A Gentle Rain

By: Deborah Smith

Narrated by: Suzy Harbulak

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

A Connecticut heiress learns she's adopted and travels to northern Florida "cracker" cattle ranch to find her birth parents. There she also finds unexpected romance with the ranch's owner.

©2007 Deborah Smith (P)2012 BelleBooks, Inc.

Extremely Touching!

A Gentle Rain is an incredibly touching and emotional story. It's the kind of story that really hits home if you have ever had a family member (or close friend) that have been mentally and/or physically handicapped. The love that permeates within these characters feels so genuine and tender. It reminds you of what's important in life and never take loved ones for granted.

My only negative about this audible listen is the sound quality. It has many overdubs that can be a bit distracting but in no way takes away from the story.

This book is more than a romance so don't miss out on this beautiful story!

Didn't want it to end!

Romance - Adventure - Lessons to be learned - What a great book! A third of the way through I knew I wasn't going to want it to end. I wanted to keep the characters with me as long as I could. I wanted to meet them and to know them.

Deborah Smith writes with descriptive prose and tells a story that has profound substance and message. The book is like a big hug - sweet and entertaining and full of love. You cheer, you laugh, you cry and you celebrate. Romance? Yes, but the book stands in a class by itself - above and beyond most of the genre. I've read/listened to so many books - but this one has to be in my top five.

A story that deserves a better recording

Thiis is a moving, corky and sweet story with characters that one comes to care about. One thing that ruins this audiobook is the very bad audio editing. From no pauses in between chapters to clear differences in volume in places where one would guess sections were re-recorded or added. The reader isn't too clear in voicing the male vs female characters so it can get confusing.

A sweet story...

... of discovering yourself in the place you least expected to. I did enjoy this book - it's the story of a girl who deposits herself into a life that she is completely unfamiliar with and discovers that she is right where she needs to be.

Narrator was good.

Loved it!

I absolutely loved this book. It is such a touching, realistic story. I really enjoyed it - well worth the credit!

Sweet, Sentimental and Very Good

In the last few years due to my daughter's influence I've become the reader/ listener of chick lit. This is one of those girly romance novels that I've been led to and shockingly have come to enjoy. This just happens to be one of the best of those.
Heiress Cara Winterbrooke's parents die in a small plane crash. Going through the remnants of their papers she finds her adoption papers and suddenly everything she thought she was has changed. So she researches her heredity finds her birth parents and heads to Florida to find, and get to know them.
A runaway mare arranges the initial meeting with them as well as the man she'll eventually marry. I suppose I should have given a spoiler alert there but is it really necessary; a romance novel is a romance novel when it comes to the basics? The horse that belongs to a local rancher charges across the road causing Cara to wreck her car. She's found by Ben a rancher who helps her dissuade a couple of local wrecker drivers of questionable ethics who want both her car and probably her body.
As it turns out Ben is the owner of the ranch where her developmentally delayed parents live and work. Ben was also once the Lucadore and Telenovella star known as El Diablo Americana whom Cara had a huge crush on throughout her adolescence. Many tender moments heartwarming exchanges, adventures and romance follow. If not for the author it could have easily been just another cliche loaded romance.
In this case though the author creates characters that you actually care about either in a positive or negative manner of Billie Letts and Carl Hiaasen. The good hearted people like Karen, Ben, Lilly or Matt wind their way into your heart. The scenes that could easily come off as over the top Hollywood saccharine instead find their way into your heart.
There are many more plot details that I haven't touched on; I'll leave those to the listeners to discover on their own. If you want to listen to this audio with someone I would recommend that you do it with someone you share a connection with. This was a special experience in connection for myself and my daughter. Our story resembles this one in certain aspects and listening to it was a great experience.

A must to listen to and enjoy!

Would you listen to A Gentle Rain again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this book again. It's full of life experiences, love, devotion. The best part of the book is the lesson of life.

What did you like best about this story?

The story of life. I learned from this book and will apply it to my life.

Which character – as performed by Suzy Harbulak – was your favorite?

Joey. Oh who am I kidding? I loved each and every character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed, smiled, cried, related.

Any additional comments?

This is a must listen!

One of my favorite performances

Where does A Gentle Rain rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

My favorite audio books are kept on my computer and are listened to when the mood is right. THIS book stays on my computer, my iPad, and my phone.
I listen to it over and over.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Gentle Rain?

Kara is a strong female character. She was raised in a considerably non-traditional way and isn't afraid to take a stand for justice and the rights of those less fortunate than herself. I especially enjoyed her taking over the "pirate" poker party and holding hostage a pair of Manolo Blahniks.

What does Suzy Harbulak bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was spot on with depicting each character. I was worried, at the very beginning, that I would not care for her narrative, but she brought each character to life in a way that made me want to know them.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I want to move next door to this group and become friends. I want to sit on the porch and watch Gator doing nothing. I want to listen to Mr Darcy say "I mean that in a good way!" And I would really like to be as patient and tolerant of others as these characters are. (Well, except for the mean girl, of course.)

Any additional comments?

The end of the narrative is always a sad moment for me. I want to know how these "people" are doing and what has happened in their lives since I last visited.

Simply One of the Best of Deborah Smith’s!

I laughed, I cried, got angry at Glen and the mean Tammi Jo. This story made me feel so many emotions and ended in the best possible way! All of her books are excellent and this one is no exception. I simply cannot say enough about how much I loved this book. This is a great book to start your journey of reading through her books. I’ve been a fan for many years and hope she continues to write.

Absolutely great!

This author knows how to make the reader fall in love (or hate) with the characters!
I enjoyed this outstanding book with unexpected twists and turns very much and will look for more books by Deborah Smith!