Melodija moje duše

Jane's Melody #1

by Ryan Winfield, Srđan Krstić (Translator)

Topla priča o moćima ljubavi koja ne poznaje granice.

Život je velika zagonetka sa pitanjem umesto odgovora.

Četrdesetogodišnja Džejn rešena je da rasvetli uzrok smrti svoje kćerke Melodi, i pokuša da razume poslednje dane njenog života. Zato želi bolje da upozna Kejleba, mladog uličnog svirača koji je bio Melodin blizak prijatelj. Usamljena i neutešna, Džejn će se na olujnom putu požude zapitati preko čega bi sve prešla zbog prave ljubavi, i otkriti da li je isuviše kasno za novi početak ili ponekad sreća proizilazi iz najdubljeg bola i patnje.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Fiction, Drama, Ebooks

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2013

About the author

New York Times bestselling author. Recreational pilot and provider of foodstuffs to one very hungry Maine Coon. Cultivator of roses, apparently to feed a mob of blacktail deer.

Find me on Substack.

If your book club or organization would like to arrange an appearance from me, either in person or via Skype, please send me a private message at Facebook with your request.


I've been asked why I write. I write because I remember.

I remember waking up to snow. I remember racing to dress, struggling with my boots – “Here, don't forget your mittens.” I remember the soft thump of that first footstep, the tracks looking back, and everything new and blanketed in quiet white. Foghorns blowing on the mist-covered bay. I feel the canvas newspaper bag on my shoulders, the weight of Sunday's headlines heavy on my mind. I remember rubber bands and ink stained hands. A car spun sideways in a ditch. Always a car. Then barking dogs, a distant chainsaw. I remember snowmen and igloos and icy trails through the white and wondrous woods. And I remember sweet Mrs. Johnson waiting at her door; the smell of Avon powder, her smile as she pressed an envelope into my palm—ten dollars and a peppermint candy cane thank you!

Evening now, running downtown. Everything passes in an excited blur. Salvation Army bells, white lights strung in sidewalk trees, bundled shoppers, hunched and hurrying, kicking up little snowdrifts scattered by the wind. And now I’m here. The heavy door, the warmth, the light, the old wood floors—the bookstore! Smells of paper and leather and ink. Walls of worlds bound and waiting for me.

Nothing has affected me as much as reading has. Dickens, Tolkien, and Lewis raised me. And while I've walked through my own hell, made my own mistakes, and found my own redemption, always there have been books. Books to help me escape, books for courage when I needed to stay and fight. Books that taught without preaching the difference between wrong and right. Books upon books to feed a boy’s feverish dreams; and the boy now grown, it’s still books that kindle the memories of those dreams on these long winter nights.

And so, I remember. And I write.

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!!



There is no better feeling as a reader than having zero expectations for a book and being blown away by it! That’s exactly what happened to me while reading Jane’s Melody. The title of this book fits perfectly and while reading, I found myself falling in love with this story and it’s characters.


The first time Jane lays eyes on Caleb, it is at her daughter, Melody’s gravesite. Jane is forty years old and lost her twenty year old daughter, Melody to addiction. She hadn’t been a part of her daughters life for the last year or so, and she doesn’t know who Caleb is. She just assumes he was someone special to her.

Jane is having trouble coping with her only child’s death. Thankfully, she has the support of her friend and sponsor, Grace. Grace can tell Jane is not okay- but Jane insists she is fine.



Jane needs some closure, she tries to find anyone connected to Melody to give her some insight on the last year of her life. She ends up stumbling upon Caleb, who is a twenty four year old struggling musician in the streets of Seattle. Caleb has a dream, to move to Austin and further his music career. Right now, he is homeless. Jane feels compelled to offer him a place to stay. He doesn’t want her charity, so she gives him a job. It’s a large task- fixing her yard, which happens to be a mess. He accepts. The more time Jane and Caleb spend together, the closer the two become. Jane has trouble getting closer to Caleb. He makes her happy- something she feels guilty about. She just lost her daughter- she should be grieving. But she has to move on, live her life.



Even though her feelings for Caleb are conflicting, someone wise tells her there is no room for fear in her life.



Jane and Caleb’s story is broken up into three parts. All three are different, but equally wonderful. I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book. Jane was a terrific heroine. She was strong and brave. She had a hard life, but she was able to open up and accept love. I could go on and on about Caleb all day. This guy was just amazing. He was much more mature than his twenty four years. I found myself forgetting their age difference over and over again, until Jane would bring it up.



The age difference didn’t bother me one bit. Don’t let that stop you from reading this terrific book.



♥ ♥ ♥




I also loved Grace’s character. She was wise and really there for Jane through everything. I highlighted more of her lines while reading than anything else- my absolute favorite:

“Being smart doesn’t always lead to being happy. And I’d rather be happy than anything else.”

I don’t want to go any further into Jane and Caleb’s relationship or the third part of the book... it’s one of those stories you don’t want spoiled at all and really should read for yourself. Just know there will be tears. Sad tears, happy tears, all kinds of tears.

I love unconventional love stories. This was a beautiful, emotional, compelling, moving, and well written story about living life to the fullest, loss, love, and moving on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend everyone give it a go! 5+ stars from me- this one is going straight on my favorites shelf!



LOVED the book the first time- loved my re-read on my audio book! Can't wait to start Jane's Harmony!!! <3

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Spoiler free*



Sometimes, I get to open a book by an author I've never come across before and it's like discovering the pot of gold at the end of rainbow.

Sometimes, I get so caught up in a story that reading only one more chapter soon becomes 3 o'clock in the morning.

Sometimes, I'm getting towards the end of a book and I know that no sooner have I finished the last page, I could go back to the start and read it all over again.

Reading 'Jane's Melody' was one of these times.

It's a story about a mother lost in the grief of losing her daughter.

It's a story about a woman offering her home to a stranger, in the hope that this stranger might just be able to bring her closer to her daughters memory.

A stranger who may just be able to help piece her own heart back together again.



This was a truly captivating story about grief, loss and moving forward. It's a story that didn't break my heart, it shattered it. For me personally, it stirred up a thousand painful memories, but piece by piece the pages put me back together again.



It was an emotional roller coaster of a ride, one I was hesitant to ride on but one I'm so glad I did. Because in the end it wasn't really about grief and loss, it was about life, love and friendship and one woman's journey to find the courage to move on.

[.Lili. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Jane and Caleb begins soon after Jane has lost her daughter Melody to drugs. Jane is a 40 yr old woman, who feels emotionally broken and questions whether she will survive the loss of her daughter.





One day when she's getting ready to leave the cemetery, she catches a fleeting glimpse of Caleb visiting her daughter's grave. Soon after, Jane feels the need to find out about her daughter's last days. It is while doing so, that she learns from her daughter's coworker that Caleb and Melody knew each other and that they flirted with one another. Since her daughter had written of being in love shortly before her death, Jane puts the pieces together.

Caleb is a struggling musician- who hopes to move to Austin in hopes of furthering his music career.



When the two run into each other again, Caleb has just been beaten and robbed. Jane realizing he's homeless, offers him a place to stay and a job as her gardener. She hopes this way, he'll be off the streets and she'll be able to help him save money towards his dream.

Once they are living together, Jane finds herself attracted to Caleb. She resists her feelings because he's her late daughter's boyfriend, he's only 24 years old, and she feels guilty about feeling any joy so soon after her daughter's passing.



This is a beautiful story about grief and love- of finding the strength and courage to move on. I would recommend this book to everyone. 5 stars!!

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life seems to have another plan for Jane
when she lost her daughter, Melody."


4,5 EMOTIONAL STARS

I loved this book, it was so realistic!I don't know why I haven't read this sooner!I cried,I laughed and I fell in love with the characters..Such an amazing book!!
This is about love,friendship,loss and finding yourself..

Jane after her daughter loss from drugs..She tries to learn the life her daughter had and she is searching for answers..Then she met Caleb,a younger man who is musician and live in the streets..Jane thought he knows her daughter...Soon they develop a friendly relationship but the attraction between them are so obvious..Despite the age difference, their relationship goes in something more..there is connection between them..




"I'm saying ever since I saw you I've been attracted to you,Jane.I think about you all the time.........."I can't get you out of my head,and I don't even want to."





I liked the way their relationship developed and the banter between them was so delightful!
I loved both characters!!Jane is such a likeable and strong character!!She tries to stand in her feet after her daughter's death and her relationship with her mother and brother.
Caleb...OMG he is irresistable!!I fell in love with him from the begining!!He really cares for Jane and he wants to she her happy!!

This is my first book from Ryan and I'm so impressed!I definitely will read more books from him!!I loved his writing it was so realistic!!He really had me with his story!!!
I feel so lucky that I read it now because I don't have to wait a lot for the next book!!
I need more Caleb *sigh*

If you are looking for a romantic,heartbreaking, love story this is what you need!!!Read it and you will not regret it!!!

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2.5 stars**

Wow, I'm really the odd man out here, huh?

I'm surprised that this book has as much hype as it does. It isn't a bad book, not at all, but it didn't wow me in any way. I'll go through some of my feelings about this one briefly for all of y'all.

First of all, the pace is slow. Like really slow. And I like romances that take their time! I'm all for a slow burn but this was more like watching water boil. Just endless. I read about 40 pages about getting a goat to clear out blackberry bushes from a garden. 40. pages.

Secondly, the dialogue veered towards cheesy some of the time, especially during the sex scenes.

"Okay, I don't know if I have the right words, but love is this feeling I get when I look at you. A feeling that as long as you're near me, or in the world even, then everything will be okay. That everything has meaning. It's as if I was seeing everything in shades of sepia-like an old movie reel-and everywhere I looked I saw suffering and pain. Then I heard your voice, I saw your face, and somehow the color came into everything."

Those words were spoken by a guy. Dude.

"He entered her and she felt complete, as if they had been made to fit together, as if they had always been one and had only been separated by the illusion of space and time until this surrender brought them together again."

Just... come on!

To top it off, this book touched upon one of my hot button issues, which is unprotected sex with no discussion about STDs or birth control beforehand. I hate it and I don't find it to be romantic or sexy.

So now that I've gotten that off my chest, I did enjoy a number of things about this story. I actually loved the age difference and I think it set this book apart from the millions of contemporary romances out there. I also think the more mature, tender tone was a nice change of pace.

Though this book edged towards 3 stars, I just couldn't give it to it. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this book, more like trudged through it. It was difficult for it to hold my attention and I felt a bit let down because I had expected more.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Find this review and other like it at My Fiction Nook

[* Meli Mel * · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥♥♥ 4.5 Sad Beautiful Stars ♥♥♥

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“To love,” he said, “because love is always enough.”

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After reading the blurb, I became really interested in what this book would be like. I was hesitant, not because of the age difference but because I didn't know how I would feel about a mother going out with her daughter's boyfriend. In the end I decided to give it a go.

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“A mother’s not supposed to bury her daughter.”

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“Perhaps not all spirits are meant for this world, but they pass through anyway and change for the better those which are.”

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The story began with Jane having a funeral for her estranged daughter Melody. She isn't sure she can ever stop the pain. She doesn't know what direction her life will take or if she even wants it to continue. What she does know is she wants to feel connected to Melody again. She wants to know what her life was like before she died. I felt really terrible for Jane. I can't imagine what it must be like to bury your own child. Especially when you weren't close and all you can think about is all the things you could have done to help your child live. I understood her need to hang on to her in some way. But I wanted her to move on more than anything. She sees a young man standing at her daughter's grave. Jane is curious about him, but before she can get to him, he is gone.



She goes in search for more information about her daughter's life. She crosses paths with that mysterious guy she saw and thinks he might have been Melody's boyfriend. His name is Caleb Cummings. He is a homless musician. Thinking she can get closer to her daughter through him, she invites him to move in with her and work in her jungle of a backyard to earn money.

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“Don’t you let fear have a place in your life, J. Not even a tiny place. Get rid of it from every hidden corner. Chase it away with the truth, and do what you want to do while you can."

--Grace

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I liked Jane from the start. Her life hasn't been easy, but she always manages to move forward in some way. In this case, she hopes Caleb can help her because her grief is just too great. He ends up helping her put her pieces back together and so much more. I have never been bothered about reading books about a couple with a big age difference. Jane seemed to be insecure about it. She wasn't sure Caleb could really want a woman who has lived for 40 years when he is only almost 25 years old. I wished she wouldn't be hung up about it. Anyone could tell that they were perfect for each other. She also felt guilt for being happy when she should be sad. I also thought I wouldn't like the connection they had with Melody, but everything was dealt with a really good manner. So it didn't bother me at all. Jane definitely had to let go of her fears. She also discovered more things about herself as well as love for the first time in her life. I was so happy she had an awesome friend in Grace. Grace was an amazing woman, always there to offer advice.

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“Love is this feeling I get when I look at you. A feeling that as long as you’re near me, or in the world even, the everything will be okay. ….Then I hear your voice, I saw your face, and somehow the color came into everything.”

--Caleb

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I was intrigued by Caleb from the moment he showed up in the book. But I did know that I loved his passion for music, talent for song-writing, and how sweet and loving he was. He wasn't afraid to work to get what he wants. He may have been homeless at the moment but not once did he complain. He still dreams of making it big, when he can save enough money to go to Austin, Texas. He was wonderful compliment to Jane's character. He never seemed too young to me, when compared to Jane. I think it's because he's had to suffer some hard times that he grew up quite fast. He was humourous and carefree. It's really hard not to love him.

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"What did age matter, she wondered. Wasn't love timeless? If it wasn't, it should be."

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I loved seeing Jane and Caleb together. And when it came down to the sex scenes, they were pretty steamy. I think Ryan Winfield did and amazing job with this story. I liked that there was a good balance between the happy and the sad moments that occured in this book. My only complaint would be that I needed more from the ending. It was just a bit too rushed. Otherwise, absolutely beautiful! I definitely recommend you read this excellent story about grief, love, and getting the strength to move on.

[Ryan Winfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi Friends! I'm excited to announce that my latest novel, Jane's Melody, is now a New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and USA Today Bestseller. It would never have been possible without so many of you reading and reviewing and sharing about this book. Thank you! - Ryan.



Please purchase the newly edited Atria edition of JANE'S MELODY at one of the buy links below.

Buy on Kindle
Buy on Nook
Buy on Kobo
Buy on iTunes
Buy on Google Play
Paperback Pre-order

--New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller--

What boundaries would you cross for true love?

That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician she believes can shed light on her daughter's death—only to find herself falling for him. A sexy but touching love story that will leave you both tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no limits.

[Lady Vigilante (Feifei) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

[First time reading: 4 stars
Second time reading: 4.5 stars]



What an unconventional and inspirational story about love, loss, and healing! It seems with this re-read I notice the little things I missed the first time around and it just makes me love the story even more! ♥ ♥ ♥

The story follows a 40 year old mother Jane who has just done what no mother wants: bury her daughter. Struggling to accept Melody’s death, Jane unexpectedly stumbles into Caleb, a 24 year old homeless musician. Their only link: a 1973 silver dollar coin that previously belonged to Melody. After snooping through Melody’s old things, she deduces that Caleb is her old boyfriend and since she desperately needs closure, Jane takes Caleb in, offering him a temporary job while she tries to fish for any extra information about her daughter.

As time passes, Caleb and Jane grow closer and soon a romantic relationship develops. I live for the forbidden and taboo and this hit the nail on the head! There wasn’t anything sketchy nor did I feel like their relationship was inappropriate; the way the author wrote the book completely charmed me. Jane and Caleb are such endearing characters, and their story is believable: I could see something deeper than lust and attraction setting the basis of their relationship, and to me that makes it all the more meaningful to read. Pre-Caleb time, Jane struggled with accepting Melody’s death and pretty much brushed off living life. She’s just fine.



With Caleb in her life, Jane’s healing process begins and she learns to live, laugh, and love again. But their romance isn’t all perfect, and I love how the author portrays the very realistic implications of an older woman/younger man relationship. Jane has to deal with so much insecurity about her looks, her age, the appropriateness of such a romance, and through it all, Caleb was there to support and reassure her of his love.

Were there some choices Jane made I hated? Absolutely. And as much as I didn’t like the things that happened, I saw them as necessary to her character development; without making mistakes, she never would have faced all her worries and insecurities and be the person to step out of her comfort zone and say “hey, this is what I want and I’m going to go after it.” I loved reading and experiencing that journey with her!



Everything about the book, from the hot, sizzling sex scenes to the emotional, heartbreaking moments to the laugh-out-loud, charming humor speaks volumes to the author’s writing capabilities and ability to evoke a wide-range of emotions while delivering a most heartfelt, unique love story that I won’t be forgetting any time soon! As this is my second time reading the book and feeling so strongly about these characters, I can only imagine what I’d think if I re-read this for the third time ;)

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews, freebie lists, & giveaways visit my blog!

[Duchess Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Don't you let fear have a place in your life, J. not even a tiny place. Get rid of it from every hidden corner. Chase it away with the truth, and do what you want to do while you can..."

This was, as expected, quite the melancholy read. Not quite the tearjerker, though, at least not until a certain part toward the end. The setting is rainy Seattle, and a little island off the coast, so even the weather fit the mood.

MY SYNOPSIS:
A quick recap...Jane has just lost her twenty year old daughter to addiction. In fact, the opening scene of the book is at Melody's funeral. As Jane tries to cope with her guilt...a mother's guilt that she couldn't save her only child...she scours the city, seeking a connection with her daughters last days. One rainy day, while sitting in her car outside the cemetery, she notices a young man placing something on Melody's grave. He leaves, and Jane follows. The young man is Caleb, a homeless musician with an old soul. Their meeting sparks more than a passing interest between the two, and something bright and shiny brings Jane out from her cloud of loneliness and depression. Suffice it to say, with the help of Caleb and Jane's best friend Grace, Jane begins to see life as something worth living. But her age and Caleb's youth threaten to be too much for her, and doubts plague this lonely woman. And Jane has to decide: can she grab at a chance at happiness, or is she too set in her ways to embrace the unexpected?

MY THOUGHTS:
The beginning was good. Very much a downer, of course, but it set the stage and really let me live inside Jane's lonely head for a bit. The woman literally roams the streets, chasing the ghost of her daughter, fighting her own demons and those of her past. Everyone in Jane's life has been an addict, and she's so tired of it all. This was one point that this author makes very well. For those of us that have ever had to sit and watch a loved one deal with addiction, this book hit the nail on the head. There comes a point at which you just simply can't care any more...there's not enough in you. And even so, you just can't NOT care, either. It's exhausting.

"When she thought of her daughter rotting away in that box, she felt like screaming. She felt like screaming and hurting herself. But after so many years of worry, she had no voice left for grief . And she couldn't imagine feeling a worse sort of pain."

When Caleb enters the picture, the sexual tension was a bit awkward for me...it was almost not there, especially from Caleb's end...I just didn't feel it. And then once the romance really stepped in, it just felt awkward. There were a couple of scenes that made me kind of giggle...as if this is what men think women want from their men...

"She opened for him like a flower. He was gentle, so gentle that she hardly knew when he had entered her, and he moved inside her like a man conjuring love from secrets hidden in the rhythms of his heart. And as he moved, she moved, ans she watched his face in the blue shadows and he merged into an amalgamation of every love that had ever come to visit her in dreams. "

Not trying to be rude, but gag...just too syrupy sweet, too Lord Byron for my taste. However, Ryan Winfield also goes on to give us this:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm going to take you home and rip these clothes off and fuck the self-doubt out of you. That's what I'm going to do. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I say...YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! That is how you reassure an insecure woman of how much you desire her mature body. You show her that she makes you lose control.

So, I guess...take your pick. You've got the animalistic side of Caleb, and you've got the uber romantic side. I know which one I prefer.

So the middle was a bit slow for me, but after about the sixty percent mark, a lot of things started happening. Not just the expected fallout, but some other major things happen in Jane's life that makes this just as much a live and learn story as a romance. It was actually a wonderful, beautiful nudge to those of us entering our middle aged years, particularly us women who value stability and looks over most anything else. What we SHOULD value is life itself. It's a precious gift, one that I know I take for granted every day. And Jane is forced to open her eyes, in more ways than one.

I loved Caleb's character. He's a young guy, sure. But his hard life has not made him tout a pity party story. He's not after fame and riches either. He just wants to play music. Only, he detours that life dream to fall in love with a woman fifteen years older than him, and he doesn't bat an eye. I think I love him.

"You're beautiful,” he whispererd.
“Tell me again.”
“You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful. "

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts:

♫ Jane's somewhat estranged daughter has died of an overdose and of course, Jane feels horribly guilty and her grief consumes her. She's desperate to find out what her daughter has been up to and in doing so that leads her to Caleb.

♫ Caleb is a musician and is synesthetic...seeing sounds in color - that was brilliant! I loved the deeper connection that made.

♫ Loved the play with the silver dollar.

♫ Song lyrics were amazing....

I just wish our love had not been in vain
That she’d felt it too, that we’d meet again
Through my dark days, through this constant night
I sing out her name – Jane, Jane, Jane
It’s a name I’ll remember for the rest of my life

♫ First male author adult romance I've read...and I was very pleased with the way he handled the romance and the age difference wasn't too awkward. Not so pleased about the lack of 'protection.' No matter how hot a guy is...NO WAY would I have sex with a homeless guy WITHOUT protection...come on!!

♫ Loved, loved, loved the garden...and BILL CLINTON! (LOL)



♫ Great relationship between Caleb and Mrs. Hawthorne...I would have liked to see more of it especially how it came about with what he was working for. ♥

♫ I enjoyed the relationships with the Al Anon group especially Jane's friendship with Grace even though what happens is heart breaking!

♫ I like how RW was afraid to write about "hot" issues...especially the family dynamic. It was hard to read some of that but I think it was pretty realistic.

♫ One problem I had was that some of the narrative seemed a bit choppy and didn't flow as well as the dialog.

♫ I loved the ending and how it wasn't an easy journey! It did leave me wanting more. I read a blog entry the author posted that he will be in Austin writing about his next book! There's a link on Amazon but it only says "Untitled #2" and it will be out May 2014! *fingers crossed* that it will be the second book for this series!



Favorite quotes:

♥ “Oh, my God, it’s gorgeous.”

“It happens to be called The Jane.”

“Well, then,” he said, lifting the guitar from its case, “no wonder it’s so beautiful.”

♥ “I’m saying ever since I saw you I’ve been attracted to you, Jane. I think about you all the time. Every night. I lay here in this bed at night, and I wonder if you’re awake down the hall. I can’t get you out of my head, and I don’t even want to.”

[Ash Wednesday · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 STARS

”Thank you.”
“Least I could do, ma’am.”
“Oh please, for the love of God, don’t call me ma’am. Makes me feel old enough to be your grandmother, when I’m only old enough to be your mother.”

Someone went a little too literal with the “Mommy Porn”.

I feel like I’ve been such a raging bitch against contemporary romance that I might have to pre-emptively go on the defensive. I do love a good romance. I’d love to claim literary fiction as my gateway drug into my reading addiction but it was Sidney Sheldon, mom’s stash of trashy historicals and trashier sci-fi erotica for me. I’ve been reading about romance in fiction for a long time and naturally, as you grow older, your expectations get modified, your thresholds get pushed as the genre’s paradigms shift. I am no longer swayed by the against-all-odds-love-conquers-all trope without asking some questions nor am I a hormonal teenager thrilled by reading about sex and over the top professions of passion and love.

This was not a good romance.

This book was an awkward interpretation of what women stereotypically enjoy in romantic fiction. It was very thin on the plot, the characters were caricatures with very little depth, the dialogue was gag-worthy cheesy and the direction of the story attempts to play on certain sentimentalities that never rang sincere in its delivery.

Forty-year old Jane is an insurance salesman whose daughter, Melody, dies of alcohol-related abuse. In her attempt to reacquaint herself with her late estranged daughter and the life she lived before her death, she meets Caleb, the 24-year old homeless street musician who just might be Melody’s last boyfriend.

The taboo possibilities and moral conflict exponentially ratchets up as Jane hires Caleb to be her stay-in gardener slash landscaper because, like grunge and Starbucks, it’s a Seattle thing for every male to be automatically skilled at doing yard work, I suppose. So there was a short period of non-existent sexual tension and relationship development between the two that was built around breakfast, shirtless and sweaty gardening and Jane skeezily buying Caleb a shiny new guitar named, “Jane” all culminating into lots of guilt-free, gluten-free (read: boring) sex because Jane’s so much hotter than her dead daughter who wasn’t Caleb’s girlfriend after all.

Imagine that.

The book focuses on their struggle to make their relationship work, trying to reconcile Caleb’s ambitions of making it as a musician in Austin and the stable fortress of a comfortable but unhappy life Jane has built around herself (because she lives in Bainbridge Island, yeah I got that.)

The selling point of Jane’s Melody was supposed to be the relationship between Caleb and Jane where the sole source of conflict was the discrepancy in their age. Which of course is what drew me in, in the first place. But I can’t help but feel disappointed that that was all there was to it. An issue that could have been dealt with in a chapter but was dragged ever so lengthily by Jane’s immaturity and insecurities and Caleb whose character depth begins and ends with being every single, 40-year old woman’s supposed fantasy: a musician who does manual labor in her backyard while sweaty and shirtless.

Conflict was practically non-existent and certain plot points trying to pass itself as such just ended up sounding ridiculous (Jane and Caleb hiding their relationship from Jane’s mother… why?). Melody hardly figured in the overarching storyline. There was absolutely nothing in the story that made me want to sit down and pay attention to the message it was trying to deliver as it was often embedded within saccharine dialogue and cheesy encounters between the protagonists. I ceased from being offended and just felt embarrassed for these characters.

He stepped out of his pants and stood before her wearing nothing but his boxers. She wanted to take him inside that second.
“Better?” he asked.
“No you don’t. I’m not going to let you distract me form my project, you sexy siren you.”

It was like watching a B-Reality TV show (because there are classy reality TV shows out there in their trashiness, IMO).

Once Jane and Caleb embarked on their relationship the story progressed as if through an acid-induced haze involving a goat named Bill Clinton, Jane dancing to Sweet Child O’Mine and an out-of-fucking-nowhere plot device trip to Paris and Venice because someone is conveniently dying at the time when Jane needs to go on a all expense paid trip to self discovery.



I’m actually confused if this was really just a book with a story that I didn’t like. Or is this a book with an agenda that I should take offense against? Because while its easy to dismiss it as something that just didn’t agree with my tastes, sometimes it feels like it’s laughing at me, ridiculing the genre in a cruel backhanded manner.

He stopped short of the sliding door, bent and scooped her up in his arms and lifted her off the ground.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m carrying you inside.”
“Did we have a wedding here today that I missed?”
“No.” He laughed. “I’m just making sure you don’t trip.”

It’s probably just my paranoid overthinkng kicking in and giving this book too much of the evil genius credit it doesn’t deserve. I’m going to play stupid and blind to the cliches, I’m going to assume the awful, awkward humour just didn’t agree with me and I’m going to pretend the not-so-subtle political punditry inserted somewhere in the story was all in innocent jest.

”You mean, old Bill Clinton?” (the goat)
“Is that really his name?” another man in the table asked. “I thought the Democrats’ symbol was a donkey.”
“Maybe it ought to be a goat,” someone said, “considering all they do is eat and shit.”
“Hey now,” Jane jumped in, “no politics and no religion.”

Riiiiiigggggghhhttttt.
NOT. AWKWARD. AT. ALL.

No, I won’t make an issue out of that. Because hey, someone cried no politics and no religion after the fact, right? And that makes it perfectly fine.

And I wouldn’t know better anyway. I’m just a reader who likes to see sex and “I love yous” in the books that I read.



Review Copy provided by the publishers.

Also on Booklikes.

[Jen Newby · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read all year! Oh...I LOVED this one! The whole premise of the story grabbed me from the get-go. 40 year old grieving mother falls for 24/25 year old "old soul". The writing is beautiful. I experienced so many emotions while reading. I couldn't put it down. There is so much beauty in this book. There are some hot scenes that I was so impressed with! I loved reading a romance written by a man because I think it's very rare for a male author to nail it, but Ryan definitely did! I think the sex scenes in this story are some of the best I've ever read and also some of my favorite parts of the story.

I was a blubbering mess at some points and as happy as could be in others. I really really loved this book and I hope Ryan writes more in this genre. This is my favorite by him so far. His others are great too, but this is his niche (in my opinion)! I can honestly say that I will reread this book over and over throughout my life. I love it that much.

Here's my Caleb


Here's my Jane


Favorite quotes:
"I don't know if you're being smart or not, but I know that being smart doesn't always lead to being happy. And I'd rather be happy than anything else"

Live for today," she always said, "Just be right here, right now, because the present is always enough"

"....but love is this feeling I get when I look at you. A feeling that as long as you're near me, or in the world even, then everything will be okay. That everything has meaning. It's as if the world was all shades of sepia-like an old movie reel-and that everywhere I looked I saw suffering and pain. Then I heard your voice, I saw your face, and somehow the color came into everything"

[Lise *friends don't flag* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trust the universe.
Trust destiny.
Trust Caleb.

4 big beating heart stars...

Such a sweet and touching story of a woman suffering from loss and loneliness and finally finding true love.

I read South of Bixby Bridge by Ryan Winfield last year and loved it! When I met the author a couple of weeks ago at Book Bash in Orlando I was thrilled to learn he had written a new book. He told me this one was more of a romance. It certainly is!

The relationship between Jane and Caleb was just perfect and Caleb was almost too perfect, but the story was realistic enough for me to feel connected and vested in their story.

Things I liked most about Jane:
*Jane's relationship with Grace; what a truly wonderful friend
*Jane’s insecurity over her age and appearance; not overboard but totally real
*Jane partying down at the club when Caleb was playing guitar; rock-it you 40 year old
*Jane’s decision to encourage Caleb to follow his dream

Things I liked most about Caleb:
*Caleb is beautiful-physically, musically and spiritually
*Caleb loves to garden and cook and save goats and spiders
*Caleb’s relationship with Mrs. Hawthorne
*Caleb’s undying, unconditional love for Jane

All in all, this is a beautiful love story that has a lovely flow. Not too much angst, not too many tears, tasteful love scenes and an ending that was just right for me.

[Baba]

DNF. I will be very nice and not rate the book.
One of my favorite tropes, older heroine younger hero, but I clearly don't get what the fuss is all about. BORING. Will probably review it later.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤❤❤❤❤ 5 Amazing Stars!! ❤❤❤❤❤

"Live for today. Just be right here, right now, because the present is always enough."




This was a great book to read! Beautiful and emotional story about life, love, loss, fear, guilt, second chance.

Jane was a broken soul. A woman who buried her 20 year old daughter. She had a rough life. Alcohol and drugs destroyed her daughter and family members. She wanted to live again, but she was afraid...




Caleb was a young musician. He was sweet, sexy, very mature for his age and absolutely adorable young man.

Jane and Caleb found and helped each other. Jane learned to breath again.. to love for the first time without fear.. She finally found herself! She was ready to live again! Caleb discovered the meaning of true love. Jane was the love of his life!




“You’re perfect, Jane. And I love you. ~ Caleb

“You know something, baby,”
“When I hear you say you love me, it almost makes me cry.”
“Why?” she asked
“Because it plays in my head in such beautiful colors. Like a rainbow in heaven or something.”
Jane smiled and said:
“I love you. I love you. I love you.” ~ Caleb

“I love you, Jane. Just the way you are. Just the age you are. I know it might have been hard to know if I was here for the job or not before, but now the job’s done, and the money’s in my back pocket, and I’m still here. I’m here because I want to be here. All my life I thought there was nothing I could ever love like I love music. But then I met you.” ~ Caleb




“Okay. I don’t know if I have the right words, but love is this feeling I get when I look at you. A feeling that as long as you’re near me, or in the world even, then everything will be okay. That
everything has meaning. It’s as if the world was all shades of sepia—like an old movie reel—and that everywhere I looked I saw suffering and pain. Then I heard your voice, I saw your face, and somehow the color came into everything.” ~ Caleb




“I know I love you because it feels like I’m finally whole now. Like I’ve gone my entire life missing something, and now I’ve found it.” ~ Jane

“Maybe I can put it like this: there was always this ache in my guts, an aloneness, but whenever I’m with you it seems to disappear. I remember reading somewhere that you have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. But I don’t think it’s true. I think you have to learn to forget yourself before you can love someone else. At least I seem to forget about myself when I’m with you. I feel light. I feel happy. You know, I never told a man that I loved him before. At least not since Melody was born. But I love you, Caleb. I really do.” ~ Jane

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I loved Grace. She was a great friend to Jane. She also had a bad life experience and she completely understood Jane. She was amazing friend with amazing advices!

“Promise me you’ll live the life I can’t.” ~ Grace

“Just do whatever you would do if you weren’t afraid. Live the way I would have lived if I’d known. Live the life that I no longer can, Jane. A life without fear.” ~ Grace

I really enjoyed! I smiled, I laughed, I cried. Definitely recommend to everyone to read!

[Angigames · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stelle e mezzo
Cover fantastica, trama affascinante, quelle poche recensioni che mi sono permessa di sbirciare erano tutte positive, logico che le mie aspettative hanno sfiorato le stelle….
-.-
Allora, dico subito che questo libro non è proprio da buttare. Indubbiamente Winfield sa scrivere e scrive molto bene, la sua penna è fluida, sa creare, sa attirare l’attenzione su di se ed è anche molto romantico, ma non basta! A causa di una trama così intensa, mi aspettavo un libro profondo e sentito, un libro completamente diverso da quello che sono andata a leggere.
Con mio grande rammarico, posso tranquillamente descrivere con due semplici aggettivi questa storia: superficiale e banale.
Jane, 40 anni, viene da una famiglia disastrata, non si è mai sentita veramente amata e ha perso la figlia a causa delle droghe. Ecco, mi immaginavo una donna devastata dal dolore, che tenta in tutti i modi di rimanere a galla ed effettivamente, nei primi capitoli, succede proprio questo (e io ne sono rimasta veramente colpita), ma poi arriva Lui, Caleb, 25enne aspirante musicista che cambia le carte in tavola.
Bisogna dire che il personaggio di Caleb è ben riuscio, sono le dinamiche della storia che non mi hanno convinto per niente. Troppo in fretta Jane e Caleb cedono alla passione, troppi “ti amo” detti quasi per proforma. Il dolore di Jane, il senso di colpa, l’inadeguatezza nei confronti della sua relazione con un uomo molto più giovane sono solo accennati, mai veramente approfonditi. Ed è vero che l’amore è amore e che una persona ha il diritto di continuare a vivere, ma è anche vero che tutto questo è stato gestito (secondo il mio parere, sia chiaro) come in un romance rosa semplice e di poche pretese. È no! No! La trama, la scrittura chiedeva ben altro, invece l’autore mi è caduto ancora più in basso quando separa drammaticamente i due innamorati come una sorta di sacrificio/prova d’amore, ma veramente?! È un romance si, ma non un Harmony!
Si salva l’amicizia tra Jane e Grace, molto bella, molto emozionante e ben scritta.
Indubbiamente l’autore è un romanticone nato, ma deve decisamente approfondire le sue tematiche se vuole conquistarmi! Ritenta Winfield, sarai più fortunato!

[J.m. Darhower · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the most difficult book I've ever encountered to rate.

Jane's Melody is a story about a mother named Jane and her journey to healing after her addict daughter, Melody, passes away. My paperback copy was delivered yesterday evening, and before I went to bed, I had devoured every single word.

Jane's Melody is divided into three parts. I can say without a doubt the first part and the last part had an impact on me. I sobbed twice, which is highly unusual (what's with me finding books lately that make me cry?). There was something absolutely lyrical and beautiful about the way Mr. Winfield writes. When delving into the topics of loss and grief, of love and insecurity, he absolutely nails it. The emotions are overwhelming and so very real. This is more than a romance story. This is a LIFE story. This is a story about living, about loving, about surviving.

Now, the second part (the middle)... it too was good, but there were moments almost where it felt like a totally different book. It was a good book, nonetheless, but not the same book it started as for me. I suppose it's because it was more focused on their relationship and not the other subjects. I enjoyed their relationship though, didn't find it weird at all (I've had some people be hesitant of it because of the older woman/younger man situation, but I can most definitely tell you it worked beautifully and didn't at all feel wrong as the description suggests it could potentially feel). I think the reason it didn't resonate with me as much as the other two parts is because there was so much sex. Okay, yes... I'm just like everyone else... I love sex. I occasionally want to indulge in a good, smutty story. And the sex scenes in this were written wonderfully. But for me, when I'm reading such an intense story with such a deep plot, sex tends to feel unnecessary to me. And I found myself just wanted to get through it so we could get back to the healing and dealing.

All in all, 5 stars for the first and last part, three stars for the middle, which is around 4.5 stars. I would've loved to have learned more about Melody, though, but I get that it was her mother's story and not hers.

Oh, one more thing... I have to note that the title of this book is absolutely genius. It works in more than one way. I look forward to meeting Mr. Winfield next week when we're both signing in Orlando and have him scribble in my copy.

[Feminista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, awesome, awesome...

This is my first 5-star book of 2014.

Thank you so much for writing this brilliant novel.

Oh and an anomaly, but I can sort of count on one hand the number of male authors whose books I have read... On the top of my head I can remember one.. Actually, it'd be half a finger, because it was a husband/wife writing team. It's not something I do consciously. But all of the genres I read are mostly written by female authors. Secondly, I need to like the author's writing, and I find that their writing styles usually just don't appeal to me.

But this author. I saw the name, obviously, before starting the book and then promptly forgot because I was so comfortable with writing style and I was enjoying the story immensely.

I found the story realistic and so natural.

There was one thing that I didn't like. It was that Jane was very vaguely contemplating sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend, back when she didn't know that Caleb wasn't Melody's boyfriend. I am a strong believer in that family should never compete in romantic situations. Death does not make it acceptable or excusable... But I am glad it didn't happen like that.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit: 04/01/2014

It seems as though my review makes it sound that I will go out of my way to avoid male authors. I assure you, I don't. The only defence I have against my unclear review is that I stayed up until early hours of the morning to finish reading Jane's Melody. So when I wrote the review, just after finishing the book, the sleep deprivation and the speechlessness side-effect of reading this book got to me, so I wrote vague unclear statements.

So just to clear it up, when I decide to read a book, I decide, firstly, on the basis of it's blurb and cover (yes, I judge a book by its cover, I just can't help it!). I don't judge basis on what the author looks like, which gender they are, which religion or background or preferences they have and so on. But, secondly, what I do judge authors for, is based on my ethics and morals. I tend not to read books by authors who behave badly, I tend not to read books by authors who are racist, sexist (or are discriminating in some other way) or have done some act or another that I find deplorable. I find this akin to my refusal to buy or listen to Chris Brown's music.

As for male authors: I find, and this is a widely general statement, that I tend to be disconnected from stories and characters written by them more often than I am if the stories are written by female authors. Now this is not always true, as evidenced by Jane's Melody. And that is not to say that I always love books by female authors, just because they are female. Because that is so not true, and I have several ratings and reviews to go with that statement. Furthermore, I have just started reading the second book to one of my favourite dystopian YA novels and I just remembered that the author is also male. Now, because of the genres that I read and the fact that they tend to be dominated by female authors, the rarity of male authors writing books that I could connect to, is well, rare. That is why, I was so surprised to realise that this book was written by a male author.

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5--If Only There Had Been an Epilogue--Stars!!

Dear Authors: ALL books should have an epilogue.

As a reader we invest our time and emotions in characters. We feel their pain, we feel their sadness, we feel their love, we feel their happiness....right along with them. In most cases, we want them to have the HEA they deserve.

Sadly, after finishing Jane's Melody I was left wanting more. To go through all that the characters did only to be left hanging in the end was kind of disappointing for me. I thought the ending fell flat. After all of the build-up it just ended. I wanted more of Jane and Caleb.

But, with that being said, this was a very well-written, heart-warming story of two people coming together and finding love in an unconventional way. And for the most part I did enjoy the story and the characters.

After the death of her daughter, Jane finds herself lost, confused and sad. Mourning the loss of the daughter that she feels she no longer knew....Jane embarks on a mission of trying to discover anything she can about Melody and what she was went through in the days leading up to her death. Along that road Jane meets Caleb. Caleb is an aspiring musician....struggling to make it....aspiring for more.

Caleb is 24 and was an acquaintance of Melody's. Jane discovers that Caleb is homeless and offers him a bed and work in hopes that he will give her information about Melody. Instead, Jane finds her 40 year old self attracted to Caleb. But Jane struggles with insecurities about herself and especially the age difference between she and Caleb. Despite that, Caleb and Jane fall hard for each other.

“I love you, Jane. Just the way you are. Just the age you are. I know it might have been hard to know if I was here for the job or not before, but now the job’s done, and the money’s in my back pocket, and I’m still here. I’m here because I want to be here. All my life I thought there was nothing I could ever love like I love music. But then I met you.” ~ Caleb

When an opportunity arises for Caleb, Jane does the only thing she thinks she can. She chooses Caleb's happiness over her own, pushing him away. Believing that what they shared wasn't meant to be, that she doesn't deserve a love like she and Caleb experienced. She pushes away the only person she's ever loved in order for him to have a chance at making his dreams come true.

Only, are dreams ever worth living without the people you love? Is it fair for you to decide what makes another person happy?

For me the blurb was a little mis-leading. For some reason reading it made me think this was going to be a somewhat taboo read--mom falls in love with the dead daughter's old boyfriend who is 15 years younger. Only it wasn't that at all.

I thought it was a bit insta-love-ish. And again, I was very disappointed in the ending. It was a standalone with a HEA.

[Jenny - TotallybookedBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Jointly reviewed for http://totallybookedblog.com/

Gitte: Jane’s Melody is a truly beautiful story. It’s heart-breaking, emotional and has a quite unique story-line. I absolutely loved it and just couldn’t put it down. This author wrote a stunning evocative journey that had so much depth and made me, the reader, fall completely in love with the characters and their story. It was intense, devastating, yet inspirational and full of hope too.

The message in this story is heart-felt and felt so apt and real to life. The sadness and tragedy of the loss of a loved one. The ability to seek find and accept everything that comes along with that emotional second chance at love. The fear of life; to live without guilt and disapproval. To do the right thing for you, by being true to yourself and your feelings. Yes, it really was a beautiful; I fell in love with both the story and the beauty of this Author’s writing.

“Don’t you let fear have a place in your life, J. Not even a tiny place. Get rid of it from every hidden corner. Chase it away with the truth, and do what you want to do while you can. “

Jenny: Gitte, this truly was a wonderful story. Second chance love, love against all odds, moving on, healing. It had it all, and was beautifully written as well. I was the same. Could not put this down and was completely swept away with the characters and the story. Just wonderful.

“I don’t know if you’re being smart or not, but I know that being smart doesn’t always lead to being happy.”

Just how do you move on from such a tragedy? How do you heal? Love? Open your heart? To shed the guilt and allow yourself to open to happiness when you are at your lowest ebb? It’s covered so beautifully in Jane’s Melody.

“You only get so many springs.”

Gitte: Jane, our heroine, has seen real tragedy and pain. Her life has not been easy; addiction pulling her family apart. She lives with a tremendous amount of guilt believing that she never did enough and that somehow she holds some responsibility of everything that’s happened.

“A mother’s not supposed to bury her daughter.”

Jane is not really living, rather she merely exists. In some respects we meet her on her path just before she hits that crossroads. I completely connected and sympathised with Jane; I truly understood her emotions, actions and decisions. I wanted her to live and accept the good that came into her life through such unconventional manners. She truly deserved it and I wanted her to grab this second chance with both hands and revel in it.

The second chance came in the shape of the homeless, mysterious musician, Caleb. A possible connection to her daughter, when she was alive. Caleb was lush, such a beautiful gorgeous man. He was intriguing and I completely felt the connection that built between them. I loved how that firm connection took shape over some time rather than something flimsy and instantaneous.

“He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen…his willingness to show pure emotion….”

Both Caleb and Jane are scarred and need something to believe in. They gravitate to each other, finding what they’re missing, what they truly want and need. Yet the obstacles thrown at them, be they from hopelessness, a miss-guided sense of what is right and even personal dreams, well….Jane most of all needs to let go and just live. Accept and believe in what’s in her heart. Disregard any irrational thoughts, fear and guilt. She needs to make a choice.

“I don’t know what I believe in anymore.”

“Me either. Except music. I believe in music.”

Jenny: These two souls really do seem incomplete alone, yet so complete with one another. They gravitate easily around each other and quite simply, seemed to just fit. Yet dealing with age differences, preconceived ideas and outside influences can invade your heart, your ideas and how you feel inside. Learning to accept love, in any form is the key and together Caleb and Jane must work at doing just that. Life is fleeting and happiness must be grabbed with both hands. Trust your heart.

What did age matter……Wasn’t love timeless? If it wasn’t, it should be…

This really was a beautifully told story. I cried tears of happiness and tears of sadness throughout Jane’s Melody. A completely moving, wonderful and powerfully poignant story I couldn’t put down. Bravo Mr Winfield. A true winner. The characters of Jane and Caleb completely stole my heart. Caleb. Wow! What a guy. So intuitive. So giving and so loving.

“You know something, baby…….when I hear you say you love me, it almost makes me cry.”

There was so much to Jane’s story and in the end, as much as I know in my own mind how Jane and Caleb fared, I would have loved to have seen it conclude with an Epilogue. I was so invested in these characters and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so when the time came, I didn’t want to let go. We had followed them through their journey, through their ups and downs, their happiness and heartbreaks, and then….it was all over, just a little too quickly. However, that said, Ryan Winfield brought us a story with wonderful characters, plenty of heart and a book that was quite simply beautiful and one I recommend.

Gitte: This was so much more than a love story wrapped in tragedy, fear and guilt. It was a story about life and our place in it, as well as how we choose to live. Either, for ourselves or others. Letting people in, choosing to fight for what we want and staying true to our hearts despite what’s conventional or deemed ‘right’. I loved Jane’s friend Grace, her character was pretty awe inspiring, funny and heart breaking.

“It just seems so fragile, doesn’t it? The whole thing. Life. The world. You know, I remember being a little girl just like it was yesterday. I never thought there was any limit on anything then. No expiration date on living. But with each passing year, everything gets a little more precious. I just wish I knew how to cherish it all back then. I really do.”

So yes, this is definitely a must read. I would have liked more of ‘the afters’ as I felt, as a reader, I went through a real emotional and intense journey that could have gone either way. After having invested so many tears and heart ache, I would have liked more ‘good’ to calm my pounding heart and make me ‘sigh’ with a sense of relief that all was going to be okay.

“Love is this feeling I get when I look at you. A feeling that as long as you’re near me, or in the world even, the everything will be okay. ….Then I hear your voice, I saw your face, and somehow the color came into everything.”

[S.R. Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane's Melody is a beautifully written story, a celebration of life...and love.




Do not let the summary deter you from reading this wonderful tale! The author handles the situation of Caleb's past relationship with Jane's daughter--Melody, who is now deceased--with care and class. Same with the age difference between the two main characters, Jane and Caleb. You can't help but wish for these two to end up together---they are just so-o-o-o right for each other!



The writing flows easily, making the pages turn quickly. There are also plenty of yummy-hot Caleb moments.




Oh my... Add him to the list of delicious book boyfriends!

Jane's Melody...you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fan yourself! Read it now!

[Akanksha❤ Søren♰]

ADDING THIS BECAUSE I I THINK SOME OF YOU PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO READ THIS... LOOKS LIKE A VERY INTERESTING SUBJECT AND SEEMS LIKE AN AMAZING READ
BUT
I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE READING THIS ANY TIME SOON... IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A SUBJECT I'D LIKE TO TOUCH YET.
maybe someday, but not today.. anyways; hope you guys mark it and read it because it seems really good from the blurb

What boundaries would you cross for love?

That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in her dead daughter's young boyfriend and finds herself falling for him. A touching love story that will have you equally tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no age.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

**~~3 Wishy Washy Stars**~~

“Death is just the moment that your hourglass runs out of sand. That’s it. It happens to everyone eventually. All any of us gets to decide is where the sand falls.”

Jane's Melody is a unique and touching story about LOVE. Its NOT your ordinary love between two hot young singles. No, this story is a bit more realistic than your traditional cookie cutter story. We have Jane, a single mother who just lost her daughter to drugs and alcohol. The story is told through Jane's point of view, it narrates her internal struggles of guilt and loss. But unbeknownst to Jane, she is given a second chance at LOVE. The kind of love that consumes every square inch of you, the kind of love that ignites you with so much passion you feel like a totally different person.

Be that as it may, I had some issues with the book:
My only dilemma with the story line was that it was a bit predictable. I don't know call me cynical or even pessimistic but I found the story to be a little far fetched. Maybe its due to the fact that the age difference between Caleb & Jane is very drastic or maybe it just felt that as a mother (which I am) she should not be dating a man that had the potential hots for her daughter. These were just of the few things that irked me. Amongst other small ones.

Overall, it was a cute, predictable read with UNPREDICTABLE characters.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I couldn't put this book down today and read it every chance I got. I absolulely had to finish this book, I was glued to my chair. This story had everything I love, good dialogue, emotions that pulled at my heart, enough steam to make me smile and wish for my own Caleb! I loved Jane and Caleb. I loved the excellent writing and the flow of this book. Jane, Caleb and Grace all felt absolutely real to me.

Ryan Winfield is a talented writer, I will be checking out his other books.

[Angie **loves angst** · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A mother's not supposed to bury her daughter."
Jane's Melody was an emotional, poignant story about love, loss and change. I have always been apprehensive when it comes to reading novels about romantic relationships between older women and younger men. I've read very few stories of this type, so this book was an unusual read for me. Another thing I did which I don't usually do, is I didn't read any reviews about this book prior to reading it. I simply read the blurb, and checked out the author's page. I was free from spoilers and ready to go. I'm so glad I did this because all the events and things that happened along the way were pleasant, and sometimes not so pleasant surprises as the story went along. When reading this, I actually had to double check to make sure the author was really a guy. He was able to tap into female emotions and feminine reasoning so beautifully it was simply unbelievable. I don't know if I would've been as open as Jane was to take a homeless stranger into her house so easily, but the lure of delicious breakfast like what Caleb made every morning would have been pretty tempting.

Jane
"What did age matter, she wondered. Wasn't love timeless?"

At the beginning of the novel Jane is broken and in deep emotional pain. She has lost her daughter and feels as if she has no reason to live. I felt her pain, and I grieved with her. Its heartbreaking that everyday some mother somewhere in the world goes through the agony of placing her offspring into the ground, who is gone from this world forever. Even when Jane contemplates giving up I could still see there was strength in her. She was a likable character, even though I did not agree with everything she said and did. As a woman I know that we are at times led by emotions, and bombarded with society's ideals of beauty and age. By the end of the book Jane undergoes a transformation and I feel as if she was reborn. I hate to say this, but its almost as if she had to lose her daughter in order to find herself.

Caleb

"Trust the Universe.
Trust destiny.
Trust Caleb"

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes." he said"
I really liked this guy. I didn't want to, but he slowly crept up on me, wiggled his way into my feelings, wrapped me around his little finger, and soon I was swooning over him. (Hmmm kind of like what happened with my ex, but anyway I digress...) At first I was afraid he would try to take advantage of Jane or that he had some deep dark secret in his past but Caleb was the genuine real deal. Caleb was very sweet and patient. He knows exactly the right thing to say or do at the right time. If you look up "good guy" in the dictionary you may just see his face. The songs that he wrote were so honest and filled with emotion. He's upfront with Jane about his feelings and doesn't rush her to return the sentiment. He allows her to come to him on her own when she's ready."He saw the torture in her eyes, and he wished he could somehow ease it away. He was afraid he only added to it." There's some sexy times with Caleb helping Jane get her groove back.

Everything about this book flowed smoothly. The writing was beautiful and the descriptions of the island made me want to hop on the ferry and go there. Ryan Winfield has done an excellent job in creating a moving story with likable characters. Can we please have more?

"It seemed a cruel lottery how some lives were cut short while others went on." *tears*

Rating: 4 Gut-wrenching But Beautiful Stars

On a side note: I think one of my favorite songs was fitting for Caleb and Jane's journey to love. I'll share the lyrics below.

Adele- Love Song
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am whole again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again

However far away I will always love you
However long I stay I will always love you
Whatever words I say I will always love you
I will always love you

Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am free again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am clean again

However far away I will always love you
However long I stay I will always love you
Whatever words I say I will always love you
I will always love you.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So those of us who have been reading all of Ryan's books know that he has easily switched genres in the past year. Going from Contemporary Novel, to YA Dystopian and now to Adult Romance. I have to tell you that while I am anxious for the finale of The Park Service Trilogy, I really think that Ryan hit his niche with Jane's Melody. This book has pushed South of Bixby Bridge into 2nd place for me. Jane's Melody is definitely my new favorite Ryan Winfield book!

I knew from the minute I read the synopsis that I was going to enjoy this book. I rend to love books with any theme of "forbidden" love. What I especially liked about this book is that it's not just a love story. This is a story about life, about dealing with loss, about accepting that you don't always have control over the ones you love. It's about realizing that sometimes you just have to let go of everything and live your life the way you want or need to. It's a story about addiction and dealing with addicted family members. It's a story about friendship and the lengths you will go to for the ones you are closest to.

Jane is a single mother who has just lost her only child. It's not clear how she died, but Jane knows that it was related to her addiction. At only 20, Melody was in and out of treatment programs, but nothing that ever stuck. She was living on her own in Seattle when she died and no one really knows what happened. Jane is desperately trying to find out what happens when she comes across a young man singing in the street. It's the same young man she saw visiting Melody's grave just after she was buried. She just knows that if she can get him to talk to her maybe she can find out more about Melody's life and possibly what led to her death.

Caleb is a 24 year old musician who is, at the moment, down on his luck. He's crashing wherever he can every night, playing his guitar on the street during the day. Jane runs across him again at a particularly low point and she invites him to come work for her clearing off the land behind her house. He want's to get to Austin where he can try to break into the music scene and she has offered him a place to stay while he earns the money to get there.

I don't want to go too into detail from this point, but suffice it to say that their relationship goes into a place that Jane never expected. She learns things about herself and about her daughter that help her to move on to a better place in her life. She has a good friend, Grace, who she learns more about too as they spend a good amount of time together. This is just a beautiful love story, but it's unconventional enough that it makes you think about what you would do in her place. I know I would choose Caleb in a heartbeat! He is so mature for his age and I love that he knows what he wants and he's not afraid to go for it.

There is one thing about Ryan's books that I love and it's that they are always so emotional. This one made me laugh but it also made me cry. I felt so deeply for these characters and for what they were going through. It was a breath of fresh air to read a whole book where the characters were mature and they didn't fly off the handle for no reason, or jump to conclusions and do stupid spiteful things. I know that so many of the books I have read lately do this and at some point it's just refreshing to read a book where the characters just treat each other with respect and love.

I totally recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good, heartfelt romance read. It does have some pretty steamy love scenes in it, but this is an adult book so that's to be expected. I will say that I think they they were tastefully written, not that I expected any less. I know that I will be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for Mr. Winfield to write another Romance novel, I think he really should give us more books like this one!

[♥Sharon♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how I stumbled upon this book but I am so HAPPY I did. I just loved Jane & Caleb’s love story. It was sweet, kind, compassionate and unconditional.

Jane has recently lost her daughter to an addiction and is going through unbearable pain. However, because she had lost contact with her daughter over the last year or so she is desperate to connect with anyone involved in her daughter’s life. When she first sees Caleb at her daughter’s grave, she realizes she needs to connect with him.

When Jane finds Caleb, he himself is in a tough situation. He is homeless and has no family himself. He is trying to follow his dream of becoming a musician and has stumbled on hard times. It is important for Jane to get to know Caleb and she feels this instant connection with him. She has the need to care for him and decides she will offer him a job at her home.

As with many parts of Jane’s life, her property has gone unattended. She decides she would pay Caleb to clear her acreage and in return, she is hopeful that he will give her information on Melody. Caleb accepts and this is where their relationship begins.

They share a kindred spirit. Though there is a 15-year age difference, it really did not matter. They shared a love for each other that just was. It needed no explanation. However, as their relationship grows and life continues Jane begins to wonder if she is being fair to Caleb. Is love all they really need?

I also fell in love with Jane’s friend Grace. In many ways, Grace was Jane’s lifeline. Grace was there for Jane through some difficult times in her life. She always had those perfect words of wisdom. Thankfully she has never failed Jane. 

This book will show you that falling in love has no rules. You should never fear it. There are no guidelines of what is right and what is wrong. You need to listen to your heart always! This is a beautiful story that will cause you happy tears and sad tears. However, it is well worth it!

[JoJo - JJJ (Jo Anna) Janesko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Huge thank you to Sarah for recommending this book. What an awesome read. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. It was such a beautiful love story. A must read.

[Funzee Shu · Rating 5 out of 5]

People had told her that life would go by fast.
But nobody said it would go by in a flash.

....life is nothing but one big riddle with a question for an answer...

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain…

It’s simple story about an Jane. Her life was shattered when she lost her only daughter. And while she trying to remembering her daughter life through people she probably know in her last days, she met with Caleb, a homeless street musician that she thought Melody’s boyfriend.

There's something about this young guy that make Jane can not leave him alone on the street.

She then asked Caleb to stay and working as "gardener" in her house.
Soon, they became attract to each other...
Trying hard to denying what they feels...
But when love has talked, no one can denied it ?
Your thoughts never make sense when you like someone, right ?

I can understand what Jane's dilemma, how she feels, about her life, her wants, her needs, her insecurity... about their age difference issues.
How hard Jane’s want to deny all her feeling, but she can't deny it.....

On the other hand, Caleb trying so hard to convince Jane about their relationship....their feeling....their love....

Will they both finally can have their HEA ?

Just give a time to read this beautiful book....
It's worth your time...

oooOooo

I never read/hear about the author's name before.
So, this is my first time I read Ryan's book.

I fallin love at the first sight when I saw the cover for the first time....
Then....when I read the blurb, I have the feeling that this book gonna be "something"....

So I put it on my top 10 TBR list !
And when my buddy read asked me to read this book together, I said
"Am in !!"

My friends told me that this book is another "Tear-jerker" story and suit my taste.

But....nope....I can't say this book as "another tear-jerker" for me, cz I don't even cry like baby while am reading this book.

But if I can describe what I feels while am reading this book in simply words…
I would say, it’s a…

"Beautifully-heart-warming"

Cz that's what I felt when I read this book.

It’s like....when you stand alone in the middle of the meadow in the morning, and you stretch your arms wide open, feel the breeze rush from your fingers and hairs, and slowly feel the warm of morning sunshine on your face and skin ?

That's what this book make me feel ...

Warm....

I love the way Ryan wrote this story.
I love the simplicity that he tried brings to us through the characters life, either through light-simple-fun dialogue but meaningful.

I love the way Ryan writes about life lessons without sounding patronizing.
It's really a simple story, but it's not that simple.

Sometimes, in the simplicity of it, we can get a lot of valuable lesson about life.

That's why I adore this book so so much...

Oh, I must admit one things here, I didn’t like goat, but the way Ryan write about Bill "the goat", its really makes me forget that fact.

When Bill "stared" with awe when he saw Jane’s in bikini, I'm picturing Eddie Murphy's comical face while he play role as Mushu at Mulan's !!!

But oh come on, Funzee !! Bill is a goat ! Not a lizard like tiny dragon !!

Oh, and dialogue about "How" Caleb "found" Bill and that "Spider-masquioto killing" things, that’s ridiculous, but I can’t stop laughing while am reading it.

Well....well, You successfully put me in my "silly imagination" each time all those funny dialogues appears, Ryan !!!

Last but not least....

You'll deeply-truely-falling in love with Caleb Cummings !!!

He's sweet-caring-loving-sexy-hot-young guy-with TWO DIMPLE on his back-REPEAT-TWO F*cking sexy dimples on HIS back-killing smile-a smile that could have chased the storm away-and....the most important things is....HE CAN PLAY GUITAR !!!!



This book have everything....good characters, funny things, sadness moments, nice dialogue, simply but strong story, sweet, heart-warming, ....its all about a journey to find a meaning of life, friendship, about found your love ones, your other half soul....and how you choose to live your life without any fear....wrapped in simplicity, so while you reading this book, you feel like what happen in this book are real...

And I LOVE IT !!

I recommended this book to everyone…



Caleb looked at her, and his smile could have chased the storm away for the way it warmed her heart. --> SwoOOoon !!

He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen: the absolute purity of his response, the absence of any false machismo, his willingness to display pure emotion.

He's fifteen years younger than I am. But he really is an old soul , and I feel more comfortable with him than I have with any other man, maybe ever .

I don't know if I have the right words, but love is this feeling I get when I look at you . A feeling that as long as you're near me , or in the world even, then everything will be okay. That everything has meaning. It's as if the world was all shades of sepia ”like an old movie reel” and that everywhere I looked I saw suffering and pain. Then I heard your voice, I saw your face , and somehow the color came into everything.



"I love you, Jane. Just the way you are. Just the age you are . All my life I thought there was nothing I could ever love like I love music. But then I met you. "

"You really don't think I'm too old for you?"
He shook his head.

"I don't ever think about it at all. And neither should you. You're perfect , Jane. And I love you."

She smiled.

"You know something, baby ? When I hear you say you love me , it almost makes me cry ."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it plays in my head in such beautiful colors. Like a rainbow in heaven or something. "

Buddy read with Lelyana.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delusa...

Ho letto tutto questo libro aspettandomi prima o poi qualche colpo di scena, qualche cosa che colpisse il mio cuoricino… ma niente. Manca qualcosa…
Poteva essere un libro diverso, visto che Jane è più grande di Caleb di 15 anni e lui non è il solito riccone, dominatore e proprietario di mezza città, ma non mi ha convinto… per niente!

PROMOSSI

- Caleb: un ragazzo di una dolcezza incredibile, a volte anche troppo, in pratica potreste soffrire di diabete mellito a un certo punto. Comunque è sensibile, generoso, sincero, onesto e innamorato ed è riuscito a sopravvivere suonando agli angoli delle strade. Davvero un bravo ragazzo.
“L’amore è la sensazione che provo quando ti guardo. La sensazione, che finchè mi sarai vicina tutto andrà per il meglio e avrà un significato. Come se finora avessi visto il mondo in bianco e nero e da quando ho sentito la tua voce e visto il tuo viso, si fosse improvvisamente colorato.”

- Grace: l’amica del cuore di Jane è davvero un bel personaggio, quella confidente che tutte vorremmo avere, che ci dice come stanno le cose e ci dà consigli utili quando ne abbiamo bisogno.

- Le canzoni di Caleb: forse traducendole in italiano perdono un po’ di magia, ma sono davvero belle ed emozionanti.

- Bill Clinton: il caro vecchio caprone mangia more mi è piaciuto più di Jane…

BOCCIATI

- Jane: no, non ci siamo proprio. Madre single, ha da poco perso la figlia Melody e dopo le poche pagine iniziali di dolore, ecco che tutto quello a cui pensa sono gli addominali di Caleb. Nessuno dice che doveva piangere e strapparsi i capelli per tutto il libro, ma così è davvero tutto affrettato. Non so poi, quante volte ha detto a Caleb che lei era troppo vecchia, che lui aveva tutta la vita davanti… Amica, fatti furba, chiudi il becco e se per lui non è un problema, al diavolo le malelingue e i pettegolezzi. E il cacciarlo di casa per fargli un favore, buttando via l’amore della tua vita… No comment

- La famiglia di Jane: delle persone orribili… Risucchiati nel vortice dell’alcool, il fratello e la madre di Jane sono due persone negative, egoiste, davvero insopportabili. La redenzione finale della madre alla fine del libro è davvero poco credibile.

- Il finale: mi è sembrato buttato lì, lei lo ritrova, finiscono a letto e tutti felici e contenti? Io sarei stata arrabbiata come una iena, altro che “Continuerai a prepararmi la colazione la mattina?”. Contaci…

- L’ambientazione: ma perché ultimamente i libri sono ambientati tutti a Seattle? Cosa c’è di così particolare? E poi piove sempre…

NON PERVENUTA

- Melody: ok, è morta a causa dell’ alcool e della droga, e si era allontanata dalla madre, ma di più non si sa. È tutto solo brevemente accennato, se Caleb e Jane si fossero incontrati al bar invece che al cimitero, sarebbe stata la stessa cosa. Si poteva approfondire di più.

RIMANDATO

- Ryan: sì, sa scrivere bene, niente da dire, ma è il contenuto che mi ha lasciato perplessa, troppi particolari mi hanno fatto storcere il naso.

Nel prossimo libro Caleb otterrà il successo nel mondo della musica e ho paura che Jane per tutto il libro romperà le scatole pensando alle donne che sbaveranno dietro a Caleb, al fatto di avere una certa età per dargli dei figli e di essere ormai sull’orlo della menopausa.

Oh Signur…