Francis Ray

Borrowing characters from a previous novel, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, Ray uses general contractor Zachary and his wife, Madison Holman, the adoptive parents of Manda, as the launching pad for this latest series, A Family Affair. In this first book, WHEN MORNING COMES, readers meet Dr. Cade Mathis. Cade is an accomplished neurosurgeon, determined to shake off the dust of his abusive childhood. He can’t understand why his mother never wanted him, and he has no idea who his father might be. show more Doesn’t matter, as he’s become the success he is in spite of them both.

Hospital patient advocate Sabrina Thomas transferred from her prior position after her outspokenness and loyal concern for her patients made her working environment untenuable. Her background is completely different than Cade’s, and yet not as different as he may think. Sabrina and Cade must work together on a hospital project, and she determines to find the humanity beneath the cold, unfeeling surface of Dr. Mathis.

This explosive story begins deceptively, as an ordinary—although no story in the hands of Francis Ray could ever be called “ordinary”—romance. But as the story unfolds, Ray drops a bomb or two into her plot that elevates the story to another level. Expecting to enjoy the story, I went from gently turning pages to whipping them to get from one to the next as quickly as possible.

What I enjoy about Ray’s romances is that she makes readers feel her characters’ angst. Her writing is savvy, as are her characters, as she recounts her romantic tales in smart, sensuous terms, giving readers enough to get them hot and bothered by the taut action as much as by the gratifying romance.

An added bonus is the additional story of Kara Simmons, Sabrina’s neighbor and also a hospital employee, who struggles with honoring a commitment to her dying father to care for her overbearing mother. She finds respite in her art, something she has kept to herself, that is, until she meets Tristan Landers. Two satisfying romances for the price of one is always a good buy. WHEN MORNING COMES is a highly recommended read. show less

Posted on Romancing the Book's blog
Reviewed by JoAnne
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

This was an enjoyable read that kept my interest from beginning to end. It had laugh out loud moments along with romance, love, tears, family, friends and high powered jobs that caused angst more than once. There was the requisite happily ever after that didn’t look like it would happen even though you were rooting for Cecily and C.J. to recognize that it was more than a fling or lust but love they show more felt for each other. C.J. was the type of man any of us would want to fall in love with and be with – caring, thoughtful, hard worker, family oriented and romantic.

It was nice to see how C.J.’s family rallied around one another and wanted to spend time together but sad to see that Cecily didn’t exist in the eyes of her family since she strayed from what they felt she should be doing as her life’s work. The friendships depicted were real and you could feel the affection they had for one another. There was a wonderful storyline, great character development and nice closure.

I have not read other books in this series or other books by Ray except for those in anthologies but look forward to reading more of them. There was an excerpt from the next book, A Dangerous Kiss, that whet your appetite for the romance between Summer and Sin who were major players in With Just One Kiss. Give Ray a read, you’ll be glad you did.

Favorite Quote: He paid attention-albeit occasionally for ungentlemenly reasons – to what she wore, so he easily recalled that she wore floral prints and had floral influences in her home. He didn’t have to think long to figure out why her yard was bare of flowers.

Her hectic schedule didn’t allow her time to care for them. And although she obviously had someone cut the yard, it was so small, they wouldn’t come often enough to care for flowers.

Stepping farther into the yard, he saw a two-tiered stone fountain-only there was no water. He started toward it. She might not have any flowers, but there was no reason she should do without her fountain. show less

Thoroughly enjoyable romance. I loved the characters and am excited to read Sin and Summer's story. This was the first Francis Ray novel I've read but it won't be the last.

Attracted to this book because the author has previously been on the NYT best selling lists, and the description of a successful doctor, abused by his adoptive parents, who reconnects with his family in surprising ways. I was not expecting your typical romance. Had I known, I probably would not have sought out this book. Even so, it was a generally engaging tale. Some of the plot twists were hackneyed and the 'deus ex machina' ending felt contrived to me. I finished in a few hours, found it show more an easy read and would recommend to those who do enjoy romance novels. show less