Review: Waiting for Rain by Susan Mac Nicol

Reviewed by Whuppsy
Waiting for Rain by Susan Mac Nicol
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 280pgs
4.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
The village of Stamford, the quintessential chocolate box English scene, seemed an impossible dream for foster kid Toby Prentiss. Now he’s found a home among the haystacks and village fairs as the general manager for the Duck and Drake Hotel. With the fears and demons from his youth hidden away in this bucolic oasis, he’s very protective of who he lets in. Until he stumbles across shirtless carpenter Rain Engel building the hotel’s new custom-designed bar. 

Working in the countryside, Rain prepared to face his biggest fear: sheep. He didn’t expect to deal with his second biggest fear: commitment. Toby’s controlled, tough guy façade coupled with his “find happiness where you can” optimism calls to Rain like nothing before. While Rain may be an exhibitionist, his romantic history forces him to hold his emotions close. As their relationship develops, secrets from their pasts drive a wedge between them: the ex-boyfriend who tore apart Rain’s trust and Toby's history with the law. But can the secrets hiding among the quirky villagers bring them together? With missing sheep, pole dancing at the winter festival, and a crippling drought, everyone is waiting for Rain.

Review
This sweet story is about two men who each came from different circumstances and yet, they find the home that they’ve always wanted in each other.

Toby Prentiss is a young man who has had such a hard life. Foster care, living on the streets, rented out his young body for a job and a roof over his head. But he has such integrity. He makes no excuses for how he grew up and how he got to be where he was. I love that he is so very honest about his past. He’s done some things that he’s not that proud of, but they have helped him get to where he wanted to be. He’s worked long and hard to have the position that he has. He truly deserved the happiness that comes his way in the form of Rain Engel.

Rain is a transplant from South Africa to England even if he did spend most of his life in England. He’s a good looking man who has also started over in this quaint little town. He had a bad break up with his ex about a year ago, with whom he was going to ask to marry him. He went off the rails for a bit and now he’s gun shy about starting a new one. He’s also a hard-working man who has this AMAZING talent with stripper pole. He’s so not sure he’s ready for a relationship, but Toby is barreling in his life and nothing is going to stop them.

So, this wonderful character driven story had me hooked. I loved that Toby, who had gone through so very much, was still willing to make a relationship happen and work with Rain. I loved that Toby had to help Rain see that falling in love again wasn’t a bad thing that they were able to help heal the wounds that the other carried.

I loved the secondary characters. Both good and bad. They really helped our characters see that they were strong and that they were loved. That they may do stupid things, but that they had people who cared about them. Now, some of the bad characters, they just hurt my heart. The things that they felt justified in doing, just to hurt our boys. Well, I was angry on their behalf and partly wanted to smack them in the head, REPEATEDLY. But that’s me.

There was some really great laugh out loud moments in this book. I’m on the bus to work and just started laughing like a loon, good times. There were also moments of such hurt and despair in the retelling of the guys’ stories that I had to stop reading and just find a way to make it through those parts. I’m glad I did. Toby and Rain worked hard for their HEA. Two men who started out thinking that this was just a good time, and seeing that with a bit of time and patience and work that they were falling in love.

Now, I will say that this book was pretty heavy on the sex. Not that I mind in the least. It was how the boys first got together and it was always something that they fell into. However, with that being said, it wasn’t just about the sex. It might have started that way, but Toby wanted and needed more. So did Rain, even if he didn’t know it. Some of the sex was hot and very steamy and yet, there was also the tender moments of being intimate. It was beautiful to see how they could show each other how they felt while being intimate that they couldn’t say otherwise. Sweet.

I will say that this book is a wonderful book. I really enjoyed it. I loved that it made me laugh and cry. That it broke my heart and yet found a way to put it back together again. A definite worth reading and read again story. You won’t be disappointed with this book.

4.5 Pants Off