At long last, the legendary New York Times bestselling author returns with a heartfelt novel of womanhood, a wild heart, and the healing power of love.Run, run, as fast as you can!When life throws her one setback too many, midwife and young widow Tess Hartsong takes off for Runaway Mountain. In this small town high in the Tennessee mountains, surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her … surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her heartbreak and find the solace she needs to heal.
But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters an enigmatic artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with too many secrets, a helpless infant, a passel of curious teens, and a town suspicious of outsiders, especially one as headstrong as Tess. Just as headstrong is Ian North, a difficult, gifted man with a tortured soul—a man who makes Tess question everything.
In running away to this new life, Tess wonders— Has she lost herself . . . or has she found her future?
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A dazzling look at life itself. With all the scars and baggage, love still finds a way in; to heal. Filled with hope and acceptance, this is by far SEP’s most brilliant work yet. Personal drama, self-reflection, sexy fun, moments of eroticism, and developing friendships in the face of adversity and social differences. All the feels. All the love.
This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I enjoyed it so much, I’ve already purchased It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1). This was an emotional book in parts, but the romance scenes and the secondary characters balanced it out. Tess Hartsong moves to Tennessee after the death of her husband. We find out she was a midwife, but she’s at a crossroads about what she wants to do next. Tess meets Bianca and they become fast friends. Bianca is pregnant and lives in the old schoolhouse with Ian, a graffiti artist. I really enjoyed meeting all of the residents we’re introduced to and how they help each other when the need arises. I won’t leave any spoilers, but I will say if you enjoy a slow burn romance, you will enjoy reading Tess and Ian’s story. I thought it was hilarious what he did at the Broken Chimney.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.
I have been reading this author’s stories for years and doubt there is one that I haven’t enjoyed and laughed while reading. This one was just as fabulous of a story but one that made me laugh and made me cry. The angst in the story was palpable and yet, I was always cheering on each and every character. How someone can put down in words the things she does is beyond me but it is the reason she is such an award winning author.
A widow, a gifted artist and a small town come together in this story in such a way that you will feel it in your heart and soul for days to come. I laughed out loud at times, knowing the author was chuckling herself as she wrote some parts and almost cried at other paragraphs for the absolutely accurate emotions described.
Give this one ten stars for the talented storytelling and believable look into what life can throw at you and still allow a person to emerge victorious!
I was honored to be gifted an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for the review.
Tess is an angry, grieving widow and midwife, who in an effort to climb her way out of the morass of depression she’s living in, escapes to a run-down cabin on Runaway Mountain in Tennessee. She’s hoping nature and solitude will help rid her of the demons who sit with her all day and night. Instead, one morning she finds herself dancing, nearly nude, in the rain. She hopes she can dance away her anger and depression. A behemoth of a man demands she stop blaring her music so he can enjoy the solitude of his nearby cabin. The man turns out to be a world renown artist who can no longer practice his art.
This is a book that captures you on page one and doesn’t let go. You’ll find yourself thinking about this story and these characters for days. The writing is so very good that you’ll sail on the author’s ability to entrance you with her characters, her story, her setting, and her writing.
The author has given us everything we need – loss, love, humor, and redemption – all wrapped up in a story with unforeseen events and enough twists and turns to keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning.
If you’ve been craving a book to get lost in, this is the one. Even the most hardened of readers will find themselves liking the characters and cheering them on. This book deserves to be at the top of your to-be-read pile.
My thanks to Morrow and Edelweiss for an eARC.
Rating: “B+” I never understood Ian and his moodiness . He finally comes to grips with his past and attitude and realizes what is important: the love of his life, Tess and his daughter and his artistic creativity blossom
And intelligent romance about a reclusive artist whose lost his mojo and a widow still grieving. They are brought together by a baby that belongs to neither one of them but prove that family is not always made by blood. It’s a story about learning to love and belong again. Tess got a little whiney and Ian a little stubborn (for goodness sake just speak to each other). But overall a very good romance. SEP does it very well.
Families are not necessarily just what you are born to AND the more people you love, the more people you have to give. Being unconventional or unique is not wrong – even if the neighbors think so. But most important? Dance…just dance.
More intense than her usual books, but I still enjoyed it.
I’ve been wondering when SEP would come out with a new book, so eagerly dived into this one. Unfortunately, I often found myself getting bored with the heroine and the choices she made. Still unique characters and an enticing storyline kept it moving along.
Nurse, midwife Tess Hartsong has not been able to move on with her life after the death of her best friend and husband, Trav, so runs off to a small town in the Tennessee mountains to live in a dilapidated cabin, where she tries to deal with her anger by dancing outside in the rain. Her closest neighbors are famous graffiti artist, Ian North and his friend, (wife?) Bianca, who is very pregnant. Ian is the son of an abusive, wealthy man and a mother who did not protect him, and has also fled to the mountains for peace. His peace is shattered by Tess’s presence, who he is attracted to from day one, so of course, he pushes her away. But when Bianca goes into labor, it is Tess who must delivery the baby (she had wanted a baby, but Trav was never ready), and then Bianca dies from a very rare complication. Ian hands the baby over to Tess, until he can find the baby’s real father. Will Tess ever be able to deliver a baby again? Can baby Wren help heal both of theses tortured souls?
I listened to the audiobook for the second time. First was the day it was released and again just now. Decided to delve into my library for something heart-warming for a long road trip. So glad I picked this one. I adore this author and this book exemplies why. Women taking charge and kicking butt in the best way. Women figuring out who they are, finding their power and discovering who they truly want to be. Enjoy and if you have this title give it a second listen. You will be glad you did.
Two loners find love in the most untraditional of ways and while it might seem unlikely, it was entertaining. Both Tess and Ian are stymied in their respective careers, he as an artist, she as a midwife. Without giving away the plot, both regain their professional standing and find family and love strong enough to overcome scars from the past.
I was really hoping to like this book as it had been on several lists of highly anticipated novels, but I thought it was just OK. I think the story had a lot of promise, but it was a bit preachy (telling customers that you won’t sell them something, setting up info on sex education against the store owner’s wishes). I also thought it was predictable that Ian and Tess would end up together from the moment they met. Tess was a whirlwind in the town, and an outsider, so I was a bit surprised of her takeover of the town in many ways. I expected more from this novel.
Very different from most of her books, but I enjoyed it.
When I finished it, I wanted to start again from page 1. A great story that twists and turns with every chapter. Characters you will love. This is one you won’t want to put down.
It’s complicated. SEP usually writes light warm-hearted stories and this book was not that. This book was complex, emotional and beautiful. Tess has escaped her busy life and settled in a small town where she spends her days working in a coffee shop and her nights dancing in the rain. When her path first crosses with Ian, an unfriendly arrogant artist, Tess has no idea how much he will change her life. This story is a romance but more than that, it is a story of these two characters finding their way out of grief. Tess was a smart strong female who stood up for what she believed. Ian was a good guy, with a big heart, wrapped up in a lot of emotional armor. I loved watching the relationship between these two develop. There’s so much more to the story that I am not going to mention because I don’t want to spoil it for you. This was a compelling emotional read that hit me right in the heart.
Great book
I recommend this book, but it is novel, not a romance so while it has romance in it, to me that was not the main theme of the book. I thought the book had sad moments and happy moments, quirky people, lots of emotion and problems real people have. It explored human nature well. Both main characters were witty so I was laughing at some points in the book. I appreciated the grief Tess felt a few years after her husband’s death as it took me about 2 years to feel somewhat normal after my dad died. Dancing wildly, especially in the rain, may be a way to deal with the grief. Tess got on my nerves a bit, but I loved Ian with his issues and emotional baggage and depth of emotion. To me it was obvious that while he said he did not have feel things, he actually felt too much. I especially liked that last part of the book because it gave the reader closure.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Repost of my original review at Amazon.com.
As always, SEP kept me riveted to every page with this tale of tragedy, triumph, grief, joy, and big, messy emotions like love.
Disappointed in this book. I have always enjoyed this author, not this story.
Not my favorite SEP book but some moments of her normal humor and charm save this book