Title: Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Hideaway comes a new story about families and mending the past.
Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.
As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.
Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.
When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way.
Review:
Hurricane Season by Lauren Denton is a thought-provoking novel of healing.
Betsy Franklin and her husband Ty own a dairy farm in Southern Alabama. They have weathered many storms (both personal and weather related) during the course of their marriage. When Betsy’s younger sister, Jenna Sawyer, asks her to keep her two young children, five year old Addie and three year old Walsh, a brewing hurricane is just one of the worries the couple are forced to reckon with over the next several weeks.
Betsy loves her life on the farm despite the hard work and concerns that plague most farmers. She and Ty are deeply in love but she has struggled with giving up on a dream that, for unknown reasons, has failed to come to fruition for them. She loves her nieces but taking care of them is a bittersweet ache and she grows frustrated with Jenna’s decision to pursue her own goals. Despite their enjoyment of their nieces, Betsy and Ty are forced to face the unhealed wounds they have been ignoring for several months.
Ty is a sweet man who is devoted to Betsy and the dairy farm. His hard work is finally paying off and the Franklin Dairy has become one of the largest in the area. He has a sixth sense when it comes to predicting a hurricane’s path and as he tracks a growing storm in the ocean, Ty must also contend with the tempest building within his home.
Jenna put her dreams on hold after her unexpected pregnancies. She is conflicted about leaving the girls in order to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity to reconnect with her photography. However, Jenna knows a chance like this might not come along again and she wants to explore her options.
Hurricane Season is a captivating novel that is incredibly heartwarming. The storyline is well-written and relatable. The characters are multi-dimensional with realistic flaws and strengths. The farm is an idyllic setting and Lauren Denton brings it vibrantly to life. The novel’s conclusion is heartwarming and quite hopeful. A deeply touching story that I truly enjoyed and highly recommend.
