Dancing in the Rain: A Novel

This book isn't the usual Kelly Jamieson fare and as much as I wanted to like it, it fell a little flat for me.
There were however some good things about the story, Drew getting his act together and being a father. He was rather likable when he finally got himself together. I found Paige a little over the top and really hard to relate to, and couldn't see where she and Drew clicked. Maybe it was just me, but
they were and Paige especially detached and didn't seem to engage my interest. Too much whining. That only goes so far until it becomes distracting.

I love the hockey series so much and this book just seems to not quite fit in with the others, again just my opinion. I look forward to the next book in the hockey series.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
Whilst I was expecting this to be a fairly typical romantic novel, it was actually so much more. The storyline is strong and I really enjoyed the way Drew, retired hockey player due to injury, finds he has a young daughter he never knew about. Drew is strong and sexy but the building of his relationship with his daughter was very moving and makes him even more attractive. Sara, the mother of his child is dying and this part of the story is told with much empathy and compassion.
Kelly Jamieson is currently one of my favourite authors for steamy romances but this one is much more than just a love story!
4.5 Stars

Awesome contemporary romance between an injured/retired hockey player and an assertive career woman. Drew is trying to reinvent himself while wallowing in self-pity over his forced retirement. Suddenly, Drew finds out he is the father of an 11 year old girl whose mother is dying. Peyton is back in Chicago to help her sister and neice. Sara only has a few months left and Peyton is her legal guardian. Drew knows nothing about being a parent but tries his best while feeling an attraction to Peyton. The author has me laughing and crying during this book. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by this author.

I have read several Kelly Jamieson's books, and although I am fairly burned out on the sports romance genre, this book was truly wonderful. When a book has me racing through it, causing me to laugh out loud and then cry major tears, I know I have had a satisfying read. This book is so much more than a sports romance. In fact, as Drew is a retired hockey player, one could almost say it wasn't a sports book. This book centers on cancer, loss, a young tween, and love! Love is felt all through this story, and I for one, am glad I read it. Thanks for a great read. Thanks also to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

What a heartfelt and emotional story. Written with tenderness and love, this story captured my heart from the start.

The writing held you captive to the emotions of everything happening to everyone; and what a wonderful blend of laughs and smiles right alongside all the heartache and pain. Beautifully written.

There are rough patches in life, and we have to choose how we handle them. A story about loss, strength, courage, and love, all in many different ways; Sara, Peyton, Chloe, and Drew will touch your hearts deeply.

“Failure isn’t falling down – it’s falling down and refusing to get up.”

4.5stars
Dancing in the Rain is heart broking story. But never the less amazing love story between great characters. Both Drew and Payton are amazing. Drew was at first frustrating but wee quick see the reason of acting the way he acts. It was great to see how those two kept communicating; telling each other their true feelings, true thoughts and the truth. They are both strong characters attraction and passion between them amazing. The destiny plays again its funny cards when she connects them. I shared a tear of two but the story warmed my heart.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Wow, this author does it again! Very engaging, will need tissues for this one. Even though I knew what was coming it still hit me like a brick. Such a heartfelt read, it was a tad odd at first to think that Peyton was hooking up with her sister's ex-lover but with other more important circumstances it didn't bother me & I actually feel like it was the best opinion. I'm glad there wasn't an overload of drama to take away from the real-life struggle this family endured. Very well-rounded romance story and I really enjoyed reading how Drew & Peyton's story comes together.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Oh My Gosh...this book was SO good!! These characters will make you fall in love with them and will tap every emotion you possess. Get ready to laugh, ugly cry, and sigh. This book is different from anything I've ever read from Ms. Jamieson (and I've read a lot of her books) and she absolutely hit it out of the park with this one. Put this on the must read list, I highly recommend it.

Drew Sellers has no idea what life has in store for him when his NHL career comes to an abrupt end. Until a chance meeting at a coffee shop has his past and present colliding and his world turned upside down.

This uncorrected advance copy was provided by the publisher for a honest review. Drew is a retired ice hockey player struggling with the loss of his career. His world is further turned upside when he finds out that he is the father of a 12 year old girl courtesy of a one-night stand in college. As he gets to know his daughter, he also gets to know her aunt Peyton. As they learn to cope with loss and life’s changes they also learn to love each other. This is not your typical hockey romance. It will make you cry, smile and swoon.

An interesting concept in the book, with the inspirational quotes and phrases that were shared with every twist in the story. Even the name of the book is based on one of them, that you most likely have seen a million and one times in the social media - "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain". And there are plenty of these inserted into the story, enough to notice them. A cute idea, but is it original?

When it comes to the characters, I really liked both Sara and Chloe. Sara's mature and generous spirit when facing the terrible disease and death at the young age was admirable. I was sobbing when it came time to say goodbye to her. Chloe was so brave while facing SO much turbulence in a young life. Her mother was dying, she finally had a father in her life, her aunt was living with them, and she is just starting to face the world of the teens, that in itself, is a big change in a girl's life. I loved her spirit, I loved her spunk, and her open heart and mind.
I liked the male lead, Drew Sellers, as well. His life changed at one big swoop, and anyone would find it hard to cope with the adjustments he had to make. Just losing your career is a big thing, but your wife as well, especially the way that went about. Then finding out you have a twelve-year-old daughter, finding out the child's mother is dying - logical that one would be an emotional mess.

The first half of the story is heartbreaking with the preparations to the death the family will be facing. The love and bond between the family members are obvious and brought out all the feelings in me as well. It was a tear-filled feast of emotional turmoil for sure.
After Sara death, the story changed and that is where my opinion of it tanked. I was struggling with Peyton's decisions, some of her actions are so selfish, I nearly didn't finish the book because I was annoyed with her.

The ending is a predictable love story, there wasn't anything that stood out, it felt like all the emotions were spent on Sara's death, and the rest of the story was just steps taken to the HEA.

I struggled with this review because I have such a split opinion of the story. I enjoyed the first half, the second one not so much. Payton isn't my favorite character, and I could not connect with her, or understand her and her actions. Yet the story is well written, it has a natural flow, and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy the tale as it is, just surprisingly, the second half wasn't for me.
~ Three Spoons

*Thankful for the NetGalley eARK for feeding my reading addiction*

Oh, what a tug on your heartstrings kind of book. The extremely difficult situation Drew, Sara, Peyton, and Chloe find themselves in makes you want to have a happy ending, but you know there’s going to be heartache. I’m not going to say more because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. Kelly handled this story so adeptly and I strongly recommend you read this book. It touched me in a way a story has not in a long time. Don’t miss this one!

She has done it again!I love Kelly Jamieson books and this one was really good.Another hockey themed book,but this one is about a retired player,due to injuries.Drew finds out he has a daughter from a one night stand.Peyton is her aunt and her sister is dying.When she meets Drew he's a mess.They have a hard journey ahead of them.I was rooting them on from the start.I read this book as an arc and this is my honest opinion.Keep em coming Kelly!

4 stars

Dancing in the Rain was a well written and enjoyable read.
I found the storyline easy to follow and it held my interest all throughout the book.
The characters Drew and Peyton were likable, passionate and watching their relationship unfold warmed my heart.

Dancing in the Rain by Kelly Jamieson is one of those books once you start reading you won't want to put it down and I highly recommend it.

Peyton is struggling with taking care of her niece while her sister is dying. At the request of her sister, she gets in touch with her niece's biological father and stuns him with the news that he has a daughter. While he tries to navigate through this tricky situation, he finds himself drawn to Peyton. The story is sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dancing in the Rain is a story about finding your way through the many trials you face in life. Drew is a good guy trying to fight his way through being forced into early retirement from the NHL. Sara is a woman from his past who has a secret that will affect Drew now and into the future.

Kelly Jamieson writes a story that touches on many feelings. I give this book 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

OK, in a totally boneheaded move I avoided reading a different ARC of mine b/c I was afraid of all the emotions, and instead picked up this one, which contains...ALL THE EMOTIONS. I don't know if I just forgot the blurb since when I requested it, but yeah. For a girl who was looking for something lighter, I really wasn't thinking. So basically what I'm saying is that this book deals with some pretty heavy topics, and is definitely on the more emotional scale. It doesn't help that I have a personal connection to the type of Cancer that Sara is dealing with (melanoma), so it hit a bit too close to home at times. But at the same time, it was nice that a cancer that's affecting my loved one was getting a bit of attention.

So this is my first book by Ms. Jamieson, and perhaps it wasn't the best introduction to her work. Which is NOT to say the book wasn't well written, just that it sounds like it was a bit of a departure from her usual stuff (both from reviews and from her note in the acknowledgements about being encouraged to branch out), so I will definitely have to get me one of her hockey books in the future and get another taste. I can honestly say I enjoyed that Drew was Canadian, b/c I got to see some teeny tiny things that made me (as a Canadian) smile.

In the end, you know where the strength of this story lies? In the non-romance part. In the development of Drew, in the grief shared by the family, in their navigation of new realities. I'm not sure what happened, but it's almost like Ms. Jamieson was so focused on bringing us a "bigger book" that the romance kind of got lost in the shuffle. Which is not to say it wasn't there, but it just didn't capture me. It felt a bit forced. I didn't feel that chemistry between Peyton and Drew. It kind of...well...bored me. :( I really hate saying things like that, but it's how I felt. Even the steamy scenes didn't really do much for me...but part of that was because there was some talking, and I'm really picky about my dirty talk and Drew's didn't work for me. No offense, but no.

OK, so that was the bad. Which is kind of a bummer, b/c I'm a romance girl at heart. BUT!!! But but but... A lot of THE OTHER STUFF was so well done for me!!! These characters were really pretty flawed. But not without redemption. It was kind of intriguing to read about a character being forced into retirement b/c of injury. It's not really sexy to see a guy indulging in a pity party, but it was very real at the same time...I could get how he got to that point, and I could really feel his emotions. It's not how you normally want to see your heroes, but I really didn't mind it. B/C it's kind of refreshing you know? And it made his growth so much more satisfying. I loved how much he struggled with getting out of that low, that it wasn't just easy... I know that's kind of weird and may turn other people off, but not me. It made him more real to me. It made me love Drew more.

And then there was how he dealt with finding out he was a Dad. OMG, AGAIN real real real. There wasn't some magical instant connection, and he wasn't immediately comfortable with it all. But he was interested. And even though he wobbled at the beginning, he really put his all into developing a relationship. I LOVED that he was honest about his feelings at different steps along the way. And I loved that he had some great instincts with Chloe, even if he didn't always trust them. Sometimes I felt a bit weird at how he got some things so perfectly right (like the dress code), but on the other hand I was cheering!

And I thought Chloe was very realistic too! She's in that stage of life where we get to see so much, both good and bad. She had missteps, and attitude, but also heart and depth. I appreciated that.

Peyton was a little less likable for me. I'm not sure if I just didn't get enough from her, or maybe I was disappointed in how long it took her to come to certain conclusions. But where she shined for me was in displaying how hard it is to deal with a family member who is dying, and then in showing us authentic grief afterwards. I really appreciated that, and my heart just broke for her.

I was a little bummed in both of our MCs about the climax. I guess it kind of went hand in hand with them behaving unfortunately realistically, but at the same time some of their actions and reactions felt a wee bit out of character. But maybe that was just me.

So yeah. Odd reading experience for me. To have some things that I absolutely adored, but others that left me wanting. I think if the climax hadn't been so off-putting, I would have rounded this one up instead of down, THAT'S how much I enjoyed all the family dynamics and non-romance parts. But in the end the climax combined with a romance that left me unfulfilled (which is kind of not good when the book IS a romance) has me rounding down. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author though. I think she'd nail the sports romance genre.

Dancing in the Rain by Kelly Jamieson.......Wow, Another fantastic book by this fabulous author. This story has all the feels and is beautifully written. I loved watching the story unfold for Drew and Peyton. Kelly Jamieson is an amazing storyteller, I have loved all of her books. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book from publisher via NetGalley.

Drew's thinking is sometimes strange, "she whirled around and stared at him. “Seriously? You answered the door naked, thinking it was Jehovah’s Witnesses?” Drew is a very honest man, “no. I shouldn’t be. But eff, Peyton, I was. Burning, p****d-off, punch-someone’s-lights-out jealous.” I liked this book, it was emotional and beautiful.

I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book

This is not the first book that I have read by Kelly Jamieson but I can honestly say that none of the others has stolen my heart like this book. It was heartbreakingly romantic with just the perfect amount of laughs, drama, and sad moments.
Great job Kelly!

Five stars for Dancing in the Rain! This story is so well rounded and makes you feel so many emotions. It's about hope and finding love in places you'd never expect. It's heartbreaking and contains a powerful lesson: life's too short to not take chances when it comes to love and the things that make you happy. An incredible read.

Oh mylanda!!! That was a really really really good book!!! I cried thru the whole thing! I knew hockey would be involved but didn't know how. And wow! I can't even say all the good parts because u need to experience them yourself. But I would highly recommend u get this and read it!!!!

Dancing In The Rain
By Kelly Jamieson

??⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐??

Heartbreakingly Beautiful

Trust me when I say open your heart wide open for this book. You will feel so many emotions and the author did a beautiful job taking you through each one. Sara is who I would call the glue that sticks everyone together. Dying of cancer and by pure fate she sees the man who fathered her daughter twelve years ago on a magazine in her doctors office. They had a one night stand as freshmen college students and never knew each other's last names. Drew is completely blown away by the news of a child he knew nothing about. When he's faced with retiring from NHL after eleven years with the same team due too a knee injury. He is definitely lost in life and questions if he's in the right frame of mind to meet his daughter. Chloe is almost twelve and her life is falling apart. She's watching her mom die and it's been the two of them together always. Peyton knows her sister Sara doesn't have much more time, after watching her fight a battle against cancer for the last two years she knows it's almost time to say goodbye.

These four are brought together for all the right reasons. Each bringing unique circumstances to the other but the question is how will they come together and find something beautiful.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, sad, heartbreaking, loving beautiful book it's a must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Let me start by saying I think I just read a book that had everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. This book is written in dual POV my personal favorite and flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. I just wish we could have seen into the future a bit more in the epilogue. Grab the tissues and start this amazing book!!!

Drew is just drifting without any aim after a knee injury forced him to retire from hockey, when he learns of his 12 year old daughter from a one night stand in college.
Peyton is happy with a career as a reputation consultant, but her personal life is in a turmoil with her sister dying and she being the guardian of her 12year old niece.
Drew and Peyton meet under unusual circumstances, he is her nieces father. Struggling with grief and tragedy they find love with each other.
Dancing in the rain is a beautiful story, a perfect balance of courage, grief, love and romance. The characters development in face of so many changes has been dealt in a very beautiful manner. It's a book that will make you tear up but also smile.
A not to be missed read for sure.

Oh mylanda!!! That was a really really really good book!!! I cried thru the whole thing! I knew hockey would be involved but didn't know how. And wow! I can't even say all the good parts because u need to experience them yourself. But I would highly recommend u get this and read it!!!!