Every once in a while a novelist comes along who can illuminate the most secret places of our hearts--who can put into words the feelings we cannot. . . and sometimes dare not. . . express. Luanne Rice is one such novelist and Cloud Nine is her most evocative, emotionally powerful, and compelling work yet. It is a novel brimming with the beauty and fragility of life whose powerful message will resonate in your own life long after the final page is turned. Sarah Talbot surely thought she'd never live to see another birthday. But against all odds, she beat the disease that threatened to take her life and she reopened her bedding shop, Cloud Nine. It is a new beginning for Sarah--a fresh start at life that few are given. It is a time to take roads she always passed by, to experience a world she'd all too often watched from the sidelines. And Sarah is determined to take every advantage of her newfound opportunity. Her first adventure comes during a special birthday present from her friends: a ride over upstate New York in a small chartered plane. From there she views the spectacular autumn foliage. Yet, as so often happens when one takes chances, the unexpected occurs. For it is on this flight that she meets Will Burke, a former Navy pilot whose strength and confidence attract Sarah as much as the vulnerability he tries hard to conceal. These two fellow travelers find in each other a kindred spirit and a bond that will give them the courage to confront the past and have faith in the future. . . no matter how uncertain. A novel shimmering with emotion, grace, and beauty, Cloud Nine is a work of pure magic by one of our most enchanting storytellers. It is the kind of novel you will cherish and want to share with the most important people in your life.
