"KISSES IN THE RAIN," by Krista Lynne Jensen, Covenant Communications, $16.99, 284 pages (f)
Krista Lynne Jensen's new book, "Kisses in the Rain," crafts a believable love story that emerges from tragedy.
Healing from an emotionally abusive relationship and a horrific car accident, Georgiana "Georgie" Tate moves in with her aunts on a small island near Seattle. After she takes a job at a local seafood restaurant, she meets Jace Lowe, who is the sous chef and whose first impression causes Georgie to recoil in fear and panic, given her history.
Jace has suffered a bad break-up, which is the cause of his harshness at the restaurant during Georgie's first weeks. Neither of them really wants anything to do with the other.
Jace soon gets over his old relationship while Georgie begins to heal. Slowly, she and Jace begin a friendship, though Georgie is hesitant to talk about her past. As they start to spend more time together for a work project developing some new dishes, it is clear they have a more-than-friends connection. However, both have carefully guarded walls built up. Georgie isn't sure if she should trust or love again. Jace worries about scaring Georgie and has made it his mission to protect her.
Jensen, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, skillfully weaves a storyline of heartbreak, betrayal, healing and learning to love and trust again. The characters are relatable and endearing. Many of the characters are LDS, though their religion is not a main theme of the book.
Through breathtaking scenery and delectable dishes, Jensen paints an irresistible backdrop to her captivating storytelling. Her story shows readers there is hope — even after soul-wrenching experiences — to heal, forgive, love and trust again.
"Kisses in the Rain" is a clean romance void of any swearing, sexually explicit scenes, and the romance doesn't go beyond kissing, but there is the theme of recovering from abuse. Additionally, there are a couple of scenes with a character who uses drugs and pulls a knife on others, and one instance includes some mild, generally described violence.
Wendy Jessen is a regular contributor for familyshare.com and frequently does media reviews. Her email is wendyjessen26@gmail.com and she blogs at mormonmomofsix.blogspot.com.