But Lucy, who is a talented glass artist, finds odd, almost random things happening now and again when she is in the throes of strong emotion. Sam has quite a rapport with plants, and particularly with his grapevines I could deal with that, although the theme is not really developed very well. Then there's a very strange mystical element popping up now and again. It was a sudden, almost jarring reminder that this book is set not in the UK but in America. It's hard to believe that anyone has not heard of Doctor Who, but apparently Lucy hadn't. A few geek jokes are thrown in, and some geeky tee-shirts described, including one showing a Tardis. Sam is also portrayed as being decidedly geeky, although I could never entirely mesh that with the rest of his character. So, classic chick-lit? Well, not exactly. But after her accident, a new kind of relationships starts to develop.

Predictably, his first few meetings with Lucy are fraught with tension, despite distinct attraction on both sides.

Sam is quite a looker, and he's a sensitive guy too, his only real flaw being that he is totally commitment-phobic. Sam is a wine-maker primarily a grape-grower, and lives with his older brother Mark and their orphaned niece Holly. Sam is an oddly likeable guy, the middle of three brothers who grew up in a severely dysfunctional family. Naturally, there's a hero who comes to the rescue. And then, just as she seems to be dealing with her circumstances fairly well, she is knocked over by a car. First her boyfriend of two years announces that he wants her to move out, because - of all things - he has decided that he likes her sister Alice better. It certainly happens that way for Lucy, the rather hapless heroine of this book. It's sometimes said that bad luck comes in threes. Summary: Pleasant chick-lit with an oddly mystical element.

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas