Review: Tanya by Rebecca Rogers Maher

Tanya—a recovering alcoholic—meets Jack at a roadside stop on the way to her sister’s wedding. Hoping to drown her sorrows in the company of a stranger, she brings him back to her motel room.

The next day, shaken by the intensity of the experience, Tanya joins her sister’s bridal party at an upscale mountain lodge. There, she meets the groom’s family for the first time, including his brother, Jack—just home from the Peace Corps and reeling from his night with the bold, beautiful woman he thought he’d never see again.

Both at a crossroads in their lives, Tanya and Jack collide for one explosive weekend. Will they choose the safety of past regrets, or will they be brave enough to embrace the present—together?

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Source: E-ARC provided by author for my honest review

Review:
I think it’s fairly easy to give a character a disorder/illness to explain their actions and create drama, whether it be depression, substance abuse, PTSD etc. I think it’s much harder to pay the subject matter the proper respect and weave a believable romance into the mix. This is a pet peeve of mine and Rebecca Rogers Maher never lets me down.

In Tanya, Rogers Maher, crafts a gorgeous, unflinching story of recovery, guilt and redemption that never takes the easy way out but also never drowns in a sea unnecessary angst.

I’m always floored when I pick up her books, expecting a depressing tale, but instead find realistic, flawed, yet inspiring characters and a story that leaves me filled with joy and hope. I feel like I learn things reading her books. How to live life more fully – how to appreciate the things and people I have in my life.

I can’t say more about Tanya that isn’t already in the summary other than read it. Read everything she writes. You won’t be disappointed. (My friend Andrea wrote a more detailed review if you would like to check it out)

We first hear about both Tanya and Jack as the siblings of the troubled Christa and Henry in The Bridge. While you don’t need to have read that book first, it will increase your enjoyment of Tanya immensely & leave you weeping with joy at the end. It’s beautiful to see how Tanya and Jack, who aren't portrayed in the most flattering light, in The Bridge, come full circle, both as a couple and as a family unit. There is also a cameo with a character from Fault Lines. Again, it’s not necessary to have read it first, but it’s nice to catch up and revisit old favorites.

You can read my review of The Bridge here. It was on my Top Reads list for 2013.

Rebecca Rogers Maher has a lot of great posts on her blog this week as part of the TANYA Blog Tour (Right Here at Home), about realistic romance, explicit sex scenes, recovery, happy endings and more.If you’re not sure about picking up this book yet, I encourage you to check it out.