A Summer in Sonoma

Wonderful summer read

Julie and her husband Billy are high school sweethearts. They fell in love, got married and started popping out kids. Julie is so sick and tried of constantly paying bills. Julie will receive the surprise of her life soon. All Cassie is looking for is Mr. Right. She thought she found him but he turned out to be Mr. Wrong. In fact, he was so Mr. Wrong that Cassie was rescued by a knight on a Harley bike. His name is Walt Arneson. Cassie figures what can it hurt to hang out with Walt riding on his motorcycle, even if he is not the one or is he? Marty and her husband, Guy have been married for a long time. Lately, Marty feels like the spark has gone out of their marriage for good. She is tempted be a younger man. Marty is at a crossroads. Which path will she choose? Beth is a doctor. Her job is to treat and help heal people. Can Beth be strong when the tables are turned and the doctor becomes the patient? I really enjoy reading Robyn Carr's Virgin River series. Mrs. Carr's latest novel, A Summer in Sonoma is its own novel. It was a nice change and pace from the Virgin River series. I met four new friends in Cassie, Julie, Marty and Beth. I had a blast hanging out with these four ladies. Readers will relate to them all. My favorite two characters were Julie and Cassie. Julie because she was human and I could really relate to the head aches of always paying bills and Cassie because she is a pure delight to be around. If you are looking for the perfect vacation spot then travel to A Summer in Sonoma.

A wonderful book!!!! The characters have depth. Some you want to cheer for and others you may want to shake....

Emergency room nurse Cassie goes on a date with Ken that turns ugly until Walt the mechanic rescues her. They become friends although he would like their relationship to be intimate; she prefers her man to be more than someone who dirties their hands. Firefighter Billy and his wife Julie are in dire financial straits while she carries their fourth child. Firefighter Joe ignores his wife Marty, who is looking closely at her former boyfriend for attention. Doctor Beth struggles with the return of breast cancer while her oncologist Dr. Jerod wants to be with her during and after she receives treatment as he wants a non-medical relationship with her too. Though the theme of an ensemble friends struggling with different relationship issues has been done many times before ion TV, movies and novels, the four fully developed BFFs and the hunks in their lives make for a warm engaging contemporary tale. Readers will enjoy spending A Summer in Sonoma with Robyn Carr's charming cast. Harriet Klausner

Originally posted at: [...] A good listener and easy-going, Walt ,the biker, eases into a friendly relationship with Cassie when she comes by the Harley place to thank him for rescuing her from that bad situation. After meeting for coffee and talk and finally a dinner, he takes Cassie on her first of many motorcycle rides into the beautiful Sonoma area. A new, exciting, non-threatening, fun friendship grows between them while Cassie comes to realize that his intimidating physical appearance belies his nurturing, trustworthy nature. The reader gets to share a courtship that touches the heart and soul. While Cassie and Walt's story is never far from the reader's attention, the stories of Cassie's friends, Julie, Marty, and Beth intertwine to create a story replete with struggles, heartaches, fears, and loves -- loves that withstand lots of hard knocks. The reader is pulled into this circle of friends and the men in their lives as these four young women give each other unfailing support in good and bad times. Robyn Carr creates vibrant characters that bring to the fore conflicts and issues that plague modern society. The reader is privy to the traumas and the struggles to work through life-changing events that the characters experience as they face their fears and brave the possibilities of rejection as they strive to resolve conflicts, solve problems, and overcome tremendous odds. Trust, patience, and communication bring fantastic results. Summer in Sonoma is a journey from loneliness to feeling worshipped for Cassie. For Julie, it is a journey from despair and hopelessness to hope, confidence, and reaffirmed love. For Marty, it is a journey from fear of failure to understanding and rekindled love and for Beth, it is a journey from fear of death alone to a joy for life with a man who loves and wants her just like she is. This is a heartwarming story that is beautifully told by Robyn Carr.

As a fan of the Virgin River series, I thought I would try out a stand alone book by Robyn Carr. I found that I am not just a fan of Virgin River, but I really do like Carr's writing. A Summer In Sonoma introduces the reader to four high school friends on the verge of turning 30. Each woman looks at the others and feels pangs of envy for one reason or another and thinks the other's life is better than her own. The classic "the grass is always greener" syndrome. What the reader knows is that each has her own issue that makes her life difficult. They are trying to hide it from the others, but sooner or later all their secrets come spilling out. This book is part-romance and part-chick-lit. Since a couple of the characters are already married, it is what happens after the happily-ever-after. If you are after a classic romance, this one isn't it for you. If you want something a little more real with a lot of interaction between female friends, then this is the perfect book for a Sunday afternoon. I found myself really liking a couple of the characters, while the other two I kept thinking, "Is she really that dumb?" They all did dumb things, but two of them seemed to be over-the-top dumb. Not that this is unrealistic by any means. I think that all of the stories were realistic and their conclusions were the same. Some parts of the story were a little predictable, but in a very real way, so it worked. The name A Summer in Sonoma seemed a bit like a misnomer since Sonoma really was barely mentioned as was summer. The story begins in summer and ends into the fall, but really I didn't get much of the Sonoma or the summer part. Overall, I really liked this book. I found myself not wanting to put it down. It only took me one day to finish and I had a happy-little feeling in my heart when I finally did put the book down. *I received this book from from the publisher via netgalley to review*