Winter Signs (Season Named #2) by Sarah Gai | A Book Review

I read the first book in the series by the same author--Autumn's Dance, so when I found this on Xpressobooktours' site as one of the things up for review, I readily signed up. I remember liking the first book, so I am hoping to be touched and moved by this second installment also.

Winter Signs is a story about a girl who was born a deaf-mute and had to go through a lot of heart-breaking loss in her life. Grief so devastating that she thought she had nothing to live for. The only way she thinks she will be able to get out of the dark hole she was in was to go away from everyone she knew and start over. Only to find out that she has to, whether she likes it or not, get closure and move on because a lot of people are just waiting for her to be ready to do that.

If the first book was about domestic violence and family, this one is about loss and grief, which I think is more tragic and devastating. The common theme of the two books in the series is family, friendship, and love. Well, love actually in all its forms. Like the first book, this story embodies the saving grace of unconditional love. That it heals all wounds, even a black hole caused by a great loss of one's great and first love.

This story reminds me of when I was in my grade school. I was in a special class. We were called fast-learners. I think it was more of more projects and more school work to do than most of the other pupils in our grade level. Anyway, we were next to the classes of the hearing-impaired and the mentally-challenged. Yes, we were exactly where we were supposed to be, in the building for special people. We were special in our own way. I remember, we developed a friendship with some of the pupils from those classes and we learned to do sign language. I learned how the signs for the alphabet and some of the most commons signs for beautiful, ugly, father, mother, and I love you. Later in high school, the sign language for the alphabet became very handy when I joined the Girl Scouts. It was also very useful talking to a friend who knows sign language without giving away what you are talking about. It's like a secret form of communication, if there wasn't any deaf-mute or anybody else who could understand it.

I think of this book as Winter Sighs. I feel like taking a deep and big sigh every time I think about this story. The loss and heartbreak Winter had to go through at a young age, one after the other, was just so traumatic. It left a very big hole, actually a vacuum in her heart and it felt like her heart would never work again. I felt that too. I felt like my heart stopped beating when I got to that part of the story. Winter and Connor's love for each other is what you could call ordained. They were made for each other. I could feel Connor's great love for Winter even in my pores. It was just so strong that even an outsider would never make the mistake of getting in between these two. Such love is just so extraordinary and very rare. Not to mention, that they started as best friends at such a young age and they grew to falling in love with each other.

My favorite part of the story is how Connor and Winter met. It was just so hilarious imagining a stick thin Winter hitting a similarly young Connor in the face. It was not a cute first meeting but definitely memorable and very hilarious to anyone seeing it. Who knew it was a start to a very close friendship and love that two can ever share.

Then, there's Nolan. It seemed like the author has a habit of naming the two leading men in this story with surnames. I think it's unique and cute. So Nolan, I think he has a lot in common with Connor. Aside from of course, being attracted and drawn to Winter, these two seem to share a lot of traits. They are both good teenagers who both grew up with single moms. They are both an only child also. So, it isn't any wonder why Winter felt comfortable and safe with him. 

Nolan and Winter. These two both know that there is some special link between them but Winter was just not ready to deal with anything that will remind her of Connor. Winter tried denying her feelings for Nolan but in the end, she found that she could not go through the same experience of losing someone she loves again. After all the push and pull between these two, finally Winter gave up and succumbed to the ever powerful pull of love and let Nolan in for good. And there were reasons why Nolan had to do the things he did for Winter.

Charlie and Nicole were so cute also. I am glad that in spite of the tragedy that happened in this story, most of the characters found their place and love of their lives. These two have their own issues but eventually they got married and have gotten over the bad parts of their childhood. The same with the other characters, even with Sadie who became a better person than she was back in high school. A very nice turn of events which doesn't really happen in a lot of stories. The bully grew up to realize her faults and apologize for them, is such a refreshing thing. I hope it happens more often in stories and in real life.

I give the book 5/5 snowflakes. This story brings out a lot of emotions to the surface. Though loss and tragedy is the most prevalent, but hope and recovery is also in the scene. Moving on and finding that the heart can still function and beat like it was never shattered after all is a great blessing. To find two great loves in one lifetime is such a miracle. Winter is very fortunate and she didn't have to forget Connor just because she is now with Nolan. Connor is a big part of her and Nolan is such a great guy for knowing the same thing. Connor is as much a part of Nolan as to Winter. They are both lucky to have known him. 

This story just oozes with very strong emotions that I can't even help for my chest to feel tight while writing this review. This evokes a lot of sad feelings but knowing that everything ended up well with everyone is such a relief. Yes, a happy ending! Thank you. Everything was resolve. Every issue and obstacle that was brought up in this story was resolved and given a happy ending, except for Summer which I am sure is the next book in this series. 

Here is a quote which beautifully summarizes what, how, and why grief is. And no one is ever more powerful than grief except for love. Only love can soften it's blow and help one to recover from the aftermath of its very earth-shattering effects. So, for everyone who is going through grief right now, know that you can take as much time as you can to try to deal with it and when you are ready to come out of that deep hole, the sun is just outside ready to welcome you in all its shining glory.

Grief is a hard thing and there is no time limit on how long it will last. It could be a month, a year, a decade or the rest of your life that you mourn over the loss of a loved one, a marriage breakdown, or a friendship you thought would never end. You see, grief comes in all shapes but no matter how long it takes, know that it's okay to feel and know that, when you're ready, the sun is waiting right outside your window wanting to shine on you once again.

- Sarah Gai, Winter Signs -

Thank you again, Giselle of Xpressobooktours for the copy and for Sarah Gai for this wonderful story. 

Other books by the author:
Autumn's Dance (Season Named #1)

The Absence of Evelyn by Jackie Townsend | A Book Review

This story took me back to my trip in Hanoi, specifically the Halong Bay cruise. It was my first time to be on a cruise and I felt like big bucks. There were just about 20 of us in the junk and we felt like we owned the boat. It was only an overnight stay in Halong Bay after a tour of the floating villages, pearl farm and the big cave in one of the islands. We kayaked in tandem. It was an amazing experience except for the fact that Halong Bay is not exactly as beautiful as in the pictures. The water was not clear and there was even a smell which is not the same refreshing and revitalizing salty air you would usually breathe when at sea.

The Absence of Evelyn is a story of familial love. The love between sisters. The love between parents and kids. The love between mothers and daughters. The story revolved around three women--Evelyn, Rhonda and Olivia. Evelyn and Rhona are sisters. Olivia is the adopted daughter of Rhonda. The story will take you through the longing of Olivia for her real parents and Rhonda's getting to terms with the absence of Evelyn.

I always love stories about women--women's literature. There is always this poignant display of emotions when you talk about women. Our pain, disappointments, triumphs and struggles are always filled with more intensity and drama. I guess, it has to do with us women being emotional beings. We are drama queens at some point in our lives and even if we try to downplay some of these emotions, they still show and come up to the surface. It's in our anatomy. It's how we were made. We were made to feel and exhibit those emotions. We were made to share and spread these feelings out to the world. We were made to feel deeply and passionately about a lot of things, especially about things that we hold dear like family and friends.

At first, I kept asking who is Evelyn and what she is in this story. Then, as the dynamics between Rhonda and Olivia was explained it slowly became evident the role of Evelyn in their lives. She is the glue that held all the connections between Olivia, Rhonda, Carlotta and Marco. With her absence, it seemed that the link has been severed also. Some of them were left drifting like Marco, finding no reason to live. Others like Rhonda became scared and fearful of the changes. Olivia, on the other hand, was looking for that something to make her whole. 

I liked how one Skype call changed everything.  It prompted the series of events that moved all these people into each other's orbit. It propelled each person to reach out and in turn each one discovered what's the significance of the other. It was like playing connect the dots. It all starts and ends with Evelyn.

This is a very moving story of finding oneself. To realize that the one thing you were looking for was right in front of you. To find that there is someone or people out there who cherished the same things as you do and you have a common ground--a connection that could never be erased by distance or time. That knowing where you came from can actually lead you to finding the person you want to become.

I give this 4/5 junk boats. I was not happy with the ending. Not everything was resolved. Marco should have done something to make up for his shortcomings and for the time that were wasted. What happened to Marco's character made the ending incomplete. All the other characters in the story had been able to find solace but not Marco. I think it was so cowardly of him to not face his situation. I think he should have been thankful instead of turning his back. I wished there was a better ending for Marco. I think he too deserved some measure of happiness and peace after all that he has been through.

She stood, listening to the silence, a silence so unlike the one she knew--the desert--dried up and hollowed out, empty. But this silence was different. Full and lush and alive. She felt strangely attuned to it, the soft wind, like a howling animal.

- Jackie Townsend, The Absence of Evelyn -

 Thank you again Netgalley for the copy.