The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank

Morning, all! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Dorothea Benton Frank's latest, The Hurricane Sisters.

Three generations of women in one family. Three sets of hopes, dreams, problems, and miscommunications!

Maisie has just turned eighty and is living it up! She's dating her much younger driver and she's happy to bestow funds and praise on both of her grandkids. But when it comes to her daughter, Liz, it seems all she can do is criticize. At least, that's how Liz sees it. 

Liz is driven and passionate about her job but no one else seems to take her efforts seriously. Not her mother. Not her absent husband, who's been acting strange of late. Certainly not her children. While her son is living out in California with his partner, her daughter has taken up residence in the family beach house (free of rent) and is barely eking out a living at a local art gallery. Her dreams of being an artist seem unrealistic to Liz, especially as more time passes. 

Ashley has a talent, one that she'd love to focus all of her time and attention on. Unfortunately she has to work to eat. Not that her job allows much beyond ramen and boxed wine. She and her roommate come up with a clever plan that would earn them decent cash while taking advantage of the beach house's fabulous location, but Ashley knows that her parents would flip if they found out. When she starts dating one of the hottest eligible bachelors in South Carolina, though, she thinks things might finally be looking up. 

I have to say, after my experience with The Last Original Wife I was a bit concerned about how this one would go over with me. Fortunately The Hurricane Sisters was much more my speed. I loved Maisie and Ashley and even Liz began to grow on me as the book progressed.

The Hurricane Sisters does deal with the very serious issue of abuse and the author includes further information about stats and one of the organizations mentioned in the book in her afterword. In spite of this, the book maintains a light and breezy feel (exactly what I'd expected of her work and thought was somewhat missing in The Last Original Wife).

I have to say, too, that Charleston really comes to life here! The atmosphere, the attitude, and the food especially. (It made me more than a bit homesick for Louisiana.) Again this is what I'd hoped for and what I know the author is really well known for. The Hurricane Sisters definitely hit the spot!

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Dorothea Benton Frank and her work you can find her on the web here. You can also like her on Facebook.