That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon

Family. Where would we be without our family? How much does our nurturing effect whom we become? And how much of what is below the surface impact how we treat our family and those we hold the closest? These questions are key to the characters interactions in That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon.

Karen has always been the reliable one. The sister that stayed around to care for her aging parents. The responsible one that would never let her employer or her family down. She often feels like she has too much on her plate, but is unable to determine what to let go. She has to take care of her parents, her family, her job and her church duties.

Val is the sister who left. As soon as she could she left town and started a new life for herself in the big city. She is beautiful, talented and sought after. Yet she feels alone and unable to connect with anyone in a deep way.

When their mother has a stroke, Karen quickly realizes that she can't handle this all on her own. She calls her sister Val to come back home and help care for their mother for the summer. Little did either of them know, but this would be the summer that would change everything and finally bring the sisters closer together.

This book is an engaging and interesting read, one that would be great of the beach or by the pool this summer. I found that I could certainly relate to the character of Karen and that made this story work for me. It is also great to see how the characters faith makes a difference in their lives in a realistic way. Things are far from perfect and that is good because that is real life.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Comments

Irene Hannon said…

Thank you so much for the lovely review of my latest!

June 9, 2013 at 4:43 PM

This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K. Sproles

When Minerva Jane Jenkins was just fourteen years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her held gold. And when he died fifty years later, he made her promise to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contained. Now at ninety-four, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she's kept her promise. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story. As an unlikely friendship develops, Minerva is tempted to reveal her secret to Del. But the truth of what's really buried in the box may be hidden even from her. I really enjoyed this book. It is quality historical fiction with a strong narrative voice. I really liked the characters and it was interesting to see how all of the secrets they carried with them affected them. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and how the setting was

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner

A fter years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass--a place he never expected to see again. It's not the life he dreamed of, but there aren't many prospects for a high-school dropout like him. Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he's back, she's been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God's answer to leave her flat on her face--literally--and up to her ears in meddling. When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she's willing to pay. I really enjoyed this book. The characters in it were interesting and unique. While some thing

The Best Summer of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck

Twenty years ago, the summer of '77 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer Wilde's life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow--the Four Seasons--had big plans. But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, "Nowhere," Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. All four of them arrived with hidden secrets and buried fears, and the events that unfolded in those two months forever altered their friendships, their lives, and their futures. Now, thirtysomething, Summer is at a crossroads. When her latest girl band leaves her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she never wanted to see again. It's a place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love's voice. This was an enjoyable book to r

The Talens' Tales

Search This Blog