aransas morning
book review,  Books

Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Aransas Morning

I’m joining up with Lone Star Lit for another book blog tour, and I’m really excited to introduce you to Aransas Morning by author Jeff Hampton.   
ARANSAS MORNING
by
JEFF HAMPTON
  Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life
Date of Publication: September 22, 2017
Number of Pages: 304

Scroll down for the giveaway!

When Sam Barnes’ high-flying life in Dallas falls apart, he flees to the coastal town of Port Aransas, Texas and fades into the life of a reclusive beach bum. But things start to change when he meets Dave, a young widower working through his own loss; Shelly, owner of the Dream Bean coffee shop; Bo, a crusty old shrimper; and Allie, Bo’s free-spirited daughter. Together they are tested and forced to confront their own issues. In doing so they discover family and community.


PRAISE FOR ARANSAS MORNING:
“Engrossing characters that keep doing unexpected things. Strong sense of place along the Texas coast and deep knowledge of the culture. This book is about relationships and how ‘family’ and ‘community’ might be redefined.”

“In this heartwarming book, Jeff Hampton took me to a place I’ve never been and captured me with his delightful characters, seaside landscape, and deft use of words to portray a small group of people who came together to create and run the Dream Bean cafe. Great summer reading.”

“I loved the characters, with their flaws and their graces. It is an honest and heart-warming story of redemption coming through community. I’m really glad I read it.”

“Really nice character development, articulating in a very comfortable and readable style the messy, complex, joyous and hopeful ways we build, break and nurture ‘community.’”
“Very quickly in the story, the characters became like friends. The book is engaging and held my interest.”
CLICK TO PURCHASE:
◾   Barnes& Noble  ◾   Jeff Hampton Writer   ◾    Etsy  ◾    Amazon   ◾   
Bonnie and Clyde

I haven’t yet had the chance to visit the Port Aransas area of Texas (yet), but from author Jeff Hampton’s descriptions, it has the same sleepy feel of other touristy beach locations I am familiar with, rife with locals that my dad would describe as “characters”.  Aransas Morning is a wonderful character study with enough well-developed action to drive the plot forward and create some excellent tension.

The pace of the book is slow and easy, and I slipped into its rhythm like the ebb and flow of the water lapping against the shoreline. I was quickly drawn into the story of each of the characters; Hampton does a lovely job of bringing them to life and giving them a depth I wasn’t expecting. Each is a bit flawed and real and likable.  The men in the book are each running away from their past in one way or another. Sam was the most fascinating to me, having completely thrown aside his old life – and lifestyle – and seemingly taken himself in a completely different direction.  I think at one point in time we’ve all been frustrated or devastated or heartbroken and wanted to chuck everything and run away, and the depiction of Sam’s life when he’s done just that is both honest and sad.However, as this group of five people come together, they slowly become like family, and each regains their purpose, their reason for being, and a few find self-forgiveness.  Giving a little of themselves let them regain what they were missing, and that is a wonderful, quiet message in itself. I enjoyed watching each character rediscover themselves in some way, stepping well outside their comfort zones at times.

Aransas Morning is a lovely story about community, and how family isn’t always the one you are born into. In fact, sometimes the least likely people end up being the ones who mean the most to us, in all their messy, infuriating, complicated selves.

I was sad to see this book end, as I wanted to know what happened next in the lives of these people I had become so invested in. While this book worked wonderfully as a stand alone, I was tickled to learn that a sequel will be following, so I don’t quite have to let go of all these wonderful characters.

During a 35-year career in journalism and communications, Jeff Hampton has covered and written about topics ranging from business and finance to history and faith. His bylines have appeared in publications ranging from The Dallas Morning News to The New York Times.
He attended Baylor University where he majored in journalism and was editor of the Baylor Lariat campus newspaper. He began his professional career at the Waco Tribune-Herald and has written for newspapers, magazines, businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.
Hampton has based his life and career in Texas where his interest in observing the people around him has led him to write essays, short stories, and novels that explore relationships and communities in their many forms.
Aransas Morning is his fifth book, following Grandpa Jack, When the Light Returned to Main Street, Jonah Prophet and The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane.
Watch for Aransas Evening, a sequel to Aransas Morning, in 2018. 
 ║ Website ║ Facebook  Twitter    InstagramGoodreads 
————————————-
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
FIVE SIGNED COPIES!
JANUARY 23-FEBRUARY 1, 2018
(U.S. Only)

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

1/23/18
Promo
1/23/18
Promo
1/24/18
Guest Post
1/24/18
Review
1/25/18
Excerpt Part 1
1/25/18
Excerpt Part 2
1/26/18
Review
1/27/18
Review
1/28/18
Author Interview
1/28/18
Playlist
1/29/18
Review
1/30/18
Promo
1/30/18
Scrapbook Page
1/31/18
Review
2/1/18
Review
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