After the Rain

About the BookT

Series: Sequel to The Last Summer

Genre: Adult, Christian, Contemporary, Fiction, Inspirational, Romance

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Publication date: February 4, 2019

Debra Hart is moving on. Maybe. Hopefully. One day.

As a radio show host, Debra spends her mornings as Miss Lonely Heart on air, empathizing with all the broken hearts in the Denver metro area. She spends her evenings watching old musicals and trying not to think about the guy who broke up with her and subsequently fell in love with one of her best friends. Alone in a new city, Debra questions where she belongs and who she is now. When she stumbles into the indie music scene, Debra meets singer Ben Price. Rock star appeal, with a day job as a worship pastor, Ben is everything Debra wants to avoid. But he’s determined to be her friend, and it so happens she could really use one. Because try as she might, nothing seems to erase the anger and betrayal she feels. It’s time for a new dream. But how does she start over when she doesn’t even know what she wants anymore?

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About the Author

Brandy Bruce is a mom to three kids, a wife, a writer, a book editor, and someone who really loves dessert. She and her family make their home in the beautiful state of Virginia.

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Review

After the Rain is an emotional story that will grab your heart, all about GROWING. Much more than a romance, it is especially relevant for all 20-somethings searching for home and friendship. It’s one book I will reread with a happy smile (and I know I’ll see more layers of the characters upon a reread!).

I wasn’t sure I would 100% like Debra because of things that happened in The Last Summer, but wow how people (or characters) can be surprising! Seeing her life through her perspective not only made me think differently about events that happened in the previous book, but made me have more empathy and understanding of her behavior. This story, for her, meant change and pain and things that weren’t comfortable or what she expected, but by the story’s end, her identity is stronger and her life is a different kind of happy.

I especially enjoyed all the music aspects of this story, from a rockstar hero (who is the. kindest. ever.) to the music/theatreish quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Let’s talk about the ROMANCE! It’s wonderful. Ben, the hero, is dimensional and complex, even though we never read things from his POV. (A feat worth noting because I think it requires major writing skills to write a main character this way!) The way Ben loves Debra just as she is mirrors God’s love for us, something not shied away from in the story. And Debra sure doesn’t make it easy for him. 😉 Faith and all its challenges, struggles, and even doubts are candidly expressed and remain an important part in Ben and Debra’s lives.

Amidst all the poignant complexity and slow growth of Debra’s relationships with her newfound friends, the adventurous side of Colorado living is included (rafting, hiking, zip lining, ohmy!)! I enjoyed this aspect, especially, because my family vacationed in CO many times when I was growing up.

I also really loved the friendships and “normal” things of the story, like falling asleep in the car on a long drive, toddler shenanigans, neighbors. Community. How change sometimes means discomfort and a new kind of normal. And how, through all of this, God remains constant, even when it’s hard to hear Him.

Thank you to SLB Tours for the review copy. This is my honest review.

Snippet

Deb, I miss you. I think about you. Just wanted to say it again. I read the text from Lillian—Lily—Spencer as the elevator doors opened. Then I tucked the phone into my small purse. I walked toward the exit of the condominium building I called home now, catching a glimpse of myself in one of the mirrors on the wall.This woman—with short hair, ringlets barely brushing my shoulders. Dark colors, chocolate-colored eyeliner—nervous about a simple thing like going to a coffee bar. I didn’t recognize her. I stopped mid-hallway and leaned against the wall, my heart hurting.

I’m starting all over.

No.

I closed my eyes. I’d cried all the tears already. None were left. But the pain didn’t stop. A reminder of how much I’d loved Luke Andersen. How ready I’d been to link my story to his for forever. But he’d chosen my friend Sara. Quiet, lady-like, sophisticated, predictable Sara. “Debra?” My eyes opened. Cassidy and Jake, my neighbors, stood in the hallway, looking worried. I must have seemed ill. With one hand, Jake carried a baby car seat, inside it their five-month-old daughter, Gilly, slept soundly. I pushed myself off the wall. “I’m okay,” I said without eye contact. I walked straight out of the building, to my car, and drove downtown.