USA TODAY bestseller Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing–and the relationships that must be mended along the way. 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 … 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. From the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Hideaway comes a new story about families and mending the past.
“A poignant and heartfelt tale of sisterhood, motherhood, and marriage, Hurricane Season deftly examines the role that coming to terms with the past plays in creating a hopeful future. Readers will devour this story of the hurricanes–both literal and figurative–that shape our lives.” –Kristy Woodson Harvey, national bestselling author of Slightly South of Simple
- A full-length Southern Women’s Fiction Novel
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“At what point did pursuing the dream become futile? Was there a point at which the dreamer should just let it go? But what were you supposed to do when the dream felt fundamental to the fabric of your being, of your soul? What then?”
Betsy and Ty Franklin own a dairy farm in Alabama and seem happy, but they have given up on the hope of ever having children of their own. Each are busy day in and day out with the farm and the necessary chores to running it and have tried to forget the dream, especially Betsy. But she carries a deep hurt inside and never gives full vent to that pain. Not even with Ty. One day her younger sister Jenna, who is quite free spirited and a single mother of two young girls, drops them off at Betsy and Ty’s to go on an artist retreat for two weeks. Betsy thought she had put her pain behind her but living with two little precious girls only brings it back to the forefront of her mind.
The two weeks turn into longer and Betsy is still living in this not quite make believe land and Ty is worried about her. But she refuses to talk. In the meantime, a huge storm is bearing down on their area. Betsy and Ty rush to protect and make ready their farm and Jenna, at the retreat, needs to make some hard decisions about her future.
Laura Denton is a new-to-me author. I really enjoyed this book very much. The characters are deeply engaging and I felt close to them through her characterizations. There is great heartache here and there is the beginning of hope and joy in their lives also. I look forward to more by this author.
*My thanks to a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. My opinions are entirely my own and honest.
Favorite Quotes:
… the battered gray school bus from Bankston Detention pulled up out front, and twenty teenage boys shuffled off, hormones and pent-up energy swirling around them like almost visible steam.
She smoothed her hands across the blanket, straightened the corners, and imagined the room holding two little girls after holding nothing but dreams and damaged furniture.
Jenna always hated icebreakers like this. They reminded her of the week in college when she lost her mind and thought she might actually want to join a sorority. Five grueling days of prim parties, saccharine conversation, and ridiculous icebreakers where one by one, girls explained through tears how their future happiness depended on having a certain arrangement of Greek letters tied to her name.
It’s what I do when these storms come in. I bake till the power goes off, then I eat. It keeps me calm. And fifteen pounds over my goal, but calories consumed during acts of God don’t count.
My Review:
Lauren Denton has gifted us with a stealthily crafted and slowly developing yet highly satisfying story with most of the action and progression of the narrative occurring within the major characters’ inner musings, memories, regrets, and observations. Their exteriors were quiet and politely guarded, while their interiors were fraught with a myriad of concerns, tension, heartbreaking disappointments, and unspoken aspirations. The writing was emotive and Ms. Denton took me into the story with her highly descriptive and lushly detailed scenes; I felt the pressure of the humid heat of the gathering storm as well as the crack of heat lightning, and I coveted their refreshing and lip-smacking lemonade and sweet tea. The characters were multi-layered and complex, surprisingly gentle and sweet, and cleverly observant. I enjoyed hitchhiking in their headspace although I now seem to be contending with an unusual impulse to dig in the dirt and plant something just to watch it grow.
MESMERIZING!!
This is a mesmerizing story of Betsy and Ty Franklin who own Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama. It’s twenty miles north of the beautiful white sandy beaches of Orange Beach, Alabama. Because they live so close to the Gulf of Mexico, they are no strangers to hurricane season. This book is filled with seasons of hurricanes of different types. It deals with a hurricane season of infertility and all the disappointment, hurt, doubts and anxiety that accompany it. There’s a hurricane season of suddenly gaining two very young children as family members when you had very little notice and feel as though you don’t have a clue what to do with them. There’s another hurricane season of being torn wishing the two children would leave as soon as possible and then discovering your heart may be ripped out when they do leave. There’s the hurricane season of deciding to try to have a baby again – can you even let your heart go there? The biggest Hurricane Season of all is the real hurricane that is bearing down on the Franklin Dairy Farm in the midst of all these emotional hurricanes! Betsy and Ty learn about their love for each other as well as the strength of their love. I was provided an ARC of this book by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
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.
Once again Lauren has hit a home run. Betsy and Jenna both have to overcome their pasts to make a happier life for themselves. Through it all Ty shows his love for Betsy while she struggles to work through her challenges. Great book!
3 1/2 out of 5 Stars
The contrast between the sisters’ circumstances – one having children but looking for more and the other having more but looking for children – was the driving force for this story. It was a lesson in finding contentment in life rather than spending too much time wishing for a different one. Full review is at my website.
Inspired. It is an often overused word, but this story encapsulates what it means perfectly.
It is one thing to be motivated in thought, and another completely to change those notions into action. I noticed that transformation while reading this novel. Adrenaline flowed as I devoured each word. And I found myself leaping off the couch to engage in things I had been procrastinating for too long.
The lives of the two sisters in this book, Betsy and Jenna, contrasted and complemented each other beautifully. The balance of practical life on a dairy farm alongside the whimsical and dreamy escape to a creative world provided a compelling investigation of what it means to honor both in our own unique way.
As a tangential note, I have been longing to “see” my books as a movie, but this story has settled that desire inside me. The way Ms. Denton immerses us inside this novel has renewed my belief that a movie more compelling than any created with cameras and actors/actresses can be created with words alone. This book proves that with the visual depth provided through a combination of poetic and engaging prose.
With so many vantage points to see the elements of this story through, each character allows the reader to peek at the underlying themes from a different angle, catching a new sliver of light that is only visible from that particular perspective.
I must admit, when I began reading this novel, I immediately identified with Jenna, the artist bogged down by daily life with an insatiable hunger for exploring her creative side. But, as the story progressed, I looked forward to the chapters by Betsy and Ty just as much, especially with the way the author interweaved the two sisters’ stories into a third one that was better than the sum of its parts.
As a resident on the east coast of Florida, the term Hurricane Season usually invokes a sense of anxiety that can be overwhelming during the summer months. However, this novel and Ms. Denton’s emotional storytelling depth has reminded me that even when there is a storm on the horizon, we can always choose to embrace the beautiful calm and new beginnings that await us on the other side of the chaos.
Beautiful story! The story is full of emotion. Sisters Betsy and Jenna become involved in each other’s lives one summer in ways they didn’t imagine. Once close, they don’t see each other as much. One is busy with her husband and their farm. And one is busy raising two little girls on her own. But Jenna gets an offer to work on an old dream, but she has to go away for a few weeks. She leaves the girls with Betsy on the farm. The relationship between the sisters needs some mending. And the girls staying at the farm will create a different world for Betsy and her husband Ty. Amidst all of this, a forecasted hurricane is heading towards the farm. A wonderful story about family, relationships, and changes.
This was my first Lauren K. Denton read and I loved it. Looking forward to reading the rest of her books. I listened to this one on audio and the narrator, Devon O’Day, was also great.
I appreciated the honesty related to unspoken pain and the depiction of how a person’s choices and actions can be good, but also cause stress in others’ lives. I appreciated the portrayal of a healthy, wonderful marriage in spite of individual imperfections and moments of honest, but reactionary, expression of emotions. I loved the two sisters’ stories – one who chose to marry a farmer and the other a single mom with potential to be a professional photographer. Both sisters had to work through the angst of unfulfilled dreams and learn how to embrace present responsibilities without losing their grip on the things that do fulfill. The settings were rich and fun. I very much enjoyed both the dairy farm’s setting in Alabama and the Halcyon Art Retreat setting in Florida.
“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.
Not terribly deep, but an easy read and enjoyable characters.
I loved this book! It is a wonderful story about relationships and of not letting go your dreams.
Great book!
I enjoyed this book enough to look forward to reading it every night before falling asleep. It was a good story that kept you guessing, to a degree. Nothing earth shattering, but a nice little read.
Good book, but moved too slowly for me.
Just finished. Chick book. Beach read. Nothing deep. Filled some time. Sappy. Wouldn’t recommend if you have to pay for it.
I found the characters to be very believable and well portrayed.
I enjoyed this book but found it a little slow throughout. I feel there could have been more there but over all the story was good. A story of two sisters who have a distant relationship finding their true selves while a hurricane is brewing on the shore. I enjoyed Betsy and Ty’s story but wanted more of Jenna’s. I would recommend this book for those looking for a light, easy read with nothing too dramatic.
While an enjoyable story, I found it not to be faith based fiction. It did mention once (I believe) of the main characters, Betsy and Ty at church. It mentioned praying a sprinkling of times, but nothing else to indicate this couple, or their friends, being solid Christians who rely on God and is a part of their daily lives. Thus, my four star rating.
Betsy and her husband of eight years, Ty own his family farm which keeps them, along with some employees very busy. Betsy’s desire is to have children, but even after consulting with a doctor, they have no children and she has given up hope and is somewhat depressed over this. Ty wonders why he isn’t enough for her, as he feels she is enough for him and if there are no children they have one another.
Betsy’s younger sister, Jenna leaves her two young daughters with Betsy while she attends an art retreat. Jenna has always been a bit spirited. Ty is a bit angry at Jenna for leaving the children as he is concerned how it will affect Betsy and her own desire for children while Jenna is a single parent. What was supposed to be two weeks stretched out longer and Jenna couldn’t even tell Betsy when she would be back for her children. It seemed that Betsy started to somewhat think of the children as her own and a chasm was created between her and Ty.
The children have a blast on the farm and both Betsy and Ty love them and enjoy them.
Hurricane Ingrid is a big concern as it could be headed their way. Ty and the farmhands begin to prepare the farm just in case.
Jenna is given an opportunity that tempts her. What will she do? She feels she can be more than a single mom working in a coffee shop. She loves photography and once put it on the back shelf when she had her children. What will she do now? Can she possibly enjoy both? Read to find out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really enjoyed this book! Betsy and Jenna are sisters- each somewhat envious of the other. Betsy is more thoughtful and steady where Jenna flies by the seat of her pants. The story centers on Jenna leaving her two kids (last minute) with her sister while she attends an art retreat. Betsy, thus far unable to have her own children, has to deal with the emotions that come with suddenly having two young children in her care. The author did a great job with both characters as they struggle to find what is really important in life. I highly recommend this sweet, pleasant story! I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.