It is a sad day when I am so involved in a book that I read it during church because I couldn’t bear to put it down until I finished (I know I am a sinner, but it was worth it). ~ Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan. Sometimes it’s better.
Sienna Compton has it all figured out. Her life’s goals are set and it is all systems go. At least, it was. Until her long-time boyfriend Josh threw a ringer into the master plan, requesting a “break” from their relationship. Now she’s left alone during the long, cold Wyoming winter, questioning what her heart has always believed to be true love.
Daniel Lennon is facing an uncertain future. When a tragic accident leaves him unable to pursue his career as a professional bull rider, he finds himself at Compass Ranch, working to help Sienna’s father, Seth, build his horse breeding business. One look at Sienna has Daniel envisioning things he never imagined wanting—a permanent home, love, marriage—and he’s willing to use all the red hot tricks in his sexual arsenal to melt the ice surrounding Sienna’s broken heart.
When lust turns to genuine emotion, can Daniel convince Sienna to take a chance on something different and unexpected? Can he persuade her to consider a new path, one that will lead her directly to his arms…forever?
Warning: Roping and riding, past and future, cold winter and fiery desire, lust and love all come together in this new Compass series. Saddle up and hang on. The Comptons are back!
This story is a personal one for me because it has deep roots in why I became a reviewer in the first place. While there are many brilliant authors out there, there are two that I credit with my addiction to romance novels and one of them just happens to be Jayne Rylon. I remember the 
giddy feeling I had after reading the first book in the Power Tools series and was hooked instantly simply because I had so much fun reading it. When I discovered the Compass Brothers I saw a whole new side of this author and how brilliant she and Mari Carr are as a pair. As I read Silas’s story I became hooked on the Compton brothers and found myself anxiously awaiting each new story. When the final book of the series came out I was simply heartbroken. Not only for the fact that the series was ending, but also the emotional story within that gripped my heart so tight I couldn’t breathe. Throughout the stories, you get involved in the lives of the Compton’s and the love they have for their family. Their hard as nails father, J.D. and his dedicated wife Vikki, are the glue that keeps their boys intact to guide them through heart ache and true love as each one finds their way.
When I heard about the Compass Girls, I was not sure what to expect but I knew that my Comptons were back in action and I wanted to see how Jayne and Mari were going to make this work. I can honestly say I was blown away and found myself enthralled once again. It is a sad day when I am so involved in a book that I read it during church because I couldn’t bear to put it down until I finished (I know I am a sinner, but it was worth it). This series takes place about 21 years after the last Compass Brother’s story and follows the daughters of Sawyer, Sam, Seth, and Silas. Winter’s Thaw is Sienna’s story. If you are not familiar with the Compass series, her father Seth had gotten himself into a predicament when he kidnapped his now wife so that he could convince her to marry him.
Sienna, now 21 years old, has her entire life planned out with her boyfriend Josh. Sweethearts since they were in grade school, the two never knew what it was like to be with anyone else, love anyone else, or to even have a broken heart. As far as Sienna was concerned, Josh was going to finish school, take over his parents’ store, marry her, and have the perfect family. What she was realizing, was that her plans are not always followed the way she would like them to. Josh has been unpredictable lately. He is doing poorly in school, wants to spend more time with his friends, and just seems to irritate Sienna rather than make her happy. She thinks that it is just a phase and eventually everything will work out as she plans, but those plans are about to change the moment Daniel moves in at Compass Ranch. Sexier than any man Sienna had ever seen, he made her think of sex, sweaty sheets, and naughty, naughty things.
Daniel Lennon had an eye for Sienna the moment he saw her. He knew she was the boss’s daughter but from the moment the two of them began arguing in his trailer, he knew he wanted her. She had a fire within her that he knew was begging to come out and he wanted to be the one to make it happen. After taking the time to get to know her better he realized she had a boyfriend. What he didn’t understand was why. She seemed to be upset by him more than anything else and Daniel just knew that Josh wasn’t satisfying her in more ways than one. When he kisses Sienna and proves just how true that statement is, Sienna begins to question her future plans and whether or not she and Josh really do belong together. After Josh finally makes an appearance during the holidays, Daniel overhears Josh telling Sienna that he needs a break from their relationship to figure things out. Talk about finding an excuse to have sex with other women! Daniel knew that Sienna’s heart was about to break and he was going to be the one to fix it. As he does his best to be there for her each day, he finds himself lying awake at night thinking about her more and more. That is until Sienna shows up on his door step wearing nothing but a nightie and a smile. Looks like Sienna’s rules may have changed after all.
As this relationship begins, Daniel and Sienna are not sure what to make of it. The initial plan of no strings attached sex, had turned into nightly, no holds barred sex that quickly became routine. Sweet Sienna realized she liked a little pain with her pleasure and her sexual appetites quickly surpassed anything Daniel had imagined. He was falling for her. This places him in a predicament, because Josh still calls Sienna and dangles her by a string. Daniel knows Sienna’s feelings have changed too, but he isn’t sure how to confront her and help her face the truth.
While this love story will grip your heart, there is another story to be told. Vikki, Sienna’s grandmother, is having difficulty remembering things. Forgetting names, conversations, and daily happenings. Sienna and her cousins know that Vikki is ill but they are afraid to confront their grandmother with the truth (break out the tissues). When they realize that Vikki knows more than she lead on, Vikki explains what the last days of JD’s life were like and how it broke her heart watching her sons helpless to do anything to stop their father from dying. He lost his dignity and had to rely on his sons and she did not want to be the same way. Determined not to make her sons go through that again, she must make some difficult decisions and counts on her granddaughters to keep her secret just a little while longer while doing her best to share her memories with them so they are never forgotten (I sense another heart break in future books and I keep crying just thinking about it). It is then that she shares the truth about how she and J.D. met, and how perhaps a wonderful man, may not be a wonderful man for Sienna. Learning the truth about the amazing relationship her grandparents had and seeing how happy her own parents are, Sienna realizes that her heart knows where it belongs. She just needs to let go of her life plan so that she can finally stop thinking about the destination and enjoy the journey instead.
Winter’s Thaw is a heartfelt journey that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and of course squeal at the amazing encounters that happen between Daniel and Sienna. The passion between the two characters is raw, honest, and results in some of the most passionate and heated encounters to express what their words could not. Jayne Rylon and Mari Carr have created one of the most beautiful families with honest, raw emotion that can only be described as breathtaking.
The reviewer’s personal history with the author is compelling — and the issue of dementiawas rarely found in a romance novel but I am seeing it more and more lately.
Thanks for the great review Alyn!