The Winds of Sonoma

This was an excellecent book. I would recommend this book to anyone. I loved it!

I download a lot of books to my Kindle Fire, but since I work full time I dont get to read as much as I would like to. Therefore I have not read this book as of yet, but am looking forward to doing so. I would not have purchased this book without reading the description of the book, so feel this will be a good one when I get around to reading it.

This is a beautifully written love story based on the real life romance of the author. Angelica Amante discovers happiness and peace by being faithful to God. Raised in the Sonoma Mountains of Northern California, Angelica was the only daughter of a successful surgeon. When her parents were away from home, she was cared for by her beloved Poppy. From his care, Angelica grew-up to know God. After graduating valedictorian of her Law School, Angelica easily landed a coveted position in a prestigious New York Law Firm. She was well on her way to being one of the youngest junior partners in the law firms history, when one of her court cases collides with her moral judgment. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down. She is fired and has no hope of finding another position in New York, so she moves back home to regroup. The choices she makes in her career and later in love are neither easy nor popular. Her employer, friends and parents are all against her decisions, but in her heart she knows she is making the right moral decisions. Through the prayers of Poppy, Angelica finds the path God is leading her to. She finds improbable love from Antonio, the hardworking and handsome illegal immigrant who is working on her familys ranch. This book was captivating from the first few pages; I actually stopped reading another book to finish this one. (Look for the symbolism in the wind blowing to see when God is working on the characters lives.) I cant wait to read the next book in the Regalo Grande series coming Spring 2006 In the Shade of Jacaranda!!!

After reading the authors latest novel, The Next Target (which I loved!) I began reading more of Nikki Aranas books although I am not usually a reader of romance. I began with Winds of Sonoma since the story looked intriguing and was based on the authors own courtship and marriage. The contemporary setting and career choices of an upper class young woman was a great backdrop for the budding relationship between the main character and Antonio, an immigrant who works at her fathers stables. The tug and pull of family expectations, socio-economic class, values and a busy life are all part of the story. I found the language realistic, including most of the Spanish words and backstory of Antonios experiences. I would have liked to see more action with one of the subplots, but thats just because Nikki Arana did such a fantastic job on her thriller, The Next Target, and that is one of my favorite genres. I recently download the sequel, In the Shade of the Jacaranda, because I enjoyed this novel so much.

The story line was different from your typical novel which was great. The characters clearly lived by their faith which is sometimes not evident of some of the christian romance novels. I would definitely recommend.

Angelica knows she must return to the vision of helping the poor and needy that set her on the path toward becoming an attorney in the first place. But telling her parents that shes leaving big city life and a lucrative job with a prestigious law firm might just be her biggest obstacle yet. She hopes that spending time with them on their ranch will open the door to a discussion not easily carried on by phone. Antonio desperately needs a job that pays enough to send money back to his mother and siblings in Mexico. Entering the U.S. without papers creates more trouble and danger than hed imagined. His skill with horses lands him a job with apparently wealthy horse owners. Hes grateful, despite the cruel and overbearing ranch manager, the only one who speaks Spanish--until Angelica shows up. As Angelicas Spanish improves and as she teaches Antonio English, they gradually merge information and learn that their ranch manager has his fingers in more pies than anyone imagined--none of them humane or legal. Despite her parents objections, Angelica and Antonio grow closer and a love is born that embraces far more than themselves. I learned a great deal about the plight of Mexican laborers entering this country as I read Nikki Aranas book. Importantly, I found a writer, new to me, who tells a compassionate but heart wrenching story laced with combinations of historical and current events--the harsh, the sad, the ugly truth as well as the joyous possibilities of hope--all transforming my thinking and opening the door for new possibilities. Im looking forward to more of Ms. Aranas books.

The Winds of Sonoma, swept me off my feet and kept me captivated the whole time I was reading it. As most know, I have reviewed alot of books on Amazon; however, this one is truly the gem in the haystack. I would easily put it in my Top Ten Books that Teresa Have Ever Read. The plot was excellent as well as the rich characters and vivid scenes. The heroine has landed a very successful job with a prominent law firm. All is looking on the upside for her until a case regarding migrant workers is tossed in front of her eyes. Being a strong Christian, she must chose to openly take the case or stand her ground. She stands... then she is fired. Standing at a crossroad, she realizes that the only way to leap is back... to Sonoma- her home, where things beat at a different pace. It is through this different pace that she encounters her hero who, much to her surprise, is an migrant worker on her fathers farm. Her faith and honesty has led her back to the farm for a reason- only God knows why. Buy the book and find out why! Sicily Yoder aka Teresa Phillips Author of, Leaving Lancaster County, Amish Cooking with Sicily Yoder and The Amish Garden.

The book was a slow read for me. To be honest if I knew that I might not have downloaded this book. The main characters are from two different worlds. Her family is mostly Poppy the man that pretty much raised her as her parents where not there for her. I actully wanted to slap her parents for the stupid things they said to her especially her mother. Maybe it was because they were from money that made them so irritating. For him, he is a Mexican who is poor that needs to help his family to keep them fed and housed. You keep trying to figure out how everything is going to end until the very end. I was disappointed in the ending but overall it was a decent book. If you are not spirtual in anyway then I would not suggest this book to you. The book is spirtual and uplifing.

Angelica is a up and coming attorney working for a big firm in New York City. When she is fired and cannot find a new job due to her refusal to compromise her beliefs she heads home to California. While at home she faces the situation of illegal Mexican immigrants in the area. Her family ranch has hired a new immigrant worker, Antonio. Angelica decides to take him under her wing and try to help him out in every way she can. She also wants to try to get a job as a public defender because she wants give help to those who really are in need of it. As Angelica works with Antonio, she discovers that there may be more than just a charitable feeling shared between the two of them. The two have an uphill climb as they try to figure out their relationship. I liked this book. It was easy to read and one could relate to the timeliness of the story. Illegal immigration is a hot topic in our country. Many politicians are debating constantly about how the nation should treat the situation. There are lots of people who are prejudiced against Mexican immigrants such as the foreman of the ranch or the people in the church who thought they were helping but really werent. Angelica is a compassionate character who wants to help out Antonio. She also makes the difficult choice of choosing a harder life instead of one that would be easily handed to her. I admire people who can do that. I could also relate to Angelicas issue with not wanting to tell her parents what really happened to her in New York. Its hard to have to tell your parents that youve let them down after they think youve done so well. My parents were immigrants so the story is familiar about being alone and uncertain in a new country. They too were grateful for the people who took the time out to help them get settled in their new life. Im looking forward to picking up the next two books in the series.

This book is a page turner! I did not want to put it down. It is a tale of sacrificing your career for what is noble and finding the love that God has hand picked. It is truly heart warming and thought provoking. Angelica was an up and coming attorney. She worked for a prestigious law firm in New York. She realizes that her firm is taking advantage of the less fortunate. As they are about to offer her a promotion she is left with a life altering decision. Should she do what is right or further her career? Soon she meets Antonio who works on her parents ranch in California. Antonio is handsome, hardworking and self sacrificing. He is the oldest child in his family. He left their poverty stricken home in Mexico to provide for his family. When these two lives collide it is a magical story.