Cover Image: Hurricane Season

Hurricane Season

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Member Reviews

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for the free review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This book was so real. It was sweet and hard. I felt like I experienced Betsy’s loss with her. Denton was able to beautifully portray what it is like to be sisters, married, and grieving for something that isn’t possible.

I loved the character of Jenna. Her struggle of finding herself again while still maintaining her identity as a mother felt relatable, even though I don’t have children. I think that these sisters contrasted so well that you couldn’t pick a ‘side.’ I rooted for Betsy and Jenna during the entire book.

The character of Ty, Betsy’s husband, was also the perfect balance between the two sisters. I enjoyed seeing an ‘outsiders’ perspective when it came to how these sisters interacted. He showed what it was like to be a great husband and standing for what he thought was right.

This book deals with so much family stuff: independence, motherhood, marriage, loss, desire. Coupled with the hurricanes raging outside, this novel perfectly shows what it is like to be part of a difficult family.

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3 pleasant stars

Sometimes you just have to read a book where there is no murder, no lying, no mayhem, and no death and this was just such a book.

A storm is approaching and it looks to be a bad one, a hurricane in fact. Things will be lost, possessions, homes, and maybe even lives. It is surely the time to remember what is important and what one can bring forward in their lives.

Betsy Franklin and her sister, Jenna have had a bit of a distant relationship. Jenna is a single mother of two young girls and when she gets an opportunity to attend a camp for artists, she takes up the challenge. She decides to drop her girls into the hands of her sister, Betsy, and her husband, Ty, at their farm. Betsy and her husband, have been trying unsuccessfully to have a child. Their relationship is strained and the addition of these two girls might add fuel to a fire that is slowly burning.

This novel does a very nice job of exploring the concept of following your dreams. Does that mean though that one can forget about what awaits them especially where children are involved? I enjoyed this novel that focused on caring, that of a mother for her child, a sister for another sister, a husband for a wife, and the goal of always remembering there are second chances out there for those who are willing to go find them.

Thank you to Lauren Denton, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

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Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton is a fabulous read. The story is about relationships, family, sibling misunderstandings, marital stressors. farming, hope and love. Ms. Denton has wonderful character development. These are characters that you will want as friends. It is a poignant story of family ties and the messiness of life. The story is told from the three main characters perspectives.

As we all know Hurricanes can bring great destruction. If one waxes poetic it can also be a time to see what can survive such strong winds and rain. Lauren K. Denton entwines a story of healing and discovery with a wonderfully written setting. The scenery is so wonderful that it actually becomes an additional character.

As a reader you feel the growth of the characters and their journey of acceptance and reconciliation. You feel involved in their losses, their worries and their joys. C I loved that this story was hopeful and shows you that sometimes in life your dreams change. This would be a terrific beach read. This is my first Lauren K. Denton novel and she will definitely be on my list of writers to will follow.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lauren K Denton and the publisher ThomasNelson for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I went into this beauty of a book without knowing what it was about nor had I read the authors previous book! This story of 2 sister s who aren’t as different as they think!
I loved Betsy and her husband Ty ( a man who doesn’t say much but when he does it’s right on point )
Betsy gets a call from her sister Jenna asking to watch her kids while she attends a photographer workshop, Betsy immediately says yes and would do anything for Jenna even though they haven’t spoken in awhile!
I loved the writing and these 2 sisters very much. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Hurricane Season is the journey of Betsy and Jenna, two sisters with different lifestyles but similar in many ways.

Some may find the pacing of this book slow and there is not a lot of action but sometimes you just need a quiet book with a good story highlighting internal struggles that are all too common these days. Yes I will admit to skimming over a few repetitive parts but all in all I enjoyed reading this book. With each chapter alternating between the characters (also Ty's voice is thrown in a few times) it was easy to get to know these women with their struggles, confusion and feelings - of the past, present and future.

Hurricane Season is a story of self discovery, forgiveness and the bond between two sisters. The ending might have felt a little bit rushed but it’s a story I would love to visit again in five or 10 years to see what happens.

Thank you to the publisher via net galley for an advance copy and TLC tours for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour.

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Two sisters reconnect in this sweet fiction about family relationships. It’s about managing your dreams with your reality and mending strained relationships.

The cover is gorgeous but I feel like the title is somewhat misleading. I was expecting the hurricane to dip the novel into thriller territory with some threat to their lives. That didn’t happen which surprised me.

This book is interesting enough and finishes in a gentle way. The changes are small. I think it is better to know this before reading it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Emotional, well-written, with a little suspense mixed in for good measure.

Ty and Betsy Franklin are owners of the Franklin Dairy in Alabama. Ty knew he wanted to take over his grandfather’s farm since he was fifteen, but it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Betsy sacrificed a lot too, including her promising career in marketing to be with the man she fell in love with. Together they’ve brought the farm into the modern era, but still have problems that come and go. One problem they never planned on was being unsuccessful at having children, which tears at Betsy’s heart through their whole marriage. That all changes when Betsy’s sister Jenna calls out of the blue asking Betsy to watch her two girls for two weeks while she goes on a writing retreat in Florida. Jenna is a free spirit to say the least. She never measured up to her parent’s expectations and once she was in college, she jumped from one adventure to the next, leaving her a single mom who currently manages a coffee shop. Jenna who never wanted kids has two and Betsy who yearns for kids has none. As the days with the girls continue, things begin to get strained in her and Ty’s marriage. As hurricane season approaches, they must prepare the farm for the storm but may face one even greater in their relationship.

This book really stirred up my emotions. My heart yearned for Betsy as she went through her life often defeated because she couldn’t have kids. The things she felt and some of her actions really hit home hard because we all struggle and do things that don’t make sense to anyone but ourselves. Then in retrospect, we can look back and question why we even did those things in the first place. It was this attribute that really brought Betsy to life for me. Ty came alive quickly as well. His loving heart towards his wife was wonderful, but he still got frustrated with her and would just shut down at times because he didn’t know what to do or what to say. It was like this was based on a real life marriage. In many instances, I understood how each character felt thinking through my own marriage. Jenna reminds me of a few women in my life. Doing what she did seems completely abnormal to me, but I know a few people that wouldn’t think otherwise. It was easy to put faces to the characters and see the whole book acted out in front of me.

This book could easily be a case study for groups to read about and reflect on the behavior. I recommend it to all who love a good story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of "Hurricane Season." I haven't ready anything by Laura Denton previously and I wasn't sure what to expect. The story seemed interesting. The story begins with single mom, Jenna, and her two young daughters. Jenna is working as a coffee shop manager while juggling the responsibilities of raising two children in Nashville. Her sister, Betsy, is married to Ty and is struggling with infertility problems and working on their own dairy farm. Jenna has the opportunity to join an artist retreat in Florida for two weeks to pursue her life-long dream of being a photographer. She asks Betsy to watch her girls for her. Ty isn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of two young girls on the busy farm, but agrees. The story follows the weeks, which extend into almost two months, while Jenna is gone at the retreat, weighing decisions about her future. Betsy starts to begin to think Jenna may never return. Laura Denton writes a very gentle, sweet story of two sisters and the joys and disappointments in their adult lives. I'd recommend this book for anyone seeking a slower read - the story takes a while to get started, but I was truly interested in finding out the fate of the characters.

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Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the honor of reading such a good book.

This is one of the very best books ever. Set in AL on a dairy farm.
Ty and Betsy have been in love since they both went to Auburn University in AL. Her parents had different plans for her but love won. He is a dairy farmer who takes over his grandfathers farm even though his dad wanted him to follow in his footsteps. They have a very nice farm and home but no children. There is no medical reason for them not having a child. They both want children, it’s just not in the stars for them. Ty finally makes Betsy understand that although having a child would be great, he loves her and always will.

Jenna is Betsy’s younger sister. She has two adorable girls, Walsh who is 3 and Addie who is 5. Jenna works hard as a barista and spends all of her free time with her girls. She has coffee each day that she works, except weekends, with Sam. Sam is just a guy who’s coffee pot stopped working and decided to stop in for coffee. He was attracted to Jenna so started coming for coffee each morning. They spend all of 10 minutes together each day. Her girls are her reason for everything good in her life. She loves them unconditionally and is a very good mother. She gets a chance to go to a retreat in FL called Halcyon to be mentored by another photographer. He’s done lots of work for big time magazines and helps her more than she thought possible.

Jenna calls Betsy to see if she will keep the girls for 2 weeks, which turns into 2 months. Ty is upset at first that Betsy didn’t consult him first but he also loves the girls and will do anything for Betsy. He’s only trying to protect her from being hurt.

This is a book about self discovery, hope, love, understanding, patience, photography, farming, children, neighbors and family. One that will keep you turning the pages until the very end. It’s about a hurricane that comes through and how family and neighbors stick together. Help each other. I hated so bad for it to end. It was one that sure will make you stop and think about life. Appreciate the life you have. It’s a love story but not one that is just about a couple, it’s about lots of people who work together for the sake of friendship. It will touch your heart in ways you won’t see coming. I wish there would be a sequel in a way. I’d love to read more about Jenna and also Betsy and Ty. I believe Jenna and Sam end up together. I also believed Betsy and Ty have that child they both deserve and want to bad. This book will make you believe in life. The good parts of life.

I loved it and highly recommend it. I had to give it a 5 star rating and will read more books by this author.

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In theory, this is a solid book and something I would love, but in reality I struggled a bit. It's well-written, but ultimately I found it a little predictable and didn't connect with the characters.

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Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton was a bit of a difficult read for me.

I found the pacing to be extremely slow and I felt like there wasn't much happening throughout the majority of the novel. I was left with wanting more from our two main characters and it just fell pretty flat for me.

The writing is beautiful and complex but I found myself skimming through a lot of the story because it just felt pretty boring to me. I was waiting for that big change or transformation between our sisters Betsy and Jenna.. and it never came. I found myself unable to connect well with the characters and it was hard for me to get overall invested in this one.

Overall, this one was just ok.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.
Published to GR: 3/31/18
Publication date: 4/3/18

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Hurricane Sisters is about two sisters Betsy and Jenna who are as different as night and day. Betsy is married and lives on a dairy farm and she and her husband are having a tough time trying to have children. Jenna is a single free-spirited mom who is feeling the pressure of being a single mom and kind of longs for a break.

Jenna is offered a spot at an artist retreat to explore her photography so she decides to call up Betsy out of the blue and ask if she could take care of her two girls. Betsy always being the pleasing one agrees and soon she and Ty have a house full of children and no idea what to do.

I honestly enjoyed this story. I loved how opposite each sister is and how each one kind of envy what the other one has even though they don’t know it. To be honest I enjoyed Betsy’s story more than Jenna’s for some reason. I think maybe I connected with her more and really felt everything she was going through. I know this story was named hurricane and there is a hurricane that plays a huge part of the storyline but I just thought there would be a bigger climax when it came to it, but I just didn’t get that payoff that I was expecting, otherwise, I was fully happy with the read.

Hurricane Sisters is a great story and beautifully written, the author gave us a story of love, forgiving and accepting plus I love any story that showcases the South. This is one story that was a quick and easy read one that will satisfy the pickiest of readers.

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I was introduced to Lauren K. Denton’s writing last year, with The Hideaway. With Hurricane Season, as with her first book, I was drawn in to by the lovely cover art and title. I enjoy reading about family relationships, and the premise of closing the distance between sisters intrigued me.

This isn’t a fast-paced page-turner, yet it still held my interest. I love the alternating points of view between Jenna, Betsy, and Ty (Betsy’s husband.) Their strained relationships are revealed in a soft and gentle way, but the depth of their pain and struggles are visible and believable. I sympathized with all three of them, and wanted them to find a way to bridge the gaps in their relationships.

I wasn’t as closely attached to any of the characters as I wanted to be, but like I stated before, I still longed to see the outcomes revealed. Each character deals with their individual storms and shows satisfying growth by the story’s end. Ty is probably my favorite character, even though the principal story is between the sisters. He is a hardworking, dedicated, and admirable beta male and, in my opinion, the ideal glue that binds this story together.

Even though The Hideaway kept me more entwined within the characters and story, the Hurricane Season holds it’s own style of charm. I will be watching for new work written by this author!


4 Stars


Cover: Love
Title: Love
Pages: 400
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
First Line: She usually stayed in bed until at least six, but this morning she was restless, like animals get when the barometric pressure drops before a storm.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and BookLook Bloggers.

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this was a book I finished in multiple sittings because I couldn't put it down! Once again, Lauren brngs us a story that grabs the reader from the first page and keeps you hoked. I admit, I had a feeling where the ending was going, and had hopes for a different take, off the normal path, but that wasn't to be. Lauren's books are like modern fairy tales for adults, and as such require a traditional type ending. In my head I had another one I could see unfold, and that is part of the magic of books- you get so hooke don the characters, that you can see different paths for them! This is the perfect book for Spring break, or to take on vacation, so make sure you grab a copy and read it! It will restore your faith in sisterhood and love!

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My review for this book can be found on my GoodReads account. The link to that account is https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly.

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Sisters Jenna and Betsy are all grown up and their lives have taken starkly opposite paths. Where Betsy is older, a planner, married to a dairy farmer, and has no children, Jenna is unmarried, an artist who works in a coffee shop, and has two daughters. Their paths once again intertwine when Jenna gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hone her photography skills at an artist camp in Florida. She quickly accepts and hands off six-year-old Addie and her younger sister Walsh to her sister. Betsy has struggled to have kids and doesn't know what to think of her seemingly wreckless and selfish sister "abandoning" her children. It's a delightful, charming book that will keep you intrigued until the end -- especially if your have a similar relationship with your siblings!

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Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. A truly wonderful read about family, sisters, and hopes and dreams! Sisters and their families looking for happiness as they struggle with what is possible, what to fight for and what to let go of. A great family drama plays out all while Hurricane Ingrid aims to possibly cause great destruction.

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For me, this book was a bit of a struggle. The writing is well done and the plot is solid. I just didn't feel much of a connection to the characters and the pace was slow. I kept anticipating a big reveal or tragedy or transformation... There was growth within our main characters: two sisters who had grown apart through their adult years. The emotional distance between them was only compounded by the literal physical distance in miles as they lead extremely different lives.

So if you are looking for genuine and realistic fiction, this is a commendable novel. I tend to gravitate towards energetic action stories, even if the story is more rational and less fantasy.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an advance reader's copy in exchange for this honest review.

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An endearing read , perfect for a peaceful weekend !!. The basis of this story is 2 sisters Betsy and Jenna who mean everything to each other growing up and the sisters couldn't be closer but life steps in and without realising they grow distant and by not talking about the unspoken hurts they feel it pushes them even further apart. Betsy's husband Ty and Jenna.s adorable children Addie and Walsh only add to make this book more even more enchanting. 100% recommend !!

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Sweet novel about the love between two very different sisters--one a traditional wife and the other a free-spirited rebel. Their relationship and the relationships the women had with others makes for a light-hearted read.

This novel would be great for a summer book club choice.

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