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Two emotionally starved children are sheltered under the wing of an unlikely heroine: Ella Rain, their black nanny. Tucker and Matthew Mason felt the wrath of their father Rex when he made his infrequent appearances in their lives. In disdain, at his first chance, Tucker changed his name to Tucker Rain, honoring the woman who loved him. Matthew was left to battle demons alone in an institution.
Tucker Rain, a renowned photojournalist, returned to Waverly Hall, his birthplace. On the journey, he crossed paths with a woman and her son in need of shelter and protection. He generously provided and was rewarded with love. Long lost love. Miss Ella’s training left him tuned to her voice filled with the Lord’s words. He found his heart beginning to open, and his people place start to grow.
Matthew, or Mutt, diagnosed as mentally ill, slipped from his room and waited to be found. It took Tucker’s knowledge of his brother for the discovery. Tucker took Mutt back to Waverly, to the woman and the boy. True healing started within them all. Wounds from the past which had festered were lanced and began to heal. From the heavens on high, Miss Ella continued to coach the men. Their hearts were attuned to hers.
Charles Martin’s vivid portrait of pain and abuse is painted with a magical brush. His use of language resonates with a unique blend of Southern gospel and human rage. Which wins? The reader, in my opinion. Five stars aren’t enough for Wrapped in Rain. Surely it will rate a God-star along the way.
Reviewed by Eileen Key
for The Road to Romance
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Tucker Rain is now an internationally famous photographer, known for his eye for tragedy and pain. With no pressing obligations, Tucker returns home to his Alabama roots to rest and regroup.
When an old girlfriend, Katie, reappears toting a son and sporting a black eye, and his brother, Matthew, escapes from a mental institution, Tucker is forced to face the agony of his own tragic past—a past he’s struggled to get over.
Now, with the demons of the past haunting his every step, Tucker is thinking more and more of his old nanny, Ella, a woman who influenced his life for the better. But will thinking of Miss Ella help him to heal? And what about the power of love?
WRAPPED IN RAIN is a somewhat sad story. It is hard to read about the abuse that Tucker had to face as a child, and how he longed for love. Given all that, it was amazing that he grew to amount to something as an adult. I don’t like to read sad stories, so sometimes it was a struggle to keep turning pages, but the end result is worth it.
If you like contemporary stories about healing and redemption, then WRAPPED IN RAIN is the book for you.
Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
for The Road to Romance
May 4, 2005
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