Gun Brooke’s newest contemporary romance novel, Insult to Injury, is a story I really enjoyed. It is the fourth book in the Coffee Sonata Universe, but it is not necessary to read the other books first. This book works well as a standalone novel.
The story revolves around Gail Owen, a famous violinist until a car accident injures her arm and hand so badly that she is unable to play. Mourning her lost career, she withdraws from her life in New York and buys an old farmhouse just outside of East Quay, Rhode Island. The story also centers around Romi Shepherd, a young woman who has been living as a homeless person in New York until she comes under suspicion for a break and enter crime she did not commit. She flees back to her old home just outside of East Quay, a farmhouse that her Aunt Clara owned until she died, and it was sold to Gail. The meeting of these two women causes an almost instant attraction, but also a lot of problems. They come from such different backgrounds, different lives altogether, and this leads to a great deal of the angst in the tale.
This is a character driven story, and I must say, I really connected with the two main characters, especially Romi. Something about her character just drew me in. I liked Gail too, but something about Romi was just special to me. This is the mark of a good author to create characters that grab the reader this way. The plot of this story is kind of unique. I would never have thought of pairing two such diverse characters together as a couple, but it works here. This is a lovely romance.
Some of the characters from former books in this series do show up as secondary characters in this tale. I mention this so those of you who have read the other books and would like to see how these characters are doing will know to check this book out.
This is a sweet romantic story that I was definitely partial to. If you love a good, slow-burn romantic novel, then grab this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 