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I was intrigued by this story when I read the synopsis on the back of the book. I'll admit that once I started reading the first chapter, I was head over heels for that little boy of Sessa's. I mean, who wouldn't love that rodeo-loving boy with the red hat?! The Chambers were walking through a nightmare, but Sessa was trying her hardest to give her son what he needed. However, it wasn't enough. She loved Jesus, she did all the "right things" that we as Christian parents try to teach our kids, yet it didn't turn out the way she had hoped. Her prodigal son never returned back to her. Yet she still has a small piece of him that showed up on her doorstep. She has a choice of what she wants to invest her life in. Which is great, except she has several things she wants to invest in, including her job.
This isn't the only huge issue in Sessa's life right now, either. She has to come to terms with forgiveness and understanding. Dr. Brown's life was changed the same day that Sessa's son's was. His reputation has been tainted and starting over isn't easy. I couldn't help but like Dr. Brown. When I realized who he was and the connection, I didn't want to like him. But after hearing his story, I came to really like that man.
This book speaks to overcoming the past, forgiveness, and I really think, investing in lives. Sessa's life wasn't tied up in pretty bows. It was messy. It was just like all of our lives. Firefly Summer reminded me that my plan for my life and God's plan for my life may be completely different at some stages in my life. Will I surrender my will to His? Sessa had to do that and it was a battle, just as most of us experience.
I enjoyed the story, but would have loved to have seen the first 4 chapters not span such a wide time. I felt like I was jumping time for a bit. I appreciated the back story, but I wonder if it could have somehow been done differently. Doing it once wouldn't be so bad, but twice left me wondering how many more times I was going to be jumping through.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
RITA and Carol award nominee Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than forty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than one million copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad, and her books have been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish, to name a few.
Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a former member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division.
A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has four children of her own as well as seven bonus kids she gladly inherited when she married her own hero in combat boots (read about their real-life romance here!). Kathleen is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a former member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division.
A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has four children of her own as well as seven bonus kids she gladly inherited when she married her own hero in combat boots (read about their real-life romance here!). Kathleen is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A new cowboy romance from award-winning author Kathleen Y'Barbo.
Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!
Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…
Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.
How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Firefly Summer, go HERE.
Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!
Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…
Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.
How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Firefly Summer, go HERE.
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I received this book free from Hometown Romance and CFBA in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
