Review: A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr

The style of this story reminded me of Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series. Four friends, dealing with the angst we face in real life. The first is nearly the victim of date rape until a big, burly biker rescues her; the second, has a strong marriage, an unplanned fourth pregnancy, and is facing foreclosure on their home; the third, single career woman whose life is all she wants until she's diagnosed with breast cancer... again; and lastly, a woman whose husband adores her but she's not feeling very loved (foreplay consists of, "You awake?") when she runs into an old boyfriend oozing charm.

This heartwarming story reminds us all that we can't judge people by appearances; that we should never be too proud to admit when we need help; that love and laughter really can be the best medicine; and if we want better relationships, we have to change bad behavior, stop tolerating bad treatment, never stop trying to communicate, and never, never, never do anything to destroy trust.

If you're going through tough times or know someone who is, consider the money you'll spend for this book as an investment in encouragement (buy it so you can pass it on).

A Summer in Sonoma, while also set in Northern California, is not related to the Virgin River series. Brand new characters, brand new place. That's good news 'cause there is so much going on there is no space for back story.

Review: Honeysuckle Summer by Sherryl Woods

Sherryl Woods is never afraid to tackle the really tough issues we face and she always does it with well-researched but sensitively presented narrative and dialog. In A Slice of Heaven, the second book in the Sweet Magnolias series, she addressed the issue of divorced parents dealing with their teen daughter's anorexia. Well, that daughter is all grown up now, married to the boy who really helped her through that difficult time (see Annie and Ty's story in Home in Carolina) and our attention is now focused on her friend Raylene.

 Raylene hid in her husband's Charleston home to hide the bruises. Now divorced, she still hasn't overcome her fears and suffers from agoraphobia and anxiety attacks whenever she leaves the house. Now how is a girl supposed to meet Mr. Right when she's hiding at home?

As always, Woods' narrative makes the problem very real to us, then introduces a compassionate man who makes her feel safe and desirable.

Honeysuckle Summer is such a wonderful conclusion to The Sweet Magnolias series and if you've read one, you'll definitely want to be sure and read them all.