Sins of Summer

Garlock always delivers. Prompted to write this review I choose to keep it somewhat general since for me she's a great escape into a world I studied in school but didn't learn the specifics of what daily life might be about, and this applies to all of her novels, not just this one. There are complaints in some of the reviews of Garlock's writing about language usage, and yes, sometimes it does seem somewhat archaic, but all in all her novels are quite even and her characters fairly realistic. Although a romance author, she has tidbits of information about the everyday life of her characters whether the stories take place in the old west or during the depression era that are interesting to anyone who likes history but doesn't want to read a tome, but rather desires a brief escape from the world today. "Sins of Summer" is somewhat unique because one of the characters is deaf and it shows how other characters in the book deal with her inability to hear- some with patience and guidance and some calling her "a dummy". The rest of the characters are like most of the people Garlock invents- accessible with enough personality to keep the reader involved. But mostly the book is another example of that Garlock is able to write a character driven book while also getting the reader involved in an interesting plot. Is this great writing? Probably not. Is Garlock worth reading? Absolutely if one enjoys reading to learn a bit of new information and enter the world of fiction that for a few hours does seem quite real.

Dysfunctional family! Long before this phrase was widely used and accepted such families existed. Families who were unable to deal adequately with one another; households who could not behave in a normal and productive manner. In SINS OF SUMMER, Dorothy Garlock throws the dysfunctional family idea firmly into her reader's face and forces the examination of emotional distress. With each passing day, Miss Dory Callahan grew lonelier and more impatient. She wondered if there was more to life than just existing from day to day. She questioned the life she was giving her daughter. Her toddler was growing in a house filled with hate. Dory's two half-brothers were mean-spirited and troubled. A small child needed more; a small child needed love and understanding. When Ben Waller arrived, Dory saw leniency, kindness, and remarkable strength. Ben Waller's daughter was indeed fortunate and Dory wanted the same for her daughter. By the same token, Dory wanted the same for herself! A man could spend a lifetime and never meet the right woman. Little by little, Dory Callahan and her little redheaded daughter were seeping slowly into his heart. Something in him had awakened - something no other woman had ever aroused. Dory's compassion, her understanding, and her courage had reached deep inside him. Ben Waller always thought love and a home were for other men. Now as he glanced at the small Callahan child, with terrified eyes, Ben suddenly realized he would give his life for her . . . and for her mother. Dorothy Garlock writes a story in such a way one could almost believe they were there. In SINS OF SUMMER, Garlock explores the wildness of frontier America, a time when the lumbering trade ruled the vigorous northwest. Here Ms. Garlock paints a remarkable story with her enthusiastic pen and her outstanding style, and consequently the reader feels and believes wholeheartedly. Grade: A- MaryGrace Meloche.

I cannot give this book more than 5 stars or I would. Once again Dorothy Garlock has written a wonderful story. Her knack for detail is wonderful. I have read so many of her books and think I've read them all then discover that there are others that I've missed. She is a very easy read. Sometimes, with other writers I have to go back and read something over but not with Dorothy's writing. The brutality of the people in this story is so real that I almost believed that these cruel characters were real. Keep up the good work Dorothy, we love your books.

... Dorothy Garlock is an excellent writer, that always satisfies... and exceeds your expectations, with each and every book she writes. This story was no exception.If you take a look at all the reviews that I've written so far, you'll see that most of the books are Dorothy Garlock books. When I picked up With Hope for the first time, I never even heard of her. I just found the book in a box of books at my mother's house, and I was looking for something different to read. I never imagined what effect it would have on me.Now I probably read about twenty-five of the thirty plus books she has written... and this was since August 2001!!! For a person that doesn't read about two to three books a year, that should say a lot!!!I've been passing each and every one of Ms. Garlock's books to my sisters, mother, and grandmother - after I finish each one. They like them as much as me, and the stories that I thought were great, but not her best, they liked even more. We all have different tastes, but we all love Ms. Garlock's stories!Nevertheless, this story is just as action-packed, and romantic as all of her stories. You'll feel for the stress and terror that Dory felt each and every day of her life... finding relief only in her daughter and brother, James. Dory and James are up against the world, or so it seems, as they try and survive their day to day life, at the hands of their step-brothers, Louis and Milo. James, never really realizing how dangerous their lives were, until Ben comes to work at the logging mill run by Louis, Milo, and James.Then the story is just like a ball of yarn coming unravelled, as it is rolled. Each event that occurs brings Dory and Ben closer together, as well as makes their lives more dangerous in the process.There is also a mystery of the Ben's deaf daughter, and then the love she discovers in James. These two characters were so strong, and so enjoyable to read.... and easily could have been main characters in another story, without losing an ounce of charm.This story is full of gunshots, murderers, a rapist, a questionable marshall, a mystery behind the mills accountant, and the strange family relationships and complications. Everything comes to a head, and you feel the tension of the family, then it slowly unravels leaving you in awe over the truths that are discovered.

I discovered Dorothy Garlock's work about a year ago when her book "With Hope" kept calling to me every time I walked by it in the book stores. I was so delighted in that book that I have been grabbing them every time I find one by her. No need to read the name or even what the story line is about - if it is by Dorothy Garlock it's a good read.