Firefly Summer by Kathleen Y'Barbo - REVIEWED

About The Book:
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?

My Thoughts:

“Lightning in a jar.” (p. 153)

Sessa Chambers’ memory of an earlier time in life, the memory of her son, Ross, catching a jar full of fireflies, begins one of the most poignant passages in Kathleen Y’barbo’s latest book, Firefly Summer. This book, although only a brief 205, is packed with well-developed characters and a plot that weaves these lives together in tender, unexpected ways!  What a joy this book was to read! 

I appreciate the fact that the relationships forged in this story are born out of realistic, and sometimes tragic, losses.  The circumstances surrounding Sessa’s granddaughter’s (Pansie) life just about broke my heart.  The fear of yet another loss in Sessa’s life was almost tangible at times!  Yet the scene I mentioned at the opening of this review tenderly gave us insight about the young girl who brought Pansie into Sessa’s life, and, at the same time, poignantly touched many tender places in the hearts of others in the story.  

I can’t forget to mention Dr. Trey Brown!  He sets up the perfect counterbalance to Sessa’s unexpected opportunity to play a role in her granddaughter’s life!  Between he and Sessa, forgiveness and mercy are modeled in unforgettable way!  Sessa wasn’t the only one who fell for Dr. Trey!  I imagine there will be many readers who hope to meet someone very similar!

This is a book the overflows with every emotion imaginable!  You will laugh, cry, become frightened, angry….Kathleen Y’Barbo doesn’t miss anything!  I am thrilled to recommend this book to anyone!  It is a touching story that will impact everyone who reads its pages!

About the Author:

Bestselling author Kathleen Y'Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of fifty novels with more than one million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A certified family law paralegal and former literary publicist, Kathleen has been nominated for a 2013 Career Achievement Award as well a Reader's Choice Award and several Top Picks by Romantic Times magazine. 

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and a former member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division, she is a proud military wife and an expatriate tenth-generation Texan cheering on her beloved Texas Aggies from north of the Red River. 

To find out more about Kathleen or connect with her through social media, check out her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com.