Friday, February 18, 2011

Review -- A Light At Winter's End

A Light At Winter's End
By Julia London
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: February 22, 2011







Holly Fisher has spent most of her life trying to measure up to her older sister Hannah. While Hannah made straight A's, Holly struggled in school due to her dyslexia. College was not her thing, so she never finished, but Hannah graduated with honors and went on to get a fantastic job, marry, and have a precious baby boy. Holly's passion has always been music, particularly songwriting, but in her mother's eyes that would never be a "real" job, not that working in a coffee shop makes the grade, either. Now her mother is dead after a long battle with cancer, and Holly is trying to repair her relationship with Hannah. But life throws Holly a major curve ball when Hannah shows up unexpectedly at her apartment and leaves her baby, Mason, with Holly. Shocked and confused, Holly has no choice but to put on her big girl panties and take control of the situation. She decides to go to the family homestead, that her mother willed to her, and figure out how to care for her nephew and what to do with the situation she now finds herself in. Little does she know that her handsome cowboy neighbor will be a bigger help to her than she can imagine.

Wyatt Clark has been hurt deeply by love so he lives alone on his ranch with just his dog for company. One day he sees smoke coming from the Fisher place, and when he goes to investigate he finds a flustered Holly who made a fire in the fireplace without opening the flue. Wyatt does the neighborly thing by helping Holly. He can see she's out of her element where the farmhouse and baby Mason are concerned. Wyatt has a baby daughter from his former marriage, so he's a veritable fount of child rearing information, which makes him even more attractive to Holly. It's not long before they are having play dates with the babies and growing closer, their own little family. Wyatt praises and encourages Holly with her songwriting and she in turn opens Wyatt's heart again to the possibility of love. Life is pretty close to perfect when Hannah shows up and wants her son back. Will Holly's and Wyatt's new found love continue to grow or will it crumble under the pressure of family drama?


And then, of course, there had been that kiss. That spectacular, unplanned-for, unanticipated, unlikely, out-of-the-blue kiss. That kiss was chocolate souffle, it was expensive champagne, it was a warm fire on a snowy winter day. Wyatt had seemed shocked by his own actions. He'd stared at her when he'd lifted his head, clearly stunned by what he'd done, and she'd felt him retreating, felt him pulling away, cobwebs and all, and she'd grabbed him back, had kissed him back. That kiss had been a gold strike, a summer thunderstorm, New Year's Eve fireworks. Spec. Tacular.


Julia London tackles painful issues like addiction, divorce and family drama in A Light At Winter's End. These characters traverse an emotion filled journey that takes them from despair and uncertainty to hope and love. Wyatt first made an appearance in Summer of Two Wishes, where he lost his new wife Macy to her first husband, Finn who was presumed dead while he was serving in the army in Afghanistan, but one day he came back home to Texas. It's not necessary to read this book first, but it does give a little more depth and understanding as to why Wyatt is so closed-off and stoic. What I love about Ms. London's contemporaries is that she writes about real people in heartbreaking situations and makes you feel every emotion right along with them. Their tears and their triumphs become yours, and you will be pulling for them all to find their happily ever after.

~ Gannon


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26 comments:

  1. This book sounds great! Books with difficult subjects are almost always good. Thanks for the review, Gannon!

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  2. More books I need to seek out. A Light At Winter's End sounds wonderful.

    marypres@gmail.com

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  3. Oh, Gannon, this is a wonderful review!! I so want to go out and get this book now.

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  4. Trisha, this is such a fantastic story. I love Julia's historicals, and her contemps are just as wonderful.

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  5. Marybelle, it sounds like we are helping you add more books to your list. :-) It happens to me every day, and now my list is massive!

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  6. Thanks, Buffie! You would really love this story and Summer of Two Wishes, as well. More books to add to your pile, right?! *g*

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  7. A wonderful review for what sounds like a wonderful book. And one that I would love to read. Thank you, Gannon!

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  8. Thanks, Andrea. My emotions ran the gamut in this book: heartache, anger, joy, etc. It's a keeper.

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  9. I can hardly wait until it is in the stores...have read all her other books and loved them....

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  10. I can hardly wait until it is in the stores.

    Just a few more days, deerdoe69. :-)

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  11. I really look forward to reading this book. Sounds terrific!

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  12. Great review, Gannon! I've been waiting to see Wyatt get his HEA since I turned the final page of Summer of Two Wishes. Julia London is an autobuy author for me, but I am even more eager than usual to read this one.

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  13. Thanks for a terrific review, Gannon. I love Julia's historicals but I haven't read her contemporaries yet. I wanted to wait until Wyatt's book came out so I could read them back to back. Can't wait to dive in!

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  14. FYI...

    Julia London will be blogging with us Monday, Feb. 21st. Hope you'll all stop by to say hello!

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  15. I have just started reading A Summer of Two Wishes, and look forward to reading A Light At Winter's End. I have read a lot of Julia's books and love her writing style.

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  16. Ganon
    Great review I will be adding this one and the first one to the must have list

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  17. I have been waiting for Wyatt's story. A SUMMER OF TWO WISHES was a story of heartbreaking choices and situations. There was no real bad guy, but someone had to loose.
    She does a wonderful job opf writing stories that squeeze your heart and make you ceel deeply for her characters. I look forward to reading this book.

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  18. I've been waiting to see Wyatt get his HEA since I turned the final page of Summer of Two Wishes.

    Me too, Janga! I know you'll love this book.

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  19. I wanted to wait until Wyatt's book came out so I could read them back to back. Can't wait to dive in!

    PJ, you've got some great reading ahead of you.

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  20. Cathy P, lucky you reading them back to back. Enjoy!

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  21. Helen, I'm sure you'll enjoy reading them both.

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  22. A SUMMER OF TWO WISHES was a story of heartbreaking choices and situations.

    Librarypat, that's so true. Someone had to lose, but it just didn't seem fair.

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  23. Great review Gannon! This story sounds fantastic and the type that will put you through an emotional rollercoaster. The premise reminds me a bit of Lisa Kleypas's Smooth Talking Stranger when Ella's sister Tara dumped baby Luke on her out of the blue, and that experience ended up being the best thing that ever happened to Ella.

    Even though I generally read romances for escape, I like those that deal with tough topics if they are done in an informed and sensitive way, adn stays true to the characters.

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  24. Lisa, this book will definitely have you on an emotional roller coaster, but it's worth the ride. :-)

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