Jane's Harmony: A Novel Paperback – August 5, 2014

When we last saw Jane McKinney and Caleb Cummings they’d rediscovered each other at the end of Ryan Winfield’s Jane’s Melody. These May/October (maybe September) lovers had overcome their obstacles and moved in together in the up and coming music town of Austin, TX. Living what Caleb refers to as a “Bohemian” lifestyle (small apartment, little money, and love), they are both physically and emotionally distanced from the bubble that was their life on a small island off the coast of Washington state. Jane and Caleb must now face the reality of being in a committed relationship while learning what is necessary to fulfill their dreams.Reviewing Jane’s Harmony is a bit like lassoing a toddler, there are so many outstanding elements that make up this story, that at times it's difficult to pin down how to classify it.Is it a romance? Absolutely. Jane and Caleb are two halves of one soul but still have obstacles to overcome before they reach their happily ever after.Is it about music? Yes…and no. In a matter of fact way, definitely. Caleb is a talented musician and song writer. He longs to share his talent with others, but without the compromise that comes with success. This actually makes him a standout character in a genre filled with success driven, hard-rocking, alpha males. Caleb’s music is so personal that there are moments that it plays the role of antagonist in this story until Caleb learns that to fulfill his dream (and be the man he wants to be for Jane) he’ll have to reconcile his artistry with his success. That he does this without compromising who he is becomes one of the main plot points of this novel.That this is also a tale of escaping the scars of addiction is never in doubt. The marks left on Jane’s heart: her abusive father, “dry” drunk, soulless mother, her daughter Melody, dead at 20 from an overdose, are never far from Jane’s mind. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that this soulful pain is holding Jane back from finding true happiness—and keeping it.So, what is Jane’s Harmony? By definition, harmony means: agreement; accord, consistent pleasing arrangement of parts. Any simultaneous combination of tones. So, Winfield tells us straight out in his title what his book is, it’s about finding harmony. Finding it within ourselves and with those we love. Once we’re harmonious, we can find peace, unity, and “a blending of simultaneous sounds.” *definitions taken from dictionary.com*From an overall perspective, I found that Winfield writes in big, sweeping, sometimes philosophical, passages. At times he can be a tad long-winded and perhaps a bit cliché here and there, but he knows how to reach into your chest and yank out your heart, resulting in a bout of ugly crying that’ll leave you with an empty tissue box. Yet, the book does start slow. Jane’s search for a job is boring and takes up way too many precious words. Caleb is just too perfect—until he’s not and we finally get to see all of him. When he the TV show Singer-Songwriter Superstar we get a nice look into the world of reality TV and a variety of eclectic characters that make up the music business. This, along with outstanding dialogue and some unexpected turns makes Jane’s Harmony the full package.

Let me start off this review with saying yes, I am ashamed of myself for buying and reading this on release day and just now getting around to reviewing it. What kind of fan am I? I’m going to blame the computer problems I’ve had for the last year and over scheduling myself for blog tours, not leaving me much time to write reviews for books I bought.Jane’s Melody was one of my favorite books that I read in 2013. I saw an ad for it on Facebook, bought it, read it, and became a huge fan of Ryan Winfield’s. I proceeded to buy every book he had put out and eagerly waited the release day for Jane’s Harmony (that I had preordered the day he announced it).Was the wait (that always seems like forever when you are waiting for a sequel to a favorite book) worth it? A thousand times YES!I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a sequel to my favorite story. I loved Jane and Caleb and I felt good about where we left them at the end of Jane’s Melody. It was perfect as it was and sometimes when an author tries to put another book out at the fans’ pleading request, it doesn’t feel the same.I ended up loving Jane’s Harmony just as much. The emotional ups and downs that Ryan writes are amazing, you ride along on this journey with them. I’ve said it before, one thing that is unique to me about his writing is that instead of feeling like you are a reader/observer to what is going in, in these books you are so mentally and emotional involved that it feels like you are right there with the characters. Jane’s Harmony was again like that. I was right along with Jane on her highs and lows, my heart would sink when hers was hurting, the emotional tug of war she was feeling was hard for me to read. There were Caleb’s struggles as well, it is really hard to be true to yourself in the situation that he was in. It would have been incredibly easy for him to become someone that Jane wouldn’t have any recognized with the opportunity he was given…I’m going to just end that sentence as an incomplete one. I don’t like to go where the blurb doesn’t in my reviews.I adored Jane’s Harmony, the reconnection to two of my favorite fictional characters, the love that they have between them, the tough decisions that they have to make, the way they stay strong when everything around them is going to pot, and the friendships that they make with others along the way. Those friendships always play an integral part in this series and I love them.5 “thank you for letting me spend some more time in Jane and Caleb’s world” stars from me!

Amazing Read definitely pulls at your heartstrings and very heartwarming loved this book has much as Jane's melody #1 loved Jane and Caleb love story and there chemistry and love for each other! Fantastic writing by Ryan Winfield can't wait to read more from him in 2015,

As with all Ryan Winfield' s books this is a beautiful story. He is such a great writer. The story itself is a bitter sweet tale of how a woman found romance. Highly recommended.

Wasn't that good a read, found it a little boring

Ryan's work is brilliant

Another great novel by Ryan Winfield. If you havent read any of his books i woud highly recommend his books .