Book Description:
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, Arianne Rayne was playing college basketball and looking forward to a permanent future with her boyfriend.
This year, she is learning to live with disability.
After walking away from an accident he’d caused by reckless driving, her boyfriend walked away from her. The uncertainty of how life would look now that she had lost mobility was enough for him to break the relationship, and her heart.
Coming to Trinity Lakes to live with her stable, unflappable grandparents is hope for a new beginning and a chance to heal her heart. Away from her parents’ cloistered, cotton-wool approach, she hopes to learn how to live independently with the help of physiotherapist and trainers at the local gym.
Until she meets Matthew Kennedy. He might be buff and good looking, but he has no idea about how to relate to someone living with disability. He’s eligible, and he is certainly accessible, given he is one of her personal trainers, but will he ever see beyond her wheelchair? Arianne’s heart tells her it’s unlikely.
Until she is stranded, and Matthew is her only hope of getting home.
Book #8 of the Trinity Lakes Romance series (can be read as a standalone)
An enemies to lovers, small town, contemporary Christian romance.
Visit Trinity Lakes and meet the fun and quirky characters who value family, faith, and happily-ever-after.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Over the Rainbow, Book #8 in the Trinity Lakes Romance series. Full disclosure: I’m an author in the series and inherently biased. I rarely write book recommendations for books in series that are connected to my own books. I chose to write this recommendation because Meredith’s story includes important issues and subject matter that I don’t often see in Christian fiction.
The story opens with Arianne learning to live with the consequences of a car crash six months earlier that has left her with life changing physical injuries. Arianne is navigating life in a wheelchair and she’s determined to regain as much strength and mobility as possible. It’s the hidden emotional injuries, and the pain and hurt caused by those closest to her, that Arianne finds harder to heal. She’s wrestling with God as well, and not finding the answers she wants to her many questions.
Arianne appreciates the chance to escape San Francisco and start over in Trinity Lakes. Her grandparents welcome her with open arms, encouraging Arianne to meet people at their church and make new friends. The country club has a gym and pool where Arianne can undertake her intense rehabilitation program. She has learned that some people are intolerant and insensitive, and can’t cope with her disability. Other people are ignorant and don’t know how to relate to her.
Matthew is a personal trainer at the country club gym who hasn’t been specifically trained to handle rehabilitation clients. He’s a nice guy but he’s clueless. Matthew’s first encounters with Arianne are an embarrassing disaster. His redeeming character traits are his solid faith and the fact he’s prepared to admit he’s wrong, make amends, and learn how to do better.
A beautiful friendship develops between Arianne and Matthew that has the potential to become something more. They both have issues to address and problems to overcome as their growing feelings for each other challenge them to step outside their comfort zones. The complexities of faith healing and forgiveness themes are explored in the story.
I liked seeing cameos of familiar characters from previous books in the Trinity Lakes Romance series and Daring Mr. Darcy novella. For readers who are new to the Trinity Lakes story world, I suggest reading the books in order to avoid accidentally reading spoilers for earlier books in the series.
I recommend Over The Rainbow to contemporary romance readers who like enemies to love romances that include a main character with a disability and a strong faith element woven into the story.
Many thanks to Meredith Resce for the advanced reader copy.
