Nowhere but Here

Moves slow. Got a little boring.

Kate had no one left in the world to take care of her. She only had herself. With a new mantra in life drilled into her by Just Bob, the subway train pastor, Kate found inspiration. Kate was a journalist for a Chicago newspaper. Kate's big break came in the form of meeting RJ Lawson. RJ Lawson owned a winery in Napa and a bed & breakfast, earning him award winning wine. Kate was assigned to interview the notorious tech mogul who a recluse. Kate was supposed to retrieve personal information about him that no one else had been able to uncover. This was the original draw. I had expected more from this plot line. The unveiling of the mysterious RJ who was a recluse for many years suddenly appeared in Napa. I could not wait to find out the reason. Then it seemed unimportant when the staff informed Kate to focus on the winery and not RJ. Random dialogue about the characters was sporadically divulged. I was not sure what to make of these random bits of information. The author seemed more interested in sharing the characters health facts such as Jamie being diabetic and Jerry having ADD. I found the male characters to be highly inappropriate towards Kate. Her boss, Jerry asking if she slept with RJ, then RJ inviting her to his room, and Jamie skinning dipping with her. Jamie's character was evasive. RJ's character was rude and crude. Jerry's character was immature and inappropriate. Kate's character was ignorant, naive and gullible. Kate was too needy for attention thriving off the advances Jamie made. Kate was sent to the Napa winery for one week to learn the process of wine making. I'm not a wine drinker nor a fan of wine so this portion of the story was not interesting for me. The entire wine making process was too detailed and wordy. I realize Kate was writing a story about the winery, but I found the process for gaining information to be tedious. I really did not need a lesson in wine making. The story was wordy giving the play by play details about everything they did. Kate was a lousy journalist and her ability to interview a client was pathetic. Kate spent one day with RJ and insulted him. Kate spent most of her time wining and dining with Jamie when she was supposed to be interviewing RJ. Kate's time at the winery became a journey to reconnect with people and humanity. Kate was insecure and began to doubt herself, for her choices in men. I'd have to agree that she rushed into both relationships with sex before knowing who they were. Kate made rash decisions in the heat of the moment. Kate's rant was unprofessional. A journalist who spews personal and private information about ones sexual habits was wrong. Kate was pathetic in her attempt to write an article. Kate allowed her emotions to control her immature behavior with an article full of rage and spitefulness. The author elaborated in areas with wordy dialogue that was tiresome to read. The author droned on at a depressing rate with Kate feeling sorry for herself. Her impulsiveness made her appear desperate for attention. Basically, Kate was depressed after Rose died because she felt alone. Kate could not cope with the concept of being alone. Kate met Jamie at the winery where he doted on her from the beginning. They had an instant connection. Jamie felt a pull towards Kate. I unfortunately I did not feel the connection with these characters. The storyline seemed appealing from the beginning but then Kate's character caused too many distractions. The story focused on Kate's neediness to have a family. To have a sense of belonging.

I was looking for something but didn't know what until I read NOWHERE BUT HERE. This is a beautiful, emotional read. Jamie and Kate will make you smile and cry. You will route for them and truly be happy for them. Lovely, superbly written novel. This is a "will want to read again" book.

Great book, one of my all time faves!!!

Great read! Romance with a touch of humor.

Loved this book