Hang on to your heart, this book will tug on all the strings. Drew Sellers is drifting aimlessly after a forced retirement due to injury and spending his days getting drunk and wasting time. A chance meeting at a coffee shop with a woman from his past changes everything. Drew finds out he has a daughter who is the result of a hook up after an away game as a college freshman. It seems fate is smiling on them when Sara finally realizes who fathered her child. Sara is now in the end stages of cancer and time is not on their favor for reunion. Chloe is nearly 12 and a typical tween but she is also smart and sweet. What really pulls this all together is Peyton, Sara's sister, who flies in from New York to take care of Sara and Chloe and all kinds of chemistry develops between her and Drew. Lots of twists and turns and emotions. There is also lots of laughter and sadness and everything in between. This is an extremely well written book and I definitely recommend it!

**Received and ARC copy for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

This book has it all ... a really heart wrenching story!

Drew and Sara had a one night stand freshman year of college ... exactly what they both wanted. But a month later when Sara found out she was pregnant, she couldn't locate Drew because she didn't even know his last name. Twelve years later, Sara has terminal cancer and she would like her daughter to meet her father. Coincidentally she sees a picture of Drew, as he was a NHL star and she contacts him. But things have not been going great for Drew since his knee injury and he "retired" from hockey. He gets drunk regularly, sleeps all day, plays video games and of course he likes it when the "ladies" console him. When the paternity tests come back that it is 99.99% that he is Chloe's father, Drew decides he wants to meet her.

Once Sara isn't well enough to care for herself and her daughter Chloe, her sister Payton puts her job on hold and comes home to look after them. Payton's 1st impressions of Drew are not great, but as time goes on she agrees with Sara that it would be good for Chloe to have him in her life. Soon after the sparks fly ... both Drew and Payton know it's not a good idea, but they start a secret affair because they just can't keep their hands off each other.

This story has everything in it ... so get your tissues out because you will need them. You will also laugh out loud and have to fan yourself during the sex scenes. I highly recommend that you take this journey and remember to "Dance in the Rain"!

I received an ARC copy from Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Dancing in the Rain is my first book from Kelly Jamieson and when I read the blurb, it sucked me in. Angst, a surprise kid arc... I was sold!

I think the author did a great job of developing the characters. You can feel Drew's angst after his hockey career ends and he's lost, not knowing what to do with his life. Even when he's being a jerk, it was hard to dislike him because I could feel his pain and his misguided attempt to do what he thought was the right thing.

Peyton was a little harder to connect to but I adored the love and strength she had for her family and her willingness to take care of others. She and Drew made a great couple.

I especially loved the scenes with Drew and his daughter. I found them to be realistic for a guy who suddenly finds out he has an 11 year old.

Only a few small things bothered me about the story. 1) Drew suddenly became a cave man who couldn't speak in complete sentences during the sex scenes and that threw me off. 2) Although the sex scenes don't really take over the book, I kind of wish one of them had been chopped to make more room for the actual story. But none of those things will keep me from recommending this book to anyone who enjoys angst and/or contemporary romance!

Another fabulously written book by Jamieson. I absolutely love the hockey books she has written. But Drew and Payton's story is different. Yes, it touches on Drew's hockey career. However, the struggles of overcoming life's sometimes sharp curves makes this journey a great ride to take.

First of all, I am a fan of this author, but somehow this one just didn't quite do it for me, I'm not sure what I was expecting, maybe more of a slow burn, but I kept waiting for "it" to hit me. I wanted more interaction between him and his daughter. I wanted him to be a bit more alpha. I guess I wanted more action, and it seemed like there was a lot of introspection. I just wanted more.

3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

OK, in a totally boneheaded move I avoided reading a different ARC of mine b/c I was afraid of all the emotions, and instead picked up this one, which contains...ALL THE EMOTIONS. I don't know if I just forgot the blurb since when I requested it, but yeah. For a girl who was looking for something lighter, I really wasn't thinking. So basically what I'm saying is that this book deals with some pretty heavy topics, and is definitely on the more emotional scale. It doesn't help that I have a personal connection to the type of Cancer that Sara is dealing with (melanoma), so it hit a bit too close to home at times. But at the same time, it was nice that a cancer that's affecting my loved one was getting a bit of attention.

So this is my first book by Ms. Jamieson, and perhaps it wasn't the best introduction to her work. Which is NOT to say the book wasn't well written, just that it sounds like it was a bit of a departure from her usual stuff (both from reviews and from her note in the acknowledgements about being encouraged to branch out), so I will definitely have to get me one of her hockey books in the future and get another taste. I can honestly say I enjoyed that Drew was Canadian, b/c I got to see some teeny tiny things that made me (as a Canadian) smile.

In the end, you know where the strength of this story lies? In the non-romance part. In the development of Drew, in the grief shared by the family, in their navigation of new realities. I'm not sure what happened, but it's almost like Ms. Jamieson was so focused on bringing us a "bigger book" that the romance kind of got lost in the shuffle. Which is not to say it wasn't there, but it just didn't capture me. It felt a bit forced. I didn't feel that chemistry between Peyton and Drew. It kind of...well...bored me. :( I really hate saying things like that, but it's how I felt. Even the steamy scenes didn't really do much for me...but part of that was because there was some talking, and I'm really picky about my dirty talk and Drew's didn't work for me. No offense, but no.

OK, so that was the bad. Which is kind of a bummer, b/c I'm a romance girl at heart. BUT!!! But but but... A lot of THE OTHER STUFF was so well done for me!!! These characters were really pretty flawed. But not without redemption. It was kind of intriguing to read about a character being forced into retirement b/c of injury. It's not really sexy to see a guy indulging in a pity party, but it was very real at the same time...I could get how he got to that point, and I could really feel his emotions. It's not how you normally want to see your heroes, but I really didn't mind it. B/C it's kind of refreshing you know? And it made his growth so much more satisfying. I loved how much he struggled with getting out of that low, that it wasn't just easy... I know that's kind of weird and may turn other people off, but not me. It made him more real to me. It made me love Drew more.

And then there was how he dealt with finding out he was a Dad. OMG, AGAIN real real real. There wasn't some magical instant connection, and he wasn't immediately comfortable with it all. But he was interested. And even though he wobbled at the beginning, he really put his all into developing a relationship. I LOVED that he was honest about his feelings at different steps along the way. And I loved that he had some great instincts with Chloe, even if he didn't always trust them. Sometimes I felt a bit weird at how he got some things so perfectly right (like the dress code), but on the other hand I was cheering!

And I thought Chloe was very realistic too! She's in that stage of life where we get to see so much, both good and bad. She had missteps, and attitude, but also heart and depth. I appreciated that.

Peyton was a little less likable for me. I'm not sure if I just didn't get enough from her, or maybe I was disappointed in how long it took her to come to certain conclusions. But where she shined for me was in displaying how hard it is to deal with a family member who is dying, and then in showing us authentic grief afterwards. I really appreciated that, and my heart just broke for her.

I was a little bummed in both of our MCs about the climax. I guess it kind of went hand in hand with them behaving unfortunately realistically, but at the same time some of their actions and reactions felt a wee bit out of character. But maybe that was just me.

So yeah. Odd reading experience for me. To have some things that I absolutely adored, but others that left me wanting. I think if the climax hadn't been so off-putting, I would have rounded this one up instead of down, THAT'S how much I enjoyed all the family dynamics and non-romance parts. But in the end the climax combined with a romance that left me unfulfilled (which is kind of not good when the book IS a romance) has me rounding down. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author though. I think she'd nail the sports romance genre.

Oh My Gosh...this book was SO good!! These characters will make you fall in love with them and will tap every emotion you possess. Get ready to laugh, ugly cry, and sigh. This book is different from anything I've ever read from Ms. Jamieson (and I've read a lot of her books) and she absolutely hit it out of the park with this one. Put this on the must read list, I highly recommend it.

Drew Sellers has no idea what life has in store for him when his NHL career comes to an abrupt end. Until a chance meeting at a coffee shop has his past and present colliding and his world turned upside down.

There's no question this book packed an enormous emotional punch. At its core, Dancing in the Rain is a beautiful love story -- between family members. The family dynamic presented here is so unique, but touching and compelling to read. I was completely invested in the bonds they formed and - I'm not going to lie - there were some sobby tears.

That said, parts of this book fell flat for me. I felt like the pace moved incredibly slow and I was able to skip over some sections without ever losing the thread of the storyline. The relationship between Drew and Peyton is a very slow burn and to some extent it needed to be, but sometimes I felt like that came at the expense of my patience. I was also frustrated by the conflict - which didn't ring true to character for me. Something was just off and I wasn't able to stay consistently connected.

I'm glad I stuck with it though - I felt like it was worth it to ride out the parts that felt slow for me. The relationship development between Drew and Chloe alone makes this an incredibly rewarding story. And Drew? You guys. This guy is amazing. He's an amazing person, but when he turns his "dad" on? *ovary explosion*. I just completely adored him.

In all - it was a bit uneven but ultimately incredibly rewarding and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this. If you're going in? Grab tissues and hang on to your heartstrings. I'm here for you if you need me along the way.

Drew finds himself in a situation when someone from his past seeks him out as part of her dying wish to tell him about a teenage daughter he never knew about. Peyton is the sister of Drew's one night stand and the two bond while Drew develops a relationship with Peyton's niece/Drew's daughter.

This was such a sad story with a happy ending. A fabulous read and Kelly Jamieson certainly did not disappoint with this book.

This book was such a good book. I laughed. I got angry. I cried, a lot, probably more than I should admit to.
Drew is a retired (not by choice) hockey player who is really living it up on the woe-is-me, pity party. He has only ever played hockey and doesn't know what to do with himself. He has started drinking (probably way more than he should) and he has started f**king many different girls. Sara walks into the bar one night and he has no clue who she is; yet, she tells him that eleven years ago, while they were in college they had a one night stand and he has a daughter. She insists that she doesn't want anything from him, but he isn't sure if he should believe her. Oh yeah, and she is dying. If he wants to get in his daughters' life, he should call her.
Peyton is Sara's sister and has helped take care of Sara during her illness. She is all that Sara and Chloe, Drew's daughter, will have left after Sara passes on. She is career driven, never wanted a family and doesn't believe Drew is a good influence for her niece (the first time she met him he was drinking and then she got a surprise when she went to confront him about backing out of meeting Chloe). Ultimately, it isn't her decision and Sara asks Peyton to be with Drew and Chloe when they get to know one another.
Both Drew and Peyton are attracted to the other, but feel it would be too weird to pursue because of Sara. Over time, Peyton realizes there is more to Drew, and he realizes that he likes her as well. They decide to try and see where things go, but to keep it on the down low.
Throughout the book, you see Sara becoming sicker and sicker and the affect it has on Chloe, Peyton and Drew. Drew realizes that he wants to be in Chloe's life, but knows that Peyton plans on moving back to New York. Due to misunderstandings and lack of communication, Drew and Peyton get into a fight and both worry that the other is going to take Chloe away from him/her.
When Chloe does something to get their attention, will it push them together or apart? Will Drew be able to come back from the brink and find happiness in his professional life? Will Peyton put Drew and Chloe before her job to find happiness? Will they figure out that they are better together than apart? Pick up Dancing in the Rain today.
I received an ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.

When I started reading this story, I thought to myself, this is a story that readers are either going to really enjoy or they won't. Do you want to know why? Because this story is quite an emotional read due to what's happening with the heroine's sister, and not every reader can handle a good cry session when it comes to reading. They prefer to read for pleasure, the happy ever after they know the main characters are going to get eventually, not fight through the tears that are bound to spill. Yet, I found once my tears dried up and I got to the moment where the heroine and his daughter will need the hero more than ever and to the moment where the hero realizes that nothing that's happened in his life is as significant as what Peyton and his daughter are going through, that this was a fantastic read I could not get enough of.

The dialogue was emotional, intense and it was hard not to cry for the heroine and her niece. Knowing her sister is going to die is hard to cope with, especially when her sister was such a rock growing up. The one that was always there for her and Peyton is determined to be the same for her sister. Certainly, it's not fair and the heroine has some big decisions to make. Will she take her niece away from Chicago to live in New York where she has no friends and has to start at a new school? Will she take her niece away from the father she's only just getting to know? However, the dialogue wasn't all intense. Lucky for Drew, Peyton sees beyond the hero's need to have a pity party for one. There were certainly moments that had me smiling such as the heroine challenging the hero when it comes to getting to know his daughter and what the hero does for his daughter at her school. How could he not want to get to know such an amazing young and bright girl?

As for the hero, the only life Drew has ever known centered around his hockey career, and I could understand why he acts the way he does having lost such a great career. It makes him seem selfish, but he certainly redeems himself with everything he does for Peyton. What is he going to do now that he no longer has hockey? Will he be able to find a job that will benefit whatever skills he has? Moreover, I liked the growing relationship he had with his daughter. It was hard for him not to love such an incredible young girl who is wicked smart and does a lot of good. Does the hero make some bad decisions? Absolutely, but they're certainly ones that can be fixed, if he can find a way for the heroine to forgive him.

Overall, Ms. Jamieson has penned a gratifying, heartfelt read in this book that had me in tears at times, but left me with a smile at the end. Because after everything this couple go through, no one is more deserving of happy ever after than these two. The chemistry between Drew and Peyton continued to build throughout this story, and spilled over onto the pages in scorching sex scenes that illustrated love is possible, even when you're grieving and needing to make the hardest decisions a person ever has to make. The way this story ended was wonderful, as Drew made things right with Peyton and finally discovered what his future held in terms of a career. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up perfectly with the surprise Drew had for Peyton. Luckily, he had some help by those that love Peyton too. I would recommend Dancing in the Rain by Kelly Jamieson, if you enjoy second chance romances or books by authors Sawyer Bennett, Toni Aleo or Lisa B. Kamps.

I'm going to just be straight up with you, you are definitely going to need a box of Kleenex for this story, and you will use every last one of them. Peyton, Chloe and Drew's story is so full of heartache, complete surprises, life changing events and definitely love to get them all through what life has thrown them. I honestly wasn't expecting what made this story up, but I'm darn glad I read it. Your life's priorities are definitely reset once you read it. Chloe is so young, your heart breaks for her, I can't imagine the loss at such a tender young age, but Peyton is such a great aunt, that you know things will be okay. Drew is the new found dad after all the years he had no idea he had a daughter. The way the author brought this together was pretty great, but if you think you can get through this with no tissues, you will be sorely mistaken. Other than a few spelling errors, this book was definitely worth the read. Love this author, and when I first started it, I thought it was part of the Aces hockey series, but it's a standalone, not part of any series at this point. Loved the book, although it was a bit heavy, dealing with the loss of a parent is never easy, it's what you do with that looks that makes the difference.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

Heavy, man. But still, this book was fantastic. I loved how real life it seemed, because being famous or rich certainly does not inure one to life's problems. Drew and Peyton were perfect for the story and for each other.

Drew is just drifting without any aim after a knee injury forced him to retire from hockey, when he learns of his 12 year old daughter from a one night stand in college.
Peyton is happy with a career as a reputation consultant, but her personal life is in a turmoil with her sister dying and she being the guardian of her 12year old niece.
Drew and Peyton meet under unusual circumstances, he is her nieces father. Struggling with grief and tragedy they find love with each other.
Dancing in the rain is a beautiful story, a perfect balance of courage, grief, love and romance. The characters development in face of so many changes has been dealt in a very beautiful manner. It's a book that will make you tear up but also smile.
A not to be missed read for sure.

The description of this book intrigued me and I enjoy Jamieson's writing style. This book did not disappoint. Obviously, it was a very emotional story as one of the main characters is a mom with a terminal diagnosis. This book was heartbreaking and beautifully written. I was very happy with the ending and would love to see more of the characters!

I have to say this is the best book Kelly has written.. So heart warming and touching. The emotions in this are what life and love are all about. Family is what it is all about and life is too short. Drew and Peyton find themselves in the most difficult situation, how can they make this work for everyone.?

Absolutely amazing book!

dancing in the rain was an unexpected surprise. deeply emotional and sweet and so, so sad. drew sellers is reeling from his forced retirement from the world of nhl hockey. when a girl he barely remembers from college stops by to let him know that he has a twelve year old daughter and that she's dying, his first thought is that this is a scam. but when paternity tests confirm that sara watt is not lying he realizes that he needs to make changes in his life.

peyton watt, sara's sister, is trying to juggle it all. her sister's death. a busy and demanding career. her future guardianship of her niece. and now getting to know her sister's baby daddy. even worse, every time she sees drew she tingles with awareness. and it is simply the most inconvenient thing. everything in her life is a mess. drew is a mess. how can any of this work.

the romance is a slow burn, which makes sense because what is happening around them is so heavy and big. sara's death isn't dragged out, but if you've known anyone die too young from cancer and know about hospice and palliative care, it's incredibly hard to read about because it's definitely portrayed honestly and realistically. i cried for these characters but i also cried for people i have known and lost in this same manner. so it's great timing that things between drew and peyton heat up after sara's death. because you need a distraction from the sadness as much as they do.

dancing in the rain also does a wonderful job with chloe, drew and sara's daughter. the way the book allows her relationship with drew to develop is wonderful. and yet it doesn't shy away from showing her grief or her age-appropriate brattiness. all of the characters here are fully drawn, except maybe sara who seems to be the catalyst for so many events that occur in the novel, but always remains a cipher. you never really know what she is thinking or feeling. we don't spend time in her head, only in peyton and drew's so this makes sense. this is their story after all. but sara is an integral part of it, and i just find it interesting that in some ways she remains a mystery. i don't think it's a bad thing either. there's no reason to spend more time in sara's head. it's probably a sad and hard place to be. she dies. and it's unfair and it sucks and that's how life is.

we get to see peyton and drew and chloe work through their grief. sara's death affects them all in different ways, but how they come together and find love and acceptance with each other is really a beautiful thing. in the end, as sad as some moments of this book are, it's a book about hope and love and life, pretty much exactly what a romance novel should be.

Drew and Peyton meet under unusual circumstances. He has just found out he has an almost 12-year-old daughter with her sister, who is dying of cancer. Sara finds Drew and informs him of his daughter, that she is dying and that, if he would like, she would like him to meet and get to know his daughter, Chloe. Peyton is in town from NYC where she lives after receiving a call from Chloe that Sara is getting worse and needs help. Peyton leaves at the drop of a hat, flies to Boston and sets about trying to comfort Chloe and be there for her sister. Drew is a newly retired hockey player and is struggling with what to do with his life. He knows he needs to find a purpose but is not making any moves forward. I did like how he owned his life and made strides to do better. Peyton was pretty condescending and rude at times to the point of being downright b*tchy. It was uncalled for at times and she was in no position at times to be making the demands and the comments to the man who was the biological father of Chloe. The situation created tension and Sara did not help matters when she decided to send Peyton out with Drew and Chloe as a chaperone, even when they were in her house. Drew had a right to be there, to get to know his daughter and to insist on having visitation and custody. Peyton was named the legal guardian by Sara in her Will and she took that to mean she had full and sole say in what happened to Chloe. That is not how real life works and the father (Drew) had more rights than either Sara or Peyton wanted to give him. I liked how he fought to get informed of what his rights were. I liked he wanted to fight for Chloe and how he went toe to toe with Peyton in order to let her know he was not just going to let her decide his and Chloe's fate. Peyton was pretty selfish at points and thought she was the better choice for Chloe and that was that. Drew was just going to have to go along with her plan because she felt she had all the say and he had no rights. She felt Drew was trying to take Chloe away from her, but in the end she was trying to take Chloe away from Drew and didn't own that very much. You will have to read the book to see how it all plays out but I did like this book and found Drew to be a stand-up guy when it counted. I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Love this author and her books an this is one of them. It's about a former hockey player finding out that he is a dad to a preteen girl who has a protective aunt who will do anything to help her sister and her niece. She would have loved a cocky alpha like Drew who pushes her buttons but she is trying to do everything in her power for her family while working. She just trying to keep head above water in this story which makes you love her character that bit more. Drew you can't help wanting him to get his life back on track and become the father his little girl needs him to. He has to give up the drink an living in the past to get there an Peyton is the only one who can help him get there an become the better man that deep down he is. Love these characters and this story. Was hooked from the first page to the last couldn't put it down till the end. Just love Kelly Jamieson books. Would totally recommend this book an all her books too.

What an emotional roller coaster. I laughed; I cried. Keep tissues nearby. This was more than a romance novel. It dealt with family, love, loss, and finding yourself. Definitely recommend this book. I'll keep an eye out for this author in the future.