How do you heal your heart after tragedy leaves you broken? When the person you loved didn’t deserve it and they can’t earn your forgiveness because they’re already dead? How do you move on, and heal, and love?
If you’re Princess Lorraina, you paint. A year ago Lorraina watched Tobias die, and she still doesn't know how she's supposed to heal—or forgive. How can she when she’s still running away? In an attempt to reinvent herself, she steps outside her comfortable life as princess and seeks the tutelage of a master painter—a man who is not at all impressed by her pedigree, and demands not just talent, but emotional honesty. Struggling to learn what’s being taught, she finds herself drawn to someone who not only knows her secrets, but who she once considered far below her notice. Now she is compelled to seek him out despite knowing their relationship would be forbidden if discovered. Staying away from him doesn’t seem possible when discovering him may be the key to healing her heart and rediscovering herself.

 I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona and St. Louis, Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University, where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children. I have Charlotte Brontë to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally, a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to face the reality of sacrificing what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but in the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it. I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.

Annette K. Larsen has written an enchantingly delightful story in Painting Rain.  This story is about Princess Lorraina.  She loves to paint and wants to learn from a master.  As she begins being taught by the master’s apprentice, Lorraina gets frustrated as she is still grieving the loss of her lover and is not understanding what is being taught.  Lorraina must develop patience, and honesty in the emotions of her work, as well as come to understand and accept herself if she is truly to become an exquisite painter.  And to make matters more confusing, Lorraina is falling in love with one of her guards.  Annette’s story is breathtaking as it delves into a young women’s coming to know herself so that she can be the best artist possible.  I love the raw emotions of the characters and the development of the plot that will leave readers wanting to read more.
 
Series: Books of Dalthia
Genre: Romance, Clean
Publisher: Hidden Falls Publishing
Publication date: February 20, 2016
Number of pages: 217
 
Content Rating: PG, some kissing
Book Rating: 5 stars

Other books in the series:
1-Just Ella
2-Missing Lily
3-Saving Marilee

A review copy of this book was provided by I Am a Reader.

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- AMAZON -

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling author of inspirational historical romances for both youth and adults.

As a busy mama-writer, she has the wonderful privilege of teaching her crew of 5 children at home. In between grading math papers and giving spelling tests, she occasionally does a load of laundry and washes dishes. When she's not busy being a mama, you can find her in front of her laptop working on another of her page-turning stories. 

She loves reading almost as much as she loves writing, especially when it also involves chocolate and coffee.

Jody Hedlund has yet again written a fantastic adventure-romance read that teens (and adults) will not want to put down.  This anticipated and exciting renaissance fairytale re-telling of Robin Hood will capture readers from page one, keeping them on their toes throughout this entrancing novel.  With interesting, delightful, and captivating characters, as well as a story filled with adventure and romance, this is a story that teens are not going to want to miss.  I would recommend this novel to teens and even adults that enjoy historical, romance novels taking place at the end of the 14th century.
 
Series: An Uncertain Choice
Genre: historical fiction, romance, Christian, young adult
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication date: March 1, 2016
Number of pages: 224
Category: Junior High +
Content Rating: PG, some violence, kissing, nothing graphic
Book Rating: 5 stars

Other books in the series:
1-An Uncertain Choice
 
 A review copy of this book was provided by A Daring Sacrifice Influencer Team.