Working through the last quarter of Because He's Perfect anthology; hopefully I will be finished with this monster by the end of this coming week. For BL-opoly, I am reading Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis. For COYER's Diverse RAT I'm reading Proper English, Where Snowy Owl Sleeps, Birth of the Butterfly, and Dance All Night.

Stay safe, stay strong, stay hydrated (we are hitting the 90s here in Kansas). 

Any book that gives me warm and fuzzy feelings will be a rainy day book to me -- most likely, a Golden Age mystery (from either side of the Pond), but not necessarily these alone.  To get comfortable, I like to curl up on my sofa with my books and my favorite blanket ...

... and with a mug of tea -- well, actually, I have a mug of tea (preferably the supersized one depicted below) sitting next to me pretty much all day every day, so obviously there has to be tea with my reading, too.

Cat on my lap optional, but as of two weeks ago (again) a virtual certainty!

Happy that's what I feel when I finish a Jill Shalvis book. I love this family and want to have them adopt me. Imagine a big loving Italian family who own a very successful winery. They love to help up the underdogs in the world. This story is about underdogs drifting till they land on this family's doorstep. If you love a good heart warming story about love, family, success, happiness, and trust, this is the author for you.

Rainy Day Friends is the perfect summer, it's too hot to be outside story.    I loved the story of Lanie escaping her life after finding out her husband was a husband to other women and finds herself pulled into the amazing family of the Capriottis.    This family is wonderful.    They are loud, obnoxious, nosy, and so welcoming.   Anyone who comes to their winery is instantly taken under Cora's, the owner, protective wing and welcomed into their crazy family.   

When River arrived at the winery, peeking in the window, living in her car I knew that she would be accepted with open arms but I also knew that there was more to her story.   It didn't take long for me to figure out what drew her to come to the winery and why she was interested in Lanie.  I liked that Jill Shalvis had them become friends first then told the rest of their connection.   I cannot blame River for coming to the winery.   It was probably the only way that she could survive with her baby. 

Mark... oh Mark and his gorgeous,naughty, sweet, lovable twin girls.   I loved the paragraphs that included the twins and Mark.   Those twins were too much and I could picture their cute blonde heads, the two of them wandering the winery and causing havoc to the adults.   And Mark with his big bad teddy bear attitude trying to keep them in line, going to work, and visiting Lanie all while to hide his heart.    There was no doubt that his heart was going to bust open when he first set his eyes on Lanie and I was excited to see how long he could hold out and how he would convince Lanie that she could trust a man again.     

Jill Shalvis is so talented.   She is a definite must-read author for me.     I recommend picking up Rainy Day Friends and then going back and reading the rest of her books.    

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I had a fantastic time reading this book! I just didn't want to put it down once I started reading. I fell in love with this wonderful group of characters and couldn't wait to see how things would work out for them. This is the second full length book in the Wildstone series but it really reads as a stand alone with little connection to the previous installments beyond being set in the same town. I expected great things when I picked up this book and I am happy to report that it lived up to all of them.

Lanie hasn't had an easy time of things lately. Her husband died only six months ago. That is bad enough but after her husband's passing, she discovered that she wasn't the only wife. She takes a temporary position at the winery in Wildstone as a way to get away and regroup for a bit. She does not expect to be surrounded by a family like the Capriotti clan. 

I loved the characters in this book. The Capriotti family were all wonderful. They were all genuinely caring people that never hesitated to take those in need under their wing. They were all just a lot of fun. I thought that the banter between the family members added a level of authenticity to their characters. Usually when there is a large cast of characters, I have a bit of difficulty keeping everyone straight but these characters were all so unique and had very distinct personalities from the start of the story. I think that Shalvis did a fantastic job with the character development in this book.

I loved Mark and Lanie together. They were just perfect together and complimented each other wonderfully. I like that they were both coming from a place where they didn't want a relationship but couldn't resist the draw towards each other. They had so much chemistry but the parts of the book that really made their relationship feel real were the more touching ones, such as Mark being there for Lanie when she needed him, or Lanie's interactions with Mark's girls. 

This book had no shortage of excitement. I liked River's character but I had a feeling that she would make things interesting as soon as she entered the story. River and Lanie have so much in common and I loved how all kinds of relationships were explored in this story. I felt like we really had the chance to see these characters grow and learn how to deal with some of the hardships that have been a part of their lives.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a wonderfully written story filled with swoony and heartwarming moments. I can't wait to read more from Shalvis and I hope that we get to see some of these characters again in future installments in the series.

I received a digital review copy of this book from William Morrow Paperbacks via Edelweiss.

Initial Thoughts
This was great! I may bump my rating up after I give myself just a bit more time to think about the book. I loved Mark and Lanie together and Mark's family was wonderful. River's situation really added to the story. And those twin girls :)