Review of Hope in the Rain by Sandy Sinnett

Synopsis:
‘But as I stood there, feeling the pain of unfulfilled dreams, all I could do was cry harder and harder, inconsolable as I thought about the uncertain future in front of me. My hot tears mingled with the cold rain and I shouted up into the sky – calling out for him, praying he would hear me somehow. I’m so sorry I let you go – I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! I love you!’

Laci Kramer believes that good things follow the rain – how it washes away the old and brings in the new. Since losing her husband of 24 years, her life revolves around her kids and her job. But on one rainy day in July, aboard a flight back home, something good sits down right next to her and changes her life forever.

Mitch Young is a widower from North Carolina. Hope is a useless commodity since losing his wife to breast cancer three years ago. That's until he meets Laci, and she becomes an unexpected surprise he can't resist. Laci and Mitch both learn to love again and an old-fashioned romance ensues. Romance meets reality however, when their relationship falls under scrutiny from Mitch's family and Laci is faced with the toughest challenge of her life.

Will she allow God to see them through the storms ahead or will she let Mitch go to spare him from repeating the same pain from his past? Laci begins to lose hope in love and life...until it rains. (Taken from Goodreads)

Stars Given:★★★☆☆

Overall View:
I am honestly not sure what I want to say about this book.  Although I did enjoy it, there were just some parts that I found a little boring, or irritating.  I loved the characters, but Laci just got onto my nerves at times.  I didn't understand why she did what she did at times, and I felt as if she hadn't matured or developed at all until the end of the book.  I admire the fact that Mitch pulled through, even during the storms, because I can only imagine how hard it was for him.  I also liked Evan and Caleb's characters.  They did a good job as supporting characters, compared to Mitch's brother.  What I didn't like about the book was how long it took for the readers to see the problem.  I had to read over half of the book to find out what the big problem is, which was them crammed into a few chapters, and was resolved in about two or three pages.  Although the plot of the book is simple, yet interesting enough for me to pick up the book, the book just started out really slowly.  I began to scan through a few of the pages, just because I was really excited to find out where the action will begin.  Overall, this was a very sweet and loving story, but its not something that I would crave about too much.

Character:
Laci -
Description of Character: Laci has lots her husband a few years ago in a car accident, and all she has left are her children.  Laci is an upbeat woman who is willing to sacrifice anything for her children.  When grieve strikes her, she feels like she is unable to find love again, but then she meets Mitch.  She quickly falls in love again, but is unsure whether or not it will work out.


Review of Character: I tried my best to like Laci but it was difficult at times because of her stubbornness.  Is that a good thing?  Maybe.  I loved the sweet romance between Laci and Mitch.  Their love story was very believable is certain aspects, but most of it was very predictable.  Its hard to say a lot without having to spoil the story, but Laci does progress a little throughout the story.  She is a great character, although I wasn't in love with her.  She is very strong, which is different from many books because they always portray female protagonists as "weak".  As you can tell, I had a difficult time assessing Laci because I honestly have two different opinions about her.

*Supporting characters not listed