A Five Cup Review for Black Rain Rising!

Here is what "Coffee Time Romance" had to say:

Evie is the daughter of a wealthy radio station owner. She is beautiful and very capable in her job working for the station. She needs to find a new singer for a show.

Dallas has had a tough life, but he does the best he can for his little girl. He is a gifted singer and songwriter and all he needs is a break.

One rainy night, an angel walks into Duff Black’s tavern to use the phone. Evie Lake has been listening to mediocre country singers all night and her car breaks down in front of the run down honky tonk. She sits down with a cup of coffee and is amazed by the singer, Dallas Baird. Dallas is amazed by her as well, but their relationship is anything but smooth. Duff is murdered, and the Sheriff is reluctant to look any further than Dallas for a suspect. Dallas’ little girl is in need of an operation as well; but the biggest impediment to their being together is Dallas’ superstitious belief that everyone who gets close to him dies.

This is a wonderful story set in the fifties. Dallas and Evie come from opposite sides of the tracks, but the author conveys an immediate and strong attraction between the two. They share the same values, and Evie is one determined woman. I had no doubt that she would get her way in the end. The author does a masterful job of bringing the reader back to small town Texas in the fifties. She has the values and prejudices of the era down pat, and the characters she has created are memorable and realistic. The plot is gripping and full of romance, drama, and a bit of suspense, just like one of Dallas’s songs. The reader will love reading about Dallas and Evie’s story.

Maura Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Five out of Five Stars for Don't Call Me Darlin'!

Here is what "The Long and the Short of It" had to say:

A special treat! Subtly endearing and thoroughly thought-provoking, DON’T CALL ME DARLIN’ gives us Sam, a hero that is an honest-to-goodness Texas gentleman rancher, politician, friend, and “for-real” lover with humor and depth.

Sam pursues and patiently courts Sarah-Carole, the new librarian in Santa Rita, Texas. Highly responsible and dedicated to her work, Carole carries battle scars from past experiences and is fearful of creating any personal relationships, but her innate nature causes her to reach out to help people both young and old. Not until she is 28 years old does she hear the words “I love you”.

Fleeta Cunningham creates characters as real as one’s neighbor or business associate. Liza and Buffy are so like some former high school students I taught, sponsored, and traveled with over the years – energetic, bubbly, and fiery in defense of a cause they believe in. Ned, well-developed with just enough back-story to know how he came to be such a fanatic, creates a firestorm in his community that it threatens to consume him and all those he loves. He is an antagonist to be reckoned with.

The plot deals with very real issues that plague the 1950’s both politically and socially – not the least of which is the tight wire professional women must walk if they wished to be successful. Even perceived impropriety can derail a career.

I recommend DON’T CALL ME DARLIN’. Delightful humor, realistic characters and a look at the damage unfounded allegations can do are all helpful in creating a memorable story. This is one for the keeper shelf.

Here's Another Great Review...

Review:

Well I don’t usually like persecution stories. Stories that go on and on with someone undermining another person and threatening them and nothing happening except this painful build up and you just want to shout, ‘Get on with it.’

 But this book redeems itself.

 Once things start to fall into place, the pace quickens and the hero comes into his own it becomes a warm, thought provoking book with an enticing hero and wounded, yet proud, heroine. The author has a good writing style with a great turn of phrase that is refreshing.

 Ms Cunningham has obviously carried out meticulous research and she paints a realistic picture of 1957 and creates an image of small town America that both warms and terrifies at the same time. She populates that town with likeable, engaging secondary characters that contribute to the story and then she throws in one or two surprises. The best thing is that she balances the potentially irritating build up with a really good ending in which those who need it get a suitable comeuppance when tolerance and fairness triumph over bigotry. You just want to punch the air and shout ‘yes’. Regarding the romance- well it is a slow and steady development but the important thing is that it is believable and solid and you can see it happening against a backdrop of suspense that is really rather good.

 A lot of space was taken up with setting things up with descriptions and there is a lot of detail. That slows the story for me but I’m a two hundred-miles-an-hour person and I like a quick fix when I read. If you’re the sort of person who likes something meaty, thought provoking, warm and moving, who likes to take time and savour a book, who likes to be immersed in detail then this is for you.

Reviewed by Vasiliki Scurfield, Between the Lines