Can a woman run away from a bad marriage back to her past? Sunny Davis, accomplished artist, runs from her husband to hide out in her family’s summer cabin. Expecting only peace and quiet so she can sort out her life, she meets an old friend. Will someone from her childhood show her that life can be as good now as it was then? Or will he turn his back on her at her time of greatest need?
With one foot in her marriage and one foot out, building a new life is not yet an option for Sunny. While searching for a way out, an unexpected disaster turns her world upside down. Will she be strong enough to reveal the truth and discover where her happiness lies?
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Reviews
THE PEN AND MUSE REVIEW
Review: Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights by Jean Joachim
Joachim provides us with a sweet romance with a tale of powerful love that is once again found. Sunny Days, Moonlit Night follows the story of Caroline who leaves her controlling husband. Caroline finds herself with a Mike, a childhood crush. Together they have a wonderful tension. Together they rekindle something that they had a long time ago. Will that be enough to get rid of Caroline’s controlling husband, Brad who won’t let go? A man who is used to getting what he wants. Unfortunately he thinks he can step out on Caroline and have her sit and take it. Caroline leaves for this very reason although Brad’s trouble seems to find her again. Joachim enchants us with these lovable characters and bonds us to them. We will root for both Caroline and Mike. As an author she has a wonderful talent to put you right in the characters mind and their world. Be enchanted and enjoy the ride that Caroline takes on where love actually conquers all.
Great Romance Read Highly Recommend
hea y’all Anne here and I’ve just read Sunny Days & Moonlit Nights by Jean Joachim and as with her first book in the series I loved it. The story line is so sweet, but the second book brings a bit more of an edge to it with the main character Sunny having made drastic changes to her life she now is experiencing more that life has to offer. The men in the book are such a strong contrast of what men can truly be like. On one side you have rich, powerful, and ego driven the other side is sweet humble and grounded to reality of life. I love how easily I can relate these books into real life situations. No one has a perfect life no matter how much money you have and in the end all women are searching for love and compassion. Through being hurt and betrayed Sunny finds the inner power to stand up for her self and her talents and goes after what her heart desires. These books are a great moral boost to women who have felt the sting of betrayal by a lover and long for something more. I absolutely suggest these books to every woman who is a romantic at heart and loves a good story to curl up with at night. Also the edge this book has to it is gut gripping I caught myself holding my breath more than once just waiting to see what would happen, how far can one person go to trap a love that is no longer his and how much can one woman take before she is pushed to far to keep running and submits? want to know then grab your copies today and fall in love with the story like I have. 5 out of 5 stars for Sunny Days & Moonlit Nights by Jean Joachim. On to her next book!!!
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[ Review Posted: Jun 16, 2011 ] – See all my reviews
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| Have you ever wondered what would happen if your first love showed up on your doorstep? Or if you could return to the happiest time of your life and recapture those lost feelings? Jean Joachim answers those questions in this novel with a riveting yet poignant love story.Caroline Sunny White is trapped in a loveless marriage to Bradley White. Bradley is a multimillionaire who has made Caroline’s art work famous by having it shown in all the hot galleries in New York and Connecticut. Caroline is fed up with Brad’s three years of infidelity, but can’t seem to leave even though her bags have been packed for three months. The last straw is when the owner of the art gallery holding an exhibition of Caroline’s work propositions her saying that it was Brad’s idea for him to approach her.Caroline throws her packed bags in the car and runs away to the summer cottage in Willow Falls that her mother bequeathed to her. Because Brad doesn’t know about the cabin, Caroline figures that she’ll have time to decide which direction her life should take and when to start divorce proceedings.Moving to the cabin proves to be a healing and enlightening experience for Caroline, who reverts to her nickname Sunny. She finds all her childhood paintings lovingly preserved by her mother, who never encouraged her daughter’s artistic talent. She reconnects with the older couple who lived next door and in whom she confided all her childhood problems. Linda, her best friend, lives in the town close by and the two girls pick up their friendship as if they hadn’t been separated for 20 years.
But the most amazing coincidence is when her childhood sweetheart, Mickey Foster, turns up in Sunny’s bathroom. While taking a shower to wash away the dust of her trip, the hot water spigot came off in Sunny’s hand, causing the water to become burning hot. Sunny called out and Mickey came to the rescue just like he did twenty years ago. Mickey repairs the spigot and helps Sunny refurbish the cabin. Sunny finds out that Mickey is divorced with a 13-year-old son. Sunny begins divorce proceedings against Brad, but doesn’t tell Mickey that she is still married. The divorce laws require a 3-month cooling off period, where there can be dire consequences if either party is caught in a compromising position. As the cabin begins to become a home again, Sunny finds herself again falling under Mickey’s spell. Mickey wants to move their relationship to the next level, but every time he presses Sunny, she backs away. Sunny is fearful that Brad will discover her hiding place and find a way to take his rage out on Mickey. Does true love win out? Does Brad get what he deserves? You’ll have to read the novel to find out! I absolutely loved this novel and cried at the end. The dialogue between the characters is so well crafted you feel as if you’re standing next to them. I can’t wait to read Jean Joachim’s next book. |
Anonymous
Posted June 18, 2011
Thoroughly enjoyed Anonymous 5 Stars
This is a sweet and sensual story of a childhood crush rediscovered years later that blossoms into love. It was fun watching the relationship grow between Mike and Caroline (Sunny) so many years after not seeing each other. Naturally they both have memories from when they were younger. Mike had been a few years older than Sunny and had sort of adopted the older brother/protector attitude towards her at that time, never knowing that Sunny had a crush on him. It’s interesting watching them both come to terms with who they were in the past, and their feelings for each other back then, and who they are now and their feelings for each other now. It is very realistically portrayed, giving the reader a chance to wonder, perhaps, what it would be like if they were to meet up with an old crush. Initially, Sunny surprised me. She didn’t strike me as the type to run from a situation, no matter how hopeless or intimidating. Once we get to know the character, though, you can see that it wasn’t so much running away as it was coming to terms with where she has let her life lead her and the circumstances she has found herself in, as well as giving herself some breathing room to determine her course of action. In a manner of speaking, she needed time to lick her wounds and heal. The secondary character of the butler that first appears in the very beginning had an amusing attitude that had me chuckling. He had a job that he must keep, and duties that he must fulfill, but he didn’t necessarily have to like it or his boss. The author did an excellent job in describing the setting of a small resort town, as well as the feelings associated with the characters situations. The pacing was well done – nothing happening too quickly so as to not be believable, even with a shorter length novel. And you get invested in the characters relatively quickly. This was a well written story that I really enjoyed, about a woman finding herself again after being in a lousy relationship that should have jaded her on men and then finding the one that she should have been with all along.
Still Moments Magazine
Caroline Davis White is a well-known artist and married to a wealthy, controlling man. She has everything money could buy except one thing: Love. Brad refuses to give her a divorce she so desperately wants. With no money, family, or friends, she flees to the Catskill Mountains where she spent her summers as a young adult.
Mike Foster has achieved success and made more money than he could have thought possible, but it destroyed his marriage and cost him his son. He is wary of every woman he meets, knowing his money may be more attractive than his good looks.
Caroline reconnects with the life she had and friends from long ago. Mike stepped out of her teenage dreams into her life again, looking more handsome and tempting than ever. Caroline knew Mike back then, but is he still the man she fell in love with?
Between The Pages of this story is a sweet romance perfect for reading outside on a warm day. With shorter books authors tend to rush the story, but Jean does a wonderful job with pacing and plot. The cabin, lake, and town fair settings were well described, and the chemistry between the main characters is undeniable. And for those of you who love dogs, there’s a little pug that’s absolutely adorable.
Review Rating: 4 Flames
Reviewed by D.Fredette
Dr. Judith
Caroline Davis White is a well-known artist and married to a wealthy, controlling man. She has everything money could buy except one thing: love. Brad refuses to give her a divorce she so desperately wants. With no money, family, or friends, she flees to the Catskill Mountains where she spent her summers as a young adult.
Mike Foster has achieved success and made more money than he could have thought possible, but it destroyed his marriage and cost him his son. he is wary of every woman he meets, knowing his money may be more attractive than his good looks. Caroline reconnects with the life she had and friends from long ago. Mike stepped out of her teenage dreams into her life again, looking more handsome and tempting than ever. Caroline knew Mike back then, but is he still the man she fell in love with?
This is a very provocative love story about two hurting, disillusioned people who reconnect after many years but who now bring a sizeable load of baggage with them. Once they were young and carefree, spending their summers with friends, enjoying the mountains and swimming in the local lake, looking forwarrd to life’s many possibilities. Now both have been hurt in significant ways and even though the old feelings seem to be alive in each of them, they both have secrets and along with those secrets come fears that revealing their true selves and the present dimensions of their lives, they could lose far more than they ever have before.
Caroline has been married for a number of years to a man who seemed to care for her in the early days of their marriage. Now, for the past two or three years, he has reverted back to his old ways and has been openly unfaithful to her, even to the point of discussing his affairs openly with her. He refuses her requests for divorce because in his mind, Caroline is a possession–a beautiful asset to his position as a wealthy man and a figure in New York society. Her fame as an artist has also become his “property” and no matter what she says to him, Brad takes delight in controlling every aspect of her life. Somehow she has amassed some funds and she is now walking out on him when he is out of town, hiding her location from him, and beginning divorce proceedings. With the help of a very good attorney who happens to be a good friend, Caroline tries to get her life back.
Her destination is the old summer cabin her family used for years in the Catskills. There she runs into the handyman who looks familiar–turns out he is her long-time friend and buddy Mike Foster. He is still doing odd jobs in the area and on several nights a week he appears at a local establishment with his rock band. Caroline is delighted to find her old friend who happens to be the man who made her heart sing so many years ago. He is now more handsome than ever, and while she is fully aware that she is still married, she knows that down deep she is still in love with him. Their old friendship is re-established and the old feelings re-emerge for them both. But Caroline and Mike are deeply fearful of being blunt honest–he is a multi-millionaire who has returned to his boyhood home, and she is a married lady in the midst of a messy divorce. This does not bode well for either of them or for their future together unless they can get past all these secrets.
This novel really digs into the heart of what it means to build trust between two people whose emotions become entangled. Obviously, withholding such basic facts about their individual situation is not a good foundation for building any semblance of relationship. While they are having fun reconnecting, their are others who are seeking to bring them both down publically. The media is seeking the “missing wife” of the wealthy New Yorker which places her ability to get her life away from Brad in danger, and any dirt they can dig up or manufacture on Mike is going to put his visitation rights with his son in difficulty. Lots of serious consequences for these two if all does not go well. Caroline has her art and Mike has his life and his music. Can they find a way past the fear and distrust and disappointment and find their way back to each other?
Both Caroline & Mike are like so many today who have become caught up in their lives, in their circumstances, and who have been injured deeply by persons in their lives they once loved and trusted. Those are the most painful kinds of wounds. There does come a time when the new and very vulnerable relationship between Mike and Caroline takes a beating–is really in danger of being destroyed, and how they get past that challenge with all its questions and sadness is a large part of the latter half of the novel. Their story reflects the kinds of challenges so many face when somehow they must find a way to rebuild what was once a good and emotionally satisfying love. Sometimes it works out, but for others the relationship cannot every be rebuilt.
I found this novel compelling and as is true in so much fiction, it combines true literary entertainment with some insight on living that can be helpful to many. Certainly it is instructive to think carefully about the values of honesty and open communication no matter what. In Caroline’s case, would it have really hurt her chances with Mike if she had been upfront with him from the beginning? I don’t think so. Perhaps his experience of going through a painful divorce could have been a helpful resource for her. Is there really any value in “going it alone” if there exists a friend whose judgment is trustworthy? Again, I don’t think so. These were two critical errors Caroline made that came back to bite her in the backside. Reading this story was a very good experience and the book is one that I am sure I will be re-reading in the near future. I don’t think this is a simplistic story–too many interesting characters and too much at stake for it to be simply a “girl meets boy” kind of romance. The situations in this story are messy because human life and relationships are messy. That is one of the things that makes for good fiction.
So I recommend this to romance fans and believe it will be a book well worth reading. I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Posted by Dr J at 11:35 AM
My Rating: 4 1/2 Stars – Laura McQuillen
Title: Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights
Author: Jean C. Joachim
Genre:Contemporary Romance
Length: 175 Pages
Summary:
Caroline Davis White is a well-known artist and married to a wealthy, controlling man. She has everything money could buy except one thing: Love. Brad refuses to give her a divorce she so desperately wants. With no money, family, or friends, she flees to the Catskill Mountains where she spent her summers as a young adult.
Mike Foster has achieved success and made more money than he could have thought possible, but it destroyed his marriage and cost him his son. He is wary of every woman he meets, knowing his money may be more attractive than his good looks.
Caroline reconnects with the life she had and friends from long ago. Mike stepped out of her teenage dreams into her life again, looking more handsome and tempting than ever. Caroline knew Mike back then, but is he still the man she fell in love with?
Review:
This is a sweet and sensual story of a childhood crush rediscovered years later that blossoms into love. It was fun watching the relationship grow between Mike and Caroline (Sunny) so many years after not seeing each other. Naturally they both have memories from when they were younger. Mike had been a few years older than Sunny and had sort of adopted the older brother/protector attitude towards her at that time, never knowing that Sunny had a crush on him. It’s interesting watching them both come to terms with who they were in the past, and their feelings for each other back then, and who they are now and their feelings for each other now. It is very realistically portrayed, giving the reader a chance to wonder, perhaps, what it would be like if they were to meet up with an old crush.
Initially, Sunny surprised me. She didn’t strike me as the type to run from a situation, no matter how hopeless or intimidating. Once we get to know the character, though, you can see that it wasn’t so much running away as it was coming to terms with where she has let her life lead her and the circumstances she has found herself in, as well as giving herself some breathing room to determine her course of action. In a manner of speaking, she needed time to lick her wounds and heal. The secondary character of the butler that first appears in the very beginning had an amusing attitude that had me chuckling. He had a job that he must keep, and duties that he must fulfill, but he didn’t necessarily have to like it or his boss.
The author did an excellent job in describing the setting of a small resort town, as well as the feelings associated with the characters situations. The pacing was well done – nothing happening too quickly so as to not be believable, even with a shorter length novel. And you get invested in the characters relatively quickly. This was a well written story that I really enjoyed, about a woman finding herself again after being in a lousy relationship that should have jaded her on men and then finding the one that she should have been with all along. This book is available in e-book format as well as in paperback.
Webb Weaver Review Blog
Carolina Davis White is a talented artist in a loveless marriage. For two years, she has put up with this life and she can no longer stand it. Running away from her husband Brad, who cheats on her and uses his riches to get what he wants, seems to be her only option. So she flees to her family’s cabin in the Catskill Mountains, a place she loves and in which she found peace in earlier times. There, she begins divorce proceedings.
Enter Mike Foster, a successful man who has lost his wife and child due to his driven work attitude. As Caroline connects once again with old friends, Mike reappears and reminds Caroline how it used to be when they were younger and in love.
This is book is an awesome love story. I started reading and couldn’t stop…my favorite kind of romance. It has all the makings of a good love story; a friendship/crush/love that is re-kindled after several years and then goes thru some drama to finally end in a ‘forever’ scenario. There are some twist and turns that will keep you turning pages and the characters seem real and not ‘too’ perfect.
I’m giving this book a 5 spider rating and recommending it to anyone who is interested in a good love story. Don’t miss this wonderful read!!
T Lane
5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Sensual Romance!, April 18, 2011
By Liz – See all my reviews
Review By: Dawne Prochilo
Title: Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights
Author: Jean Joachim
Publisher: Moonlight Books
Recommend? Yes
Review: Artist Carolina Davis White is stuck in a loveless marriage. After years of feeling trapped and stuck, she runs away from her cheating husband and his money, which he uses to benefit himself. She finds herself at the family cabin in the solitude of the Catskills and reconnects with old friends including Mike Foster. Finding peace, obtaining her divorce and falling for Mike are in Carolina’s future. But alas, watch out for that selfish husband, Brad. If ever a man needed to be knocked down a notch, he is a prime suspect.
Mike is dealing with his own loss, his son years ago and all the money he’s made over the years mean nothing to him without true love. Add in that he’s wary of all women, who may be after his money.
If you’re looking for a sweet, sensual side to romance, this is the book for you. Take the beautiful and charming Catskills, add in love, friendship and romance and this book will grab you in. I was drawn into the storyline immediately and Joachim’s dynamic writing style, dialogue between Carolina and Mike is so remarkable. The love grows with each scene creating the love all women cherish and desire in life.
This is one of those “What-if” novels that many women will relate to. I highly recommend this novel and challenge anyone who reads not to find a little of his or herself in the caracters experiencing love lost returning from the past.
Joey’s Review:
Caroline is married to a jerk. That’s the short, but not-so-sweet truth. Finally fed up with his antics, she packs her bags and leaves. She heads somewhere with good memories, her family’s summer lakeside rental at The Birches, and as part of her new start, adopts the name Sunny, what everyone called her before she married into a life of luxury.
In time, she meets The Birches maintenance man, Mike, who turns out to be her childhood crush. Sunny is understandably surprised, especially when it becomes evident that Mike is becoming interested in her. Naturally, her unfinished business with her jerk of a husband keeps her from being open to a relationship with Mike, and that leads to some misunderstandings.
This was a pleasant read. Oftentimes, when I’m reading romance novels, I’m picturing young twenty-somethings, with an annoying perfectly pretty streak. I appreciated reading a story that seemed to fit my age-group: that don’t-you-dare-imply-I’m-pushing-forty demographic. The characters felt like people I could know. Average, intelligent people just looking for a little happiness.
I especially liked Mike. I like Mike. Sorry, can’t ignore a fun rhyme, there. I’m always a sucker for a guy who is beautiful to the woman who loves him. I don’t need a hero who looks like he just stepped off the cover of GQ. I imagined him as attractive, but not necessarily perfect. When an author gives me that imaginative freedom, the hook is set.
Angst-whore that I am, it often surprises me when I’m given what qualifies as a mellow read, and find myself enjoying it. And I definitely enjoyed this one. The romance in this story isn’t about getting to the smutty smut, it’s about what’s going on in our couple’s hearts and minds. And that’s something I was definitely on board for in this book. Mike and Sunny made sense. And I’d definitely recommend this story.
Joey’s Rating: 4 Stars
Joachim Books 