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Rain Down
Jules Avery and Gavin Boyd have been together for five years, but after a proposal-gone-wrong, Jules sees the real side of Gavin…a side she never wants to see again.
Gavin informs Jules he’s leaving the country for a while, and later that day she learns of her parents’ murders. Is it coincidence these things happened on the same day?
Reed Davison, her longtime friend, learns of her loss, and he steps in and assumes the role of protector, friend, and hopeful lover. Having been infatuated with her since high school, he would like nothing more than to make Jules his, but for the time being, he’s content with his self-imposed role in her life.
As Jules and Reed grow closer, their relationship begins to flourish. It isn’t long before he realizes she is the one for him, and he plans to make her his in a more permanent way. On the evening he plans to propose, events unfold—events that force Jules to evaluate her life.
Will she allow the life she has built with Reed to crumble around her?
Gavin informs Jules he’s leaving the country for a while, and later that day she learns of her parents’ murders. Is it coincidence these things happened on the same day?
Reed Davison, her longtime friend, learns of her loss, and he steps in and assumes the role of protector, friend, and hopeful lover. Having been infatuated with her since high school, he would like nothing more than to make Jules his, but for the time being, he’s content with his self-imposed role in her life.
As Jules and Reed grow closer, their relationship begins to flourish. It isn’t long before he realizes she is the one for him, and he plans to make her his in a more permanent way. On the evening he plans to propose, events unfold—events that force Jules to evaluate her life.
Will she allow the life she has built with Reed to crumble around her?
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
S.L. Stacker
14 books50 followersS.L. Stacker is an International Best-Selling romantic suspense and young adult suspense author. Her published novels include: The Macyn McIntyre Series (Romantic Suspense) which is composed of Macyn’s Letter, Macyn’s Awakening, and Macyn’s Decision, Rain Down (Romantic Suspense), and Summer Soiree (Young Adult Suspense Novella). Her current projects include several fiction romance and suspense novels and a young adult suspense series. All works are to be published in 2016/2017.
When she isn’t throwing her readers for a loop and leaving them wanting more, she can be found relaxing and hanging with her husband, children, and dogs. You can visit her at http://www.slstacker.com
When she isn’t throwing her readers for a loop and leaving them wanting more, she can be found relaxing and hanging with her husband, children, and dogs. You can visit her at http://www.slstacker.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 9, 2016
This book got off to an interesting start. It immediately went into some decent character development that was enjoyable for the few chapters it lasted. Jules is an only child, slightly spoiled and not my cup of tea. Reed, I don’t know how to describe other than he’s adamant that she will belong to him no matter what is happening around them, and some bad stuff is going down. Jackie, who I always got confused with Jules since they both start with J and are about the same length, is a terrible person. More on that later. Her parents are adoring and extremely wealthy. I liked them. And to round it out is Gavin, the psycho ex-boyfriend.
Then her folks are murdered. The only reason I was surprised is because I hadn’t read the jacket, but it’s stated right there, so no spoiler. It was sad, but led to a lot of bad story. First of all, she gets over it frighteningly quick. She has a small freak out, but the bodies are miraculously processed through the system and buried three days later. That’s more of a shocker, especially for murdered people who spend a bit more time with the mortician. If only everyone could have a service and burial planned and executed that quickly. That was unrealistic, but the worst part of the murder is that there is no reason behind it and she doesn’t care at all who the guy is. What should have been part of the plot is quickly written off. I wish that everyone could get over the murder of, not just one but two, loved ones so fast. They died early on, but every time she thought or said it’ll get better I cringed. In real life, it doesn’t get better; it becomes an accepted part of life.
Then there’s Jackie who was cheating on her supposed best friend with her boyfriend for several years. Then, when she is caught she actually blames Jules, telling her that it’s her fault the psycho ex and Reed want her so badly. Sounds pretty unforgivable to me, but it doesn’t stop Jules from mending their relationship at the end. Honestly, I felt like it was a response to her guilt over Jackie being beaten by the psycho ex-boyfriend. In real life, no one would be able to move on and be BFFs again. It was hard to read.
The inner dialogue was extremely repetitive. Reed obsessed over his love for her and how he will never let her go, even right after telling Jules that her parents were murdered. Why was he thinking about how to woo her when she was mourning, no matter how brief it was? She kept thinking, when she was remembering them, how her parents would want her to be happy, so she felt validated moving on less than a week after they died. Using sex to try and deal with a traumatic experience like murder makes sense, but that’s not what she did. She was suddenly madly in love with him.
Which leads me to the sex. It was very graphic, yet unmoving. When it started it was constant for a good portion of the book, with only a few pages of reprieve. Just one of the multiple scenes stood out and that’s only because of the dirty talk that it entailed.
The story starts off strong, but then less than a quarter of the way through it, it peters out. The bulk of the book is spent on mundane tasks that are far too detailed and dull. They have absolutely nothing to do with what should have been the plot: murder and psycho ex-boyfriend. Instead those topics are pushed completely to the side and I was left reading drawn-out conversations that were basically the exact same thing as the ten previous and tasks that were given way too much attention. I did not enjoy reading play-by-play descriptions about her checking in to a hotel or a trip to an antique store that had zero value to the story. I found myself skimming quite a bit, because it drew away from the storyline and was down-right boring.
The ending was the most anti-climactic one I have ever read. With romance novels it is very common for a suspense ending to be too short and underdeveloped, but this was hard to read. Psycho returns and then he’s dealt with completely off screen. There is no satisfaction when the story just drops off and you’re given two sentences about he’s dead. This was followed by one page of her not wanting to go to his funeral. Why would she after he tried to kill her? Then Reed convincing her that she needs to see his dead body for closure.
On the plus side, there were very few grammatical errors. Most of them were towards the end of the book, which is common. It seems as if the author just wanted to finish the book and paid less attention the closer it got to completion. I can forgive that, though, because by the end of this book I couldn’t wait for it to end either. It is apparent that the author tried very hard to develop the relationship between Jules and Reed, but it came off as annoying and his prolific use of the nickname Sweetness was nauseating. Cut out seventy or so pages, and the nickname, and focus on conversation that has a purpose, and it could be much tighter.
Now for the ratings:
Genre and general audience – romance and definitely mature.
The level of sexuality – very high and very dry.
Was there graphic language? There was some use of the f-word, but it wasn’t excessive. What is a romance novel without it?
Did I cry? Not a drop, not even when her parents were killed. We never even find out how they died or the name of the guy who did it. So, the only potential cry point is too weak for tears.
Is this part of a series? Not that I know of.
Level of character development – they were rather shallow after a decent start and they never evolved through the course of the book.
Did I laugh? Only at the audacity of Jules recovering from her parents’ murder in the span of a few days. They were in the ground and she was mooning over Reed.
I had high hopes and the beginning kept me glued, but it lost me less than a quarter of the way in. It is obvious that the author really tried, so I give it ⭐️⭐️ stars.
Then her folks are murdered. The only reason I was surprised is because I hadn’t read the jacket, but it’s stated right there, so no spoiler. It was sad, but led to a lot of bad story. First of all, she gets over it frighteningly quick. She has a small freak out, but the bodies are miraculously processed through the system and buried three days later. That’s more of a shocker, especially for murdered people who spend a bit more time with the mortician. If only everyone could have a service and burial planned and executed that quickly. That was unrealistic, but the worst part of the murder is that there is no reason behind it and she doesn’t care at all who the guy is. What should have been part of the plot is quickly written off. I wish that everyone could get over the murder of, not just one but two, loved ones so fast. They died early on, but every time she thought or said it’ll get better I cringed. In real life, it doesn’t get better; it becomes an accepted part of life.
Then there’s Jackie who was cheating on her supposed best friend with her boyfriend for several years. Then, when she is caught she actually blames Jules, telling her that it’s her fault the psycho ex and Reed want her so badly. Sounds pretty unforgivable to me, but it doesn’t stop Jules from mending their relationship at the end. Honestly, I felt like it was a response to her guilt over Jackie being beaten by the psycho ex-boyfriend. In real life, no one would be able to move on and be BFFs again. It was hard to read.
The inner dialogue was extremely repetitive. Reed obsessed over his love for her and how he will never let her go, even right after telling Jules that her parents were murdered. Why was he thinking about how to woo her when she was mourning, no matter how brief it was? She kept thinking, when she was remembering them, how her parents would want her to be happy, so she felt validated moving on less than a week after they died. Using sex to try and deal with a traumatic experience like murder makes sense, but that’s not what she did. She was suddenly madly in love with him.
Which leads me to the sex. It was very graphic, yet unmoving. When it started it was constant for a good portion of the book, with only a few pages of reprieve. Just one of the multiple scenes stood out and that’s only because of the dirty talk that it entailed.
The story starts off strong, but then less than a quarter of the way through it, it peters out. The bulk of the book is spent on mundane tasks that are far too detailed and dull. They have absolutely nothing to do with what should have been the plot: murder and psycho ex-boyfriend. Instead those topics are pushed completely to the side and I was left reading drawn-out conversations that were basically the exact same thing as the ten previous and tasks that were given way too much attention. I did not enjoy reading play-by-play descriptions about her checking in to a hotel or a trip to an antique store that had zero value to the story. I found myself skimming quite a bit, because it drew away from the storyline and was down-right boring.
The ending was the most anti-climactic one I have ever read. With romance novels it is very common for a suspense ending to be too short and underdeveloped, but this was hard to read. Psycho returns and then he’s dealt with completely off screen. There is no satisfaction when the story just drops off and you’re given two sentences about he’s dead. This was followed by one page of her not wanting to go to his funeral. Why would she after he tried to kill her? Then Reed convincing her that she needs to see his dead body for closure.
On the plus side, there were very few grammatical errors. Most of them were towards the end of the book, which is common. It seems as if the author just wanted to finish the book and paid less attention the closer it got to completion. I can forgive that, though, because by the end of this book I couldn’t wait for it to end either. It is apparent that the author tried very hard to develop the relationship between Jules and Reed, but it came off as annoying and his prolific use of the nickname Sweetness was nauseating. Cut out seventy or so pages, and the nickname, and focus on conversation that has a purpose, and it could be much tighter.
Now for the ratings:
Genre and general audience – romance and definitely mature.
The level of sexuality – very high and very dry.
Was there graphic language? There was some use of the f-word, but it wasn’t excessive. What is a romance novel without it?
Did I cry? Not a drop, not even when her parents were killed. We never even find out how they died or the name of the guy who did it. So, the only potential cry point is too weak for tears.
Is this part of a series? Not that I know of.
Level of character development – they were rather shallow after a decent start and they never evolved through the course of the book.
Did I laugh? Only at the audacity of Jules recovering from her parents’ murder in the span of a few days. They were in the ground and she was mooning over Reed.
I had high hopes and the beginning kept me glued, but it lost me less than a quarter of the way in. It is obvious that the author really tried, so I give it ⭐️⭐️ stars.
May 10, 2017
I received this as a giveway. I seldom read romances but it was a good read. If you like romances I'm sure you would enjoy this book. Recommended for romance readers.
January 31, 2018
Jules is independent, young and only child. She had learn from her best her father to be a business woman who knows how take priority serious, her only problem has a name "Gavin" ( Btw I named him purple balls) selfish, he is greedy he only thinks about himself and nothing else. Jackie Jules only best friend, who loves Jules like a sister. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?
If you want to read a quick,addicting story this will be your right pick. The end left me speechless!! But you need to read it to find out !!
"Love cannot make a home where lies and secrets sleeps" this quote match so good! With this story
I have know Stephanie for about 2 years now in October. She never disappoint me. She always do a great job I have read all her books and looking forward to keep reading more!! She is an amazing, caring and lovable person not only because she is one of my favorite author but within these pass 2 year I got to get to know her for who she is as a person . Love you Steph keep the good work.
Thanks again Steph for this amazing read!!!
Xox
Betsy
If you want to read a quick,addicting story this will be your right pick. The end left me speechless!! But you need to read it to find out !!
"Love cannot make a home where lies and secrets sleeps" this quote match so good! With this story
I have know Stephanie for about 2 years now in October. She never disappoint me. She always do a great job I have read all her books and looking forward to keep reading more!! She is an amazing, caring and lovable person not only because she is one of my favorite author but within these pass 2 year I got to get to know her for who she is as a person . Love you Steph keep the good work.
Thanks again Steph for this amazing read!!!
Xox
Betsy
September 25, 2016
This book is a must read for everyone. This is the first book of SL Stackers's I've read and let me just say I was very impressed. Jules was supposed to be with Gavin, that is until she saw who he really is. Not wanting another relationship at the moment between Gavin and her parent's deaths, Reed is patient with her. He's always loved her, just didn't tell her until it was too late. You cannot hide from love. Jules realizes that Reed is the one she was always meant to be with. I was rooting for them the whole book. They both deserve to be happy and not let anyone try to tear them apart. I fell in love with Jules and Reed. They are both wonderful people and deserve each other. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. Great job SL Stacker❤️
September 18, 2016
I had the chance to beta read this book and let me tell you S.L. Stacker did a wonderful job with this story. Her characters are great,the story line is great and I love how she makes the female know how to stand on her own two feet even after things she has gone through.
October 2, 2016
OMG, SL Stacker has done it again!!
I was drawn in immediately, the characters are amazing. Granted I wanted to kick Gavin in the balls and strangle that so called best friend. But that is what is so great, the story keeps you involved and wanting more. A must read, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
I was drawn in immediately, the characters are amazing. Granted I wanted to kick Gavin in the balls and strangle that so called best friend. But that is what is so great, the story keeps you involved and wanting more. A must read, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
January 22, 2017
At first, I wasn't sure that I would like this book. Gaven acted a lot like my ex-husband, but I kept reading. I am really glad that I did.
If you want to know what else I thought about this book, check my blog at
https://journeyingwithceltic.wordpres...
If you want to know what else I thought about this book, check my blog at
https://journeyingwithceltic.wordpres...
October 18, 2016
This was a really good book. It had me reading late at night and I enjoyed Jules and Reed. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews