The Songbird's Call

I received an ARC of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review. What can I say, I love Rachael Herron's romances. They are light, easy reads that are meticulously written. Herron writes male characters that are human and relatable, unlike many romance authors. They love, hate, laugh and make mistakes all while treating women with respect. This shouldn't be as difficult to find in romance as it often is. Her female characters are similarly human and dimensional. There are no one note people in Darling Bay. For me the highlight of this particular book is the way Herron writes about a woman's struggle with being "curvy". Collin loves Molly for her curves, but all Molly can hear are he voices of people who told he for years she needed to loose weight or was prettiest when her body was unhealthily slim. This is familiar territory for me. Molly's struggles could have been my own. And, the way those struggles affect her relationship are totally authentic. I loved this book because it was a pleasure to read and because it reminded me that my curves are beautiful too.

Absolutely loved this book. Molly Darling returns to her only real home ,"Darling Bay“after 6 years working on cruise ships to visit her eldest sister Adele, whom she has not seen since their famous family band,"The Darling Sisters' split up. Having hit rock bottom with her job and her love life Molly decides to extend her stay in Darling Bay and fix up the Golden Spike Cafe that she was left as an inheritance from her late Uncle Hugh. (Adele was left the saloon and the hotel went to Lana) A midnight run in at the cafe with the local hunky heartthrob Sheriff Colin, sets off a chain of events that leads Molly to re-evaluate her life choices ,past and present. Although part of a mini series, (this is book 2) this book can be read independently, (which I did) and still flow. Previous characters stories such as Adele and Nate,are picked up easily and intertwine with current character’s. Having read all of the Cypress Hollow novels by Rachel I was delighted to discover the Darling Bay series, and I can’t wait for the 3rd installment to come out.

I received an early release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I’ve read of the Songbird series (there is a book one.) I have read the Cypress Hollow series. What can I say? I love Rachael Herron’s books. I am not a huge “romance” reader, but her books focus on more than just romance. Rachael writes in a way that challenges you, as the reader, to put the book down. I end up reading far past when I should, often falling asleep while still trying to get through another chapter. The Songbird series is based on three sisters who were once a rather popular country group, the Darling Songbirds. This book focuses on Molly, and her return to her “hometown” of Darling Bay. All three sisters have gone their separate ways and started leading their own adult lives. Molly returns home to visit her sister and try to find her way. There are revelations and topics in this book that are so timely. Rachael doesn’t shy away from talking about subjects that are sometimes kept in the shadows. Her characters learn so much about themselves throughout the novel. They find their inner strength and character. Molly comes to Darling Bay fairly broken, though she thinks she’s conquered her demons. It takes a few side battles for her to learn who she really is. I loved that Molly wasn’t perfect, nor was any other character in this book. They are real people. Rachael’s female characters are strong women who sometimes don’t realize their own strength. They are fighting similar battles to the battles we fight every day. I always find a character that I can relate to in each of her books. Rachael’s writing is strong - you can visualize very easily where you are and who these people are. That is one of the joys in reading her novels. There is definitely some good, hot romance, but nothing over the top. For those who love a good love story, you won’t be disappointed. Now that I’ve read book two of this series, I am definitely going to go back to book one. I want to learn everything I can about Adele, Molly and Lana Darling, and anxiously await the next book in the series.

Great story! Much more than just a love story, it's the story of the strength of women and the courage to make a change. Molly and Colin are great characters - both wanted to do the right thing, both a bit afraid. Although it can be read as a stand alone, I read book 1 first (The Darling Songbirds) - it was good having the back story of Adele and Nick, and the Darling Songbirds. I loved the book and look forward to Lana's story.