Review: After the Rain – Renee Carlino

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a deeply emotional contemporary romance about the second chances waiting beyond the shattered dreams of youth.

Under the bright arena lights of a rodeo show, young Avelina Belo falls for a handsome cowboy with a larger-than-life personality. After a whirlwind courtship, she happily moves away from her family in northern California and settles into married life with her cowboy on a seven-thousand-acre cattle ranch in Montana. One freak accident later, Avelina’s hopes for the future come to an end.

Nate Myers graduated from UCLA medical school at the top of his class, ready to follow in the footsteps of his father, a superstar cardiothoracic surgeon. Six years later, Nate’s career is being ruined by a malpractice suit. Questioning himself for the first time, he retreats to a Montana cattle ranch to visit his uncle and gain perspective. There, he meets a beautiful young woman named Avelina who teaches him more than he ever knew about matters of the heart.

Series:
Release Date: November 11th 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Shannon
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

I don’t know how Renee Carlino does it, but she manages to write these books I just absolutely fall in love with (while being emotionally challenged).  But this one was a little darker than her previous books, the characters a little more broken, and their path to HEA a little less unsure.

Avelina was a teenager when she falls in love with a cowboy who sweeps her off her feet.  She fully embraces the rancher life with her hot cowboy and wants for nothing.  But her life is shattered when a storm spooks her horse, her husband saves her life and the course of her life is altered forever.

Nate was  on his way to being a superstar heart surgeon, following in his father’s footsteps.  But when he performs surgery on a girl he really shouldn’t have, he’s forced to re-evaluate who he is and what he wants out of his life.

These characters were so gut-wrenching.  Avelina broke my heart.  Her suffering and guilt because of her husband’s injury and eventually death, left her a shell of a person.  She stops socializing with those that love her on the ranch.  It’s not until Nate comes in, the city boy trying to be a rancher, that she starts to come slowly back to life.  He makes her remember what it’s like to live and that it’s ok to want more from her life than what she had dedicated herself to when her husband was alive.

Nate beat himself up a lot over the death of his patient, but he also needs someone to tell him that everything will be ok.  When he doesn’t get that from her parents, he ends up with his uncle at the ranch in Montana.  It’s through he work at the ranch and his growing friendship/relationship with Avelina that he discovers what important in life.  He let’s go of the sterile way in which he lives and opens himself up to everything.

It was almost like a perfect storm when Nate and Avelina met.  If they had met earlier, I’m not sure either of them would have been open to what started to develop between the two of them.  Instead of casting it aside, they were able to forge a friendship which was able to grow into something more and prove that together they could overcome anything.

Renee Carlino does not disappoint with this new story.  If you’re looking for something a little different, this is definitely one to pick up.