First Time Available!Following the USA Today bestseller, Lost and Found Sisters, comes Rainy Day Friends, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship.Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left … one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.
Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan.
Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.
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Jill’s books are the perfect escape! She writes amazing characters who grab hold of your heart and don’t let go.
Hilarity & heart on the beach!
Jill’s who I turn to when I need something that will make me smile! And this book is no exception!
Jill Shalvis knows how to reel me in and keeps me riveted to the very last page! Love it!
Warm, witty and generally wonderful
I was going to save this book until fall when I have more time to read, but I’m so glad I didn’t!
When Lanie Jacobs husband dies her life goes into a tailspin. The man she thought she’d known had betrayed her in the worst possible way. Devastated, Lanie takes a temporary advertising position at Capriotti Winery in Wildstone. Scared to trust again, Lanie tries to hold the Capriottis at arms length, but they begin to seep under her skin anyway–especially the handsome Mark Caprotti and his twin daughters, Samantha and Sierra.
But her past won’t let her forget.
When a young woman down on her luck and eight months pregnant shows up at the winery, the Capriottis, take her in and do what they do best- unite. Lanie senses there are hidden depths to young River, but can’t ignore her obvious misery. Soon, the two become friends, until a secret from the past rips a hole in both women’s lives.
This story is a romance, but more than that, it’s one woman’s journey to forgiveness against incredible odds. I fell in love with tough Lanie with a heart of gold, and I think you will, too!
I give Rainy Day Friends 5+ lovely kisses- A Must Read!
Finding a new path…
I felt guilty for my thoughts while reading Rainy Day Friends. I wanted to hate a pregnant woman. I wanted to hate a man in the army who dedicated his life to his career instead of his family. I wanted to hate a mother for blaming her child for her mistakes. But, in true Jill Shalvis fashion, I learned to love them more for their life blunders.
The choices we make in our lives lead us down a path. Sometimes the path we choose is bumpy and can even take us to a dead end. There are even paths we take because of someone else’s directions. Our faith and trust in that person make us follow the path without question, almost like we have blinkers on. We don’t see the warning signs or the risks up ahead. Then, we’re surprised when we find ourselves on a dangerous path and confounded that we threw caution to the wind and trusted blindly. Rainy Day Friends brings together people who have had their path hit a roadblock that left them a little bit battered and bruised. Somehow they manage to back up a bit, take a look around, and find a new path.
Lanie’s had a pretty tough life. From the outside, it probably didn’t look that bad but once I got her full story, seeing her vulnerability made me want to protect her. I hated when her secret was exposed. Now, this was quite surprising, to be honest. I’m one of those people who thinks a secret shared is a burden shared. In her case, Lanie’s secret wasn’t just a burden, it was an anchor that seemed to pull her further and further down. Her secret was a constant reminder that she shouldn’t get close to people. Taking a risk on friendship or love will just get you hurt. Then…she met the Capriotti’s.
Now, Mark, well he was a little harder for me to warm up to. A single father of twin girls, he’s working long hours as a deputy sheriff to buy a house to live in. He’s currently moved back to his childhood home because he needs his family to help look after his daughters. His ex-wife did a runner and broke all of their hearts with her abandonment. There is no way he’s willing to risk his heart again. Famous last words…
Rainy Day Friends made me feel. I was frustrated when the main characters were being stubborn and denying their feelings. I was devastated when Lanie’s secrets were exposed and blubbered like a baby. I smiled like a loon when Samantha (one of Mark’s 6-year-old daughters) bestows her words of wisdom or shares about Daddy’s night time walks to Lanie’s cottage. Mia was a crack up, Cora was a gem, Alyssa was a hormonal nutcase (proof that there is such a thing as baby-brain), Uncle Jack was a shocker and Holden was a sweetheart. There were just so many characters to love.
One of my favourite parts though was seeing River grow, mature and strengthen over time. A 21-year-old pregnant woman who practically falls through the front doors into the motherly, loving arms of Cora. From a homeless woman without a job to practically a Capriotti by the end.
These characters came alive for me. I knew the Capriotti’s and loved them for their busybody ways. The vulnerability of the characters when their paths took a bad turn made me feel closer to them. I think we all go through stages of vulnerability but if you’re lucky, you’ll have someone to hold the map and help you find a better way.
Seriously, Jill Shalvis has MAD skills and I think this is by far one of her best books ever. She manages to capture the highs and lows of finding love after a broken heart. She gets the dynamics of having a crazy family and living with well-meaning busybodies. Jill Shalvis also understands that sometimes you just have to ignore your brain and let lust override common sense. All of these things together is exactly why Jill Shalvis is one of my very favourite authors. She writes, I read it, it’s just that simple.
A gripping and emotional read! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll love it!!
This was the first book I have read by Jill Shalvis and it won’t be the last. Even though this is the 2nd in the Wildstone series it can definitely be read as a standalone. This book pulled me in from the first page and kept me interested until the last page. I finished it in one sitting it was that good. Two love stories one book. I couldn’t wait to see how everything would work out for the characters. It will have you laughing out loud and crying at the same time. I will definitely be reading more books written by Jill Shalvis.
Jill Shalvis weaves a story full of heart, friendship, and more in this tale of finding happiness after heartbreak.
Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite authors for fun, uplifting, sexy romances and this book is no exception. After Lanie Jacobs’s husband of 5 years died from a heart attack, she found out that he was a bigamist, but as she was the first wife, she inherited the life insurance and has been hounded by the other wives for part of it. Estranged from her parents and not having an real friends, she quit her job and accepted a two-month graphic artist job at family run Capriotti Winery, a 2 hour drive from Santa Barbara, but close to where she grew up. She had never felt loved by her parents (not sure why the author gave her parents a Jewish surname, as there is nothing Jewish about them) and after what her husband did, she feels unloveable. But the Capriotti family is all about love. They embrace her as they have other “strays”, showing her the love that she should have had bestowed upon her her whole life. They teach her how to love, but when her “secret” is revealed by another “stray”, can she keep the wall around her heart open?
Wonderful characters, lighthearted but compelling plot and a narrative that never gets bogged down.
I loved this book so much, I read it twice! I especially enjoyed how each chapter started with a featured humorous quote mostly on anxiety and self doubt…which I found to summarize my daily thoughts concisely. I’m a huge Jill Shalvis fan for all her series, but this one is extra special
Rainy Day Friends is now available in stores in mass market paperback! Get your copy of this heartwarming and emotional journey that will keep you turning the page until the very end!
Rainy Day Friends is the third book in Jill Shalvis’ Wildstone series, which are standalone stories set in the town of Wildstone. They can definitely be read in any order (except for the second book/novella which follows the events of the first book).
Lanie is running away from her life after learning about her deceased husband’s less than stellar hobby of collecting wives. Choosing Wildstone is as far as one can get of her old life but she didn’t bargain for the Capriotti Clan. They happen to be nosy, loud, effervescent and loving. Everything she happens to be avoiding since she really is crappy about love. But then Mark Capriotti and his two adorable daughters wormed their way into her heart, now she has to learn to trust that her heart knows what it’s doing.
This was one of those books that gives you all the feels, running through all the gamut of emotions you can possibly have. Lanie, Mark and River plus the whole Capriotti clan are all so memorable that you just want to continue reading about them. Ms. Shalvis has given us an unforgettable tale about love, forgiveness and family. This is definitely a keeper.
One man with many wives. What a shock that would be to discover! Jill Shalvis digs deep into the emotional upheaval caused by such betrayal. Lanie has to learn to trust again and that’s not an easy task. This new foray of Jill Shalvis into women’s fiction and longer more complex books is very satisfying.
This was such a fun sweet read with a bit of mystery/suspense thrown in, but what I really loved was how open this family was with their love for others. The Capriotti Family not only loves one another with a fierceness you can feel but they take in strays, people in desperate need of love and a helping hand, and loves them just as much.
There is much more to this story than the budding romance of Mark and Lanie, we get to know each of the Capriotti Family Members as well as a few of the “strays” they have taken in. I love this big family that is all up in everyone’s business and doesn’t hold mistakes against them. I have to admit that Marks daughters Sam and Sierra stole my heart, these two girls are absolutely adorable and Mark better watch out because they are going to be a handful when they become teenagers!
This was the first book in the Wildstone series that I read but I do plan on going back and reading the first book as well as continuing on with the series. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a feel good read that has a romance in it but isn’t the main focus of it all. Happy Reading!
**I won an ARC paperback copy of this book through a giveaway on goodreads and I purchased the audiobook as well**
What a wonderful book! I could not put this one down! Jill Shalvis can always be counted on giving her readers the feels! This one went above & beyond! Lanie is a lost soul who trusted the wrong fella…….Mark is a wounded soul who trusted the wrong woman…….can they find trust & love again? A MUST read!
To find strength, fears have to be faced, life has to be lived and pain has to be felt. For in our weakest moments is when we are at our most powerful. Rainy Day Friends gives one woman the courage to take on heartbreaking betrayal and reach for the stars. Shalvis is at her best when she takes on reality. Lanie Jacobs’ is a manifestation of women everywhere. She gave her heart with the best of intentions and came away with more heartache than she every thought possible. Along the way she found her voice and sets about mending her heart, with a few more surprises thrown her way. Jill Shalvis, creates characters that are inspirational works of art.
Best book I have read lately. The story of a crazy Italian family who love and support each other and bring in people to add to the collection. The characters are wonderful and I’d love to hear the story of each and every one of them.
Love the story and how good things can happen after something bad.