost their dream-of being an artist, of
being in a happy marriage, or of being considered normal.
Each man and woman comes to the point of acceptance and
starts the healing process in their short story with a
romantic partner, leaving the reader with a sense of
optimism for their future.
Author Mary Ann Rivers says of her story, "The reason no one
ever wants to change their life is because it is the most
awful and the most joyful thing you can go through, all at
the same time, and something as equally awful as it is
joyful is intolerable." The characters in this anthology do
suffer as they figure out how to pursue their own happiness
and a loving relationship.
Some stories are Happy Ever After, some are only Happy For
Now. The stories are short, but the message packed in each
few chapters is deep and also uplifting, if you sit and
breathe it in and let the stories' summer rain fall on your
soul to nourish it. Not only does buying this book give you
the opportunity to try out some wonderful authors who may be
new to you, but you can feel good about supporting a very
worthy cause as well. What a winning opportunity!
In this romance anthology, RITA-Award winning author Molly
O’Keefe shows us the power of a city thunderstorm from the
top of a skyscraper, while Amy Jo Cousins soaks us in a rain
in Spain. New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox’s
heroine is devastated by a winter storm, while a summer
thunderstorm grants Alexandra Haughton’s hero and heroine a
second chance at love. Rain sparks self-awareness in the
robot in Charlotte Stein’s story and allows Mary Ann
Rivers’s heroine to fall in love with her hero and her own
art. Rain causes romance between the college students in
Audra North’s and Shari Slade’s stories, while romance
causes rain in Cecilia Tan’s myth-inspired tale of a
sacrifice to a demi-god. Nine romance novelettes, edited by
Sarah Frantz.
All proceeds from the volume will be donated to the Rape,
Abuse, and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), the
largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.