This book can be read as a stand alone novel. This is an adult content romance
Winter Cheyne was a child bride, sold for the price of a gambling debt. After years of abuse she knew breaking free of his hold would be dangerous, maybe even deadly, but it was a chance she had to take. The freedom she found as Winter Rayne was an illusion, instantly shattered by the high beams of an oncoming car.
an oncoming car.
Dr. Jedidiah Raintree never knew the truth about what happened to his best friend, Winter Cheyne. Growing up on the reservation together they were inseparable, until fate intervened and tore them apart. He’s spent the last twenty years looking for the girl with the long black hair and almond eyes, but ran into dead ends at every turn. Where he didn’t expect to find her was huddled in his cabin, pointing a gun at his chest.
With the first snowstorm of the season bearing down on them, Rain convinces Winter he can keep her safe until the storm passes, but quickly learns safety is an apparition. The only choice he has is to risk everything to save the girl he once knew.
Hidden somewhere in her are the secrets she’s being hunted for. Hidden somewhere in him is the strength she will need to face them and be free. Hidden somewhere in their past is the key to their future. As the snow falls hard around them, desperation, deceit and death must work in harmony to fulfill their destiny.
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***** A very different kind of romance
First off, who can resist jumping into a book after reading its first line: “My name is Winter Cheyne and eight hours ago I killed a man”? I certainly couldn’t. Adding to this touching, page-turning story is the fact that Winter, a truly unique character of half Chinese, half Chipowa descent, as well as also being a romance novelist, is on the run for her life. Amidst well-described hazards of harsh weather, animals, and her horrendous physical injuries constantly flaring up, we begin to learn about Winter’s brutal life, which started from a young age. A time when she was sold by her financially ruined father to Ono, an evil, despicable man who not only brutalized her nonstop, he partnered with a group of vicious cutthroats who are now after her.
Filled with insecurities, spirituality, hallucinations, and flashbacks of all the horror done to her, Winter manages to follow a lovely dog named Pumpkin, to a wilderness cabin for warmth, drink, and food. The sweet dog obviously belongs to someone, but to whom? Winter soon finds out. The owner turns out to be a doctor named Rain. The very same man she knew and loved as a child who had left his home on their reservation and whom she had always missed terribly.
If fate actually brought them together again after so many years, can one savvy man really protect her from so many others still looking for her? Is Rain just part of her escape or is he her “magnificent destiny”? As I continued on, I also began to truly appreciate the author’s descriptions of exactly how much PSTD can last in someone’s life, even when happiness peaks around the corner. Excellent read. Highly recommend.
Wow! What a read. Talk about a myriad of emotions. I’m a Katie Mettner fan, I love all her books, but I think this one might be my favorite.
Rain and Winter were once best friends. Separated at a young age, they never forgot each other. She focused on survival and he focused on finding her. When he does, she’s skittish as a cat, and hiding in his cabin. What happens when they are reunited, their restored relationship, will leave you breathless.
Winter is such a complex character, so well written and thought out. She’s human, and she’s flawed, and you’ll love her for it. She was cheated out of a normal childhood and loving parents. Left in the care of a madman, she somehow manages to survive and break free from the cruelty she’s suffered. Unfortunately that freedom doesn’t last long, sending her on the run. Beaten but not yet broken, she runs into the arms of her savior.
Jed or Rain as I prefer to call him, is the perfect hero. He’s gentle, considerate, but isn’t a push over. Once Winter reenters his life, he becomes solely focused on getting her to safety. Once she’s safe, he slowly helps her along the long road to recovery.
This book is many things. It’s romantic suspense, it’s inspirational romance, it’s a story about one woman’s fight to find herself while fighting for the right to live a normal life. You’ll root for Winter as you read her story and realize, she’s only asking for something most people take for granted, love, safety, and a life without fear.
Katie Mettner masterfully takes you on a rollercoaster ride full of fear, hurt, confusion, and then love in Winter’s Rain. Reading about Winter’s suffering and then recovery will restore your faith in the human spirit. It certainly did mine.
I wish I could give this story 10 stars! The Northern Lights series is a gem, all three books are diamonds in the rough. I can’t wait for the next one.