Jane's Melody

From Amazon: 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.

What I Thought:  At it's core Jane's Melody is a story of loss and love.
Jane has lost her daughter and is at a place in her life when she feels hopeless and alone. She had been estranged from Melody for some time due to Melody's substance abuse and even though she feels she lost her a long time ago, the finality of her death is all consuming.
The first time Jane sees Caleb, He leaves a silver dollar on Melody's grave and then is gone. Jane finds him again later playing music on the street and ends up taking him into her home and the story develops from there.
Jane's Melody is rich in emotion and the characters are developed so well. It was more real to me because the author addresses the insecurities any 40 year old woman would have with falling in love with a younger man, but he also made it a point to show that Jane is strong in her own right. While also driving home the point that life is fragile and we spend too much time letting fear hold us back from making the choices that are right for ourselves.
There are several other themes and story lines going on in this book as well. The theme of alcohol abuse and addiction in all it's different stages, and it's effects on everyone from the person who is addicted to the people around them is portrayed with great accuracy.
The sex scenes are mild, but spicy.
This is a sweet, contemporary love story that you do not want to miss!

My Rating: