Series: Jane's Melody #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 4/8/14
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5 stars
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What boundaries would you cross for true love?
That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician she believes can shed light on her daughter's death—only to find herself falling for him. A sexy but touching love story that will leave you both tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.
Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no limits.
As a mother, I can comprehend the absolute horror of losing a child. What I cannot comprehend is surviving it. In
Jane's Melody, we have a mother, Jane, at her daughter's grave site the day after her funeral. As Jane sits in her car and mourns her daughter, she sees a man at Melody's grave, standing in the rain. The man leaves a coin there, then disappears. Her daughter Melody (hence the title) had a history of addiction and substance abuse, and the two had grown distant. Jane is desperate to understand her daughter's last day, and sensing this man may have answers, she seeks him out.
The man, Caleb Cummings, refuses to answer Jane's questions about Melody. Caleb's sad eyes and troubling situation-he's a homeless musician-has Jane wanting to help him. She offers him a job, in exchange for renovating her overgrown property, she will help him make it to Austin, where he hopes to get his music career going. She also hopes that Caleb will eventually open up about Melody.
Now, you might be thinking, a grieving mother goes after her daughter's guy only days after her death? I'll admit, that thought crossed my path as well.
Jane's Melody is not that story; it's not designed to have a morally questionable feel, to have you tied in knots over whether Jane should become involved with Caleb. Assumptions regarding Melody and Caleb aren't as clear-cut as they seem.
Jane's Melody is very much a love story, a thoughtful, beautiful story at that, and I never questioned whether these two belonged together, despite the difference in age and lifestyle, their tragic start.
To be honest, though, I was in tears within the first few pages. Given the story, I'm sure that's no surprise. Jane's pain was given such an acute description to the instances of unbearable pain that a mother carries after a child's death. Her thoughts ones that I would imagine in my mind in the same circumstances. But, Jane's Melody is also a joyful story. The joy in life's sweet moments, in fond memories of a daughter before the demons took over, the joy in finding a love in the most unlikely arms. As Caleb renovates the land, Jane's heart undergoes a similar transformation. It was a gorgeous story that had a heavy impact on me. The ending left me smiling and satisfied. I'm so anxious (and a little nervous!) for
Jane's Harmony.
Favorite
Quote
"Everything I liked about her, I love in you." Jane felt a funny kind of confused, an excitement wrestling with disappointment and grief. "What are you saying?" "I'm saying ever since I saw you I've been attracted to you, Jane. I think about you all the time. Every night. I lay here in this bed at night and wonder if you're awake down the hall. I can't get you out of my head, and I don't even want to."
Jane's Melody Series
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About
the author
Series: Jane's Melody #2
