Jane's Harmony (Jane's Melody #2) by Ryan Winfield

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Sequel to the New York Times bestseller Jane's Melody. 

Starting over is hard to do.

That’s what forty-year-old Jane McKinney learns when she quits her job, sells her home, and leaves Seattle behind to start a new life and pursue the man she loves in Austin. After the death of her daughter, Melody, Jane never thought she would find happiness again – until she met Caleb Cummings. Sensitive, loving, and mature beyond his years, Caleb is a handsome young musician struggling to make ends meet. But when his fortunes take an unexpected and drastic turn for the better, Jane is left wondering where exactly she fits in.

Can you ever leave the past behind? Jane must now decide if she really is willing to commit to a new beginning with Caleb – or if some wounds are just too deep to ever truly mend.

I totally fell in love with Jane’s Melody, a bittersweet story about a woman living in the aftermath of her daughter’s death but eventually finding her own bliss. She follows that bliss which comes in the form of a musician named Caleb to Austin where reality sets in. Here he’s living out his dream of making music and performing to intimate audiences. Jane is still in the throes of new love but finds settling into this world a little harder than she expected. Bless her heart, she tries her best and Caleb does what he can to ease her worries.

Things continue to be hot and intense with them. It’s nice to see that hasn’t change. They’re ready to take their relationship to a new level when the opportunity of a lifetime comes along that he just cannot pass up. Jane is incredibly supportive and encouraging of him pursuing his dreams. I think her confidence comes from not only being older but also having lived through some devastating events that have given her great perspective. Caleb may be young but he’s mature beyond his years. This path that he’s going on will test his convictions and his commitment to Jane.  I could not help but be awed by Caleb’s love for her but also by Jane’s trust in her man.

Caleb isn’t the only one facing changes. Jane has her fair share and some of the changes aren't exactly welcome. Some of her old insecurities come back to haunt her and make her question her ability to overcome them. I was honestly surprised by, but not judgmental, of some of her decisions. Having gone through the whole gamut of emotions in Jane’s Melody, I understood where Jane’s head was at here and why she was spinning. 

Some familiar characters pop up here including that curmudgeonly former neighbor but sadly no goat. There is, however, a raccoon. Don’t ask. Trust me, it’s rather funny.

I recently got to meet Ryan Winfield at RT14. Honestly, I was a wee bit starstruck because “Oh my god, this is Ryan Winfield! The guy who wrote THE sweetest and most touching love scene I have ever read!” Yeah, that was running through my head but I don’t think I was able to string together any words in his presence. Embarrassing for me and most likely amusing for him. He was gracious, a gentleman and tall.  See!

If you're a die hard romantic, live for romantic gestures of all sorts and yearn for that sometimes elusive happily ever after, Jane's Harmony will deliver. I urge you to read Jane's Melody first if you haven't. I'll admit that that is my favourite of the two because despite the tragic circumstance of their meeting, what the two of them discover and start to build is such a beautiful and wondrous thing. Jane's Harmony is a lovely continuation of that with them writing a new chapter in their lives. Oh go on and read it. I'm going to step over to the side and quietly shed a tear of joy.

~ Bel