The Sandcastle Hurricane, by consummate story teller Carolyn Brown, tells of cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae as they inherit their dear Aunt Charlotte’s B&B in tiny Sandcastle, Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. Aunt Charlotte has decided to retire to the mountains of Colorado, but the ownership of the old family homestead, now B&B, must stay in the Landry family. Since both cousins are in great need of a change after each has gone through their own tough times, Aunt Charlotte feels this is time. Always close although ten years apart in age, Tabby and Ellie Mae have escaped their disapproving fathers, Tabby’s controlling ex-husband, and personal losses plus the racist tendencies of their families.

As the ladies settle in to their new home and make preparations to restore the old home there is an unexpected visitor in the form of Hurricane Delilah. Along with intense winds and driving rains, Aunt Charlotte has asked the cousins to open the home to four elders from a local retirement center with no place to seek refuge as well as Aunt Charlotte’s younger friend who has helped her during hurricanes in the past, Alex LaSalle.

Estranged sisters Cleo and Maude, a bickering pair that keeps everyone else tense, best friends Homer and Frank, who served together in Vietnam, returned together to open a business, then retired together to the center, are taking refuge at the home, but with the demise of the center what will their future be? And will they find their futures as extended family with the B&B?

This is such a good story of finding one’s place in the world, overcoming the constraints of the past, finding family of those you’ve chosen, and embarking on a bright future. With wonderful, quirky, and diverse characters, an intricately plotted storyline, and a lovely coastal setting, this novel will not disappoint. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Engaging characters made for a pleasant read.
Finding love
Surviving grief
Starting over
Humor
Friendships
High maintenance families
Definitely a very heartwarming read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tabby and Ellie Mae are cousins who both need a change. So when their aunt Charlotte offers them to take over Sandcastle's B&B, they take it up. But things are changing quite quickly when hurricane Delilah threatens to destroy everything. They take in Cleo, Maude, Frank and Homer, who have nowhere else to go to stay safe from Delilah, and Alex comes in to help them prepare for, go through and repair after, along with his friend Ricky.
I loved the setting, the characters, the relationships... This was really a charming read, giving Debbie Macomber, Mary Alice Monroe and Nicolas Sparks (but less dramatic) vibes. Each character has their own voice, and I loved them all!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a lot of books by Carolyn Brown and I have really enjoyed them all. I liked this one as much as all of her other books that I have read!

EXCERPT: Rising out of the rocky and sandy beach right across the EastBay of southeastern Texas and the Bolivar Peninsula, the Sandcastle Inn had a stone seawall in front of it that had been built with the same gray stones as the house. With twelve-foot ceilings in every room, the inn stood like a tall and proud sentinel keeping watch over the small beach town of Sandcastle. A wide porch wrapped all the way around the first floor and provided a catwalk for the rooms on the second story. Three of the bedrooms faced the Gulf of Mexico - or 'the ocean' as Aunt Charlotte called it - and two had a view of the old barn at the back of the property. The house had been home to generations of Landrys, was on the register of historical homes, and had survived more than one hurricane.

ABOUT 'THE SANDCASTLE HURRICANE': Cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae are due for a change. Running their aunt’s beachfront bed-and-breakfast in Sandcastle, Texas, is just the thing to shake things up…though their lives spin out of control in more ways than one when a hurricane barrels into the coastline. It’s a miracle it didn’t carry them off to Kansas. Not so lucky are the assisted-living center and a small eclectic group of local folks who take shelter with the cousins.

Two estranged sisters, rowdy as a circus, need a referee for a battle that goes back decades. And a pair of veterans, best friends for years, hash out bittersweet old times. There’s also handyman Alex LaSalle and his business partner, Ricky, experts at repairing the hurricane’s damage—and at making Tabby’s and Ellie Mae’s hearts beat a little faster.

As unpredictable, crowded, and stormy as it gets, the Sandcastle B and B is still the perfect harbor for healing past wounds, finding romance, and making up for lost time. Add in Tabby’s homemade pecan pie, and the Texas shore feels like a little slice of paradise.

MY THOUGHTS: Another heart-warming fun read from Carolyn Brown.

Families - the reason for our existence - the bain of our lives. The Sandcastle Hurricane is a good reminder that parents need to let their children pick their own paths in life; that children are not there to fulfil their parents unrealised dreams, desires and potential.

As always Brown tugs at the heart-strings and I became fully invested in the characters and their outcomes. Two young women who have known much, if different, heart-ache - cousins Tabby and Ellie-Mae - also have precarious relationships with those who should be their nearest and dearest and rely on each other for support and friendship with Aunt Charlotte as back-up. Their plans for the B&B are hi-jacked by a group of residents from a nearby assisted-living facility evacuated to the B&B when their facility is under threat from Hurricane Delilah. The four are made up of Chloe and Maude who are constantly at war, and Homer and Frank who had served in Vietnam together, and then been business partners. What a foursome! The asides between Maude and Chloe had me laughing out loud, while Frank and Homer are the voices of reason - most of the time. Alex and Ricky are the cherries on top - blown in by the hurricane. Who says an ill wind never blows good?

The Sandcastle Hurricane is a delightful, heart-warming read about taking the chances offered and not closing off either your heart or mind to change. It deals with grief, various forms of loss, the healing properties of pets, and families - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly!

⭐⭐⭐.8


TheSandcastleHurricane #NetGalley

I: @carolynbrownbooks #montlake

T: @thecarolynbrown #Montlake

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #romance #womensfiction

THE AUTHOR: Hi! I'm twenty five years old and movie star gorgeous. The camera added thirty plus years and a few wrinkles. Can't trust those cameras or mirrors either. Along with bathroom scales they are notorious liars! Honestly, I am the mother of three fantastic grown children who've made me laugh and given me more story ideas than I could ever write. My husband, Charles, is my strongest supporter and my best friend. He's even willing to eat fast food and help with the laundry while I finish one more chapter! Life is good and I am blessed!

Reading has been a passion since I was five years old and figured out those were words on book pages. As soon as my chubby little fingers found they could put words on a Big Chief tablet with a fat pencil, I was on my way. Writing joined reading in my list of passions. I will read anything from the back of the Cheerio's box to Faulkner and love every bit of it. In addition to reading I enjoy cooking, my family and the ocean. I love the Florida beaches. Listening to the ocean waves puts my writing brain into high gear.

I love writing romance because it's about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Settings change. Plots change. Names change. Times change. But love is love and men and women have been falling in and out of it forever. Romance is about emotions: love, hate, anger, laughter... all of it. If I can make you laugh until your sides ache or grab a tissue then I've touched your emotions and accomplished what every writer sets out to do.

I got serious about writing when my third child was born and had her days and nights mixed up. I had to stay up all night anyway and it was very quiet so I invested in a spiral back notebook and sharpened a few pencils. The story that emerged has never sold but it's brought in enough rejection slips to put the Redwood Forest on the endangered list.

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Montlake via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

With the arrival of a hurricane in the small town of Sandcastle, Texas; an unlikely group of people come together at the Sandcastle B and B. Each one of the people are unique and each came alive off the page as I read through this story. I was immediately invested and wanted to know more. Carolyn Brown does a wonderful job of melding different age groups amongst the characters together. Tabby and Ellie Mae are both looking for change in their life and the opportunity arises when their aunt leaves them a B and B. Family, forgiveness, hope and inspiration are themes that Carolyn Brown incorporates so well into this story. Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I enjoyed every minute of this story and would love to hang out with Tabby, Ellie Mae, Alex, Ricky and the Fan Four at the Sandcastle B and B. Carolyn Brown's characters are the best!

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The theme of this story is that you don’t have to be related by blood or marriage to be family. Cousins, Tabby and Ellie Mae, take in four senior citizens and a neighbor of the inn/childhood crush of Tabby as a hurricane prepares to blow through their town. As they weather the storm together, the group forms a bond while sharing laughter and tears along with a few arguments thrown in from feuding sisters, Maude and Cleo. Through their relationships, they help one another move on from past losses and hardships. I especially enjoyed the “Fan Four,” as the seniors were aptly named. Overall, I thought this was a nice, fairly predictable read with enjoyable characters and a nice setting.

I did receive a copy of this book from NetGalley and Montlake publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The Sandcastle Hurricane is very well written. Beautiful setting and a great cast of characters and a hurricane to stir things up. Carolyn Brown has written another winner. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.

A diverse group of adults thrown together by circumstances beyond their control makes for a lively story. Carolyn Brown hits it out of the ballpark with this one.

The characters come alive as Tabby and Elsie Mae (the cousins) who inherit a B&B in a small Texas town, take in 4 senior citizens, as a hurricane approaches. Add in a local fisherman/handyman and his partner and shenanigans ensue. When estranged family arrives for Thanksgiving all hell breaks loose.

You're going to laugh and cry along with this group of friends who become family.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ellie Mae and Tabby are both grieving the loss of two people that meant the most to them besides their aunt Charlotte and desperately wanting to escape their current life for a new one. Aunt Charlotte is ready to retire from the family owned Sandcastle B & B and hand it down to the only remaining family members of the Landry family. Ellie Mae and Tabby jump at the chance for a new beginning in the place they loved as children even while 10 years apart in age, only they don't have a clue what they're in for. Hurricane Delilah soon threatens to destroy everything, as well as bring unexpected guests to the B & B to hunker down while the hurricane makes landfall and causes destruction everywhere. Both women are soon dealing with two fueding women that can't get along to save their lives, two former military best friends that love sharing stories, and a handyman with his own past.
This is a beautiful story of family, dysfunction, friendship, grieving, & racial prejudice. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was drawn to this book by the cover…so lovely!! This book is such a sweet, wholesome romance that is an easy, quick read.

Tabby and Ellie Mae are cousins who needed a change in their lives. Their Great-Aunt, Charlotte handed them the family Bed & Breakfast but soon after they took over a hurricane was about to crash upon the coast straight to the B&B! As they start to prepare, Aunt Charlotte tells them that they are needed to take-in four elderly guests from the retirement center as well as the local handyman who has a history with Tabby! What only is supposed to be a few days ends up being a few months (or more). A lot of drama happens between the walls of the Sandcastle during that time…friendships are made, family struggles (some good/some bad) & sparks start to fly!

I did struggle a little bit in the beginning…like the chaos of prepping for the storm to hit but it didn’t last long! I really enjoyed the main group of characters! I absolutely loved Cleo - she had me laughing out loud!!! The secondary characters - not so much…they are racist, narcissistic & misogynistic. I felt for both Tabby & Ellie Mae for having to deal with that. The opportunity for them to start a new life with the B&B was a blessing for them both!

Even though I have never lived in an area that has hurricanes, nor have I ever been in one, this book really resonated with me with the recent Hurricane Ian and all of the devastation it left behind. It really made reading this book even more vivid…I could really picture all of the damage.

I have never read anything by Carolyn Brown before this book but I will be reading more of her books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and Carolyn Brown for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

A hurricane is on its way to Sandcastle Texas and Tabby and Ellie Mae, two cousins who are trying to manage running their aunt’s beachfront B&B are getting prepared. When a call comes in that some residents from a retirement home need a place to stay, the cousins welcome them with open arms. Four elderly guests should be no problem, right? When Frank, Homer, Maude and Cleo show up, the sisters quickly learn that these four could be worse than the hurricane. The only saving grace is Alex and Ricky who are contractors and friends who are ready and willing to help.

While the hurricane rages and ravages the small town, Ellie Mae, Tabby, Alex, Ricky and the retirees all come together to save the inn and each other in more ways than one.

What a beautiful story Carolyn Brown brings us about family, love and friendship. The characters are so well written with complex back stories that the reader is drawn into the story in the first few pages. I loved getting to know everyone and hear their stories. I absolutely loved the book and am a huge fan of Ms. Browns fabulous story telling. My thanks to Montlake Publishing for my advanced copy which I voluntarily read and reviewed. This is one book my friends you want to curl up with. It’s a fabulous read.

Cousins Tabby and Ellie Mae have moved to Sandcastle, TX to run the B&B their aunt left them. She's ready to retire and spend time with her friends in Colorado. The B&B have given the cousins a place to heal and figure out where life is going to take them. Hurricane Delilah t is barreling towards them and is going to change everything. The senior assisted-living facility is in the direct path. The four people have no where to go but Aunt Charlotte has offered the B&B. Alex LaSalle, neighbor, friend and all around handyman is there to help as they move in. , You have Frank and Homer that served during the Vietnam War and Cleo and Maude that are always swiping at each other. The stories they are telling can make you sit and listen to them for hours. When Tabby and Ellie Mae's parents show up for Thanksgiving, the insanity turns up to a new level. Only the four of them are not having it. You would think blood is thicker than water but those seniors are more family than the ones that brought them into the world. HEA is totally worth it!

“The Sandcastle Hurricane” by Carolyn Brown
Storms & Recovery; Heartache & Healing
I meant to pace myself with this story but then that plan went out the window. Because, I just could not put this story down. A contemporary story with friendship, romance, dysfunctional family, and unconditional love. Oh, and a storm to herald new beginnings. Yes, I loved this story. It is a worthy read. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley,

Tabby and Ellie Mae Landry are cousins, their aunt Charlotte has moved out of her beachfront bed-and-breakfast in Sandcastle on the Southern Coast of Texas, and her nieces have taken over the family business. The cousins have recently experienced devastating losses, they need a change, and they have fond childhood memories of staying with their aunt Charlotte at Sandcastle.

A hurricane called Delilah is quickly approaching, when Tabby and Ellie Mae receive a call from aunt Charlotte, she’s sending Alex LaSale's to help them prepare for the storm, and he’s bringing four residents from the assisted living center with him, as they have no family, and it’s not safe for them to stay in the building.

Alex arrives with Frank, Homer, Maude and Cleo, and they prepare to batten down the hatches. Frank and Homer are Vietnam War veterans and best friends, both are sweet and kind older gentlemen, Cleo is rather eccentric and she and the very proper Maude don’t get along. Tabby and Ellie Mae are shocked to discover Cleo and Maude are sisters, Cleo ran off, and joined a carnival sixty years ago and Maude has never forgiven her.

They survive the hurricane, many of the buildings in town don’t, and the four guests are invited to stay at Sandcastle bed-and-breakfast longer. Alex and his friend Ricky Benoit start repairing the hurricane damage, while Tammy, Ellie Mae, Maude and Cleo start working on the issues from their pasts.

I received a copy of The Sandcastle Hurricane by Carolyn Brown from NetGalley and Montlake publishing in exchange for an honest review. It’s a story about a group of people being brought together during a natural disaster, and the motto “you don’t meet people by accident, there’s always a reason, a lesson or a blessing” is true in this case. The well written and thoughtful narrative is about overcoming loss, grief, hurt, fresh starts and new romances, having fun and the joy of owning a pet, age is just a number and you don’t have to be related to become a family. Five stars from me, the first book I have read by Carolyn Brown and it won’t be my last.

I love this book! I think it is my new favorite read. I love Author Carolyn Brown’s writing style. This book is so heartwarming. It has it all, romance, trials, suspense, friendships, growing of characters, wrongs righted. The characters are each well defined. Elle Mae, Tabby, Ricky, Alex, Aunt Charlotte, Cleo, Maude, Frank, Homer I love each and every one of these characters. Truly a must read. Have your Kleenex ready. I was was given this advanced reader copy from NetGalley and I am freely leaving my review.

A feel good story that has many layers to it, An unlikely group of people are brought together seeking shelter from Hurricane Delilah. Tabby and Ellie Mae just took over their aunts B and B two weeks ago, both needing a new start in their lives. When their Aunt Charlotte calls and tells them they are to expect four senior citizens and her friend Alex to being there shortly, that they need shelter from the hurricane.
Well Tabby was surprised to see Alex as she knew him from her youth when she visited Aunt Charlotte. They had exchanged their first kiss and now after all these years could there be something still there?
Many individuals stories are throughout the book and touches on several topics, grief, PTSD, misunderstandings, and a few more. The story flows very well and what was seven strangers learning to love and become their own family. Well written is also what it is like waiting for a hurricane, I know from personal experience. The story is written for a made for a movie type book, a little on the cheesy side but a enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheSandcastleHurricane

Carolyn Brown knows how to entertain readers. There is no shortness of laughter when I read any of her books.
Two cousins, Ellie Mae and Tabby, are in charge of the family B & B on a Texas beach, but a hurricane is nigh.
They rescues four sassy seniors who ride out the storm with them and also change their lives forever.
I thought I wouldn’t stop laughing with the bickering between Cleo and Maude. Frank and Homer were the two old guys who added sarcasm and wit to the conversations. Alex and Rick were the cute contractors who are eyeing Ellie Mae and Tabby.
There’s sorrow to slog through, frightful family relations, but also the joy of discovering the pleasure of friends, new love, and life.
The Sandcastle Hurricane sweeps life clean anew.

A go-to author with a touching new novel about two cousins making big personal life altering changes after loss, divorce and disappointment. Ellie Mae and Tabby are taking over for Aunt Charlotte at a generationally owned B & B. It’s late fall and they hardly have time to unpack before a hurricane heads right towards them on the south Texas coast. Sand and surf is my happy place, it was idyllic.
The cousins are as close as sisters which will prove a blessing when they end up sequestered with total strangers until the storm passes over. Aunt Charlotte has retired in Colorado but calls her former handymen to assist with plywood and the generator. Then Aunt Charlotte volunteers them as a temporary refuge when the local assisted living center can’t relocate all the residents. Four of the most interesting elderly characters you could ever meet arrive just before the storm.
The majority of my career was spent around the elderly and the author did a bang up job describing them. They have personalities, humor, history, stories to tell, secrets to keep or reveal, lives worth living. I laughed and cried over their bickering, the banter, the memories and the future they were still planning.
Both Ellie Mae and Tabby have bruised, empty hearts. Some new acquaintances bring them each exciting possibilities for the future. Their losses, grief, failed relationships and family drama were sentiments we’ve all felt or lived. This story was admittedly a personally challenging subject for me to read. Having faced similar losses in the recent past, I confess to bawling through some passages with understanding and grief. It left me a bit melancholy, I’ll be remembering the grains of sand on the beach.
Thank you to NetGalley, Carolyn Brown and to Montlake for the digital advance reader copy of “The Sandcastle Hurricane”. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.