A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr

                Lately I have been having a hard time finding books that keep my attention.  I wander around the library and while some books may seem interesting, they are not what I am up for at the moment.  Thankfully my mom always has something good to read.  She is the one who gave me A Summer in Sonoma.

                This book is the story of four women who have been friends for most of their lives.  The first one we meet is Cassie.  She is constantly choosing the wrong men and fears she will never find the right one.  After a biker named Walt saves her from an assault, Cassie swears off men.  She keeps Walt in her life, but only as a friend.  Or at least that is what she declares regularly.  The reality is a little different.

                Second is Julie.  She married her high school sweetheart at a very young age.  They have a problem not having children.  Desperately struggling with their money, Julie is pregnant yet again despite the use of birth control.  Her husband Billy absolutely adores her and tries to make everything positive.  This drives Julie crazy as she is scared about having a fourth child while not being able to make ends meet no matter how hard she tries.        

                Next is Marty.  Her husband Joe has changed drastically since they got married.  On his days off from the firehouse Joe refuses to shower or shave and trashes the house.  Marty is at her wits end.  She leaves the house one night out of frustration and runs into an old boyfriend she has always found difficult to resist.

                Last is Beth.  She is a doctor experiencing breast cancer for the second time, and I do not believe she has even reached the age of thirty.  Abandoned by a boyfriend the first time around and driven crazy by the well meaning, Beth is determined to handle the cancer by herself.  Her new doctor has different ideas and refuses to let Beth fight alone.

                Much of this book is dominated by Cassie and Julie.  This is fine by me since I really like Walt and Billy.  Cassie drives me a bit nuts and times, but for the most part I really like her.  Actually, I like all the characters.  Well, all except for Marty’s ex-boyfriend.  He is a bit too smooth for my taste.  Other than that, no one is bad.  There were just some I preferred over others.  In any case, they were all worth reading about.