Before the Rain Falls

by Camille Di Maio

After serving seventy years in prison for the murder of her sister, Eula, Della Lee has finally returned home to the Texas town of Puerto Pesar. She’s free from confinement—and ready to tell her secrets before it’s too late.

She finds a willing audience in journalist Mick Anders, who is reeling after his suspension from a Boston newspaper and in town, reluctantly, to investigate a mysterious portrait of Eula that reportedly sheds tears. He crosses paths with Dr. Paloma Vega, who’s visiting Puerto Pesar with her own mission: to take care of her ailing grandmother and to rescue her rebellious younger sister before something terrible happens. Paloma and Mick have their reasons to be in the hot, parched border town whose name translates as “Port of Regret.” But they don’t anticipate how their lives will be changed forever.

Moving and engrossing, this dual story alternates between Della’s dark ordeals of the 1940s and Paloma and Mick’s present-day search for answers―about roots, family, love, and what is truly important in life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Historical, Audiobook, Book Club

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2017

About the author

Camille recently left an award-winning real estate career in San Antonio to become a full-time writer. Along with her husband of 27 years, she home schooled their four children - most of whom are now grown. She has a bucket list that is never-ending, and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She's lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai'i to feel like a local. She's traveled to four continents (so far), and met Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She just about fainted when she had a chance to meet her musical idol, Paul McCartney, too. Camille studied political science in college, but found working on actual campaigns much more fun. She overdoses on goodies at farmers markets (justifying them by her support for local bakeries), and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. There's almost nothing she wouldn't try, so long as it does't involve heights, roller skates, or anything illegal.

She appreciates you stopping by, and welcomes you to reach out and share a love of books!

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu9G...
Facebook: www.facebook.com/camilledimaio.author
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/camil...
Instagram: www.instagram.com/camilledimaio

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Della has been released after spending seventy years in prison for the murder of her younger sister. She has returned to Puerto Pesa, Texas, her hometown. Mick Anders is a journalist, needing time away after a story that went horribly wrong, he comes to this town in Texas, looking for a new story. Dr. Paloma, returns here to help her abuela, who is recovering from a heart attack and to reconnect with her younger sister Mercedes. In alternating chapters we learn the story of all three of these characters.

There is much sadness here, but it is ultimately a story of truth,strong beliefs, personal awakenings and new chances to alter the course of their lives. This is, despite the serious overtones, a lighter read than that which I would normally choose, more romance than I usually read. It follows a rather predictable course, though I did enjoy the characters. Della in particular. This is a good read, perfect for summer. There are enough revelations to keep it interesting, and ultimately a feel good novel by books end.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Della Lee has never spoken about the night of her sister Eula’s death. Ruled a homicide, Della was convicted of the crime and has spent the last seventy years in prison. Most of the people associated with the tragedy have passed away, including Della’s husband. Released at age ninety, Della has returned to her Texas hometown with few connections to her past.

Mick Anders is a journalist from Boston looking for a fresh story to revive his career. He is in Texas to research the origins of a church painting depicting a “crying girl”. Mick meets Paloma Vega who is back in her hometown to help her grandmother recover from a heart attack. A friendship is formed and Mick learns some details of the painting after meeting her family. Mick is also introduced to Della who agrees to provide background information. Della, Mick and Paloma combine their efforts and slowly unlock buried secrets.

This novel is presented from alternate points of view with details emerging from Della’s life in prison. There is a wonderful blending of each story with smooth transitions moving towards the conclusion. This was an engrossing novel by Camille Di Maio.

2 copy giveway on my blig until 5/10 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...

Goodreads giveaway 100 kindle copies ! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

[Jennifer Blankfein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow me on https://booknationbyjen.wordpress.com for all my recommendations and reviews.

Ok, still wiping away tears! Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Before the Rain Falls. Author Camille Di Maio hit another home run with this emotional story of family, love, loss and secrets. Add to your TBR list right away; book will be available May 2, 2017.

In the 1940s Della was charged with murdering her sister and spent many years of her life in jail. Now an old woman, she returns to her family home in Puerto Pesar, Texas, with no family or friends. Around the same time, Paloma returns to the Texas home she grew up in to care for her grandma and reconnect with her teenage sister. In Boston, aggressive journalist Mick, reprimanded for running a story with inaccuracies is sent to Puerto Pesar on a mission for a soft news story about a painting of a girl that appears to be crying. Each chapter reveals more about Della and Paloma, and we get a glimpse into their families histories, revealing how their lives are surprisingly intertwined. Mick is the catalyst to bring Della, the old woman just out of jail who knows about the painting, and Paloma, his new friend together as he learns how asking the right questions and moving at a slower pace can lead to greater results and bring understanding, joy and love.

Through storytelling, author Camille Di Maio brings to light how decisions based on faith can be life changing, offering hope and a reason to live, but also causing one to protect a loved one leading to their own demise. In contrast, always being pragmatic and factual may push one to achieve their goals to reach financial and career success, but relationships and a personal life may suffer and have an emptiness to it. Before the Rain Falls is simultaneously heartbreaking, hopeful, and joyous: a story of complex characters with varied pasts and bright futures. Loved it!

[Shaghayegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

هفتاد سال محکوم باشی، به چه امیدی ادامه میدی؟ اصلا وقتی بعد از هفتاد سال از زندان آزاد شدی دیگه کی برات مونده؟

تمام مدت خوندن کتاب از خودم میپرسیدم زندانیای حبس ابد چه حالی دارن؟ روز و شب چه فرقی براشون داره وقتی میدونن قراره بین همون دیوارایی که اسیرن بمیرن؟
.
این کتاب یه جنایی هیجان انگیز پر از خون و خونریزی نیست، اما پر از درده، و جوریه که زمین گذاشتنش اصلا راحت نیست.
با اینکه تمام حدسام درست بود اما نحوه‌ی بیان داستان باعث شد قابل حدس بودنشو ضعف ندونم.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Della was released from prison after her life sentence and returning to Puerto Pesar, The Port of Regret, she wondered if she would regret going back since her life had definitely been a regret for more than one reason.

Della had been found guilty of murdering her sister Eula. The trial and the story became well known, and portraits of both Della and her sister became famous. Eula's portrait, the Santa Bonita, was most talked about and rumored to have actual tears falling from her eyes. Della should have been the one with tears for having to spend her life in prison only four hours after she had married Tomas.

We move to another family in town that also had two sisters and a grandmother that raised them. They were sisters, Paloma and Mercedes, who knew the story of Della and Eula. Paloma went to New York to become a doctor and has returned for a month to take care of her grandmother who had a heart attack. The younger sister, Mercedes, was trouble from the beginning and still was but Paloma was trying to reconnect and help Mercedes.

Another person who knew the story of the murder, Della's prison term, and the crying portrait was, Mick, a reporter from New York looking for a story to boost his career. When all three of these characters meet, an intriguing story is created that you won't want to put down.

BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS has a mesmerizing cover and a mesmerizing story line. The characters are very easy to connect with and love. We follow the story and the characters as the author takes us back and forth between what Della's life was like before and during her prison term, when she returns home, and her interaction with the town and its residents. All characters are connected to Della's story in one way or another.

BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS had me completely absorbed. Ms. Di Maio has a writing style that just pulls you in, allows you to meet characters you will fall in love with, and meet characters you would want to have in your life.

BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS has love, family, tears, heartbreak, and yearning, but ultimately gives you a warm feeling inside.

BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS has a beautiful cover, a beautiful story line, and beautiful, heartfelt characters.

Do NOT miss reading BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS.

It is a perfect book for women's fiction fans and makes you feel the need to hug all your women friends and family. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 30 Best Books of 2017

From the bestselling author, Camille DiMaio of The Memory of Us, the smashing debut landing on my Top 50 Books of 2016 returns with another stunning followup, equally as gripping.

An enthralling modern mystery: BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS —Beautifully written and incredibly poignant, a story of love, loss, and redemption. 5 Stars +

A tragic tale which will restore your faith and strength of the human spirit to rise despite adversity― A courageous woman who keeps a dark secret and makes tremendous "sacrifices" that will change her family forever.

Emotional and intriguing. At the same time— a timeless love story, reminding us that often in our darkest hour, hope shines a candle to light our way.

Set in humid South Texas (author's hometown San Antonio), a dual storyline (almost three), alternating between Della’s dark and horrific experiences of the 1940s; her parents: Herman and Eva, and sister Eula (the beloved songbird); and Paloma (grandmother Abuela) and Mick’s present-day search for answers―paths destined to cross, decades apart.

Two sisters. A death. Two mysterious portraits. One found, another lost. A town in need of hope and much-needed rain.

Told in alternating chapters between the 1940s and present day. A washed-up journalist and a young doctor cross paths while searching for the truth behind the mystery murder decades earlier.

Della Lee and Tomas Trujillo had been married only four hours when it happened, their newly minted future ripped apart by an ivory-handled knife.

Tomas said he understood why she’d done what she did. But the fairy tales that Della had imagined for them ever since that day were over. Someone had attempted to break that bond.

She made a choice that would change her world forever, and alter the path of someone she holds dear.

Texas 1943— Eula Lee had been murdered. The tiny border town was devastated for the second time by the Lee family. The daughter everyone cherished. Della Lee Trujillo was convicted. Guilty of murder in the death of her younger sister.

"The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling."—Lucretius

Alternating from Puerto Pesar—Present Day: Della was back in the place that consumed her memories through seventy years in prison. Now, in her nineties. Tomas had lived in the house for a few years until going off to war, but he had the foresight to take care of all the legal bits that Della never had the chance to consider.

It was not until she returned to her childhood home that phantoms and memories stirred her, making it impossible to rest. There were births, deaths, marriages, joys, sorrows that pentrated these walls.

Did their ghosts mingle, along with those of Herman, Eva, Tomas, and Durla—all watching her this old woman in this old house? The painting, the shrine, the beloved girl. Where was the second one?

She looked back at her life. The forties —when she learned to be a champion, catcher of greased pigs. The fifties— when she discovered a love of reading. The sixties— when she sabotaged her chance at parole. And yet they seemed like yesterday.

The days in which her sister was no longer the belle of Puerto Pesar— drawing crowds from around the country to the little church on Sunday mornings. The days instead when Eula resided six feet below the parched soil in the churchyard.

These were her Freedom Days. She would walk around without bars to block the view. That was one kind of freedom. It was the freedom in telling your secrets before it was too late. Her guilt over not being a good enough caregiver for her sister.

Della had a story, and she was ready to tell it. This would be the Truth Days.

Present Day: Mick Anders, a reporter for the Daily Talk in Boston, looking for a story to revive his career. He is in Texas to research the origins of a church painting depicting a “crying girl”. He is staying at the La Palma Inn the only lodging in the small border town of Puerto Pesar. He is struggling with his own battles.

His editor wanted him to lie low regarding a fiasco with a senator (backstory here). He had been told to work his magic in this Podunk town and turn the story into a Pulitzer winner. Go to Texas until his other deal blew over. Two weeks of leave. His orders were to find a knockout story or he was finished. No per diem of course since this was not a real assignment.

His girlfriend Stephanie had taken the keys to the Lexus and kicked him out of their condo. He was going to get a story and spin straw into gold and return to the newspaper as the prodigal son.

The area had not had rain for one hundred and eighty-two days. The photo had shown rosaries and holy cards outside the church as people begged for salvation from this hell. Would he discover the mysteries of this family before the rain falls? Before the woman dies without telling her story. He wanted to be the one.

It all boiled down to this: A portrait found in a thrift store and was thought to be leaking tears. The image of a young girl about four years old. Eula Lee, whose father owned the fish cannery that had been the town’s largest employer at the time. Her sister had murdered her years later. Della Lee had gone to prison and recently returned to the family house after seventy years of incarceration.

However, what was the real story?

The people of the town had enjoyed a regional notoriety for a while. Then the heat, the drought, and skepticism sent people away. Mick had received his Hail Mary pass. “Had one mistake, one reckless grasp at advancement been worth banishment to a Hades what seemed so out of place in a civilized country?"

And could any kind of salvation be found in a convicted nonagenarian and the portrait of a long-dead girl named Eula?”

Mick meets Paloma Vega by chance, who is back in her hometown to help her grandmother recover from a heart attack. An unexpected meeting. He does not realize how this girl and her family will change his life.

Present Day: Paloma Vega. She had moved away ten years earlier. She was a bona fide New Yorker now and grew up in Puerto Pesar. She had a restless heart. She graduated from high school and received a letter from her father in Connecticut. There was a trust large enough for her college and grad school.She had to leave her sister Mercedes who was only six at the time. At nineteen she left for a new future.

Now a few months away from thirty, she was a different person. Four years at NYU, four more at Columbia for medical school, and a two- year residency and a job offer for a permanent position. Her dad would be proud.

Her sister, Mercedes was only sixteen. How was she going to communicate or help her? Who was this creature with the dark eyeliner and darker mood? How would she reach her? She is feeling guilty.

Abuela’s own mother had been a product of the Depression and learned to hoard items for reuse. She had only made four visits in ten years. Not often enough to visit the intricacies of her sister growing up or her grandmother growing old.

Puerto Pesar. Family. There was something comforting about returning home, even if you’d dreamed of leaving it. She had done what any girl from a small border would do when her upper-class father offered her a way out; escaped. She had been too young to think twice. Too starry-eyed to feel guilty.

Until recently. The hospital had agreed to hold her new position for a month so she could go home and help Mercedes take care Abuela after her heart attack. This was the woman who had raised her while her own mother flitted in and about town.

Abuela needed her, even if she denied it. So here she was. She could never repay her grandmother for all she had done raising Paloma and then Mercedes while holding down three jobs to do so. Paloma quickly realized the toll her absence had taken on her sister. What could she do about it in the short period of three weeks while here?

Past 1943: The author takes us back to Goree State Farm for Women— Della Lee Trujillo was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in twenty years and would live out those days at Goree State Farm in Huntsville. At the prison, there she met the musical group and friends, the Goree Girls. The good, bad and ugly. Not much good.

Tomas had said he would wait for her. She drove him away.

On the way to prison, the driver had something else in mind and pulled over at the motel. She had never been with a man, not even her husband.

Reporters wondered why she killed her sister. To others, she was not a victim help by a captor. She was a convicted murderer being lawfully transported by an agent of the state. She was now helpless. The violation. The humiliation. She could not think about the future ahead of her. No one would listen to a murderer.

While in prison . . . she was consumed with darkness. She feared for her life. She was angry with her mother for leaving, with her father for checking out, with her sister for dying. Eddie for raping her. They had all failed her, and because of them, she failed Tomas.

Everyone thought she was a murderer. It had been her wedding day. In prison, she could not read his letters. She loved him too much to make him sacrifice his happiness for her. She was stubborn. She had to raise a headstrong Eula.

It was all about Eula. It had always been about her. Della and Eula only two years apart. Essentially, momma and daughter. Eula had an effect, on everyone. She had a fearsome temper. The same look on her mother’s face on that last day at the beach with the painter. An unspoken triumph.

However, was she a murderer? Who was she protecting?

“Regret. A word she knew intimately. Only three people knew the truth about what happened that day, and two of them resided in this cemetery.”

Present day: Paloma and Mick meet, while in town. . . Two East Coasters here for a brief time.

The scandals of the Lee family had been talked about for years. Mick and Paloma discuss speaking with Abuela to find out more about Della Lee. She would know stories to help point him in the right direction. Abuela begins telling what she remembers. She is recently home from the hospital and weak.

Where it all started: She recalls a trip where Eva and the girls and the painter went out of town. Eva packed up and left while Herman was at work and the little girls were in the house alone until he returned. Two young girls, ages six and four. Eva never came back. Herman retreated from everything except his office and the girls had to fend for themselves.

Della Lee was no murderer. Her mother had thought she was innocent. There was no proof and it was complicated by the fact Della pled guilty. However, uncle Tomas was convinced of her innocence.

Tomas came back from service defeated by Della rejection. He volunteered for combat and joined the Marines, and turned down a safe post with the army locally. Was Eula like Eva? Carrying on with the boys—rages. But to everyone else a saint?

DiMaio takes us back to the Lee family when they came to Puerto Pesar around the turn of the century. Herman fell for a local girl Eva. She was troubled, beautiful. Some said she was unfaithful. Herman Lee had money. They had a daughter, Della and a few years later another girl named Eura. The mid-twenties and Herman was a slave to keep Eva happy.

Then along came a vagabond from El Paso. He earned his keep as he went along painting landscapes and portraits. They said his name was Teddy Brown. Eva and Teddy caused quite the scandal. The husband was busy with work, and she would meet him at the coast.

Herman Lee found out something about the painter Teddy Brown, and he died in an airplane crash on his way to Europe. A tragedy. Two young girls left alone. Eula’s troubles started when her mother left. The paintings.

Mick is drawn into the story and, Paloma is a real distraction for him. Seeing the painting, and going to her grandmother’s house. However, he was here for a reason.

He needed to meet Della Lee, now ninety years old and lived alone. This woman seemed normal. How strange it must be for her at this age reentering the real world. He had come originally to see the portrait of her sister. Santa Bonita. He soon comes to respect this woman. Why had her mother gone away for ten years and then go find her? They lost a mother so young and a father so tragically.

“Things aren’t always as they seem. Don’t assume you know everything you might have read about me is the truth. Only I know the truth. And the only other two who did have long since died.”

An exclusive interview with the woman herself. Incarcerated for seven decades. He needed this knockout story. He felt alive. Difficult to think this woman could have murdered anyone. Mick must learn the mysteries behind Eula. He hoped she could hang on and have enough strength to get it all out.

"Sacrifice is sanctifying." Mick was learning this family was about religion. However, it was cryptic. What drove her to murder her sister if so much had gone into protecting her?

There were also two portraits. One of Eula and one of Della. A story which needed to be told before it could be snatched away, as so many other things in here past. Holding on to things so deeply driving you to do things that seem inexplicable.

So much fun reading about the tales of the Goree Girls All Strings Band! The friendships of these women. The letters from poor Tomas pouring out his heart. A doctor and a journalist pulled into this saga.

Two people from the East Coast, visiting a small border town and transformed into a place that did not even show up on most maps.

At 95% was dying to learn what happened that night. This lady can write folks! She has a knack for tugging at your heart strings and never letting go.

A beautifully told, tragic tale. Women are enduring facing insurmountable hardships. Loved ones separated. Choices and consequences which trickle down through generations. A sacrifice. A strong parallel between the ages.

With memorable characters, and conceptual depth, and heart-pounding tension, DiMaio’s novel is one that merely unputdownable. I love this author! From her first book, I knew this one possessed a God-given talent. A gifted storyteller.

Both timeline stories were equally developed, absorbing, and engaging. The characters jump off the page and you feel their intense pain, agony, and difficult decisions. Both heartbreaking and a very satisfying ending. This saga and its characters will remain with long after the book ends.

There are also religious tones with both her books regarding Roman Catholicism and its distinctive beliefs including certain doctrines, ideas, and sacraments: Other unique Catholic practices include veneration of saints, use of the crucifix, and the use of rosary beads in prayer.

Through all the pain, loss and tragedy there is hope and life gives us surprises and something beautiful out of tragedy when we least expect. For fans of historical, women’s, literary and contemporary fiction as well as romance, suspense, and modern mystery.

Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Charles Martin (Long Way Gone), Richard Paul Evans, Fredrik Backman, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Karen White, Kristin Hannah, Katherine Hughes (The Secret and The Letter), Sarah Jio, Kate Morton, Lisa Wingate, and Diane Chamberlain.

I adore the author’s book trailers: They are powerful, moving, emotional and will immediately draw you into the lives of her characters. Oh, and the stunning cover.

View Book Trailers:
Before the Rain Falls
The Memory of Us

What a great way to spend a Saturday! Set aside the time—Unputdownable. Spectacular—another smashing hit by Camille DiMaio! Fans, you will want to pre-order BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS, now.

In the meantime, if you have not read The Memory of Us , highly recommend. Would love to see both these played out on the wide screen. Movie-worthy!

A special thank you to the author, Lake Union, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

Looking forward to The Way of Beauty Coming May 1, 2018! Add this one to your list.

[Christine Nolfi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling, twisty tale you won't want to put down. Di Maio writes appealing characters in heartfelt scenes that are crisp with tension. Highly recommended.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I snapped this book up especially when I realized that it was the same author that wrote " The Memory of Us." Camille Di Maio infuses a beautiful story of sibling loyalty, sacrifice, and redemption that will certainly tug at the heartstrings of readers.

"Before the Rain Falls is a three character ARC set in the Texas of the 1940's and the contemporary period. At the heart is Della Lee, a 90 year old woman recently released from prison after serving seventy years for the murder of her sister Eula. What would drive a newly married woman to murder her only sibling? After all these years, Della decides that it might be time to make peace and to set the story straight.

Into this story walks Mick Anders, a New York journalist looking for a story that will salvage his reputation. Finally, there is Dr. Paolma Vega, recently returned, taking care of her aging grandmother and her wild teenage sister, Mercedes. All of these characters' lives are about to intersect in ways that they couldn't even imagine.

What I thought:

I enjoyed Before the Rain Falls, but I did find that the story had a habit of dragging things along. Call it reader impatience, but I just wanted to get all of Della's version of events as fast as possible. Despite the fact that I figured out how everything was going to be revealed, it was still a fairly poigniant ending. As an aside, can I just add that whoever decides on the covers for Di Maio's books is doing a fine job!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel takes place in a small Texas border town that most people can't wait to leave but not in the way that Della Lee left town. In the 40s she was found guilty of killing her sister and sentenced to life in prison. As the book begins, she is returning to her old home after 70 years in prison. Also in town at the same time are Mick Anders a journalist from Boston who is on suspension from his newspaper and is looking for a good story and Dr. Polama Vega who is back home from NYC for a two week vacation to take care of her grandmother and try to help her teenage sister before she gets into trouble. The book alternates between Della Lee telling the story from the 40s and the other characters telling their story from present day. Their lives become tied together as they try to answer the question of what really happened 70 years ago.

I loved the way the author told this story by intertwining all of the characters lives. Della Lee's story was so sad and her experiences in prison were terrible even though she tells it in a very calm way. Her crime and subsequent time in jail are the central story in the novel and her story keeps you rapidly turning pages to find out everything that happened to her. She is a character that I won't soon forget.

I strongly advise you to add this book to your TBR lists. It's the story of family and love and finding out what is really important to live a happy and fulfilled life.

Thanks to Andrea of Great Thoughts Great Readers for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

[Rhonda Ruff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book! Such a great story! A young girl goes to prison for killing her sister. After she finally gets out she tells her story! Loved the back and forth ! Very enjoyable read!

[Lisa B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars!

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

بعضی کارها رو آدم‌ به‌خاطر درست بودنشون انجام می‌ده نه به‌خاطر اینکه راحتن.

[Barbara Sissel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing and heart wrenching, Before the Rain Falls ventures into territory seldom seen in fiction in its portrayal, first, of an elderly woman, and not only that, but one who is recently paroled after having served most of her adult life in prison. Her emotional return to society, to the home place she remembers, is expertly and poignantly depicted through her own eyes as she reviews her life both past and present. Ultimately lives other than her own are altered by her recall of events. As her journey evolves, secrets are revealed, and old questions find perhaps what are unexpected answers. This is a book that explores the heart’s courage and matters of faith even in the darkest times and through the greatest adversity. Don’t miss it!

[Sydney Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Texas story of past and present. Thank you for the chance to review, and thankful for Lone Star Book Blogger Tour!

Some books are good escape. Some are simply good stories. Some give food for thought. Some show us our past. Some show us our present. Some show us Texas. Some soothe a hurting heart. Some make you think about walking in another's shoes. Some take you out of your chair and put you right into a world you don't inhabit. This one does it all, I really loved it.

"Before the Rain Falls" cast a spell on me with its characters that came alive in the "Port of Regret," past and present. It is not just the story of the purported murderess, Della Lee, but also that of down and out reporter Mick Anders, and newly graduated doctor Paloma Vega, home for a spell to help her ailing grandmother and wayward leaning younger sister.

I was interested with each twist and each POV. In fact, the multiple viewpoints helped me digest what otherwise would have been a hard story, knowing that Della Lee spent all of her life in jail for a crime that she seemed incapable of committing. I was rooting for Mick to figure it out, while he took the time to remember what brought him to reporting in the first place. I was also hoping Paloma would find a way to live her passion, while finding more time for her family.

The stories of Della Lee captured me because the writing made it all unfold before my eyes, as if this were a more serious women's version of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." And I loved the Texas diversity of the story as much as I loved the characters and the story itself. I'll definitely be reading more of Camille di Miao's writings.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. It's a five star for me. Just needs an Audio!

[Emily Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Di Maio hits another one out of the park with this dual narrative tale of a crime shrouded in mystery and a present day family navigating their relationships. As the players dig into the truth behind a woman's incarceration in southern Texas in the 1940s and the connection to an old painting of a young girl that is purported to weep real tears, the story unfolds bit by bit until the shocking but ultimately heartwarming conclusion. You're in good hands with Di Maio who handles the switches in time deftly and describes a dry, parched Texas town so that you feel like you're actually there.

[Letty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding! So beautifully written with characters that I grew to love and care about that I was sad to say goodbye when it ended. Told in dual time periods from the 1940's where we hear Della Lee's story of growing up in the small border town of Puerto Pesar, Texas and of her time spent in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of her younger sister Eula, and in present day Puerto Pesar where we meet journalist Mick Anders who hopes to meet Della and get her story plus find out about the painting of Eula hanging in the local church that supposedly sheds tears. My heart hurt for Della for what she went through and the sacrifice she made. I was completely pulled into this story. It's one of those books that you're eager to get to the end and sad when it does end. I wanted it to go on. But that ending!! Didn't see it coming at all. So very well done. I highly recommend this book. It shouldn't be missed!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Gloria ~ mzglorybe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this today for my book club and will rate and review it after our meeting - don’t want to influence anyone with my views, but let me just say, I really enjoyed it.

Update: “Some things were never meant to be told outside of the people they happened to.”

An unusual plot line. Well written. Set in a fictional town called Puerto Pesar (Port of Regret). Della has returned home after decades in prison for killing her sister. As the story evolves we get acquainted with her and get a strong feeling that she is not capable of murder. The meticulous unraveling of Della’s story told in flashbacks is quite intriguing and well executed.

Along with key characters Mick Anders, a reporter looking for a story that will jump-start his plummeting career, and Paloma, a young woman who has put her nursing career on hold to come home temporarily for a family emergency, we get a cast of characters that I found delightful to meet. My favorite being Paloma’s feisty grandmother, believably described. I‘ve had women like her in my own family *grin.*

We get three stories merging together here. The most compelling is Della Lee’s. Readers are privy to her experience in prison, which includes a sexual assault that is heartbreaking and emotional but not overly graphic in detail.

The setting, the characters, and the writing, all enjoyable, brings us to a surprising and satisfactory resolution. Our book club gave it a thumbs up. It won’t be my last book by this author. Happy to recommend this to fans of contemporary or women’s fiction.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. Another free read from the Amazon Prime!

I would have enjoyed another 50 pages about the women's prison back in the 40s and 50s. That's what the main plot is, and while I enjoyed the sub-plots, I wish more would have been concentrated in Della's story. No fault of the writer, but I'm getting a little tired of the dual timelines in stories over the past decade. There's always one plot I enjoy more than the others and I race through the other pages to get back to "the good part". Fascinating to hear how they were segregated yet offered a nursery to inmates.

Di Maio did a great job creating a town that sounded horrible to live in. Even the great descriptions of food couldn't raise it in my estimation.



The Goree Girls band was a real attraction!

This is my first book from her and I'm sad to see that there are no Kindle editions of any of her books at my library.

I love the cover...but I don't understand who it represents. I don't think Della would have looked that good at trial. Maybe it was her mother?

[Charlotte Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before the Rain is told in a dual timeline format, Della Lee’s story from 1940’s and the current day in Puerto Pesar. In the 1940’s Della Lee finds the love of her life in Tomas and she also pleads guilty to murdering her sister and is sent to prison. In the present day granddaughter has returned to help care for her grandmother after she had a heart attack.

I was intrigued by both timelines. The idea of a new bride and loving sister killing her sister and being sent to a women’s prison was fascinating. The things she had to do just to stay alive along with the interesting people she met while incarcerated had me intrigued. The other time is Paloma’s story. I felt for Paloma, coming home to a sister that has grown up and turned into a young women that is so different from who she use to be and a grandmother recovering from a heart attack could not have been easy. Paloma ran from this place, she needed to get out of Puerto Pesar and do bigger and better things yet it is the place that needs her the most. Add to her life the journalist Mick Anders, who has his own reasons for running from his home, and her life gets more intriguing.

Before the Rain is a story of family, heartbreak, and finding out what is truly important in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ann-Marie Nieves with Get Red PR for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this well written story of a 90 year old woman who is released from prison after spending 70 years there for killing her sister. The story switches from the beginning of her imprisonment in 1943 to 70 years later. There are several other stories within the book and the author brings them together beautifully.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a ‘feel good’ book. Sometimes, that’s exactly what I want and need!

[Donna Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those looking for a sweet, light romance will find it here and come away happy. It was just published, and you can get it now. Thanks go to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the DRC, which I received free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The story is divided between three protagonists, and the narrative alternates to include each of their points of view. Two of the characters are Della Lee, a very elderly woman recently paroled from a life term in prison for the murder of her sister, and Paloma Vega, a young doctor that’s returned to her hometown on the Texas border to take care of family business.

One thing that drew me to the title is that the most important characters are both women, and it is they that prove to be the most dynamic. Our third character, Mick Anders, is a journalist seeking Della’s story. He is changed by it, and yet really his character exists as a foil for the two women. So far, so good.

Because the premise starts with the woman who’s spent her entire adult life in prison, I was expecting something grittier. Women in prison haven’t really made it into a lot of fiction, and so my interest was piqued. I was also hoping for a social justice angle, and to be fair, the teaser promises no such thing, and so to an extent, this disappointment is one I brought on myself. Though Della’s reminiscences as she unspools her memories for Anders recount some of what she went through, it really isn’t a prison story, but the story of Della’s own life and the sacrifice she has made.

The parallels between Della’s life and Paloma’s intrigued me and I was hoping the novel would veer in the direction of literary fiction, some allegory perhaps; something subtle and open to the reader’s interpretation. This isn’t that either. Soon the parallels feed into a tidy package, and the coincidences are just too many. I had reconciled myself to the likelihood that this really would, in fact, be a straight up historical romance, and if the end had been crafted in a more nuanced way I could have given it four stars, but instead it is predictable, and when that happens there can’t be magic, because the Great-And-Powerful-Wizard’s curtain has been pulled away by the unlikeliness of the story. Toto has the curtain in his mouth, and instead of looking at Della, at Paloma, and Nick I am looking Di Maio and saying, Oh come on. Seriously?

Some of the better moments in the story are the side elements, the interaction between Paloma and her sister Mercedes, an adolescent smarting from Paloma’s abandonment when she moved away. Paloma is wooing her back into a sisterly relationship, and her clumsy missteps and the ways in which she corrects herself are resonant and absolutely believable.

Although Della’s back story feels over-the-top to me, her present, the return to her home after seven decades away, the changes in the home and the strangeness of being back in the world and at liberty are also well done. The author does a nice job in crafting Della’s present-day setting and wedding it to her story.

Those looking for a traditional romance, something to pack for a vacation that will leave a warm, fuzzy afterglow will enjoy this novel, and to them I recommend it.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Mick Anders is sent to the Texas town of Puerto Pesar to write a story about Della Lee, a woman just released from prison after serving a 70 year sentence for the murder of her sister, Eula. Dr. Paloma Vega has come back to her hometown in order to take care of her ill grandmother and keep an eye out on her teenage sister. As the story alternates between the 1940s when Della Lee is sent to prison and present day, the lives of all three people will be changed in ways they could never expect. This is a story about love, loss, grief, and family.

This book is predictable but I don't mean that in a bad way. The story and characters were interesting enough that I couldn't wait to see it all unfold. There are some powerful and emotional moments toward the end of the story and it actually got me a little teary-eyed. I think as long as you don't go in thinking this book is going to be this terrific mystery, you can enjoy it for what it really is, a moving story about what people do for love. This is definitely one of the better free ebooks currently available on Amazon with kindle unlimited.

I received a free copy of this ebook in a giveaway but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinions.

[Niki (nikilovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when I come across a book that consumes my thoughts throughout the day even when I don't have the time to sit down and read. Before the Rain Falls is just such a book. This is a dual timeline book set in the 1940s when Della Lee Trujillo is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her sister and in modern times when she returns home after 70 years in prison. Mick Anders is a journalist on the hunt for a good story to help revive his lagging career. Dr. Paloma Vega has also recently returned to Puerto Pesar to care for her grandmother and sister. All three of their stories begin to intertwine as the story unfolds. Camille Di Maio has quickly become a favorite author for me. Her stories captivate me and I don't want to put them down. I loved The Memory of Us and Before the Rain Falls and can't wait to read The Way of Beauty! If you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend them!

[Deanna Lynn Sletten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating. That is the word I think of when I think of this amazing story.

Della comes home after being incarcerated for seventy years. It is time to tell her story, and a not-so-eager reporter comes along to tell it. Family secrets soon begin to come to light.

Camille Di Maio is a talented author who weaves together a wonderful story with solid, interesting characters and plots.

If you love books where the story goes between the generations and comes together in the end, you’ll love this one. I highly recommend.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel so much more than I expected! I found myself invested in the characters, drawn in by the plot and totally unprepared for the ending!! Count me as a fan of Camille di Maio!!

[Sydney Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books are good escape. Some are simply good stories. Some give food for thought. Some show us our past. Some show us our present. Some show us Texas. Some soothe a hurting heart. Some make you think about walking in another's shoes. Some take you out of your chair and put you right into a world you don't inhabit. This one does it all, I really loved it.
"Before the Rain Falls" cast a spell on me with its characters that came alive in the "Port of Regret," past and present. It is not just the story of the purported murderess, Della Lee, but also that of down and out reporter Mick Anders, and newly graduated doctor Paloma Vega, home for a spell to help her ailing grandmother and wayward leaning younger sister.

I was interested with each twist and each POV. In fact, the multiple viewpoints helped me digest what otherwise would have been a hard story, knowing that Della Lee spent all of her life in jail for a crime that she seemed incapable of committing. I was rooting for Mick to figure it out, while he took the time to remember what brought him to reporting in the first place. I was also hoping Paloma would find a way to live her passion, while finding more time for her family.

The stories of Della Lee captured me because the writing made it all unfold before my eyes, as if this were a more serious women's version of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou." And I loved the Texas diversity of the story as much as I loved the characters and the story itself. I'll definitely be reading more of Camille di Miao's writings.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. It's a five star for me. Just needs an Audio!

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked to read historical fictions then this one will be a good read for sure!!

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad wins; good tries hard but ultimately loses.' -Before the Rain Falls 

Y'all, Before the Rain Falls by Camille Di Maio is everything I want in Historical Fiction. I could not love this story more if I tried.  Camille Di Maio's writing style is superb in this one.  This mystery is unfolded piece by piece in alternating time lines that almost killed me.  Flipping back and forth between seventy years ago and present day life helped to build my anticipation and leave me completely transfixed on what truly happened in the small Texas town of Puerto Pasar.  I was so intrigued by this murder mystery I had no other choice but to binge read it, I HAD to know what happened.  This is a tale about family, about love and the sacrifices that are made in the name of both.  Tag along with Mick Anders and Dr. Paloma Vega as they search for themselves, and for the truth.  Join Della Lee at the table for some good old Texas-style sweet tea as she tells her story.  I fell in love with these characters, I fell in love with their passions and I fell in love with this book.

I give this one 5 intriguing stars out of 5.  

Thank you to the author, Camille Di Maio, for providing me with this free copy in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

[Dottie Legatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is my heart was full at the end of this wonderful book! Camille DiMaio’s second novel is the tale of Della Lee’s journey through life. It was one of the most agonizing yet heartwarming stories that I’ve read in a while. Before the Rain Falls is set in the small Texas border town of Puerto Pesar, where almost seventy years ago Della Lee was convicted and sentenced to prison for the murder of her younger sister Eula Lee. At the end of her prison sentence she returns to her tiny hometown to live out the rest of her life alone. Also in this town, we meet Paloma, a doctor from New York, who returns for a few weeks to care for her ailing grandmother and get re-acquainted with her rebellious younger sister Mercedes. We finally meet the third important character, Mick, a reporter from Boston who is investigating the story of a painting that has some “miraculous” quality about it.
The story is told in alternating chapters, past and present, which in my opinion makes you understand the reason why the character’s lives ended up as they did. Many questions get answered as the story unfolds. And what a beautiful story this is, full of sacrifice, love, family, despair and of course, hope. I cannot recommend this book enough. I’m putting Camille DiMaio on my must read list of authors, as this her second book was as fabulous as her first. Wonderful!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy this most beautiful book.