Book Recommendation: Shelter From the Storm by Kristen Ethridge

Hi Everyone, Danica Favorite here, and I'm sharing a book recommendation today. And I'll admit, I kind of struggled with that one because I've been reading like a fiend lately, but nothing that fits into "clean romance reads." I'm judging a few contests, and even though I know I could review the book and just not say it was a book I'm judging, that felt a little weird. And then, there's all the research reading I've been doing lately. Crazy! Books I find fascinating, but you all might find a little boring. Can I just admit right now that I'm a nerd of the highest degree?

So I scrolled through my Kindle to see what I've read lately and what I could say was pure pleasure. I'm not a big Kindle reader, except that I have the app on my phone and when I'm playing chauffeur to my kids, it is the best thing ever for keeping me occupied while I wait for them. After scrolling through a few research books, I found it! The last book I read purely for pleasure. Which made me realize that I actually ended up reading the whole series. I was waiting for my kiddo to get out of her robotics club meeting (which ran late, as usual), so I scrolled through the gazillion books on my Kindle app on my phone, and decided to read SHELTER FROM THE STORM by Kristen Ethridge. And then I kept reading. I got home and devoured the entire series. My name is Danica Favorite, and I am a binge reader. If you hook me on one book, I will not stop until I have read ALL of your books.



About the book:
SOMETIMES THE PERSON STANDING IN YOUR WAY IS YOUR ONLY HOPE

As the director of the Port Provident Animal Shelter, Becca Collins had devoted her life to helping the furriest residents of Port Provident. When a special Labrador retriever, Polly, needs her help on the eve of Hurricane Hope, Becca can’t say no—even if it means she’ll have to ride out the hurricane on Provident Island. When she shows up on the doorstep of local veterinarian and Army veteran Dr. Ross Reeder, Becca throws a wrench into Ross’ plans to evacuate himself and his combat-weary former service dog, Cookie.

Ross and Becca are used to disagreeing with one another, but they soon realize the only way they’re going to survive the wrath of Hurricane Hope is to put their differences aside and work for the good of the animals who depend totally on them. As they discover they have more in common than they thought and work to rebuild the Texas beach town where they’ve both put down roots, Becca learns secrets about her past that threaten to change the whole direction of her life.

As Becca struggles with love, faith, and lies, will she still need the shelter she’s found in Ross’ arms or will the aftermath of the storm take away everything they’ve worked to build?

HURRICANE HOPE: ONE STORM CHANGES PORT PROVIDENT FOREVER…AND FOR GOOD. 

My review:
I very much loved the sense of community and belonging conveyed in the story. The characters drew me in and I really cared about them, and how things turned out. It's rare for me to be so engrossed in a story that I feel like I'm reading about real people, but SHELTER FROM THE STORM did that for me. I think that's why I had to read the rest of the series right away.

If you love stories with a strong sense of community, then you're going to love this series. SHELTER FROM THE STORM is the first book, but be sure to get them all. You're going to want to read them when you're done. They all stand alone, but each book had me never wanting to leave that wonderful community.

Your turn:
What do you think makes a strong community?
Bonus question:  Are you interested in hearing about the books I read for research?