Woodrose Mountain (Hope's Crossing)

At one point Evie Blanchard was an excellent occupational therapist but gave it up after a personal tragedy and moved to Hope's Crossing to start a new life. She's settled nicely into that new life, working in a bead store and acquiring a dog. Now Brodie Thorne threatens that new life by insisting Evie help his injured daughter Taryn. eVIE reluctantly agrees to help Taryn - just for a few weeks. But in those few weeks both Taryn and Brodie start making their way into Evie's heart - a heart she didn't think could ever love again.

It took me a while to get into "Woodrose Mountain". I didn't realize when I asked for it that it was a sequel to a book I hadn't read, "Blackberry Summer". For the first couple of chapters I felt lost -like I wandered into the middle of the story and didn't know what was going on (author RaeAnne Thayne could have put a bit more background information into the book). However, once I got caught up in the Evie/Brodie (and Taryn) storyline, I really enjoyed the book. Evie is a complex heroine - she has lost so many people close to her that she has learned to close her heart and is afraid of loving again. Her struggles as both Taryn and Brodie make their way into her heart are very believable. Brodie is a bit more of a cardboard character (an Olympic athlete, rich, handsome, etc.) but his love and care for his daughter is very nicely done. Taryn's struggles to recover are also very well written - next to Evie she is the most believable character and probably deserves a book of her own in a few years. The romance between Evie and Brodie is okay -definitely not spicy - for me the best part was watching Evie grow as a person. The ending of the book was nicely done but made me wish I had read "Blackberry Summer" as it obviously continued a plot from that book.

"Woodrose Mountain" is a nice little romance that can be read on its own, but you may want to read "Blackberry Summer" first to get a better feeling for the characters and situations.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Woodrose Mountain by RaeAnne Thayne is a wonderful PG-rated small town romance I really enjoyed. This is the second book I read by RaeAnne and it won't be the last. The heroine, Evie Blanchard is a former physical therapist who lives in Hope's Crossing in the Rockies and works in a bead store. Evie loves her new life away from the stress of Los Angeles and the job she left behind. But when her nemesis, Brodie Thorne asks her to help his paralyzed daughter walk and talk again, she's forced into an uncomfortable situation. Evie and Brodie are like oil and water. Evie is too much of a free spirit and Brodie is too stubborn and moody. His moodiness is in part because of his daughter Taryn who due to a car accident almost died and was in a coma. Taryn now needs intensive therapy to get better. That's where Evie comes in. Brodie isn't happy asking Evie for help because he doesn't trust her and at first though she was trying to con his mother out of money. Evie is insulted, and rightly so, but will help Taryn until a replacement is found.

Taryn is a handful because she's bitter and is keeping a big secret about what happened the night of the car accident that not only destroyed her life, but killed her best friend and may put another friend away in jail for a long time. She thinks Evie is eventually going to leave her and lashes out at Evie. But all too soon, Evie breaks down Taryn's defenses, and from that Brodie finds a new found respect for Evie as well. This respect grows into friendship and then something deeper forms between the two adults.

Woodrose Mountain is at times emotional, as well as tender. RaeAnne's characters, dialogue and interactions really hit home for me. This is the type of book that would be perfect as a Hallmark movie. Watching Evie and Brodie fall in love is really sweet, and the final outcome with Taryn is heartbreaking but equally moving.

For a more tender and sweet romance, do give Woodrose Mountain a try.

Katiebabs

I couldn't wait for the release of Woodrose Mountain and the talented RaeAnne Thayne has made my second visit to the quaint little town of Hope's Crossing interesting, emotional, compelling and inspiring!

Evie Blanchard has abandoned her life as a successful physical therapist in California to escape to the small town charm of Hope's Crossing. She has found solace in the peaceful beauty and natural wonder of this friendly community. Or has she... She enjoys her job at the local bead store and the sense of family she shares with her new-found friends. When the town experiences a devastating tragedy and her dear friend Katherine's granddaughter is injured, her friendship is put to the test as she is pressured to handle the teenage Taryn's therapy. Taryn has been released from the rehab center because they feel they have done everything they could to motivate her toward recovery. Evie finally agrees to take on the challenge (temporarily) of Taryn's rehabilitation. Although it brings back painful memories of her recent past, and it means working with Brodie, Taryn's brooding father. Evie and Brodie have locked horns in the past but the longer they spend together the more she is drawn to his quiet strength and his genuine love and concern for his daughter. Can they overcome their pasts and in the process find a future with each other?

When Brodie Thorns' mother suggests that Evie Blanchard is the perfect choice to help with his daughters recovery, he isn't totally sold on the idea. Evie has been very vocal about her disapproval of his ideas for Hope's Crossing. When it comes to his daughter Taryn's recovery though, he is willing to put his reservations aside and trust that Evie's skills as a physical therapist will break through his daughter's stubborn resistance toward rehabilitation. Evie insists that this is a temporary solution but the more he learns about this strong, talented woman and the sacrifice she has made to help them, the more he wants her to stay, and not just for his daughter's sake!

RaeAnne Thayne has once again perfectly balanced the romance and reality of small town living. The characters are appealing, complex, and fully engage our emotions from the very first page. I loved that that the conflict that could arise from a romantic relationship between a professional and her patient's Father was handled with delicate respect and realism. The developing relationship between Evie and Taryn had just as much emotional impact as the relationship between Evie and Brodie.

I was also very touched by the emotional angst of the young man who caused the accident that injured Taryn and killed a classmate. His persecution by the town and Brodie was insightful and moving and the resolution illuminating! We also have a chance to visit with some of our favorite characters from the first book in the series, Blackberry Summer! (Which if you haven't read yet - RUSH - to get a copy).

I really can't say enough about RaeAnne and her gift for intricately involving her readers in the lives of her characters. From the moment you start the first chapter you feel time slowing, the mountain air filling your lungs with a fresh sense of purpose, neighbors caring for neighbors, and love blossoming before your eyes. By the time you reverently close the back cover of Woodrose Mountain you will feel refreshed and renewed by this charming town... where it is easy to believe in the miracles... of Hope's Crossing!

~Review by: Ms. Bliss from When Pen Met Paper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Woodrose Mountain by RaeAnne Thayne is a HQN publication and was released in March of 2012. This is the second book in the Hope's Crossing series. Evie has moved from L.A. to Hope's Crossing after a terrible blow. She was a physical therapist and now her heart just isn't in it anymore. She now host arts and crafts fairs and does bead work in her little store. But, a terrible car accident involving a car load of teenagers and drunk driving has left Hope's Crossing in mourning. One girl is dead and another girl, Taryn, was left in a coma. The town's most influential and wealthy family is trying to protect their son, the driver of the vehicle, from going to jail. Taryn's father, Brodie, is not Evie's favorite person. But, Taryn's grandmother is a close friend. So, when Taryn comes out her coma and needs extensive physical therapy, Evie is asked to help out. At first she refuses out right. But, a deal is made that Evie will work with Taryn until a replacement can be found. No matter how hard Evie tries to maintain a distance from Taryn and Brodie, she still winds up emotionally involved. Taryn is a difficult patient and Brodie is too good looking for his own good. Evie hates every day she has to be in Brodie's home working with Taryn and looks forward to the day when she can return to her beadwork and the store. But, when the driver of the vehicle, Charlie, begins to visit Taryn, true healing begins to take place for Taryn and Charlie. But, will the town, the law, and most importantly, Brodie, be able to accept the good that Charlie is trying to do and will anyone ever really listen to Taryn as she tries to explain what really happened the night of the accident? In the meantime, Brodie and Evie struggle with the feelings they have for each other. Can Evie let go of her fears and allow herself to take the risk of falling in love and starting a relationship with Brodie? This is an emotional story. So many lives were disrupted and forever changed by the accident. Taryn's life of an active, popular teenager is over. She has scars and can't walk and may never come out of her wheel chair. Seeing your daughter in that condition would be very hard on a parent. Bitterness toward Charlie is Brodie's way of coping. Evie's trying to cope with her emotions while working with Taryn. The memories of why she walked away from her career is never far from her thoughts. Taryn's guilt and frustration is palpable. While at times she appears petulant and downright spoiled, she is dealing a lot and despite her being difficult, she is a teenager and never had the chance to deal with the emotional trauma of losing one her friends and the impact the accident has had on the lives of everyone in Hope's Crossing. Hard work and compromise will have to take place before people will be able to move forward with their lives. The story is uplifting as the teens take responsibility for their actions and lead the adults toward forgiveness and peace and healing. The story is paced to show slow progress and not some overnight miracle. The author does a good job of giving the reader a view of all sides to the story. This is a good series, probably appealing to readers of Women's Fiction. It is a romance, but not of the very steamy variety. Overall this one gets an A. Thank to the publisher and Edelweiss for the DRC of this book.

I had been asked to review another book by RaeAnne Thayne and while I dived right in, I realized that once I had started to read it, I was completely at a loss because I missed out on the first book in the series. So, I had to stop reading and go back to the beginning so I could have a better understanding of the town, Hope's Crossing. Now that I've made it through those books, I am able to review Woodrose Mountain with a clearer understanding of Hope's Crossing and it's characters.

Evie Blanchard has left her occupational therapist life behind to start over in a small town. But as life would have it, she is asked to help the daughter of Brodie Thorne, who has been in a terrible accident. Reluctant to do so because Evie has to struggle through her own personal demons, she eventually gives in and tries to help Taryn for a short while.

The themes in this book are really difficult to write about in any given circumstance but Ms. Thayne has handled it beautifully. She has balance the sensitivity of the subject with the growing attraction between Evie and Brodie. Although it took awhile to get there, as these two are as opposite as any two characters could ever be.

While some books just beg to never be put down, there are others that are meant to be savored and read slowly. Woodrose Mountain falls into the latter category. I know that many of you will want to plow through this book as quickly as possible in order to get to the next one, but trust me on this, take your time. While RayAnne's first book, Blackberry Summer, sets up direction for this series, Woodrose Mountain lays the groundwork for the rest. As hard as it was for me to read this book because of the storyline alone, it was well worth it for me to keep on reading. I understand all too well what it is like to leave an old life behind to try and create a new one for myself. While I may not have suffered the tragedies depicted in Woodrose Mountain, I have felt the pain of loss, so I could relate to these characters on a very personal level.

Woodrose Mountain by RaeAnne Thayne
Last we left Hope's Crossing Taryn had been in a severe car accident and she's still recovering and is impatient. Her dad won't give up.
Evie who was a therapist that he doesn't care for can help and he's willing to do anything to help his daughter. She is not sure she wants to continue in the therapy field because the pain of getting close to someone and then leaving them is too much to bear. Evie's dog is also very patient and helps along the way, among other surprises.
Hope's Crossing is a town where the Angel of Hope often visits to help the less fortunate with anything they need, anonymously.
Evie has agreed to help out for a few weeks, she has a lot of old secrets that she doesn't want to share with others as to why she's in Hope's Crossing and that she had a daughter once.
Evie and Brodie are always on opposite ends of things in town. They just rub each other the wrong way.
Love how the descriptions are very detailed about the scenery, mountains, wild flowers on her runs, views throughout town. On her trip to lose herself she found the glassblowers on the island of Murano doing their craft. Although I've not worked with beads, my mother in law has and I've helped her set up a few necklace patterns on her board. It's soothing, like knitting is to me.
She collected other things on her travels, trinkets, shells etc and knew when she arrived back in the US that her new passion would be beading and not physical therapy.
Nice to catch up with what the other people in the series are doing. Even if this is your first book in the series the author brings you up to date with what they are doing and some of their past and it's not confusing at all.
Brodie and Evie opened up to one another and told of their past, secrets and what they hoped for therapy for Taryn.
He is not always agreeing to how the therapy is to be done and that almost breaks the whole thing apart, hopefully they can work through it for the sake of Taryn???
Heartbreaking to listen to what she has to go through after coming out of the coma and then Taryn wants to go to court to give a statement.

Evie comes down the hill, refreshed from her run only to have Brodie Thorne interrupt her peace. Brodie is always on the opposite side of Evie. If she said it was black he would say it is white. So what he could want puzzled Evie. When she led him up to the small apartment she has over String Fever, the bead shop she works in, she wonders what she had done to make him upset again. However Evie is blown away to find out he wants her to help in the rehabilitation of his daughter who was seriously injured in a car accident that left another girl dead and another boy, Charlie in hot water. Evie doesn't think she can open her heart again to doing physical therapy again. Ever since her adopted daughter Cassie passed away, Evie has been running from her former life.

But will Brodie and his mother, Katherine, Evie's good friend end up getting Evie to help Taryn regain some of what she lost? The dynamics are all set for a perfect explosion. Tension between Evie and Brodie becomes more than just hatred; it might actually appear to border something on the dreaded L word... When Evie runs into Charlie and enlists his help in Taryn's physical therapy, Brodie is livid. How can Evie have the boy responsible for this mess help, in his own home no less?

These small gems in your hands, so perfect to read. Especially in one sitting. RaeAnne Thayne builds such a wonderful little world in Hope's Crossing. I myself am from Colorado so I really enjoyed the fall descriptions. It is beyond beautiful and Thayne did the descriptions justice. This one is the second of three about Hope's Crossing, but you can read each one without reading Blackberry Summer, but it does help to have that background.

I know for me personally the last one will come out and my time will end at Hope's Crossing way too quick. But until it does, it will be fun to speculate who the last book will be about!! Thanks Ms Thayne for a wonderful read.

After reading Blackberry Summer last August, I was really looking forward to this one, the second in the series. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. It was nice to visit Hope's Crossing again, and all of our favorite characters are still there. The accident that started out the first novel is once again a huge part of the one, and we learn a bit more about what actually happened that night toward the end of the story. Two of the teenagers involved in the accident play a huge role in this book: Taryn and Charlie.

The romance between Evie and Brodie is definitely a secondary aspect to this novel--the main focus is on Taryn and her long journey toward healing. I thought the different points of view presented were all well done, from Evie's hesitation to go back into therapy work to Brodie's desperation to help his daughter to Taryn's frustration with her situation and guilt over the accident.

My only "issue" with the novel is that once Brodie and Evie realize their feelings for one another, she is suddenly just fine with all of the aspects of his personality that originally bothered her. That part just didn't seem believable, and I felt that their differences of opinion as the "evil greedy developer" against the "Mother Earth hippie" just wouldn't have totally disappeared in the blink of an eye. Other than that, however, I really enjoyed this book...and hope we won't have to wait another year for the next one!

In Hope's Crossing, Colorado, intoxicated teens crash while fleeing a police siren; Layla Parker dies and Taryn Thorn suffers brain injuries. Months later, the Birch Glen rehab facility informs Taryn's father realtor Brodie not to bring his ill-tempered daughter any more as they cannot work with her since she refuses to cooperate. Desperate he pleads with former Los Angeles physical therapist Eveline Blanchard to provide Taryn with home therapy.

Evie reluctantly agrees to help for a few weeks as she still grieves the death of Cassie. Rather than her former occupation, she prefers being left alone beading at the String Fever bead shop or mountain climbing with Jacques the dog. As she works with the teen, Taryn and Brodie begin to fall in love; a feeling neither wants.

The latest Hope's Crossing contemporary drama (see Blackberry Summer) is an engaging tale that continues to look deeply at the impact of the car accident on all the townsfolk as for instance Brodie and others blame the driver Charlie who agrees with their condemnation of him. The romance is low keyed and more of a supporting subplot to the prime tale of rehabilitation (and not just Taryn). Readers will appreciate this warm story.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a sequel to Blackberry Summer, which I reviewed a few months ago. Taryn was one of the kids hurt in the accident which happened in that book, but you do not have to have read it to enjoy this one. The book takes us through rehab after a major incident; both the rehab of Taryn's body and the rehab of Evie's heart. The mystery person from Blackberry Summer is back, and if this person is who I think s/he is, I'd love to read his/her story--I'd like to read it even if my guess is wrong.

While the book includes passionate kissing and one couch scene with a couple of undone buttons, the characters stop at that point, definitely putting this in the "clean" category. However, the physical attraction between these two crackles every time they are in the same scene.

I really enjoyed this quick easy read and since the rehab subplot was almost more important than the romance plot (which was pretty standard and predictable, I'll give the book a B+.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley. I was not obligated to write a positive review, or any review.

This book, in particular, made me glad RaeAnne Thayne writes in an alternating third person style. Not only did it help me to sympathize with and understand Brodie much better, but I loved getting Taryn's view on things.

The chemistry was written in this book as well as in the first of the series, although I didn't get quite as many warm-fuzzies. They were there! Just not as many.

I'm quickly falling in love with this little town and its residents.

I really enjoy reading RaeAnne Thayne's books. She is a great author. Her books are interesting and fun to read. This book was no exception. The characters were realistic and interesting. The story flowed well and kept my attention. Even though it is part of a series, this book is a stand-alone book. The characters carry over to the other books in the series, which is fun. I would recommend this book to others.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book -the determination and strength of the woman and the courage both Taryn and Evie were amazing. The accident could sadly happen in any small town America and it makes you think of the challengers teenagers face' Raeanne is one o f my new favorite authors. I can't wait To read another one of her books!

Somewhat predictable, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. It will appeal to beaders, physical therapist students and physical therapists who will feel the frustration of working with unenthused clients.

This was heart felt. I felt connected to the story and could see this really happening. I am glad that there is a book 3, which I am reading now. I am able to see the characters throughout their lives. Great book series.

I bought this book today at our local Walmart and was reading. When I got to page 65 the pages displayed Chapter 4 and the story was A Perfect Storm. I did not notice the book title and all the time wondering how this strange turn of events was going to fit in to the story I was reading. Then back on page 97 it picks up Woodrose Mountain at some unknown point where Taryn is alread home. Will certainly watch out for this publisher from now on, books are too expensive to waste money.