Saturday, April 2, 2011

Review: Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights

Author submission in exchange for an honest review.


Title: 
Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights
Author: 
Jean Joachim
Release Date:
February 8, 2011
Publisher:
Astraea Press
Word Count:
approx. 42,000
Purchase Links:  
Author's Website:



Description:  

Caroline Davis White is a well-known artist married to a philandering multi-millionaire. She has everything any woman could want except love. Brad refuses to give her the divorce she so desperately wants.  With no money, family, or friends, she flees to the Catskill Mountains where she spent her summers as a child.

Mike Foster achieved success and made more money than he could ever have dreamed, but it destroyed his marriage and cost him his son.  He is wary of women who find his wallet more attractive than his good looks.

Caroline reconnects with the life she had and friends from long ago. Mike steps out of her teenage dreams into her life again, looking more handsome and tempting than ever. She knew who he was then…but who is he now?


Joey’s Review:  


Caroline is married to a jerk. That's the short, but not-so-sweet truth. Finally fed up with his antics, she packs her bags and leaves. She heads somewhere with good memories, her family's summer lakeside rental at The Birches, and as part of her new start, adopts the name Sunny, what everyone called her before she married into a life of luxury.

In time, she meets The Birches maintenance man, Mike, who turns out to be her childhood crush. Sunny is understandably surprised, especially when it becomes evident that Mike is becoming interested in her. Naturally, her unfinished business with her jerk of a husband keeps her from being open to a relationship with Mike, and that leads to some misunderstandings.

This was a pleasant read. Oftentimes, when I'm reading romance novels, I'm picturing young twenty-somethings, with an annoying perfectly pretty streak. I appreciated reading a story that seemed to fit my age-group: that don't-you-dare-imply-I'm-pushing-forty demographic. The characters felt like people I could know. Average, intelligent people just looking for a little happiness. 

I especially liked Mike. I like Mike. Sorry, can't ignore a fun rhyme, there. I'm always a sucker for a guy who is beautiful to the woman who loves him. I don't need a hero who looks like he just stepped off the cover of GQ. I imagined him as attractive, but not necessarily perfect. When an author gives me that imaginative freedom, the hook is set.

Angst-whore that I am, it often surprises me when I'm given what qualifies as a mellow read, and find myself enjoying it. And I definitely enjoyed this one. The romance in this story isn't about getting to the smutty smut, it's about what's going on in our couple's hearts and minds. And that's something I was definitely on board for in this book. Mike and Sunny made sense. And I'd definitely recommend this story.

Joey's Rating:


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