This is not the type of book that I usually like to read, but I'm so glad that I did. The Sandcastle Hurricane is a wonderful story about creating a new life for yourself no matter what stage of life you are in. The four residents from the Retirement home really made me laugh... I love how these people came together in a Hurricane and made a family. Carolyn Brown really writes a good story that is hard to put down.

When two cousin's take over the family bed and breakfast, they are in for a surprise. A hurricane the biggest one they've had in a long time. They help out the locals by putting up some senior citizens. TOgwther with the help of a handyman they ride out the storm and learn about each other and themselves.

I loved this story. It was hard to put down. I was even sad when it ended because I wanted to know more about them and to see where their relationships would continue to go. THis is definately a must read.

The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown is a beautifully written and engaging romance. With new owners for the family Bed and Breakfast, quirky but lovable guests and a huge hurricane on the way, things start happening pretty quickly! This story just tugged at my heartstrings and engaged me from start to finish. I very much enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to y'all!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Montlake Publishers and Mrs. Brown for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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While reading this was a bit on the nose since I was reading it during hurricane season and a hurricane was indeed pelting Florida as I finished, I found Carolyn Brown’s usual country charm, sweet family and friendship, multi-generational characters, and a dash of romance quite the thing.

The Sandcastle Hurricane begins when Hurricane Delilah slams into the south Texas gulf coast and the little coastal town of Sandcastle. New inn owners, cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae, find themselves hosting four feisty older folks from the senior living center and a local handyman who once swapped kisses as teenagers with Tabby.

Tabby and Ella Mae are inheriting an old family home turned in from the great- aunt who has high-tailed it to Colorado, where there aren’t any hurricanes. Thank you very much. The chance came at a time when both needed a reset on life. Ella Mae’s partner has just past leaving her at a loss and Tabby’s out of a rough marriage. They’re fixing up the inn and hoping to make a success at it, grow closer to each other and get beyond the hurts of the past. Alex, and later his friend Ricky, are a part of that.

But, there are also a few animal strays and four older folks, Vietnam War vet best buds, Frank and Homer and two fierce old gals who can’t get along, Maude and Cleo to make it all interesting when they have to extend their stay at the end while the town rebuilds. Quite the surprise comes about Maude and Cleo, but the stay at the inn for all of them, including the cousins, works its magic on repairing their pasts.

I’ve come to really anticipate and enjoy the down home feel-good style Carolyn Brown writes and makes the reader relax and be part of a nostalgic setting and group of people that come to be ‘found’ family. Comfort reading at its best. I like getting all the point of views in the narration and seeing the women old and young (not to mention the men) find their way and figure out a happier life as a result. Not that there aren’t any conflicts to get past, but the low angst style appeals to me, as do the relaxed small town coastal Texas setting there at The Sandcastle and the environs.

So, a natural disaster brought a new engaging cast of characters, a plot and a setting from a favorite author and I enjoyed it thoroughly. While there is plenty of romance and a bit of snappy dialogue and spice, I would still say this leans more toward women’s fiction and recommend it to both crowds.

A heartwarming story of family, friendship, and love that brings together a diverse group of people, young and old. Tabby and Ellie Mae are cousins who are more like sisters. As children, they spent summers with their Aunt Charlotte in Sandcastle, Texas. Both women experience grief and loss and are at crossroads in their lives because of it. In serendipitous timing, Aunt Charlotte decides to retire from running her B & B and move to Colorado, leaving Tabby and Ellie Mae to run the business.

They've only been there a few weeks when Hurricane Delilah sets her sights on Sandcastle. The book opens as the women make preparations for the storm. Aunt Charlotte calls to tell them she's sending help in the form of handyman Alex LaSalle, who will stay at the house and take care of the generator and repairs. She also tells them that he will bring four local assisted living center residents with nowhere else to go. The hope is that they will be able to return to the center after the storm, but the reality becomes quite different.

The four oldsters are Chloe, Maude, Frank, and Homer. Chloe is a woman who has lived life on her terms. She ran off and joined a carnival as a teenager, met and married her husband there, and ended up owning the whole shebang. She is fun and full of life and loves pushing the buttons of a fellow resident, Maude. Maude is an uptight and bitter woman who can't seem to find a nice thing to say about anyone, especially Chloe. It isn't until halfway through the book that we learn of the connection between the two and what has caused their enmity. Frank and Homer are childhood friends and veterans who went to Vietnam together, then built a business together after their return. They are kind-hearted, reasonable men who provide a sense of calm around their more volatile friends.

Alex is a longtime friend of Aunt Charlotte's who has helped her during previous storms. He also has a history with Tabby, with whom he shared a first kiss when they were teenagers. Alex is an all-around nice guy who fits in well with the rest of the crowd. He is also an excellent cook and shares kitchen duties with Tabby. They are initially wary around each other, but it doesn't take long for their old friendship to reassert itself. It is quickly apparent that Alex has feelings for Tabby, but she's still struggling with the death of her daughter.

Ellie Mae struggles with the recent loss of her best friend, Sam. Despite their different sexes and races, they had been best friends and roommates for many years. Having the B & B gave Ellie Mae a purpose to keep her from wallowing in her grief. I liked watching her throw herself into the repair work after the storm, keeping her mind and hands busy. When Alex brings in his friend Ricky to help with the work, Ellie Mae finds a gentle and sympathetic listener for her Sam stories. I liked watching her grief ease as she got to know Ricky.

The story is full of laughs and tears as these eight people (plus a stray dog, a mama cat, and her kittens) learn to coexist and cooperate to meet a common goal. There are stories and secrets shared over pie and glasses of sweet tea, advice given and taken along with milk and cookies, and a family forged over shared meals and work. I loved the contrast between the forged family and the blood family. Tabby and Ellie Mae come from families whose members are more interested in appearances than genuine caring. When those families descended on the B & B for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, they got more than they bargained for. I laughed out loud as I watched Tabby and Ellie Mae turn the tables on their obnoxious families and send them running for cover.

With the assisted living center destroyed, our four seniors propose paying Tabby and Ellie Mae to live at the B & B permanently. Several twists led to a change in plans, and I loved watching their vision come to fruition. I loved seeing the changes in everyone by the end of the book. The epilogue was excellent, and I enjoyed seeing the results of their hard work, physically and emotionally.

Cousins Tabby and Ellie May have had their full share of tragedy and the timing is right for their Aunt Charlotte to sign over her beachfront B&B to her nieces and split for drier pastures.

Unfortunately, they barely unpack their bags before they are notified of an impending hurricane and dear ole auntie calls to tell them he’s sending Alex with four assisted living persons who could not be evacuated—no place to go.

Well, at least Alex and his partner Ricky can provide some eye candy as well as built-in repair crew after the hurricane.

Hurricane Delilah is taking her sweet time decimating the formerly peaceful village and it appears their elderly guests will be forced to stay until everyone is bosom buddies. The two old sisters are like a couple vipers while the two old veterans swap war stories. The cousins manage to make it work without B&B experience or electricity and discover the group is a family in itself.

There are themes of kindness, loss, grief, and recovery. Fresh starts are a good thing, families are a good thing, pets are a good thing, and so are romances but these are just too perfect to be very realistic. 3.5 stars

When tabby in Fannie Mae get ready for the hurricane what they’re not ready for or their guest. Mod and Clea or enemies although their attitudes are tempered by the lovable bill and Homer two Vietnam vets and best friends. tabby is still nervous because they also are housing her ex Alex. The inn they are running belongsto her aunt Charlotte Maude has a strict set of rules she follows where is clear it’s a go with your flow type of woman and they clash but when their secrets or divulged it’s possibly worse than the hurricane Alex is interested in the guy’s NOM stories Homer doesn’t mind sharing but Bill isn’t so open about his. The four it’s over they’ll know each other in a way only families do but will this family stay together or fray at the edges. I love Carolyn Brown’s stories and I see with this one that’s she is teasing adapted to be all inclusive so kudos to you I definitely love this book and can’t say enough about it. This author has always been A great read she hasn’t let me down yet and certainly didn’t with the Sandcastle hurricane I loved it and highly recommend it. I received this book from NetGalley and the author but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review.

What a great read, there's humor, feels, made-family and dysfunctional family, oh and a hurricane! Tabby and Ellie Mae are two cousins that grew up in a dysfunctional family with their aunt being their only loving family member, the aunt that saw their lives hit with tragedy offers them the family B and B to give them a new start. As they begin renovations a hurricane is aimed at the area, their B and B becomes refuge to four senior citizen that had to evacuate their center as well as a fishing guide who regularly weathers storms at the B and B. Now Tabby and Ellie Mae have their hands full with a houseful of guests, not all get along, surprise family appearances and a holiday dinner they'll never forget! You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll wish you could be part of the Fan Four!

I usually love Carolyn Brown books. They are my go to stories if I want a great modern fiction that is full of fun, family and romance. The Sandcastle Hurricane, while enjoyable, won't go on the list as must read. The storyline seemed just a little lacking. The characters are great but I wanted to know more about them. The retirement home guests were great! They could be a book all by themselves! I feel like Brown just scratched the surface of their story. I think my problem with the Sandcastle Hurricane was I felt like I started in the middle of the story. The main characters, cousins, were never properly introduced. I kept getting them confused. Don't get me wrong. The Sandcastle Hurricane is really good but not one of my favorite Carolyn Brown books.
I voluntarily received a copy of of this book from Netgalley.

Another heartwarming and well written novel by Carolyn Brown. Well rounded characters, a lovely setting, sweet story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Two cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae are in need of a reboot in their lives, the perfect solution is to run their aunt's B&B in Texas. In the mist of the approaching hurricane they take in four residents from other assisted living. Two estranged sisters and two veterans that have been friends forever. As they survive the storm, soon wounds will be healed and new friendships develop. Locals Alex and Ricky help repair the B&B and soon love might be in the air between them and Tabby and Elie Mae.

This is more of a women's fiction with a side of romance. It was a wonderful read of rebuilding your life and making unlikely friendships.

I really loved the setting and the characters of this novel. There was a lot going on but it was written so well. Action packed, heartwarming and thrilling. Thanks for the publisher and netgalley for the early read.

This is a Women's Fiction/Romance. I really loved all the characters in this book. There was so much development in the characters I felt I really knew these characters. There was so much going on in this book, but it was done so well. I really loved the older characters they brought so many fun times to this book. The setting was just what this book needed. I also loved that in getting to know these great characters Carolyn Brown mixed in some really important real things which brought light to those issues. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Montlake) or author (Carolyn Brown) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Heartwarming and emotionally thrilling, action packed journey filled with engaging charters, intriguing story line, witty banter, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Highly entertaining adventure from beginning to end.

The Sandcastle B and B. takes in some old folks during a bad hurricane. As they all interact together they find they can get over their pasts and differences and become like family. A real good read.

I so enjoyed this book. Bringing together generations and becoming a 'chosen' family was fabulous.

Tabby and Ellie Mae, cousins who both need a 'new start', are given that from their Aunt who has decided to leave the B&B on the beach and move to Colorado. Within their first week, a hurricane is coming and Aunt Charlotte has given explicate instructions that a group of 4 from the assisted living facility in town that have no where else to go, can stay at the B&B. Also as a temporary tenant is Alex, who has helped Aunt Charlotte in the past, fixing what needs to be fixed.

With Tabby and Ellie Mae, this ragtag group begins to realize they are meant to be together. Two elderly brothers in arms, and two elderly sisters in truth learn to accept each other. Tabby and Ellie Mae reach out to find love in the face of a disaster.

All in all, a wonderful look at how we all can be more accepting and kind to each other, and how love can grow in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

I didn't start reading Carolyn Brown's books until recently, but she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. There is too little time to read books that bring me down, but I can depend on Carolyn's books to lift my spirits. I love her quirky characters and happy endings. The Sandcastle Hurricane illustrates the saying that when one door closes, another one opens that will be even better. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an advance copy to read and review.

The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown is a story of family, second chances and relationships. Tabby and Ellie Mae have gone through loss in their lives and are struggling to process this loss. They are grieving while building their B&B business which they have inherited from their Aunt Charlotte. An hurricane strikes and they take in four senior people who have lost their shelter home. What follows is a journey which they neither wanted or anticipated.
This story is poignant and highlights the loneliness and to some extent the isolation of our human lives. The happiness of finding a person who understands your pain and doesn't judge you is precious. The characters of this book are very raw, relatable and to a lot of extent real.
I had trouble in few spots with the constant dialogue about the same things again and again but overall it was a good book.

When cousins Tabby and Ella Mae are given their aunt’s beachfront bed-and-breakfast in Sandcastle, Texas they have no idea the life changes that are about to happen to them. This is a feel good, heartwarming, life affirming book that only Carolyn Brown can write. Loved it.

I love that Carolyn Brown gives us "different" characters in most of her books. In this book she gave us two cousins who have taken over a B&B. When a hurricane declares it's intention to visit their little town, the women open up their home to four people from an assisted living facility, the man who helped their aunt weather hurricanes at the B&B for years and then a momma cat in labor and a little dog. You just don't often get characters as old as the four who descend on them.

This was an entertaining and enjoyable book. Probably not one of my favorite Carolyn Brown books, but good.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.