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Bittersweet Rain
Librarian’s note: This is a previously-published edition of
Kindle ASIN: B001D08CO2.
Caroline Dawson survived the town gossips who whispered behind her back. She survived the slow death of her husband, Roscoe Lancaster, the richest man in the county and her senior by three decades. But she feared she might not survive Rink Lancaster, her husband's son. Years before she married, when she and Rink were teens, he had introduced Caroline to her first tremulous taste of love - and then broke her heart. Now Rink is back. He says he wants to settle his father's estate. But driven by a storm of emotions as undeniable as before and more dangerous than ever, what he really wants is to settle the score with Caroline.
Kindle ASIN: B001D08CO2.
Caroline Dawson survived the town gossips who whispered behind her back. She survived the slow death of her husband, Roscoe Lancaster, the richest man in the county and her senior by three decades. But she feared she might not survive Rink Lancaster, her husband's son. Years before she married, when she and Rink were teens, he had introduced Caroline to her first tremulous taste of love - and then broke her heart. Now Rink is back. He says he wants to settle his father's estate. But driven by a storm of emotions as undeniable as before and more dangerous than ever, what he really wants is to settle the score with Caroline.
6 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
August 25, 2018
Its been 12 years since the H has seen the heroine.
He had hoped to find her fat, disheveled, frumpy, with lackluster hair and heavy thighs. Instead she was still reed slender, with a waist that looked like a strong Gulf breeze would snap her in two. Her breasts had matured to a soft fullness, but they were still high, round and achingly touchable. Damn her!
She is now 27.
rofl
Southern Gothic at its most lurid as in shades of Tennessee Willliams and just a tad Eugene O’Neil and Faulkner…
Incest, father vs son, rich man/poor girl, fey young sisters, small town secrets, small town gossips, social strata issues, etc and so forth
Roscoe aka Big Daddy/Violet Venable:
He’s the hero’s father and is married to the heroine. Luckily he is dying.
Rink aka Brick:
He fell for the heroine when she was 15 then up and married the town debutante that also happened to be the town slut therein breaking our heroine’s heart.
Caroline aka Maggie.
At 15 she was the poor white trash of, not the town drunk, but the county drunk. Now married to Big Daddy, the Mrs. Kravits of the town won’t let her forget it and Rink is there for some punishing kisses only after he drinks his Bourbon.
A punishing kiss...
Oops. More like this….
Laura Jane aka Laura
(I knew a Laura Jane once in 2nd grade. She wore a mink coat and threw away pennies. This LJ is not quite as savvy but much nicer.) This one is a fey creature and considered slow. Rink aka Brick only wants the best for her and will clench his jaw at anyone who suggests otherwise even though he has ignored her this past 12 years. Sorry Rink, letters don't count when you have the spawn of hell as your Daddy!
PLOT
H and h met as teenagers. He was the heir to bazillions and she was the town drunk’s daughter. The H marries another girl, and the h goes on to college and eventually marries the H’s dad.
H comes back when the father is dying of cancer andtender moments ensue. No, not really.
There are lots of punishing kisses, curled lips, raised eyebrows, and heavy silences.
File it under guillty pleasures, old school as well as Dynasty and other soap operas.
He had hoped to find her fat, disheveled, frumpy, with lackluster hair and heavy thighs. Instead she was still reed slender, with a waist that looked like a strong Gulf breeze would snap her in two. Her breasts had matured to a soft fullness, but they were still high, round and achingly touchable. Damn her!
She is now 27.
rofl
Southern Gothic at its most lurid as in shades of Tennessee Willliams and just a tad Eugene O’Neil and Faulkner…
Incest, father vs son, rich man/poor girl, fey young sisters, small town secrets, small town gossips, social strata issues, etc and so forth
Roscoe aka Big Daddy/Violet Venable:
He’s the hero’s father and is married to the heroine. Luckily he is dying.
Rink aka Brick:
He fell for the heroine when she was 15 then up and married the town debutante that also happened to be the town slut therein breaking our heroine’s heart.
Caroline aka Maggie.
At 15 she was the poor white trash of, not the town drunk, but the county drunk. Now married to Big Daddy, the Mrs. Kravits of the town won’t let her forget it and Rink is there for some punishing kisses only after he drinks his Bourbon.
A punishing kiss...
Oops. More like this….
Laura Jane aka Laura
(I knew a Laura Jane once in 2nd grade. She wore a mink coat and threw away pennies. This LJ is not quite as savvy but much nicer.) This one is a fey creature and considered slow. Rink aka Brick only wants the best for her and will clench his jaw at anyone who suggests otherwise even though he has ignored her this past 12 years. Sorry Rink, letters don't count when you have the spawn of hell as your Daddy!
PLOT
H and h met as teenagers. He was the heir to bazillions and she was the town drunk’s daughter. The H marries another girl, and the h goes on to college and eventually marries the H’s dad.
H comes back when the father is dying of cancer and
There are lots of punishing kisses, curled lips, raised eyebrows, and heavy silences.
File it under guillty pleasures, old school as well as Dynasty and other soap operas.
January 5, 2015
Or maybe not. I have been on a bit of a SANDRA BROWN binge. Mostly reading her newer books. This was an older one... think it might be at least 20 years old, If I read it back in the day, I probably would have loved it. Saying that, I have read some of her older books and really liked them but there was something about this one that did not do it for me.
Caroline Dawson survived the town gossips who whispered behind her back. She survived the slow death of her husband, Roscoe Lancaster, the richest man in the county and her senior by three decades. But she feared she might not survive Rink Lancaster, her husband's son. Years before she married, when she and Rink were teens, he had introduced Caroline to her first tremulous taste of love - and then broke her heart. Now Rink is back. He says he wants to settle his father's estate. But driven by a storm of emotions as undeniable as before and more dangerous than ever, what he really wants is to settle the score with Caroline.
I feel I have read this one before... was it released by her under another name I wonder or maybe I just read a similar storyline....
I will check out some of her older stuff but her newer books really do it for me...
September 19, 2011
I really enjoyed Bittersweet Rain, the setup was really good.
When the book opens Caroline gets the news that her husband is dying of cancer and that he step-son Rink is coming home after twelve years. Slowly, we learn the truth that even though Caroline is married to Rink's father who is thirty years her senior, the one she loves is Rink, who she thinks made empty promises to her and never showed up.
Their first meeting is fiery and you can see the fire that exists between them and through flash-backs we see their love when Caroline was fifteen and Rink just a college graduate. Caroline was the daughter of the town drunk who always craved more, she graduated college from a mysterious donation and when she came back after some time she married Rink's father and took care of his special daughter.
There is also a romance between the handicapped Vietnam vet and the daughter.
We find out that it was Rink's father who kept them apart due to his manipulations but never managed to kill their love. Rink was forced to marry a woman he didn't make pregnant and then lied to about Caroline's availability when he managed to get himself out of that hell-hole of a marriage.
I enjoyed the whole forbidden factor. Caroline refuses to tell him the truth of her marriage since she wants Rink to love her beyond that and accept her, and he did. But there is still how much Caroline's thinks of people's perception of her.
I enjoyed the public declaration when they both realized what the people think didn't matter only their love did.
When the book opens Caroline gets the news that her husband is dying of cancer and that he step-son Rink is coming home after twelve years. Slowly, we learn the truth that even though Caroline is married to Rink's father who is thirty years her senior, the one she loves is Rink, who she thinks made empty promises to her and never showed up.
Their first meeting is fiery and you can see the fire that exists between them and through flash-backs we see their love when Caroline was fifteen and Rink just a college graduate. Caroline was the daughter of the town drunk who always craved more, she graduated college from a mysterious donation and when she came back after some time she married Rink's father and took care of his special daughter.
There is also a romance between the handicapped Vietnam vet and the daughter.
We find out that it was Rink's father who kept them apart due to his manipulations but never managed to kill their love. Rink was forced to marry a woman he didn't make pregnant and then lied to about Caroline's availability when he managed to get himself out of that hell-hole of a marriage.
I enjoyed the whole forbidden factor. Caroline refuses to tell him the truth of her marriage since she wants Rink to love her beyond that and accept her, and he did. But there is still how much Caroline's thinks of people's perception of her.
I enjoyed the public declaration when they both realized what the people think didn't matter only their love did.
April 8, 2018
★★★½✩ Very few authors could pull this off all this angst.
August 26, 2016
2.5-stars
This book is 32-year-old, so I was prepared for some eye-rolling moments. H is the h’s stepson??? Reading that premise got me curious how Sandra Brown could pull off the story without weirding me out. I feel a bit guilty for liking this book more than I expected. Some elements in there remind me of the southern tales I have read recently that centered around family secrets, betrayal, evil dad. It seems certain drama in the book still works like a charm.
Trigger:
This book is 32-year-old, so I was prepared for some eye-rolling moments. H is the h’s stepson??? Reading that premise got me curious how Sandra Brown could pull off the story without weirding me out. I feel a bit guilty for liking this book more than I expected. Some elements in there remind me of the southern tales I have read recently that centered around family secrets, betrayal, evil dad. It seems certain drama in the book still works like a charm.
Trigger:
August 19, 2017
All the freaking misunderstandings and NO ONE ever clears things up. Lol. However, this was classic!!! Loved it.
December 21, 2023
Whoah, bacaan yang dahsyat. Sandra Brown memang menulis roman kelas dunia. Novel yang bertema agak tidak biasa ini sudah membuat aku kagum akan semua aspeknya.
Berawal dari kepulangan Rink, tuan muda Lancaster Gin ke kota Winstonville yang masih konvensional dimana penduduknya masih suka dengan gossip di sore hari dengan cangkir teh di tangan mereka, semua tidak pernah sama lagi setidaknya bagi Caroline Dawson Lancaster, mantan kekasihnya duabelas tahun yang lalu sekaligus, ehemm, ibu tirinya. Rink pulang dengan tujuan menjenguk ayahnya yang sudah menjelang ajal. Cerita mengalir sangat emosional konflik demi konflik dibangun dengan apik. Belum lagi konflik yang timbul pada saat ayahnya meninggal, dimana itu tetap meninggalkan bekas yang dalam dan pergulatan jiwa yang sulit antara keinginan mereka untuk bersatu lagi atau tetap menjaga jarak di depan umum.
Setting kota kecil dengan hamparan ladang kapas dan koboy yang masih menunggang kuda memang memiliki daya tarik magis, apalagi diramu dengan bumbu romantisme dari pengarang kawakan seperti Sandra Brown. Aku menikmati membaca cerita ini dari awal sampai akhir. Semangat dan keputusasaan tokoh-tokoh yang ada dalam cerita ini rasanya benar-benar hidup. Belum lagi kejutan-kejutan yang disiapkan di bagian klimaks membuatku sampai terbelakak membacanya.
Tokohnya, Rink (nama yang sedikit tak biasa) Lancaster memiliki kepribadian yang menonjol, dia berdedikasi, pekerja keras, juga berhati lembut. Rink selalu mencintai Caroline meski sudah lewat lebih dari satu dekade pertemuan singkat mereka di suatu masa di bawah derai hujan. Aku menyukai scene di bawah hujan. Perfect, scene percintaan yang manis dan orisinal, tidak terjebak dengan pola mainstream yang ada. Dan Caroline, wanita yang patah hati dalam keputusasaan menerima lamaran ayah dari pria yang dicintainya agar bisa tinggal di rumah impiannya sekaligus membalas sakit hatinya. Sungguh disayangkan sebenarnya dua belas tahun yang menyakitkan itu semua adalah kebohongan. Saya jamin pembaca akan merasa naik turun dengan kejutan-kejutan saat satu demi satu rahasia masa lalu terungkap. Rahasia yang akan membuat Anda penasaran sampai tetes terakhir.
Saya sangat merekomendasikan karya Sandra Brown yang satu ini. It's worth the time you spend to read it.
Jangan meremehkan kekuatan cinta, sesederhana apapun itu bentuknya itu, kau akan terkejut mengetahui hal tersebut punya energi sepanjang waktu hidupmu untuk mengendap terus bertahan hidup. Dengan satu sentakan, cinta bahkan akan sanggup membakarmu bahkan di saat kau kira dia sudah meredup dan mati. - By me, inspired by: Bittersweet Rain (Sandra Brown)
Berawal dari kepulangan Rink, tuan muda Lancaster Gin ke kota Winstonville yang masih konvensional dimana penduduknya masih suka dengan gossip di sore hari dengan cangkir teh di tangan mereka, semua tidak pernah sama lagi setidaknya bagi Caroline Dawson Lancaster, mantan kekasihnya duabelas tahun yang lalu sekaligus, ehemm, ibu tirinya. Rink pulang dengan tujuan menjenguk ayahnya yang sudah menjelang ajal. Cerita mengalir sangat emosional konflik demi konflik dibangun dengan apik. Belum lagi konflik yang timbul pada saat ayahnya meninggal, dimana itu tetap meninggalkan bekas yang dalam dan pergulatan jiwa yang sulit antara keinginan mereka untuk bersatu lagi atau tetap menjaga jarak di depan umum.
Setting kota kecil dengan hamparan ladang kapas dan koboy yang masih menunggang kuda memang memiliki daya tarik magis, apalagi diramu dengan bumbu romantisme dari pengarang kawakan seperti Sandra Brown. Aku menikmati membaca cerita ini dari awal sampai akhir. Semangat dan keputusasaan tokoh-tokoh yang ada dalam cerita ini rasanya benar-benar hidup. Belum lagi kejutan-kejutan yang disiapkan di bagian klimaks membuatku sampai terbelakak membacanya.
Tokohnya, Rink (nama yang sedikit tak biasa) Lancaster memiliki kepribadian yang menonjol, dia berdedikasi, pekerja keras, juga berhati lembut. Rink selalu mencintai Caroline meski sudah lewat lebih dari satu dekade pertemuan singkat mereka di suatu masa di bawah derai hujan. Aku menyukai scene di bawah hujan. Perfect, scene percintaan yang manis dan orisinal, tidak terjebak dengan pola mainstream yang ada. Dan Caroline, wanita yang patah hati dalam keputusasaan menerima lamaran ayah dari pria yang dicintainya agar bisa tinggal di rumah impiannya sekaligus membalas sakit hatinya. Sungguh disayangkan sebenarnya dua belas tahun yang menyakitkan itu semua adalah kebohongan. Saya jamin pembaca akan merasa naik turun dengan kejutan-kejutan saat satu demi satu rahasia masa lalu terungkap. Rahasia yang akan membuat Anda penasaran sampai tetes terakhir.
Saya sangat merekomendasikan karya Sandra Brown yang satu ini. It's worth the time you spend to read it.
Jangan meremehkan kekuatan cinta, sesederhana apapun itu bentuknya itu, kau akan terkejut mengetahui hal tersebut punya energi sepanjang waktu hidupmu untuk mengendap terus bertahan hidup. Dengan satu sentakan, cinta bahkan akan sanggup membakarmu bahkan di saat kau kira dia sudah meredup dan mati. - By me, inspired by: Bittersweet Rain (Sandra Brown)
July 1, 2021
When the doctor tells Roscoe Lancaster that he has only days to live, Roscoe asks his beautiful young wife Caroline, to contact his estranged son Rink, and ask him to come home. Rink arrives the next day and Caroline realizes she still has feelings for Rink. He was her first love and the man who broke her heart. Rink claims he has only returned to claim his inheritance and settle his father's affairs. Caroline begins to lean on Rink and does not want him to leave.
I picked this book because it fulfills a reading challenge that I'm working on. I've read many of Sandra Brown's older books and know they are hit and miss for me. This one was certainly a big miss. First off, Caroline was 15 and Rink had just graduated college when they met and fell in love. Ick. Caroline admits she married Roscoe for his money and his mansion. That didn't make me like her. Rink, like most of Sandra Brown's heroes, does not understand what "no" means. He continually traps Caroline against the wall, forcefully kissing her. She starts out pushing him away, but eventually gives in. The dying husband, Roscoe, was a real bastard who lived to make Rink and Caroline miserable. Now that he is dying, he wants to make sure they hate each other when he is gone. My rating: 1 Star.
I picked this book because it fulfills a reading challenge that I'm working on. I've read many of Sandra Brown's older books and know they are hit and miss for me. This one was certainly a big miss. First off, Caroline was 15 and Rink had just graduated college when they met and fell in love. Ick. Caroline admits she married Roscoe for his money and his mansion. That didn't make me like her. Rink, like most of Sandra Brown's heroes, does not understand what "no" means. He continually traps Caroline against the wall, forcefully kissing her. She starts out pushing him away, but eventually gives in. The dying husband, Roscoe, was a real bastard who lived to make Rink and Caroline miserable. Now that he is dying, he wants to make sure they hate each other when he is gone. My rating: 1 Star.
March 15, 2018
Good read. Complicated relationship in a small town where tongues love to wag. Profoundly satisfying when the two main characters finally get together.
October 27, 2012
3.5 stars.
This was pretty good. Lots of drama building angst in here. Caroline met Rink (yep, his name was Rink) 12 years ago and they fell in love. There were a couple of things wrong with that though - Caroline was the town drunk's daughter and Rink came from the wealthiest family in town. Oh, and let's not forget that she was 15 while he had just graduated from college. O.o Rink's dirtbag daddy found out (secretly) and maneuvered to keep them apart. Rink moved away married to someone else. Years later, just to spite his son, he married Caroline, who had never stopped loving Rink. When Roscoe (that's the jerkwad dad) died, Rink and Caroline were forced into each others company and couldn't deny the spark that was still between them.
Now, before you go getting all squeeked out about Caroline marrying the daddy after loving the son and then being with the son again, trust me. I wouldn't lead you down the road to read a book that would make your tummy turn in that way. just read the book and find out why it's ok :) oh! And keep in mind this was written in the early 80s. Sometimes that very apparent.
This was pretty good. Lots of drama building angst in here. Caroline met Rink (yep, his name was Rink) 12 years ago and they fell in love. There were a couple of things wrong with that though - Caroline was the town drunk's daughter and Rink came from the wealthiest family in town. Oh, and let's not forget that she was 15 while he had just graduated from college. O.o Rink's dirtbag daddy found out (secretly) and maneuvered to keep them apart. Rink moved away married to someone else. Years later, just to spite his son, he married Caroline, who had never stopped loving Rink. When Roscoe (that's the jerkwad dad) died, Rink and Caroline were forced into each others company and couldn't deny the spark that was still between them.
Now, before you go getting all squeeked out about Caroline marrying the daddy after loving the son and then being with the son again, trust me. I wouldn't lead you down the road to read a book that would make your tummy turn in that way. just read the book and find out why it's ok :) oh! And keep in mind this was written in the early 80s. Sometimes that very apparent.
January 10, 2025
Entertainingly bad
November 1, 2011
This is the second book by Sandra Brown which I've read and i can say that i really enjoyed it. It was sexy and funny.
So if you want to read a small beautiful romance this is the right book for you.
Caroline and Rink are so different, but made for each other. They were separated for 12 years and now they meet again. From the moment of their first meeting after all these years you can see they are right for each other. Even when they are angry or hurt.
Carolines husband - Rinks father made everything he can to keep them apart. He forced Rink into marrying a woman, who didn't carry his baby. He payed for Carolines college so if Rink come back after his divorce. he wouldn't be able to find her. And so much more.
But in the end true love always wins......
And the book had the perfect end!!!!
So if you want to read a small beautiful romance this is the right book for you.
Caroline and Rink are so different, but made for each other. They were separated for 12 years and now they meet again. From the moment of their first meeting after all these years you can see they are right for each other. Even when they are angry or hurt.
Carolines husband - Rinks father made everything he can to keep them apart. He forced Rink into marrying a woman, who didn't carry his baby. He payed for Carolines college so if Rink come back after his divorce. he wouldn't be able to find her. And so much more.
But in the end true love always wins......
And the book had the perfect end!!!!
March 30, 2015
Two-haiku review:
They fell in love young
Torn apart by circumstance
Each thought other wrong
Very bad villain
Can't understand so much hate
Dated but still good
They fell in love young
Torn apart by circumstance
Each thought other wrong
Very bad villain
Can't understand so much hate
Dated but still good
January 8, 2017
Mi-a facut placere sa citesc aceasta carte. Mi-a amintit de scrierile de alta data ale autoarei. O poveste de dragoste dulce si incitanta
August 7, 2025
3.6*
“How are you flouting decency?”
“Because legally you’re my stepson.”
“And illegally?”
“Illegally, you’re my lover.”
SANDRA. BROWN!!! I cannot believe what I just read! I was clutching my pearls throughout this WHOLE BOOK. Caroline married Roscoe Lancaster, a super rich cotton gin owner and 30 years her senior. Not to mention that she had a secret affair w his son when he was 22 and she was FIFTEEN BRO. Now Roscoe has days to live and his estranged son Rink comes back to see him. And Caroline. Well now the chemistry between the two is just as hot (if not more so!) as it was 12 years ago. But what will the town think 😩😩 she’s now with her husbands son? But they can’t stay away from each other!!!
This book was some crazy erotica but honestly tasteful? Should’ve known by the cover tbh. Like obviously it has great writing it’s SB how could it be bad? But the storyline wasssss a little crazy to say the least. Wasn’t entirely mad at it tho! 3.6 stars for me
“How are you flouting decency?”
“Because legally you’re my stepson.”
“And illegally?”
“Illegally, you’re my lover.”
SANDRA. BROWN!!! I cannot believe what I just read! I was clutching my pearls throughout this WHOLE BOOK. Caroline married Roscoe Lancaster, a super rich cotton gin owner and 30 years her senior. Not to mention that she had a secret affair w his son when he was 22 and she was FIFTEEN BRO. Now Roscoe has days to live and his estranged son Rink comes back to see him. And Caroline. Well now the chemistry between the two is just as hot (if not more so!) as it was 12 years ago. But what will the town think 😩😩 she’s now with her husbands son? But they can’t stay away from each other!!!
This book was some crazy erotica but honestly tasteful? Should’ve known by the cover tbh. Like obviously it has great writing it’s SB how could it be bad? But the storyline wasssss a little crazy to say the least. Wasn’t entirely mad at it tho! 3.6 stars for me
November 9, 2022
I officially think second chance romances are my favorite. I loved that aspect of this book. I did not love that there was a weird father/son with the same women thing. It was weird back when this was written and it’s still pretty weird to me today even if they didn’t sleep with each other.
🌀Synopsis
Caroline’s husband is dying. She’s ready to take over the house and care of her step daughter but she’s not ready for her stepson to return.
Rink was driven out of town when a woman claimed he got her pregnant. After finding out the child wasn’t his they split shortly after. He’s built an amazing life for himself but still longs for that summer with that one girl from his small town.
That small town girl just happens to be his father’s wife now and even though his dad isn’t dead Rink wants her now more than ever. After helping the family business get back on its feet, Rink flees town again. Only to return to honor his father and receive the inheritance that Caroline insists he take.
🌀Synopsis
Caroline’s husband is dying. She’s ready to take over the house and care of her step daughter but she’s not ready for her stepson to return.
Rink was driven out of town when a woman claimed he got her pregnant. After finding out the child wasn’t his they split shortly after. He’s built an amazing life for himself but still longs for that summer with that one girl from his small town.
That small town girl just happens to be his father’s wife now and even though his dad isn’t dead Rink wants her now more than ever. After helping the family business get back on its feet, Rink flees town again. Only to return to honor his father and receive the inheritance that Caroline insists he take.
May 21, 2014
Bittersweet Rain
Caroline loves Roscoe, the older man rather than the son who's her age. The step daughter is 5 years younger than her but her mind is that of a child.
Rink, the son, has always stated he'd take care of Laura Jane. She doesn't understand why he doesn't live with them.
The raising of the thoroughbreds is an industry that Roscoe loved. Others now run it for him and Laura Jane shows love interest in the manage, Steve.
She and Rink had been together in their younger days, but Rink got another girl pregnant.
Story goes back in time and we learn just how close they were... Like how all the different confrontations with those involved are handled. Interesting to learn how Roscoe manipulated all their lives. Lots of surprises from all around after the death.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Caroline loves Roscoe, the older man rather than the son who's her age. The step daughter is 5 years younger than her but her mind is that of a child.
Rink, the son, has always stated he'd take care of Laura Jane. She doesn't understand why he doesn't live with them.
The raising of the thoroughbreds is an industry that Roscoe loved. Others now run it for him and Laura Jane shows love interest in the manage, Steve.
She and Rink had been together in their younger days, but Rink got another girl pregnant.
Story goes back in time and we learn just how close they were... Like how all the different confrontations with those involved are handled. Interesting to learn how Roscoe manipulated all their lives. Lots of surprises from all around after the death.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
June 27, 2015
In Sandra Brown's classic romance, Bittersweet Rain, she warmed your heart and soul with this sweet tale of romance with a hint of intrigue. For Caroline Dawson, she survived the town gossips who whispered behind her back, and the slow death of her husband, Roscoe Lancaster, the richest man in the county and three decades her senior. But she feared she wouldn't survive his son, Rink Lancaster. Before she married his father, they were young lovers as teens, when he broke her heart. Now he's back to settle his father's estate; while he was driven by a storm of undeniable emotions, he wants to settle the score with Caroline.
December 25, 2015
This is a quick read with not too many surprises, but you may find a few beneath the covers as Carolyn Dawson, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, finds herself married to an older, rich man, When he dies, his son Rink, who Carolyn knows from years ago, comes back into her life things are going to change and the heat is turned on. I have read other books from this author which I enjoyed more, but readers, especially of romance, will find this a quick, passion filled read.
November 19, 2013
This was my third Sandra Brown novel and my least favourite of the three. (Low Pressure and Slow Heat in Heaven). I found this one to be predictable and because the sex scenes are so frequent, the author seems to be struggling for new and exciting ways to describe "the act". I can't recommend it.
March 14, 2021
Usually, I read Harlequin romance books, but the premise of this sounded good and I have previously read another book by this author that I enjoyed several years ago and reread recently.
This was 2 love stories in one. There was a sweet secondary love story going on with the main one.
Most of the bad things that happened in the story were because of the hero’s father’s evil machinations. The story is told in the present and with flashbacks. My first part of the review will focus mainly on the evil father as there would have been no angst without him. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS coming up ...turn back now, because this is full of some doozies you may not want to know about!
Roscoe Lancaster - 6O ish, he’s an ornery sob....he married a woman for her name and money, unfortunately she loved him. They proceed to have a son(hero) and several years later a daughter who is mentally slow. So good ole’ Roscoe kicks his wife out of his bedroom and barely tolerates his special needs daughter. The hero has daddy’s number and doesn’t hesitate to call him out on it. Daddy doesn’t like having a conscience, so he has little use for his son unless the son is making trouble. The hero’s mom passes away from a broken heart. Meanwhile the son grows up, goes to college and flits from one flower to the next like a bee in summer...then he sees our heroine. He has just finished skinny dipping and has barely pulled on his pants(this image is very evocative). The 15 year old heroine stops in awe of his magnificence, and the 20 something hero is taken with her. He finds out she is walking to work and that she is from the wrong side of the tracks. She is the daughter of the town drunk, and her mom takes in laundry.
However our hero meets her after work to drive her home in his sports car with chocolate milkshake in hand. This begins a series of secret meet ups by the lake. They get into some very heavy petting but due to her jailbait status he never takes it all the way. The last time together, the hero decides that he is going to marry her. He tells his dad he has found the girl to marry and his dad agrees....he tells him he is going to marry the town slut because she is knocked up...the hero says the baby can’t be his as he hasn’t touched that flower in very long time so daddy says if you don’t marry her then the sister will be placed in an institution. (We find out later on daddy’s deathbed that he actually sold his son into marriage for 25000 and that he knew about heroine who was unacceptable as a mate)So hero leaves to marry the pregnant girl without any explanation to the h. She only hears the gossip. She feels she was being used by hero. She resumes high school and finds out that she is being awarded a special scholarship to college by an unknown donor. (Yep unknown donor was Roscoe...he really wanted to make sure she moved on with her life) During heroine’s time at school the Hero’s sister mentions in a letter that the heroine has married a college boy(again a lie...told to the sister by evil dad to further put his son off on resuming a relationship with the heroine) Heroine graduates from college, gets a job at a bank(arranged by Roscoe) then goes to work for Roscoe at double pay. Roscoe then asks the much younger heroine to marry him. Seeing as though she will never get the love of her life she agrees as this will give her the beloved home and respectability she craves. Of course the hero stays away...for 12 years!
Dad is dying. Hero comes to town to comfort sister. Heroine thinks Roscoe must want to mend fences with his son, but son knows better. Anyhoo, the h and H are all a trembles and flutters around each other. But they are unaware of the daddy’s evil manipulations so she believes hero left to marry another woman and he believes she married father for status and money. Things start to come to light and on daddy’s final day on earth all is revealed (almost all) Of course daddy reminds son that he had the heroine first and that his son won’t be able to overcome that for a HEA with heroine. The hero starts making changes at the cotton gin factory and fires some of the fathers henchmen who were unsavory. Daddy never put money into it because he was cheap like that. Hero gets new business....gives raises etc. After a few weeks the will is read...the father left nothing to the hero. He leaves house to heroine and profits from the gin to sister. Hero decides to leave next day...but alas there is a fire at the cotton gin so he and the heroine go to help. They come back exhausted at breakfast time and each get cleaned up. The hero goes to heroine with a tray just as she is wrapped in a towel. Well that’s it...hero doesn’t care about daddy’s claim on heroine and decides he has to have heroine too. But come to find out...our heroine is still a virgin. Roscoe was probably impotent from cancer and drugs he was taking. This is great for the hero...the hero and heroine sneak around loving each other but the town gossips are busy. They go to a bar one night for ribs and get some ribbing from the drunks about the hero getting sloppy seconds. The hero’s pride can’t take this and daddy wins again...hero leaves to go back to Atlanta. They get reunited a couple of months later, hero decides he can’t live without heroine and then finds out she is pregnant so village gossips can do their best, he isn’t going to let it wreck his life anymore!
There are some things I left out like his little sisters own romance with the Vietnam vet(it’s sweet) and he reunites with his daughter(but not his daughter) in the end.
This was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon !
This was 2 love stories in one. There was a sweet secondary love story going on with the main one.
Most of the bad things that happened in the story were because of the hero’s father’s evil machinations. The story is told in the present and with flashbacks. My first part of the review will focus mainly on the evil father as there would have been no angst without him. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS coming up ...turn back now, because this is full of some doozies you may not want to know about!
Roscoe Lancaster - 6O ish, he’s an ornery sob....he married a woman for her name and money, unfortunately she loved him. They proceed to have a son(hero) and several years later a daughter who is mentally slow. So good ole’ Roscoe kicks his wife out of his bedroom and barely tolerates his special needs daughter. The hero has daddy’s number and doesn’t hesitate to call him out on it. Daddy doesn’t like having a conscience, so he has little use for his son unless the son is making trouble. The hero’s mom passes away from a broken heart. Meanwhile the son grows up, goes to college and flits from one flower to the next like a bee in summer...then he sees our heroine. He has just finished skinny dipping and has barely pulled on his pants(this image is very evocative). The 15 year old heroine stops in awe of his magnificence, and the 20 something hero is taken with her. He finds out she is walking to work and that she is from the wrong side of the tracks. She is the daughter of the town drunk, and her mom takes in laundry.
However our hero meets her after work to drive her home in his sports car with chocolate milkshake in hand. This begins a series of secret meet ups by the lake. They get into some very heavy petting but due to her jailbait status he never takes it all the way. The last time together, the hero decides that he is going to marry her. He tells his dad he has found the girl to marry and his dad agrees....he tells him he is going to marry the town slut because she is knocked up...the hero says the baby can’t be his as he hasn’t touched that flower in very long time so daddy says if you don’t marry her then the sister will be placed in an institution. (We find out later on daddy’s deathbed that he actually sold his son into marriage for 25000 and that he knew about heroine who was unacceptable as a mate)So hero leaves to marry the pregnant girl without any explanation to the h. She only hears the gossip. She feels she was being used by hero. She resumes high school and finds out that she is being awarded a special scholarship to college by an unknown donor. (Yep unknown donor was Roscoe...he really wanted to make sure she moved on with her life) During heroine’s time at school the Hero’s sister mentions in a letter that the heroine has married a college boy(again a lie...told to the sister by evil dad to further put his son off on resuming a relationship with the heroine) Heroine graduates from college, gets a job at a bank(arranged by Roscoe) then goes to work for Roscoe at double pay. Roscoe then asks the much younger heroine to marry him. Seeing as though she will never get the love of her life she agrees as this will give her the beloved home and respectability she craves. Of course the hero stays away...for 12 years!
Dad is dying. Hero comes to town to comfort sister. Heroine thinks Roscoe must want to mend fences with his son, but son knows better. Anyhoo, the h and H are all a trembles and flutters around each other. But they are unaware of the daddy’s evil manipulations so she believes hero left to marry another woman and he believes she married father for status and money. Things start to come to light and on daddy’s final day on earth all is revealed (almost all) Of course daddy reminds son that he had the heroine first and that his son won’t be able to overcome that for a HEA with heroine. The hero starts making changes at the cotton gin factory and fires some of the fathers henchmen who were unsavory. Daddy never put money into it because he was cheap like that. Hero gets new business....gives raises etc. After a few weeks the will is read...the father left nothing to the hero. He leaves house to heroine and profits from the gin to sister. Hero decides to leave next day...but alas there is a fire at the cotton gin so he and the heroine go to help. They come back exhausted at breakfast time and each get cleaned up. The hero goes to heroine with a tray just as she is wrapped in a towel. Well that’s it...hero doesn’t care about daddy’s claim on heroine and decides he has to have heroine too. But come to find out...our heroine is still a virgin. Roscoe was probably impotent from cancer and drugs he was taking. This is great for the hero...the hero and heroine sneak around loving each other but the town gossips are busy. They go to a bar one night for ribs and get some ribbing from the drunks about the hero getting sloppy seconds. The hero’s pride can’t take this and daddy wins again...hero leaves to go back to Atlanta. They get reunited a couple of months later, hero decides he can’t live without heroine and then finds out she is pregnant so village gossips can do their best, he isn’t going to let it wreck his life anymore!
There are some things I left out like his little sisters own romance with the Vietnam vet(it’s sweet) and he reunites with his daughter(but not his daughter) in the end.
This was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon !
January 10, 2025
Something about this soap opera drama just fed my soul. Nothing like small town Old Southern Money drama..
I loved this story. Were their details that were problematic?? Yes. Did I care? No.
I like that we got two love stories in this book. I wasn't sure going into this story if I could like Rink or even Caroline. But once we got to see more of their past and what actually happened, I could understand the current feelings. I do wish she was a bit older when they met, so I aged her up in my head. I actually really liked Rink's character and that he wasn't actually a bad person. He was hurt by his father.
I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
I loved this story. Were their details that were problematic?? Yes. Did I care? No.
I like that we got two love stories in this book. I wasn't sure going into this story if I could like Rink or even Caroline. But once we got to see more of their past and what actually happened, I could understand the current feelings. I do wish she was a bit older when they met, so I aged her up in my head. I actually really liked Rink's character and that he wasn't actually a bad person. He was hurt by his father.
I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.
May 9, 2018
Satu lagi novel SB yang cetak ulang cover baru.
Hubungan Caroline dengan Rink lumayan pelik. Mereka dahulu sepasang kekasih. Namun, Rink pergi meninggalkan Caroline dan menikah dengan gadis lain. Sementara itu, Roscoe - ayahnya Rink- justru menikahi Caroline. Sekarang ketika suaminya hampir meninggal, Caroline harus menghadapi kembali Rink yang sudah pergi bertahun-tahun lamanya.
Konfliknya seru, apalagi bukan hanya semata-mata konflik antara Rink dan Caroline yang dibahas. Ada juga Laura Jean dan Steve yang diam-diam saling mencintai. Soal adegan romannya, SB sudah terbuktilah.
Hubungan Caroline dengan Rink lumayan pelik. Mereka dahulu sepasang kekasih. Namun, Rink pergi meninggalkan Caroline dan menikah dengan gadis lain. Sementara itu, Roscoe - ayahnya Rink- justru menikahi Caroline. Sekarang ketika suaminya hampir meninggal, Caroline harus menghadapi kembali Rink yang sudah pergi bertahun-tahun lamanya.
Konfliknya seru, apalagi bukan hanya semata-mata konflik antara Rink dan Caroline yang dibahas. Ada juga Laura Jean dan Steve yang diam-diam saling mencintai. Soal adegan romannya, SB sudah terbuktilah.
February 25, 2019
Caroline muda dlunya pernah pacaran dgn Rink. Kemudian Rink dituduh menghamili wanita lain, jd Rink bertanggungjawab.
Trus Caroline menikah dgn Roscoe, ayah kandung Rink. 12 tahun pernikahan dgn Roscoe kemudian Roscoe meninggal.
Rink dan Caroline kemudian menyambung kisah lama mereka.
Kalo bukan karena kisah Laura Jane dan Steve di sini, udah pasti saya kasih 1 🌟 doank.. Ckckck..
Trus Caroline menikah dgn Roscoe, ayah kandung Rink. 12 tahun pernikahan dgn Roscoe kemudian Roscoe meninggal.
Rink dan Caroline kemudian menyambung kisah lama mereka.
Kalo bukan karena kisah Laura Jane dan Steve di sini, udah pasti saya kasih 1 🌟 doank.. Ckckck..
May 22, 2025
Well it was a very easy read, but um really weird plot and some weird characters too.
December 21, 2021
Scandalous, scandalous and scandalous! Caroline Dawson was known as the daughter of the town drunk. Despite her hardworking, and intelligent qualities, the town only saw her as trash. Except for one person, Rink Lancaster. Rink is the son of a extremely wealthy gin farmer and their family is considered almost famous to the townsfolk. When one fateful day Caroline runs into Rink while walking through the woods, they fall in love. For that one summer they spend it hiding at their rendezvous points, worried if anyone saw them what they would think. They were from two different worlds and they knew it. But when Rink doesn’t appear one day, Caroline finds out he’s run off to be married without leaving her even a note of explanation. Forced to move on Caroline, has to find a way to escape her current environment.
Flash forward 12 years later. Caroline is now married to Roscoe Lancaster, the wealthy gin farmer and oh yea… RINKS FATHER!!! After Rink leaves town Caroline works her way through college and eventually Roscoe offers her a job at his factory. She befriends his special needs daughter and Roscoe figures he might as well ask her to marry him. By becoming his wife, Caroline not only escaped poverty but also be rid of the Dawson name that haunted her throughout life, so to her it was a win win. But now Roscoe is on his death bed and has asked rink to come back into town. Caroline and Rink has obvious tension. They were their first and only loves. While Roscoe is dying in the hospital they’re at the house trying to ignore the obvious feelings they still harbor. While Rink is angry she married his father, Caroline is still angry that he left her all those years ago. Then this is when the doozy happens. When rink and Caroline get called into Roscoes room he drops the ultimate bombshell. It appears Roscoe is the reason the two of them could not be together. When Roscoe learned that Rink intended to marry Caroline, he knew that wouldn’t look good for him. So he made Rink marry a girl in town who was pregnant and in need of a father for the child. Though the child wasn’t his, Rink had no choice but to leave town and marry her. Which explains why he left Caroline. As for her, Roscoe was the anonymous benefactor who paid for her college. He also completely orchestrated her getting a job at his factory. But his intentions weren’t pure. He wanted Caroline off the market so if Rink ever came back to town he could never have her, so he married her!! Caroline thought the older man was offering her a better life from the goodness in his heart but no! He just didn’t want Rink to ever be happy with her. The whole book you thought this guy was nice but then BOOM he just had the ultimate personality shift. So all their miserable years were because of Rink’s deeply disturbed father. Anyways Roscoe dies, Caroline and Rink can be together… or can they? Caroline still has to face the town as Roscoe’s grieving widow, and on top of that there’s already talk of her relationship with her “stepson” Rink. So in this already confusing situation she has to navigate not only what she’s feeling but what’ll she been seen as. Her whole life she has worked to gain a respectable reputation to make up for her fathers past. But Rink is the only person to ever make her happy and see her for herself, and now he’s her stepson…
REALLY GOOD. Definitely filled with drama. Another southern set story which I do love. I mean I knew from the synopsis this was gonna be crazy. But it was crazy. This took forbidden love to the next level. I also loved the side plot with Rink’s sister Laura Jane falling in love. It was nice to see autistic representation in a romance book. Her and Steve were so sweet and I liked how her character wasn’t defined by her autism, it was something that was simply apart of her. Watching Steve overcome his Vietnam injuries was very sweet also. Overall the moral of the story is who cares what anyone else thinks, marry your stepson!!! 10/10
Flash forward 12 years later. Caroline is now married to Roscoe Lancaster, the wealthy gin farmer and oh yea… RINKS FATHER!!! After Rink leaves town Caroline works her way through college and eventually Roscoe offers her a job at his factory. She befriends his special needs daughter and Roscoe figures he might as well ask her to marry him. By becoming his wife, Caroline not only escaped poverty but also be rid of the Dawson name that haunted her throughout life, so to her it was a win win. But now Roscoe is on his death bed and has asked rink to come back into town. Caroline and Rink has obvious tension. They were their first and only loves. While Roscoe is dying in the hospital they’re at the house trying to ignore the obvious feelings they still harbor. While Rink is angry she married his father, Caroline is still angry that he left her all those years ago. Then this is when the doozy happens. When rink and Caroline get called into Roscoes room he drops the ultimate bombshell. It appears Roscoe is the reason the two of them could not be together. When Roscoe learned that Rink intended to marry Caroline, he knew that wouldn’t look good for him. So he made Rink marry a girl in town who was pregnant and in need of a father for the child. Though the child wasn’t his, Rink had no choice but to leave town and marry her. Which explains why he left Caroline. As for her, Roscoe was the anonymous benefactor who paid for her college. He also completely orchestrated her getting a job at his factory. But his intentions weren’t pure. He wanted Caroline off the market so if Rink ever came back to town he could never have her, so he married her!! Caroline thought the older man was offering her a better life from the goodness in his heart but no! He just didn’t want Rink to ever be happy with her. The whole book you thought this guy was nice but then BOOM he just had the ultimate personality shift. So all their miserable years were because of Rink’s deeply disturbed father. Anyways Roscoe dies, Caroline and Rink can be together… or can they? Caroline still has to face the town as Roscoe’s grieving widow, and on top of that there’s already talk of her relationship with her “stepson” Rink. So in this already confusing situation she has to navigate not only what she’s feeling but what’ll she been seen as. Her whole life she has worked to gain a respectable reputation to make up for her fathers past. But Rink is the only person to ever make her happy and see her for herself, and now he’s her stepson…
REALLY GOOD. Definitely filled with drama. Another southern set story which I do love. I mean I knew from the synopsis this was gonna be crazy. But it was crazy. This took forbidden love to the next level. I also loved the side plot with Rink’s sister Laura Jane falling in love. It was nice to see autistic representation in a romance book. Her and Steve were so sweet and I liked how her character wasn’t defined by her autism, it was something that was simply apart of her. Watching Steve overcome his Vietnam injuries was very sweet also. Overall the moral of the story is who cares what anyone else thinks, marry your stepson!!! 10/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2021
Once upon a time, a 27-year-old Caroline Lancaster received the terrible news that her husband Roscoe, her senior by three decades, was on his deathbed. Caroline amazingly survived the mean town gossip after marrying Roscoe. She survived his slow death. But, could she survive the return of Rink, her husband's estranged son?! You see, It was Rink who first introduced Caroline to the world of passion and love twelve years ago. Nevertheless, he was the same man who left her one day to go get married to another girl. So, after he'd come back, a series of shocking, yet enlightening mysteries unravel shaking Caroline and Rink to the very core.
This is a Sandra Brown's classic Romance published in 1984 and one of her strictly romantic novels; the stories in which two star-crossed protagonists fight for each other. In all honesty, the love scenes were too steamy for my taste. The major twists in the story were kinda expected. I kept guessing what would happen next and I wasn't surprised that each guess was to the point. Having said that, the story was fast-paced and it was an easy and entertaining read. I also liked the way Ms. Brown kept jumping ever so gracefully back and forth in timelines.
Again, Sandra Brown's contemporary novels are awesome, more refined and sophisticated, but that doesn't mean that her classics are less than amazing. If you are into romantic light reads, this book is right up your alley.
This is a Sandra Brown's classic Romance published in 1984 and one of her strictly romantic novels; the stories in which two star-crossed protagonists fight for each other. In all honesty, the love scenes were too steamy for my taste. The major twists in the story were kinda expected. I kept guessing what would happen next and I wasn't surprised that each guess was to the point. Having said that, the story was fast-paced and it was an easy and entertaining read. I also liked the way Ms. Brown kept jumping ever so gracefully back and forth in timelines.
Again, Sandra Brown's contemporary novels are awesome, more refined and sophisticated, but that doesn't mean that her classics are less than amazing. If you are into romantic light reads, this book is right up your alley.
January 2, 2015
So much angst. I didn't hate it, but I can't stand a story in which the lovers are kept apart by circumstances (in this case Rink's father). I especially hate it when there is bitterness and anger on either side of the couple and nobody sits down to actually talk it out - of course if they did that there wouldn't be a story. It was great watching them come together, but I don't like the discomfort caused by the angst.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2010
I have the vague memory that I read this book when it first came out. It was pretty good but I was a bit uncomfortable with Rink as a 21 year old being so in love with a 15 year old. At least it turned out he didn't actually sleep with her. It was a pretty good book but the hero and heroine could have been developed a bit more fully. Liked the secondary romance too. A decent read.
January 31, 2011
This book sure had it's steamy parts but there were some storylines that were just a smidge creepy when you look at it as a whole. The age differences in a couple scenarios and the woman with the little girl mind had to be skipped in a couple of parts as well. I like Sandra Brown so I'm not giving it a two-star rating, but I hope the next books I read aren't quite so controversial in my mind.
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