*Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield

3 stars***

There were several things I really loved about this book so I'll start there...
I loved Grace... Jane's long term friend. It's always nice to have that one character in a book that offers us a little bit of life wisdom. I'm always on board for thought provoking words that makes us stop and consider what's important.
I absolutely loved the goat... my heart went out to 'ole Bill Clinton... yep, that's his name. Wanna' know why?? Sorry, not gonna' tell.... the little old lady that owned him had her reasons and that's all I'm gonna' say. But it made me laugh...
Loved the character of Caleb. Awesome guy with a talent for music who was down on his luck. He was an old soul, good at reading people, honest and hard working. What's not to love really...
My issue was primarily with Jane... I just could not relate to her on an emotional or personal level. I am a woman in my 40's and I have a daughter the same age as hers. My reaction to my own daughters death would probably put Sally Fields from the movie "Steel Magnolias" to shame. I would definitely need a Wheezer to punch to relieve my anger! :) Jane's reaction to her daughters death and how quickly she moved on was something I just could not understand or relate too. She jumps into this relationship with Caleb quite suddenly. I needed a longer time line and more character development to make this love connection believable.
The romance was very sweet and romantic and they had lots and lots of sex. But, that's about as deep as this relationship went. I didn't feel love between these two at all. Physical attraction and lots of sex does not equate to love in my book. I don't know... I just needed something more. He is 24 and she is 40... so, if you have a problem with large age gaps in couples this might not be the book for you. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't. I think if I had liked Jane's character I would have been okay with the age gap. Because I didn't like her I really wanted Caleb to move on.
As a whole this was an okay read, and clearly other people will like it more than myself taking into consideration their own opinions and life experiences. I guess I was just expecting more emotional depth... it seemed to scratch the surface of my emotions but never really took me over the edge.

ARC provided by Atria publishing via netgalley

What boundaries would you cross for true love?

That's the question a grieving mother must answer when she takes in a young street musician she believes can shed light on her daughter's death—only to find herself falling for him. A sexy but touching love story that will leave you both tantalized and in tears, Jane's Melody follows a forty-year-old woman on a romantic journey of rediscovery after years of struggling alone.

Sometimes our greatest gifts come from our greatest pain. And now Jane must decide if it's too late for her to start over, or if true love really knows no limits.