Barbara L. (Barbllm) reviewed Waiting Out the Storm (North Country, Bk 2) (Love Inspired, No 575) (Larger Print) on + 241 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Waiting Out the Storm is a thinking persons romance that deals with issues related to appearances (and how they are deceiving) and the ties that bind families together.
Sarah Slocum is an outcast in her own family. Her mother is part-Indian and Sarah has inherited her dark beauty, which is out of place in a world that worships blue-eyed blondes. She runs a small sheep farm that is guarded by two large Maremmas, which Wikipedia tells me are indigenous to Italy and are bred to be livestock guardian dogs. Theyre beautiful animals: theyre built like Golden Retrievers, only much bigger and are a snowy white.
Sarah is trying to run her farm without much scandal, but her past haunts her: her older brother created and ran a Ponzi scheme that bilked the local residents, including the grandparents of veterinarian Craig Macklin. Bad blood exists between the two families and, at least in the beginning, Craig and Sarah give each other a wide berth. Craig has a reputation as a ladies man and has dated four nurses so far.
Sarah unexpectedly begins caring for her nieces and nephews when Rita, her sister-in-law, retreats into an alcohol-fueled haze. Her husband, Tom, committed suicide. The life insurance refuses to pay, and Toms relatives refuse to help Rita in any way. Sarah takes in Olivia (Liv), an acerbic teenager whos tired of being the mother and who insults Sarah (Youre a...smelly sheep farmer who wasted a good education to clean up animal crap): Skeeter, whos innocence balances Livs worldliness, and Brett, who simply tags along without much guidance.
Things get interesting when Craig begins building his dream home on a plot of land adjacent to Sarahs farm. He wants hills, trees, good neighbors, and room for dogs. He has grand ideas for how he wants to live: a simple country life with his elderly Lab, Rocket.
The author includes a lot of details about town life and country life, since the small town they live in has both. There are details about Sarahs sheep and their breeding, Maremmas and other dogs, and Sarahs Abenaki heritage. These details make the book immensely enjoyable to read.
Sarah is injured while caring for her sheep and burned by lightning. Shes deeply concerned about her appearance, although throughout the rest of the book, she doesnt seem to care. She feels ugly, and much of this comes from the insults thrown at her by both Tom and his brother Ed. Meanwhile, Craig dates Maggie, whos pretty but fairly obtuse about what Craig really wants.
Sarah and Craig are very likable people, and even though they underestimate themselves and each other, we root for them every step of the way. We root for Rita as well, and her kids, who are suffering due to the actions of others. Sarah has integrity and this is contrasted well with her grandfather and Ed, both of whom are nasty pieces of work. She stages an intervention with Rita that made me grin. Craig becomes her ally in dealing with Brett and Liv.
All in all, a wonderfully detailed book about country life and two people who, despite outward appearances, are perfect for each other.
Sarah Slocum is an outcast in her own family. Her mother is part-Indian and Sarah has inherited her dark beauty, which is out of place in a world that worships blue-eyed blondes. She runs a small sheep farm that is guarded by two large Maremmas, which Wikipedia tells me are indigenous to Italy and are bred to be livestock guardian dogs. Theyre beautiful animals: theyre built like Golden Retrievers, only much bigger and are a snowy white.
Sarah is trying to run her farm without much scandal, but her past haunts her: her older brother created and ran a Ponzi scheme that bilked the local residents, including the grandparents of veterinarian Craig Macklin. Bad blood exists between the two families and, at least in the beginning, Craig and Sarah give each other a wide berth. Craig has a reputation as a ladies man and has dated four nurses so far.
Sarah unexpectedly begins caring for her nieces and nephews when Rita, her sister-in-law, retreats into an alcohol-fueled haze. Her husband, Tom, committed suicide. The life insurance refuses to pay, and Toms relatives refuse to help Rita in any way. Sarah takes in Olivia (Liv), an acerbic teenager whos tired of being the mother and who insults Sarah (Youre a...smelly sheep farmer who wasted a good education to clean up animal crap): Skeeter, whos innocence balances Livs worldliness, and Brett, who simply tags along without much guidance.
Things get interesting when Craig begins building his dream home on a plot of land adjacent to Sarahs farm. He wants hills, trees, good neighbors, and room for dogs. He has grand ideas for how he wants to live: a simple country life with his elderly Lab, Rocket.
The author includes a lot of details about town life and country life, since the small town they live in has both. There are details about Sarahs sheep and their breeding, Maremmas and other dogs, and Sarahs Abenaki heritage. These details make the book immensely enjoyable to read.
Sarah is injured while caring for her sheep and burned by lightning. Shes deeply concerned about her appearance, although throughout the rest of the book, she doesnt seem to care. She feels ugly, and much of this comes from the insults thrown at her by both Tom and his brother Ed. Meanwhile, Craig dates Maggie, whos pretty but fairly obtuse about what Craig really wants.
Sarah and Craig are very likable people, and even though they underestimate themselves and each other, we root for them every step of the way. We root for Rita as well, and her kids, who are suffering due to the actions of others. Sarah has integrity and this is contrasted well with her grandfather and Ed, both of whom are nasty pieces of work. She stages an intervention with Rita that made me grin. Craig becomes her ally in dealing with Brett and Liv.
All in all, a wonderfully detailed book about country life and two people who, despite outward appearances, are perfect for each other.
