Healing Notes by Maggie Jaimeson & Giveaway

BLURB:

Forgiving yourself is the first step, but helping others forgive may be just too hard.

Rachel Cullen grew up in Scotland with a fiddle in her hand from the age of four. She couldn’t imagine life as anything but a musician. When her husband brought her to America she was immediately embraced by the Celtic and Bluegrass communities. But after her divorce, Rachel’s life is a mess.

A year of trying to prove to herself that she’s woman enough for any man, and then a vicious rape while on tour with the band, leaves Rachel reeling. When she meets Noel Kershaw, an English teacher who is poetry in motion, she is definitely attracted. But he has a young child and he’s suffering from his own divorce. The last thing Rachel needs in life is more baggage.

First, Rachel must reconcile who she is, what she wants, and how to get there. Maybe then she’ll know how to be a part of the family she’s always wanted.

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My View: I haven’t read the first book in the series but this one stands alone well enough. I did not feel like I was getting confused or I had missed out a chunk of the plot, it all fell along nicely.

This book deals with a very sensitive issue of rape and makes things very clear indeed for everyone involved – the victim, the caregivers/ support system and to the outsiders on the heinous crime, the emotions involved and how it is so NOT the victim’s fault or lead-on.

The book has many moods, from the music the band plays, the violin lessons, to the romance, the bad marriages, friendships and emotions involved. And there’s a cute little girl in there who managed to string my heart and that’s no mean feat since I’m not that great a fan of kids. The author is spot-on with the characterization of Claire.

The book ties along the various characters, the situations and the different moods and sets it into a good pace.

In all, it makes for a good read.

Giveaway

Maggie will award one autographed cover flat to a randomly drawn commenter at each blog stop. In addition, she will award a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) as a grand prize to one randomly selected commenter on this tour, and a $25 gift certificate to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) to a randomly drawn host. You must leave an email address to be entered into any of the drawings.

Follow the tour for more chances at winning.

AUTHOR Bio:

Maggie Jaimeson writes romantic women’s fiction and romantic suspense with a near future twist. She describes herself as a wife, a step-mother, a sister, a daughter, a teacher and an IT administrator. By day she is “geek girl” – helping colleges to keep up with 21st century technology and provide distance learning options for students in rural areas. By night Maggie turns her thoughts to worlds she can control – worlds where bad guys get their comeuppance, women triumph over tragedy, and love can conquer all.

HEALING NOTES is the second book in the Sweetwater Canyon Series of four books. The final two books will be available in 2013.

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