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Promise Me a Rainbow
" . . . a delicately crafted, eminently satisfying romantic fiction. Reavis works magic . . . " - Publishers Weekly
Two lonely people, scarred by betrayal and tragedy, believe that love is lost to them forever...
Deserted by her husband because she couldn't have children, Catherine Holben has thrown herself into her job counseling pregnant teens. Catherine is still recovering from the pain of her divorce, but her life is changed forever when she makes a purchase in a quaint curio shop. She meets handsome, hardworking Joe D'Amaro, a widower and father of three, and his daughter, Fritz. But Joe needs help with Fritz, a seven-year-old dynamo. She's a precocious but headstrong little girl who's impossible to resist., and he is too proud to admit it.
Joe and Catherine are cautious about making a commitment to each other. They both know the joy and heartache of falling in love, but are they willing to risk being together despite their misgivings? Neither can ignore the love that quickly blossoms between them. Maybe they can have a wonderful life together . . . if only Joe's still-grieving older daughter, Della, will accept a new woman in her father's life.
True love versus reality. Can Catherine handle his ready-made family? Or is there more in store for her than she thinks?
A four-time RITA winner and a three-time RITA finalist, Cheryl Reavis is the author of acclaimed romance novels including A Crime of the Heart, which was condensed in Good Housekeeping magazine. Visit her on Facebook, read her blog, Writing Life, www.cherylreavis.blogspot.com, and follow her on Twitter @sCRibblercheryl.
Two lonely people, scarred by betrayal and tragedy, believe that love is lost to them forever...
Deserted by her husband because she couldn't have children, Catherine Holben has thrown herself into her job counseling pregnant teens. Catherine is still recovering from the pain of her divorce, but her life is changed forever when she makes a purchase in a quaint curio shop. She meets handsome, hardworking Joe D'Amaro, a widower and father of three, and his daughter, Fritz. But Joe needs help with Fritz, a seven-year-old dynamo. She's a precocious but headstrong little girl who's impossible to resist., and he is too proud to admit it.
Joe and Catherine are cautious about making a commitment to each other. They both know the joy and heartache of falling in love, but are they willing to risk being together despite their misgivings? Neither can ignore the love that quickly blossoms between them. Maybe they can have a wonderful life together . . . if only Joe's still-grieving older daughter, Della, will accept a new woman in her father's life.
True love versus reality. Can Catherine handle his ready-made family? Or is there more in store for her than she thinks?
A four-time RITA winner and a three-time RITA finalist, Cheryl Reavis is the author of acclaimed romance novels including A Crime of the Heart, which was condensed in Good Housekeeping magazine. Visit her on Facebook, read her blog, Writing Life, www.cherylreavis.blogspot.com, and follow her on Twitter @sCRibblercheryl.
366 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1990
30 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Reavis
53 books37 followersAKA Cinda Richards
Former public health nurse, now award-winning romance novelist, Cheryl Reavis, describes herself as a "late bloomer." Her Silhouette Special Edition™, A CRIME OF THE HEART, reached millions of readers in Good Housekeeping magazine and won the Romance Writers of America's coveted RITA award the year it was published. She has also won the RITA award for her Harlequin-Silhouette novels, PATRICK GALLAGHER'S WIDOW, THE PRISONER, and THE BRIDE FAIR. BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE BARTERED BRIDE and a Berkley novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, have been RITA award finalists. She has received numerous awards from Romantic Times magazine.
Her award-winning literary short stories have appeared in The Crescent Review, The Bad Apple, The Mosaic, The Sanskrit, Laurels, The Emrys Journal and Writer's Choice.
Publishers Weekly described her Berkley single-title novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, as "...an example of delicately crafted, eminently satisfying romantic fiction."
Former public health nurse, now award-winning romance novelist, Cheryl Reavis, describes herself as a "late bloomer." Her Silhouette Special Edition™, A CRIME OF THE HEART, reached millions of readers in Good Housekeeping magazine and won the Romance Writers of America's coveted RITA award the year it was published. She has also won the RITA award for her Harlequin-Silhouette novels, PATRICK GALLAGHER'S WIDOW, THE PRISONER, and THE BRIDE FAIR. BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE BARTERED BRIDE and a Berkley novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, have been RITA award finalists. She has received numerous awards from Romantic Times magazine.
Her award-winning literary short stories have appeared in The Crescent Review, The Bad Apple, The Mosaic, The Sanskrit, Laurels, The Emrys Journal and Writer's Choice.
Publishers Weekly described her Berkley single-title novel, PROMISE ME A RAINBOW, as "...an example of delicately crafted, eminently satisfying romantic fiction."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 14, 2012
Lurrrrvvveed it!It was a wonderful sweet emotional story,it made me smile,cry and angry,loved each n every character.Adored Fritz so much.Liked how Joe-Catherine's love blossomed as the story progressed.I was angry at Joe cause he knew what is Margaret trying to do-i completely understand his decision not to tell Michael anything but when she started using Della and it broke his family he should have confided in Michael.Michael he should be acting maturely instead of taking sides and help Joe to get his happiness.Anyways i was happy that even after so many hurdles they manage to get their HEA.Only thing disappointing was Margaret was never exposed.
Overall a very good read,this is my first book by this author but not the last.loved the way the author brought out emotions ,i was literally there in the book along with the characters smiling and crying with them.
Recommend it.
Overall a very good read,this is my first book by this author but not the last.loved the way the author brought out emotions ,i was literally there in the book along with the characters smiling and crying with them.
Recommend it.
August 19, 2017
Lovely and heart-rending story about two people who lost love and found it again. Joe is widower and father of three, still very much grieving his beloved wife and struggling to connect emotionally with his youngest child, precocious little Fritz, who is wise beyond her seven years and yet achingly so sensitive and with fears and needs that she finds hard to articulate to him. Catherine is a divorcee coming to terms with her failure to give her ex-husband the child they both crave. I love, that she doesn't shy away from it, that she tackles everything head on. That her subfertility did not stop her from taking on the role of teacher and mentor to troubled pregnant teens or to buy a quirky little mother and child gnomes figurine or to open her heart to a gnome-loving Little girl. I love, that Joe, after an initial momentary hesitancy, consciously and fearlessly tumbled head over heels for Catherine. What annoyed me was his failure to reveal the wicked machinations of his sister-in-law and hence implicitly allowed her to continue her influence over his elder daughter and her deceitful behaviour towards Michael, Joe's brother. The writing is quite captivating and there were some really moving scenes especially between Fritz and Catherine.
This was a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This was a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
October 15, 2012
This wasn't a bad book by any means but it felt very heavy. For a romance it seemed utterly lacking in real joy until the very end.
The tone of the book is set somewhat by Catherine. She lives a half-life, sad about her inability to have children and abandoned by her husband because of it.
And then there is Joe and his youngest daughter Fitz. Joe's wife was killed in a car accident and his youngest daughter, seven-year-old Fitz is having emotional issues because of it.
Joe, Fitz and Catherine's lives intersect over a mother/child figurine that Catherine purchases on impulse. The figurine was actually owned by Joe but he sold it because he was short on cash. But Fitz was very attached to the figurine and wants it back.
I get the feeling that I was supposed to be happy that this lonely woman and this damaged man and child found each other. But I just found them to be somewhat enervating. They didn't lift me at all, on the contrary I found them somewhat wearing. Joe and Catherine, after a few head-butting moments, figure out that they really like each other and then they become lovers. The problem with the story is that there was no real conflict for them.
So we are left with filler and secondary characters that shift focus from the decidedly subdued romance. First there is Catherine's job. She works as a counselor? Den Mother? Life Coach? To a group of pre-teen pregnant girls who are given a sort of area-51 zone in their school where only Catherine and one other teacher work with them. These girls are young, yet hardened by life and their circumstances. Oh, btw, the other teacher has Cancer and her husband left her because of it (see....heavy).
Second is Joe's family. He has a predatory sister-in-law. A Clueless brother. And his oldest teenaged daughter, Delia, who acts as the primary obstacle in keeping Joe and Catherine apart. Normally I would find Delia's actions compelling, because children objecting to a new boyfriend/girlfriend can act as a definite obstacle. But the inclusion of the Brother & sister-in-law took the plot-line from potentially interesting to downright ludicrous.
But Joe and Catherine (and Fitz) get their HEA in the end. But even so, all I could think about was that this book went beyond angsty and straight into depressing.
The tone of the book is set somewhat by Catherine. She lives a half-life, sad about her inability to have children and abandoned by her husband because of it.
And then there is Joe and his youngest daughter Fitz. Joe's wife was killed in a car accident and his youngest daughter, seven-year-old Fitz is having emotional issues because of it.
Joe, Fitz and Catherine's lives intersect over a mother/child figurine that Catherine purchases on impulse. The figurine was actually owned by Joe but he sold it because he was short on cash. But Fitz was very attached to the figurine and wants it back.
I get the feeling that I was supposed to be happy that this lonely woman and this damaged man and child found each other. But I just found them to be somewhat enervating. They didn't lift me at all, on the contrary I found them somewhat wearing. Joe and Catherine, after a few head-butting moments, figure out that they really like each other and then they become lovers. The problem with the story is that there was no real conflict for them.
So we are left with filler and secondary characters that shift focus from the decidedly subdued romance. First there is Catherine's job. She works as a counselor? Den Mother? Life Coach? To a group of pre-teen pregnant girls who are given a sort of area-51 zone in their school where only Catherine and one other teacher work with them. These girls are young, yet hardened by life and their circumstances. Oh, btw, the other teacher has Cancer and her husband left her because of it (see....heavy).
Second is Joe's family. He has a predatory sister-in-law. A Clueless brother. And his oldest teenaged daughter, Delia, who acts as the primary obstacle in keeping Joe and Catherine apart. Normally I would find Delia's actions compelling, because children objecting to a new boyfriend/girlfriend can act as a definite obstacle. But the inclusion of the Brother & sister-in-law took the plot-line from potentially interesting to downright ludicrous.
But Joe and Catherine (and Fitz) get their HEA in the end. But even so, all I could think about was that this book went beyond angsty and straight into depressing.
August 24, 2017
A really good story about people finding happiness unexpectedly. As usual with Cheryl Reavis we have a finely woven plot linking characters in the most unusual and heartwarming ways. This is a romantic story but also a story about a family or forming new families.
The characters are wonderfully layered and complex: Joe and Catherine, both with emotional scars and a lot of baggage, Joe’s children, and the other secondary characters.
The dialogue is vivid – although sometimes Fritz’s utterances seem much older than her years – and the action had enough twists to keep me interested until the end.
I found it cute that the frequent telephone calls between characters reveal a not so recent historical period, but the story is still a powerfully emotional read.
Some aspects were not solved as well as I would like – with Joe’s recalcitrant daughter, Della, or with his evil sister-in-law – but those were minor details.
4 solid stars!
The characters are wonderfully layered and complex: Joe and Catherine, both with emotional scars and a lot of baggage, Joe’s children, and the other secondary characters.
The dialogue is vivid – although sometimes Fritz’s utterances seem much older than her years – and the action had enough twists to keep me interested until the end.
I found it cute that the frequent telephone calls between characters reveal a not so recent historical period, but the story is still a powerfully emotional read.
Some aspects were not solved as well as I would like – with Joe’s recalcitrant daughter, Della, or with his evil sister-in-law – but those were minor details.
4 solid stars!
May 21, 2019
This contemporary story is about Catherine and Jonathan, who have divorced (sometimes earlier) because they cannot have children and Jonathan wants them desperately. Jonathan tells Catherine that he is getting married again and leaves her apartment. On the stairs are Joe and Fritz, who overhear much of the conversation. They leave without talking to Catherine.
Earlier that afternoon, Catherine bought a gnome sculpture at a resale store and the owner of the shop asked for her home number and name. She felt that the family would want to buy the gnome sculpture back when they had the money. Joe's family hated selling it but were financially strapped.
Fritz sneaks away from home and goes back to see the gnomes and Catherine is so nice that Fritz fantasizes about Catherine being her mother.
To earn money, Catherine has become a school teacher for pregnant girls, to keep them in high school. Catherine was a nurse and is prepared to teach the girls about prenatal nutrition, emotional health and getting ready to care for a baby full-time.
This is a complex plotline with lots going on through the story. Having worked with pregnant females, I found the story to be accurate and just as sad as it is in real life.
Earlier that afternoon, Catherine bought a gnome sculpture at a resale store and the owner of the shop asked for her home number and name. She felt that the family would want to buy the gnome sculpture back when they had the money. Joe's family hated selling it but were financially strapped.
Fritz sneaks away from home and goes back to see the gnomes and Catherine is so nice that Fritz fantasizes about Catherine being her mother.
To earn money, Catherine has become a school teacher for pregnant girls, to keep them in high school. Catherine was a nurse and is prepared to teach the girls about prenatal nutrition, emotional health and getting ready to care for a baby full-time.
This is a complex plotline with lots going on through the story. Having worked with pregnant females, I found the story to be accurate and just as sad as it is in real life.
June 6, 2023
Great bookmark
I couldn't put the book down. I didn't guess the ending as I usually do. It kept me interested throughout.
I couldn't put the book down. I didn't guess the ending as I usually do. It kept me interested throughout.
December 16, 2025
This is a bleak read.
February 23, 2015
4.5 Stars
I’ve read a few of Ms. Reavis’ Harlequin Westerns and enjoyed them so when this came up somewhere as a special price, I decided to give it a try. Catherine Holben, our heroine and Joe D’Amaro, our hero, meet when she buys some gnomes she has had her eye on at a second hand store. The owner takes down her name as she has a feeling the family that brought in the gnomes may want them back – they were selling them for financial reasons only. Catherine does indeed hear from the family, Joe is a young widower with three children. He is struggling to get his construction business up and running, but for now, times are tough and he had held a family meeting where it was decided to sell the gnomes as they were quite valuable. He didn’t realize though, that his youngest daughter Fritz was very attached to them and he and Fritz arrive at Catherine’s at a very bad time. She is confronting her ex-husband whom she loved very much but he left her when she has fertility issues and he is bound and determined to produce his own progeny.
Joe and Fritz leave, but Fritz later comes back later on her own to visit the gnomes. She and Catherine begin to develop a very strong bond, Fritz a lonely little girl with no mama and Catherine an abandoned young woman with a whole lot of love to give. And along with developing relationship with Catherine and Fritz there is also one between Joe and Catherine.
I found this to be such a tender and poignant book. Joe is still in love with his wife even though she has been gone around five years ago. They were both tempestuous people. He is at first confused about his growing feelings for Catherine. She is the exact opposite of his wife. Catherine is quiet and gentle. Joe isn’t sure what he is feeling for Catherine is just lust or something deeper. Plus he has the added burden of being a single father and one of his children is less than pleased that he is starting to see someone.
Catherine is equally cautious. She was hurt very deeply by her ex-husbands desertion. He still wants to be friends even though he left her because she couldn’t get pregnant and he is marrying someone else. He’s one of the most insensitive characters I’ve read in a while.
The relationship is slow to develop, neither one of them wanting to take things fast. I found them both wonderfully written. Equally well written were the secondary characters, Catherine’s best friend who is battling cancer, her students; she teaches young unwed mothers, Joe’s children, especially Fritz who almost breaks your heart with her old soul. Even the one who is opposed to Joe and Catherine is written in a believable way.
This book was originally written in 1990 and except for one section – and if I say what, it would be big spoiler – stands the test of time very well. The characters are ordinary, with no real big bang but again, that worked out so well for the reader in me. The book may not be for everyone, but for me it was like curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea in the winter while watching it snow outside, knowing everything is good.
I’ve read a few of Ms. Reavis’ Harlequin Westerns and enjoyed them so when this came up somewhere as a special price, I decided to give it a try. Catherine Holben, our heroine and Joe D’Amaro, our hero, meet when she buys some gnomes she has had her eye on at a second hand store. The owner takes down her name as she has a feeling the family that brought in the gnomes may want them back – they were selling them for financial reasons only. Catherine does indeed hear from the family, Joe is a young widower with three children. He is struggling to get his construction business up and running, but for now, times are tough and he had held a family meeting where it was decided to sell the gnomes as they were quite valuable. He didn’t realize though, that his youngest daughter Fritz was very attached to them and he and Fritz arrive at Catherine’s at a very bad time. She is confronting her ex-husband whom she loved very much but he left her when she has fertility issues and he is bound and determined to produce his own progeny.
Joe and Fritz leave, but Fritz later comes back later on her own to visit the gnomes. She and Catherine begin to develop a very strong bond, Fritz a lonely little girl with no mama and Catherine an abandoned young woman with a whole lot of love to give. And along with developing relationship with Catherine and Fritz there is also one between Joe and Catherine.
I found this to be such a tender and poignant book. Joe is still in love with his wife even though she has been gone around five years ago. They were both tempestuous people. He is at first confused about his growing feelings for Catherine. She is the exact opposite of his wife. Catherine is quiet and gentle. Joe isn’t sure what he is feeling for Catherine is just lust or something deeper. Plus he has the added burden of being a single father and one of his children is less than pleased that he is starting to see someone.
Catherine is equally cautious. She was hurt very deeply by her ex-husbands desertion. He still wants to be friends even though he left her because she couldn’t get pregnant and he is marrying someone else. He’s one of the most insensitive characters I’ve read in a while.
The relationship is slow to develop, neither one of them wanting to take things fast. I found them both wonderfully written. Equally well written were the secondary characters, Catherine’s best friend who is battling cancer, her students; she teaches young unwed mothers, Joe’s children, especially Fritz who almost breaks your heart with her old soul. Even the one who is opposed to Joe and Catherine is written in a believable way.
This book was originally written in 1990 and except for one section – and if I say what, it would be big spoiler – stands the test of time very well. The characters are ordinary, with no real big bang but again, that worked out so well for the reader in me. The book may not be for everyone, but for me it was like curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea in the winter while watching it snow outside, knowing everything is good.
August 13, 2012
Promise me a rainbow is a very precious book I got from Netgalley. Well, I hate the book cover (the one with father-daughter pic), I won't pick it up if I saw something like this in store. Lucky me, it turned out to become a beautiful reading. Hope the next publisher would consider a better cover for it.
It's not really my kind of book recently, but I really love it. It's a really beautiful story about family. I'm used to read a family issues on YA book which of course would tell the story from teenager's POV. I've read about their feelings and sorrows when they lost one or both parents. And I could really understand their fear, tense or distress when the other family member was ready to move on when they haven't. Well, this time I got the adult's POV, so I think it would balanced my head.
The most thing I like from 'Promise Me a Rainbow' is Catherine's character. She's nice,kind and caring. She's the kind of friend you willing to have, that you could share all your joy and sadness with her. She would stand with you on any occasion and would tell you what's wrong and right with no judgement. She was also a strong and tough woman. I loved how she dealed with people. Especially with her students, with difficult teens, with a complicated father and with aburden girl. She knew how to act on a demanding child who dislike her for her relationship with Joe.
Catherine and Jonathan were happy on their marriage and had been waiting for a child. But after a couple years Jonathan couldn't wait anymore and started to ignore her. Catherine chosed separation than a dissapointed husband. She started her new single life by moving to a small town and work with a school program for pregnant students for a living.
When Catherine met Joe, they really had no idea to be close to each other and not ready to start a relationship. They both had baggages from their past . Catherine has just divorced and found out her ex-husband were getting married. While Joe's still grieving on her wife, definitely not ready to move on. He also had to raise 3 children with their own proble. But the attaraction was so strong they couldn't fight. It's so intense and peaceful and felt so right each other even when they had so different character and even when the circumstances were against them. But it's so worth to fight for.
"I call him Joe so he won't die". That came out from Fritz, 7 yrs old girl when being asked why she called her father on his name. This caught Catherine's attention and brought her to Joe because of her care of Fritz. I, myself was immediately in love with Fritz. She's a very observant and compasionate kid. So sensitif and too wise for her own age. Reading her sound was charming, it's so pure and lovely. She's my favorite.
Finding this book is like finding a treasure. Thanks to my friend, Rie for suggesting this awesome book.
It's not really my kind of book recently, but I really love it. It's a really beautiful story about family. I'm used to read a family issues on YA book which of course would tell the story from teenager's POV. I've read about their feelings and sorrows when they lost one or both parents. And I could really understand their fear, tense or distress when the other family member was ready to move on when they haven't. Well, this time I got the adult's POV, so I think it would balanced my head.
The most thing I like from 'Promise Me a Rainbow' is Catherine's character. She's nice,kind and caring. She's the kind of friend you willing to have, that you could share all your joy and sadness with her. She would stand with you on any occasion and would tell you what's wrong and right with no judgement. She was also a strong and tough woman. I loved how she dealed with people. Especially with her students, with difficult teens, with a complicated father and with aburden girl. She knew how to act on a demanding child who dislike her for her relationship with Joe.
Catherine and Jonathan were happy on their marriage and had been waiting for a child. But after a couple years Jonathan couldn't wait anymore and started to ignore her. Catherine chosed separation than a dissapointed husband. She started her new single life by moving to a small town and work with a school program for pregnant students for a living.
When Catherine met Joe, they really had no idea to be close to each other and not ready to start a relationship. They both had baggages from their past . Catherine has just divorced and found out her ex-husband were getting married. While Joe's still grieving on her wife, definitely not ready to move on. He also had to raise 3 children with their own proble. But the attaraction was so strong they couldn't fight. It's so intense and peaceful and felt so right each other even when they had so different character and even when the circumstances were against them. But it's so worth to fight for.
"I call him Joe so he won't die". That came out from Fritz, 7 yrs old girl when being asked why she called her father on his name. This caught Catherine's attention and brought her to Joe because of her care of Fritz. I, myself was immediately in love with Fritz. She's a very observant and compasionate kid. So sensitif and too wise for her own age. Reading her sound was charming, it's so pure and lovely. She's my favorite.
Finding this book is like finding a treasure. Thanks to my friend, Rie for suggesting this awesome book.
June 16, 2012
5 STARS Well I laughed,cried and smile through the book. Thier are some sex scenes & swearwords in the book so beware. Catherine Holben saw gnome in the front of a window at a store by her bus stop. She ended up buying it. The store owner asked if she could give the man who had to sell them her address. He did not want to part with them but he needed the money. Catherine agreed. Catherine is a nurse who is teaching pregnant girls how to take care of thier baby now and when they came in the future. Catherine husband divorced her because he wanted children and she could not have them. Her husband John still wanted them to be friends. Even invited her to his wedding. While she was yelling at her ex-husband for leaving her because he wanted children. A man and his little girl were outside her apartment and heard some of the fight. The man turned to the little girl and said lets go. He told her now was not a good time to talk to Ms. Holben. The little girl wanted just to give her his business card. He said no. The man dropped his daughter off at home and went back to work. Fritz the little girl waited for her Joe to leave. She then went and got on a bus a stop away. Then she rode another bus and got off at the apartment building. Fritz went up and knocked on the door. She handed the business card to the lady. Catherine invited her in. She was cold and wet, so Catherine put the afgan around her and let her the see the humble figurine that she had named. Finally Fritz gave in and called her brother but her dad Joe was home. Joe wife died when Fritz was just 2.Fritz was the youngest of three at 7. Della the oldest 16 Charlie at 15. Right now his business of construction was slow right now. Fritz called Joe by his first name a while back he doesn't know why she did. Fritz told Catherine all about her and her family. That she called her dad Joe so he would not die on her. Fritz tried not to be any trouble. She loved the figurine and had voted to sell them when they had a family meeting. Joe could not believe that they meant so much to Fritz but he really did not have a choice at the time. He agreed that Fritz could come and visit the gnomes when Catherine invited the little girl. Fritz is a cutie. Della is a spoiled brat. Charlie is usually in his own world. Sasha the 13 year old who is one of the pregnant girls in Catherine class. You just want to hug her. I liked the story and cared about the thier world and what happens to them. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 05/07/2012 PUB Bell Bridge Books
June 28, 2012
When I first saw Promise Me a Rainbow on NetGalley, I was a little hesitant to request it. I haven’t been reading much adult contemporary lately, but this sounded like something I would enjoy, and I did!
Catherine Holben is awesome. Her ex husband Jonathan is a complete douche bag though. You see, he leaves because she can’t have children. Let me tell you from experience, when I was at a point in my life where I thought I might not be able to have a healthy child, it nearly destroyed me. Had my husband not been there supporting me, and pulling me back from the dark hole I was in, I don’t know where I would be today. So this pompous fool pissed me off to no end. Catherine was strong though. Still dealing with the hurt, naturally, but with her head held high. I admired her character very much.
Enter Joseph D’Amaro… through the purchase of a silly gnome, Catherine and Joseph’s world collides, and what a ride it is. Joseph, I like his character. I sympathized with the poor guy. Being a single dad to three can’t be easy. The story is told from his point of view at times, and his youngest daughters. They both have hella baggage, it was fun
watching them sort through it all.
This is a pretty great story. I blew through it. Will Catherine and Joseph find happiness someday, well duh, but it won’t be a piece of cake. There is a lot in the way. I adored watching Catherine interact with Joseph’s children. Boy does that women know how to put a teen in her place! I have to say… I hated Margaret with a passion like no other. That woman boils my blood. I won’t tell you who she is… you just wait. Good thing she’s not real or I’d rip her hair out.
Over all, if you’re looking for a cute semi deep adult contemp, I recommend this one. I really liked it. So glad I decided to give it a try.
Catherine Holben is awesome. Her ex husband Jonathan is a complete douche bag though. You see, he leaves because she can’t have children. Let me tell you from experience, when I was at a point in my life where I thought I might not be able to have a healthy child, it nearly destroyed me. Had my husband not been there supporting me, and pulling me back from the dark hole I was in, I don’t know where I would be today. So this pompous fool pissed me off to no end. Catherine was strong though. Still dealing with the hurt, naturally, but with her head held high. I admired her character very much.
Enter Joseph D’Amaro… through the purchase of a silly gnome, Catherine and Joseph’s world collides, and what a ride it is. Joseph, I like his character. I sympathized with the poor guy. Being a single dad to three can’t be easy. The story is told from his point of view at times, and his youngest daughters. They both have hella baggage, it was fun
watching them sort through it all.
This is a pretty great story. I blew through it. Will Catherine and Joseph find happiness someday, well duh, but it won’t be a piece of cake. There is a lot in the way. I adored watching Catherine interact with Joseph’s children. Boy does that women know how to put a teen in her place! I have to say… I hated Margaret with a passion like no other. That woman boils my blood. I won’t tell you who she is… you just wait. Good thing she’s not real or I’d rip her hair out.
Over all, if you’re looking for a cute semi deep adult contemp, I recommend this one. I really liked it. So glad I decided to give it a try.
July 19, 2012
Review written for www.books-n-kisses.com
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would when I picked it. The writing eventually was good, but in the beginning it was not written the way a normal conversation takes place but that seemed to change as the book went on and the dialogue became more real. The interesting thing about this book is Joe is a single father of three who manages to get by by the skin of his teeth. He is not rich nor has some fancy job, he is a man trying to make life work out as best he can. He is not perfect and he messes up more than not but he loves with his whole heart. Catherine is a teacher of pregnant teens and not some model or something. Catherine is a broken woman trying to get on with her life after a divorce and finding out she can not have children. They are just normal people who most anyone can connect to. The background characters are interesting too. Fritz is adorable and written really well for the age she is portraying. Charlie does not have much of a part but is cute too. And Della could have used a little more of a background for us to understand her pain but she was written as a typical teen. This book has a lot to offer especially if you are at a point in your life wondering if you can have a second chance at love. I do wish the book had a epilogue since so much was left without us knowing. Also the book started with both characters being still in love with the people of their past and in the beginning that is hard to get past even though eventually you do. I think this book is very good and I think if you enjoy the genre you will enjoy this book.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would when I picked it. The writing eventually was good, but in the beginning it was not written the way a normal conversation takes place but that seemed to change as the book went on and the dialogue became more real. The interesting thing about this book is Joe is a single father of three who manages to get by by the skin of his teeth. He is not rich nor has some fancy job, he is a man trying to make life work out as best he can. He is not perfect and he messes up more than not but he loves with his whole heart. Catherine is a teacher of pregnant teens and not some model or something. Catherine is a broken woman trying to get on with her life after a divorce and finding out she can not have children. They are just normal people who most anyone can connect to. The background characters are interesting too. Fritz is adorable and written really well for the age she is portraying. Charlie does not have much of a part but is cute too. And Della could have used a little more of a background for us to understand her pain but she was written as a typical teen. This book has a lot to offer especially if you are at a point in your life wondering if you can have a second chance at love. I do wish the book had a epilogue since so much was left without us knowing. Also the book started with both characters being still in love with the people of their past and in the beginning that is hard to get past even though eventually you do. I think this book is very good and I think if you enjoy the genre you will enjoy this book.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2012
So this book was just bizarre. So little of characters' actions or words rang true; the doctor's dialogue when Sasha gave birth was a prime example. The banter was clearly intended as jaunty, world-weary, but instead struck me as beyond strange and stilted. Much of Catherine's dialogue with Pam also rang false. Catherine's job per se was never clear to me- she was there in the class as emergency medical personnel? A (poor) babysitter? Another teacher? When one of her students informs her that a fellow classmate was impregnated by her teacher, Catherine did not even blink twice. In fact, Catherine throughout seemed far more interested in her students' future babies than she ever did in these teenage girls themselves. Indeed, the portrayals of teengage girls, from dreamy but oblivious Sasha to militantly self-absorbed Della struck me not just as negative, but also slightly off. Joe's sister-in-law was a walking talking stereotype of the bad "slutty" woman. Michael was wildly inconsistent as a character, swinging between perceptive and supportive older brother to oblivious husband with horns. As for Charlie, no 15 year old boy I've ever met talks like that...
I liked that Joe was often rude, impatient, and blunt. He and Fritz often felt like the only true characters in a book populated by people who acted slightly not quite right, like fish that's just one day past it's prime. Still edible, but off.
I liked that Joe was often rude, impatient, and blunt. He and Fritz often felt like the only true characters in a book populated by people who acted slightly not quite right, like fish that's just one day past it's prime. Still edible, but off.
July 25, 2012
Yang saya suka dari buku ini :
1. Catherine, dengan sikapnya yang tegas dan tidak sudi diinjak dan diremehkan sehingga ia bisa bertahan menghadapi sikap mantan suaminya yang sok ramah dan tidak jatuh pada kubang kedukaan yang terus-menerus. Atau wanita desperate yang terus mendambakan cinta mantan suaminya.
2. Fritz. Si gadis kecil serius yang mengawasi segala sesuatu disekitarnya dan tidak melewatkan apapun juga. Ah, kalo bisa ntar pengen punya anak yang sifatnya seperti Fritz ini
3. Kisah cinta Catherine dan Joe yang berjalan lambat tapi pasti sangat manis dibaca. Saat pertamakali bertemu keduanya masih dibebani perasaan kepada mantan pasangan mereka. Joe masih belum bisa melupakan istrinya yang telah meninggal beberapa tahun yang lalu. Sedangkan Catherine masih dibayang-bayangi oleh Jonathan.
Setelah selesai membaca buku ini saya merasa bahwa seharusnya ada kelanjutan kisah dari buku ini. Bukan lagi mengenai Catherine dan Joe tentunya. Tapi pengen ada cerita mengenai kakak Joe yang punya istri bitchy banget! Pengen tau juga lanjutan nasib Pat, temen Catherine yang sakit kanker dan punya suami yang hidup serumah dengan selingkuhannya.
Atau jangan-jangan emang ada kelanjutannya ya, soalnya buku ini pertamakali diterbitkan di tahun 90an...
1. Catherine, dengan sikapnya yang tegas dan tidak sudi diinjak dan diremehkan sehingga ia bisa bertahan menghadapi sikap mantan suaminya yang sok ramah dan tidak jatuh pada kubang kedukaan yang terus-menerus. Atau wanita desperate yang terus mendambakan cinta mantan suaminya.
2. Fritz. Si gadis kecil serius yang mengawasi segala sesuatu disekitarnya dan tidak melewatkan apapun juga. Ah, kalo bisa ntar pengen punya anak yang sifatnya seperti Fritz ini
3. Kisah cinta Catherine dan Joe yang berjalan lambat tapi pasti sangat manis dibaca. Saat pertamakali bertemu keduanya masih dibebani perasaan kepada mantan pasangan mereka. Joe masih belum bisa melupakan istrinya yang telah meninggal beberapa tahun yang lalu. Sedangkan Catherine masih dibayang-bayangi oleh Jonathan.
Setelah selesai membaca buku ini saya merasa bahwa seharusnya ada kelanjutan kisah dari buku ini. Bukan lagi mengenai Catherine dan Joe tentunya. Tapi pengen ada cerita mengenai kakak Joe yang punya istri bitchy banget! Pengen tau juga lanjutan nasib Pat, temen Catherine yang sakit kanker dan punya suami yang hidup serumah dengan selingkuhannya.
Atau jangan-jangan emang ada kelanjutannya ya, soalnya buku ini pertamakali diterbitkan di tahun 90an...
August 27, 2012
Enjoyable, but not a re-read. Quite like the hero, Joe...don't mind the cranky guy that will take care of you. Struck me as quite realistic (which maybe isn't good in a romance?). I liked Catherine through his eyes...thought she was a bit wet in her own thoughts.
Enjoyed her pregnant students, and the plot-moppet of Fritz. Thought the storyline of the sister in law who wants Joe and turns his oldest daughter against him a bit of a pain.
Biggest problem was that Catherine gets pregnant. That's the whole reason her first husband throws her over, and it seemed way to pat to give her all she wanted in life.
Enjoyed her pregnant students, and the plot-moppet of Fritz. Thought the storyline of the sister in law who wants Joe and turns his oldest daughter against him a bit of a pain.
Biggest problem was that Catherine gets pregnant. That's the whole reason her first husband throws her over, and it seemed way to pat to give her all she wanted in life.
January 2, 2015
Every time I read one of Cheryl Reavis' books, I am both eager to dig in and worried that it can't possibly be as good as the last one was. But I shouldn't worry. Promise Me A Rainbow touches the heart like so many books just can't. I love Joe and I wish he lived in my neighborhood. I'd like to give that selfish troubled daughter of his a good talking to. I loved Michael too, even when Joe felt he was letting him down, he struck me as a man in a hard place to be and doing the best he could. Keep them coming Ms. Reavis -
March 3, 2013
3.5
Good story with a variety of characters. Joe's daughter Fritz was priceless. Joe was great as a father, but as a person he could have had a bit more depth. Catherine was pretty selfless and definitely deserved the gift she got. There was both a great deal of happiness & sadness though out the story.
Originally written in 1990 so no mention of cell phones. That just always makes me giggle to think of life w/o them, yes they were around then just huge, bulky and few & far between.
Good story with a variety of characters. Joe's daughter Fritz was priceless. Joe was great as a father, but as a person he could have had a bit more depth. Catherine was pretty selfless and definitely deserved the gift she got. There was both a great deal of happiness & sadness though out the story.
Originally written in 1990 so no mention of cell phones. That just always makes me giggle to think of life w/o them, yes they were around then just huge, bulky and few & far between.
July 21, 2012
This was a strange book. The characters made no sense half the time and the heroine's love interested was a major jerk. The romance came out of left field and the proclamations of love felt off and not realistic.
The ending is abrupt and many things seems left unresolved. One romance I wouldn't recommend because it left me rolling my eyes and going, WTF did I just read?
The ending is abrupt and many things seems left unresolved. One romance I wouldn't recommend because it left me rolling my eyes and going, WTF did I just read?
August 20, 2012
This one gets five stars because the entire time I was reading it, I kind of had a sense of deja vu. Then I realized, one of the books that I have written (but not finished) have the same main characters, Joe and Catherine! (Not sure why it took me so long to figure it out!) I thought the story was cute and the characters felt real to me.
August 18, 2014
I adored Fritz and sympathized with Della. While I liked the way the romance blossomed between the main characters, I thought it odd that they thought they were being responsible by not having sex in the house with the children but considered it perfectly appropriate to have sex before marriage if the kids weren't around.
August 24, 2015
Beautiful story by Reavis
This is the first book I had read by this author, it won't be my last. The creation of the main characters was fantastic. As the story progresses, the reader becomes increasingly interested in the outcome. Great read.
This is the first book I had read by this author, it won't be my last. The creation of the main characters was fantastic. As the story progresses, the reader becomes increasingly interested in the outcome. Great read.
June 10, 2010
A simple little, fast and easy reading love story. A story of a motherless child and a childless mother combined with a romance.
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Want to read
July 20, 2012Free on Amazon 07/19/2012.
ARC on 06/03/2012.
ARC on 06/03/2012.
February 25, 2023
Awe...I loved it. What a great, sweet story.
September 26, 2012
I LOVED IT! I didn't want it to end :(
October 7, 2012
I really liked this storyline. Like most romances it is a bit predictable, but the story makes up for the predictability.
February 15, 2016
can they make it work, she meets a widower with 3 kids, so her husband left her, she can't have kids, tear jerker
July 26, 2025
3.5 stars. This book had so much potential, but it just became a self-pity fest. It says a lot when the most lovable character in a romance novel is a seven-year-old girl!
July 23, 2012
Loved it!
September 15, 2015
Very deep story, I found it funny, tearful and real....
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