Customer Reviews

Summer Breeze (The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series #2)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Patsy Pringle's hair salon takes the area's pulse within its newly formed group, The Tea Lovers' Club. It allows the ladies to share their good news and their worries. In Book Two of this series, Kim Finley is center stage. Her mother-in-law, Miranda, has come to visit indefinitely and care for the twins, and nothing Kim does is right. Kim's concern over her daughter Lydia's rebellious actions and worry over Luke's diabetes is very stressful. How will she handle Derek's perfectly put together mother? And how will Derek manage the two women he loves most?

The citizens have adopted Cody Goss, a homeless man, and when Miranda orchestrates his leaving, no one is happy about it. This mother-in-law has stirred up more than one family.

Chapman and Palmer have created characters who share real down-to-earth problems. Their blend of humor and honesty sheds a revealing light at how God would have us handle life's stressors.

As with the 1st book, depicted women are strong and faithful to their faith, however I find them somewhat unbending and rather shrewish, while the men are silently strong and see the women as difficult to get along with. I'd like a better balance.

Derek Finley feels his world is collapsing although he loves his wife Kim and her twin children Lydia and Luke from an abusive previous marriage. Helping him somewhat cope with his off the scale stress is he knows they love him too. Still he and Kim worry about paying their bills now that Luke has diabetes. Kim will need to return to the workforce, but both parents worry about caring for the children with no stay at home adult.

The answer is simple; Derek's mom Miranda moves into the household. However, the third adult causes all sorts of troubles between her son and daughter-in-law as Miranda needs to be in charge. Besides being the commanding general she also practices some odd religious beliefs that frighten Kim as her children might emulate their step-grandmother. This once solid marriage appears in deep trouble from tropical storms.

This story is based on Gary Chapman's belief that marriage changes like seasons and those in which the couple communicates their fears and desires will only get stronger. SUMMER BREEZE is an entertaining stand alone tale of two generations sharing a household that leads to conflict ironically because everyone "knows" what is best for Luke while Lydia feels left out. Using hyperbole to make the point that relationships run into storms followed by SUMMER BREEZE, this is a fine family drama filled with emotional people frightened that everything sacred to each of them is falling apart. Fans will appreciate the different reactions of the Finley family to Luke's diabetes while also reading the first marriage based tale, IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING

Harriet Klausner

OMW!! I have this whole series and I just adore it! The characters are so great! You are guaranteed to find someone to relate to in this 4 book series located in a small lake community in Arkansas and I would be surprised if you don't just fall in love with Cody and his passion for chocolate cake cut into squares.

Loved this series of books. All were very easy to relate to no matter what season your marriage is in.

Summer Breeze, by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman, is one of a series of four novels based on the seasons of relationships described in Chapman's The Four Seasons of Marriage. This is the first of the series I've read but I'm definitely looking for the other three.

Recently I heard Pam and Bill Farrel on the radio, discussing their book Men Are Life Waffles - Women Are Like Spaghetti, so it was especially interesting to follow the characters of Derek and Kim in this book and see how they fit the Farrels' categories. Derek, the water patrolman, wants to keep the areas of his life in neatly separated boxes (the sections of the waffle) while Kim sees everything as being intertwined (like pieces of spaghetti) and reacts accordingly. Predictably, their different perspectives and their different love languages create some tense moments.

I also enjoyed eavesdropping as Derek's neighbor Charlie explains how he used fishing techniques (empathetic listening) to resolve a touchy situation with his wife. Derek is a quick learner and puts the ideas in play with his step-daughter and later his wife, who then uses them successfully with her mother-in-law.

Altogether an entertaining book with some interesting lessons hidden inside. Recommended!

I don't like to give away the story when I review a book. So instead of talking about the plot, I just want to tell you this second book in the Four Seasons series is as good as the first. The same quirky characters are back, along with some new ones.

I like how Palmer and Chapman deliver with a touch of humor, real issues couples face in marriage. There are really about four stories going on here, some of which are left unresolved. I imagine they will be the focus of the next books in the series. One can only hope. I want to see more of the residents of Deepwater Cove.

I think Palmer and Chapman have a winning series going. A great summer read. A great read any time of year.

Reviewed by Ane Mulligan
http://www.anemulligan.com/

This book is fantastic! It's the second of a four book series that I am reading with my Bible Study group. We needed a break from a typical Catholic Bible study so we have been doing these books in between the studies. It prompts very lively discussion of the characters, human nature, God's plan, and marriage. The seven of us in my group would say that we've actually learned things about a Godly marriage through discussion based on this book.

I appreciate the underlying themes of this series of the differences between the sexes and the importance of really listening to one another. However, it is obvious the authors did not do their research re: the treatment of Diabetes Type 1. It is a shame to see such blatant errors as giving insulin for low blood sugar. Despite these errors this series is worth reading.

With a name like Tranquility, a town should be, well, tranquil, right? Not exactly. Kim Finley's ten year old son, Luke, has diabetes. Her daughter, Lydia, has become a rebellious brat, and her mother-in-law has come for an extended stay. It's enough to make a woman want to run away from home. And an unidentified female body has been found in Deepwater Cove. Derek, Kim's husband, believes it is a homicide.

Miranda, Derek's mother, has developed mother-in-law meddling to a new high, and even Patsy Pringle and the Tea Lover's Club may not have all the answer's to Tranquility's problems. Fans of the TLC club wil enjoy Summer Breeze.