Heaven Sent Rain: A Novel

You are about to encounter a young boy named Jonah and his dog,

You are about to encounter a young boy named Jonah and his dog, Downmutt. They are an unlikely pair if you should ever meet them. Sitting outside during a rainy day on a park bench, they will change the life of Dinah Taylor, scientist and pharmaceutical CEO of Food for Life. Some might call it fate, but Jonah sees it as God's hand in his day. While waiting outside in the rain, Dinah feels compelled to buy this inspiring boy she is drawn to breakfast. Not sure if he is homeless or what his reason for being on the bench is, besides waiting to go to school, Dinah is convinced she needs to know more. While he doesn't look the part of a homeless boy, even if his dog does, Jonah displays a childlike innocence and maturity that draws people to him like a moth to a flame. It's the very reason Dinah finds herself meeting Jonah every morning for breakfast. She hopes to learn more about him.

Dinah is fine with her life the way it was before Jonah, on the cutting edge of developing and marketing a product that eliminates the symptoms of diabetes without claiming that it does just that. Even though all the clinical case studies is showing surprising and miraculous results, she knows if they market it as a drug then the FDA will need to get involved and that will cause the product to be delayed for further testing. So she is marketing the products as a food supplement to bypass the long lengthy process to get it into the hands of people who need it now.

When a late night phone call from Jonah demands help from Dinah to aid his dog that has been attacked, she knows she needs to help. Unsure of why his mother can't aid Jonah, she meets him on the corner and drives him to an urgent care clinic for animals. Dinah only knows that Jonah can't lose his dog because of the bond that goes beyond a simple boy caring for his beloved dog. They seem to be connected at a soul level and she will stop at nothing to ensure that the dog receives the very best medical care. Even though it means more than a handful of stitches, a cone of shame, and a few days at the pet hospital Jonah is thrilled to learn he won't lose his dog. Garrett Miller, the veterinarian assures Jonah he can come by as often as he wants to see Downmutt. As part of his practice Garrett draws a caricature of the pets and their owners and for some reason seems obsessed with Jonah and his dog. He finds himself drawing and painting them whenever he has a free moment. Just what is calling on his heart and soul to keep this little boy in his heart?

But bigger plans are being put in the works and these seemingly random events all have a divine purpose when fate hands Jonah the ultimate hand in life. What role will Dinah have to play in Jonah's life? Will she have what it takes to help her through the transition she doesn't see coming? What is the obsession that Garrett has with the look in Jonah's eyes? What role does he have to play in what circumstances follow Jonah? Find out in Lauraine Snelling's latest novel, Heaven Sent Rain that I received from Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Group for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. There are no coincidences in life, simply divine appointments and in the lives of Jonah Morgan, Dinah Taylor and Garrett Miller. They will each find out what God is calling them each to do and how they will all intersect. Each of them will have their faith put to the ultimate test to see which will be refined and which will grow in character and strength in the end. I easily give this one a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars. Sometimes it takes awhile to see the good in the storms life hands us and it isn't until we get to the other side that we can see God's hand in it all.

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Very inspirational - a beautifully written story!

This was my first book by award-winning author, Lauraine Snelling, and was very impressed. I so look forward to reading more from this talented author.

When I first had an interest in reading this book, was drawn to the high resolution imagery of the front cover, and second the summary seemed something I would enjoy reading. However, was afraid it would be a regular story of a powerful woman meeting a small town veterinarian. “Heaven Sent Rain” was so much more!

Snelling drew me in from the beginning with her storytelling, depth, setting the mood with strong rich character development, and carefully unfolding piece by piece with honest emotion and genuine feelings.

Here is a single professional woman, smart, and CEO of her own company and a small little boy and his dog crosses her path. What is his story and is he homeless? The obstacles and challenges begin in her personal and professional life which seem to pile up daily, as she questions her ability, her past, and her future.

Instead of ignoring them, she begins to show compassion, as she helps this seven year old little boy and his dog named Mutt. However, she may get more than she bargained for. Even though throughout the novel the author chooses not to disclose why Dinah is so cold-hearted about certain things, and why she has lost her faith in God and people – until towards the end.

Once you know the real reason behind her past, the story comes together as she slowly allows people, including Garrett, to come into her life, and realizes God has been there all along in everything she has done throughout her career as she helps people with her company and talents.

As we all are aware, God has a way of turning our lives upside down and taking us on a path we had not anticipated. We all are guilty of negative first impressions due to someone or something from our past which has hurt us previously. (Great dynamics between Dinah and Garrett).

This Christian book is about losing faith when the going gets tough, and how God uses someone to help us through it. They may be in our lives for a reason, or just a season. It would be an ideal book for a young mother, or professional single career woman. What an inspirational and beautiful bittersweet story of love, family, friends, healing, and faith-highly recommend!

As the story reiterates – God sees a bigger picture than we see, and He has a perfect plan for each of us. (even though sometimes it is disguised through another person, or ways we cannot comprehend until later). This is the real meaning behind Heaven Sent Rain when fate crosses the path of these three strangers. We all lose our way sometime, no matter how strong we are – it is nice to know someone is there to help guide, love and support us.

My favorite character was Jonah, as he would make you smile and laugh; a little boy who had to grow up before his time, a rough childhood, with a heart of gold melting hearts with his love for his dog. You will also love the vet, Garrett -- sounds like my kind of guy and quite the hero!

A special thank you to FaithWords/Center Street, and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

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 Inspiring Sweet Read This is the first time I have read Laurai

 Inspiring Sweet Read

This is the first time I have read Lauraine Snelling but it won't be the last! I was so caught up in the story I had the hardest time putting this book down to get anything done!!




Dinah is a single woman, self- sufficient, biochemist and CEO of her own company, and very much in control of her life! Until.... she meets Jonah. She sees him just hanging out in front of her office building  with a dog by his side. After taking pity on him, and buying him some breakfast, he shows up more frequently. She cant get him out of her mind... who is he, where is his family, where does he live, what kind of home does he have? He is not opening up.




After a night time emergency, in which Dinah takes Jonah and his dog to the urgent care vet, her life begins to change forever. They meet Dr G., with whom Dinah seems to clash, but Jonah seems to love. Dinah is able to find out more about Jonahs family, but in doing so, she is sealing her fate. And Dr G.? Well, somehow... God keeps putting him back in the picture. Even he doesnt understand why, when all he wants is to move on and get those eyes out of his mind.




Lauraine does an incredible job drawing you in to the story. Captivating you with the tale. Keeping you wondering and guessing. But hers is a tale of lives interwoven by God's grace. A tale of how He works in our lives behind the scenes drawing us back to Him even as we are running away. A tale of love, fear, faith and healing. It weaves the grace of God and hope into every corner of these lives. The past cannot be simply buried, it must be opened up and dealt with. And as it is, Gods amazing grace heals the hurts, the wounds, the pain and draws us into his loving arms, those arms that have been there all along guiding, sustaining, and waiting patiently for us to realize the error of our ways. 




Coincidence? No providence is what this book is about! Highly recommended - with time to read! You will be blessed and inspired!




A big thanks to Lauraine who was willing to send me a  copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! I am blessed to receive and read it!

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highly recommend

great read and very moving

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Couldve been better

Its 300 pages & the man & woman didnt even have an actual conversation til after page 200! Too many details that dont matter in the story. And they werent even dating, made no googly eyes at each other but then all of a sudden theyre married...makes no sense! Their relationship couldve been given more detail rather than the details of her drug or his painting tools or the buildings, among other things. Too long & rushed info toward the end.

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Well, this is certainly not my usual book¿ But I received a fre

Well, this is certainly not my usual book…

But I received a free review copy in eBook – from Lauraine Snelling and I decided to give it a try.

And darn it! Now I’m going to have to go buy the paper version too! 

BE WARNED! This book will pull you right in and it will NOT let go of your heart strings!

And it’s not just the mysterious little boy who has hold of them either.

Chapter 1 of “Heaven Sent Rain” had me going “Huh… What… Why…”

It dives right into the story and hits the ground running. And it only took a paragraph for me to be hooked.

Chapter 2 had me going “Awwww.” And then, “Huh… again” I will NOT spoil it for you but I will say this is an extraordinary book written about an unexpected journey guided by what some will probably try to deny is The Holy Spirit – even though it clearly is God’s voice that Dinah is hearing in the completely unexpected thoughts that simply will not stop – and it is a book that EVERYONE should read!

WOW!

I am so glad I asked to review this book. I might have missed out on the tremendous blessing otherwise.

The absolutely only complaint I have is that Lauraine is just a bit stingy with details – she drops little hints of detail and then moves on without explaining. And perhaps her usual readers prefer this or they know enough about her writing to read between the lines but it just left me feeling confused.

However, the impact of the story itself far outweighs any petty issues I might have. It is well worth a read!

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the cover designer. It is spectacular. Not only does it bring to mind what we see in the book (minus perhaps the rain coat our mysterious little boy is wearing…), it also looks so realistic, you can almost hear the rain.

BRAVO!

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

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