One run on sentence? ( )

A good read to say the least. Books about sisters always get to me whether they love each other, or are different. Jenna, a single mother, goes off to an artists retreat wanting to get back into photography, and leaves them with her sister Betsy and brother-in-law Ty, who live on a farm in AL. They have no kids but wants them, but is "left" with a 5 year old and a 3 year old for 2 months at that. She learns to really love these girls and so does Ty. Hurricane season is upon them too.

Jenna decides to stay longer and Betsy and Ty are none too happy about that since they feel that Jenna doesn't care about them, only herself, as when Betsy and Jenna were little.

I was worried that Jenna was not going to come back and move to CA with her photographer mentor at the retreat but things happen and in this case for the good. ( )

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton is a 2018 Thomas Nelson publication.

Betsy and Ty run the Franklin Dairy Farm located in Southern Alabama. They have made a nice life together, are still in love after nearly a decade of marriage, but there’s still one thing missing from Betsy’s life.

When Betsy’s sister, Jenna, calls out of the blue asking if she can watch her daughters for a couple of weeks so she can attend an art retreat, Betsy agrees without really thinking it through or talking to Ty first.

When two girls arrive, they bring the farm to life and deepens a longing in Betsy that exposes some cracks in her otherwise stable relationship with Ty. Meanwhile, Jenna rediscovers her photography, seeing a way to provide for her girls with a job she loves- but she’ll have to leave her girls with Betsy for longer than she originally planned…

Meanwhile a hurricane is developing- one that could be headed straight for the Franklin Dairy farm-

This story explores the relationships between parents and children and siblings and examines the marriage of a couple trying to work through a bitter disappointment to find a common ground again.

Jenna may have been the one to have experienced the most personal growth- learning to balance her responsibilities with pursuing her dreams, but for me it was Betsy and Ty that held my heart in their hands.

I also liked the relationship between the two sisters, which also showed a lot of character growth as they worked came to realize the way their upbringing shaped them, and how to put preconceived notions, judgments and resentments in the past.

The story is a little ‘quiet’ at times, and I failed to fully connect to Jenna’s side of the storyline, becoming as frustrated with her as Ty did.

That said, I loved how the author was able to build the emotional tension to coincide with the intensity and path of the hurricane. Both events brought imminent danger and created two separate forms of suspense.

Mostly, this is lovely, heartwarming story. The drama is well written and balanced- although there is nothing here that is especially profound or memorable. Still, I loved Ty and enjoyed the realistic look at family and marriage and the gentle life lessons centered around the importance of communication.

3 stars ( )

The actual hurricanes played very little in the story so that was somewhat disappointing. The title more fit the idea of a storm coming and how people react. Jenna decides on short notice to leave her 2 girls with her sister Betsy, a woman who has had trouble having kids. Liked how we got to see their real personalities, what causes their stresses, how decisions in life affect later years. Betsy went overboard helping Jenna more than most sisters would have done. Luckily the girls were super behaved. Husband Ty was super nice considering the circumstances. Knew how it would end but nice reading the developments. ( )

“Hurricane Season” is Lauren K. Denton’s second book. It is a Southern Romance novel. Like “The Hideaway” and “Glory Road” it is a standalone read.

The story is told from three POVs – Jenna, Betsy, and Ty (Betsy’s husband).

Betsy and Ty Franklin are the owners of Franklin Dairy. Ty tends the cows and Betsy handles the day to day operations. Approaching 30, Betsy has given up having her own children due to repeated issues in conception.

Betsy’s younger sister Jenna; is a single mom to two daughters – Addie (5) and Walsh (3). Jenna is working at a coffee shop to support herself and her children.

Jenna gets an opportunity to pursue her lifelong ambition (photography) at a retreat – but she has to find someone to care for her daughters for two weeks. That’s where Betsy comes in. Reluctantly, Betsy says yes – it is only two weeks.

Jenna is having her own crisis at the retreat. After being given a rare opportunity to stay longer than the original two (2) weeks and work on her photography, she wonders if she should stay or rush home. She wants to have something to show for her life and feels she won’t get another chance to do something like this again. Jenna misses her children who seem to be adjusting well with Betsy and Ty. But, she isn’t being told the entire story either. Betsy is having issues in dealing with “two little reminders of what my body can’t do”. A very powerful line in this novel. And, that puts a strain on Betsy and Ty’s marriage.

As weeks drag out, and a hurricane makes its way towards the farm – Ty, Betsy, and Jenna have to sort out what they want in life and what their choices will mean.

“Hurricane Season” not only refers to the storm season and the approaching storm, but the storms in our personal lives – choices to make, lives affected, and the consequences of such.

Jenna undoubtedly wants to do more with her life than “serve coffee”, but she also has two small children who rely on her. She leaves her children with her sister without advance notice or discussing the impact it would have on her sister as well as Ty. True Jenna didn’t have much notice – but it should’ve been discussed more thoroughly with her sister. I also feel that Betsy should’ve been more honest with her sister throughout the story.

Betsy isn’t quite 30 when the story begins and has been trying to have children since she was 25. Seeing and caring for Jenna’s children, brings out some resentment which is understandable to a point, considering Jenna didn’t want kids. If I can be honest, 30 isn’t that old. Some women have kids in their late 30’s to mid 40’s.

Ty’s frustration was understandable. He knew the infertility issues his wife was having. His primary goal was to protect Betsy. He wasn’t good at communicating what he wanted either. He was wonderful in interacting with the kids though.

I felt sorry for Addie and Walsh. They adored their mother and didn’t understand what was going on.

Max and Gregory …

I felt that while Max was looking out for Jenna and her talent, he was failing to understand that she was the kids’ only caregiver. What did he expect her to do with her kids while she spent even two weeks at Halcyon? What if her sister decided to say no?

Gregory was another problem – like Max, he was only focused on Jenna’s talent – not her responsibilities. The two guys saw nothing wrong with pawning the kids off on Jenna’s sister, and by extension Jenna saw nothing wrong with it either.

Denton did a wonderful job with creating family strife as well as the impact of indecisions on our lives, and how it affects those around us. She definitely drove home the point about it appears selfish when we follow dreams/goals, but also about how we should think about more in life than “just making ends meet”.

Can we fit what we want into what we need? Is pursuing a “dream job” with “the potential” to earn more money worth sacrificing family, and a job that does pay the bills? At one point is it alright to make decisions with others in mind? Or should we only consider ourselves.

As a fan of Denton’s “Glory Road”, I wanted to read her previous work. This is admittedly the weakest of the three books she has released. It wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t as enjoyable as the other two. ( )