Publisher: Jeff Hampton, Writer
Publication Date: October 4, 2018
Number of Pages: 346
Life in Port Aransas was looking breezy and bright for Sam and his friends at the Dream Bean coffee shop. Shelly and Dave were talking marriage, Allie and Bo were tightening their family ties, and Sam was welcoming newcomers to town and falling for a new singer at the Sea Garden. But storms are never far away on the Texas Gulf Coast, and there would be none more destructive than Hurricane Harvey. Would Sam and his friends survive Harvey’s awful fury? And would life in Port Aransas ever be the same again? Find out in Aransas Evening, the sequel to Aransas Morning by Jeff Hampton.
Clueless Gent’s Rating
I know it’s only January, but I don’t think it’s too early for me to say that Aransas Evening is one of the best books I’ll read in 2019.
This is a story that I think most folks can relate to, not because they may live in Port Aransas, but because it has very lifelike characters. Jeff Hampton brings these characters into our minds with his writing, but they end up in our hearts – also by his writing.
I thought the storyline was interesting, and I was completely engaged throughout, but it’s not a whodunit or a horror story or even a love story. It’s a story about a group of people who live in Port Aransas. As readers, we are witnesses – for a short period of time – to the way these characters choose to live their lives. Aransas Evening is a story about a family of unrelated people.
What Makes Aransas Evening So Good?
There are so many things, in my opinion, that make this novel such a wonderful read. On the very top of that list is it was written by Jeff Hampton. Why is that so important? Because Jeff Hampton knows how to draw a reader into his fictional world!
Hampton continues to do an amazing job with his description. His writing style touches all of the senses. From the texture of sand squishing through toes to the music playing on the phonograph, Jeff describes it all.
The very first time a song is mentioned, Sam and another character are in Sam’s trailer near the beach. Sam puts a Miles Davis record on the phonograph and sets the needle down. On impulse, I had Alexa (my Amazon device) play that same song while I read the rest of that scene. I felt like I was instantly immersed into the story, transported to Sam’s trailer. Miles was playing the blues, and I could almost sense the saltiness in the air over the gulf.
With all of this other literary goodness going on, it’s still the characters that bring this story together. They are each flawed in different ways. However, they compliment each other perfectly. Where one is weak, another is strong. It’s almost like each character is a puzzle piece. Individually, he (or she) may not be interesting, but when put with the other characters, he’s perfect.
Technically Speaking
There were a few SPAG issues. When a story is this good, however, they don’t matter [to me].
The pacing is somewhat slow, but that’s really the way it is in Port Aransas. That’s part of the charm of the story. I think pacing like this is a perfect way to invite a reader into a story.
The character arcs are really wonderful. I didn’t really know where some of the characters were going, but by the time they got there, I wasn’t surprised. Each character changed in some unique way by the end of the story.
My only complaint about the story is it ended. I want more!
Aransas Evening is the sequel to Aransas Morning. If you’re interested, you can also read my review of that book.
I highly recommend giving this story a read!
Signed Copies of all six of Jeff Hampton’s books
Signed Copies of both Aransas books + Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards
Signed Copies of Aransas Evening & Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards
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1/17/19
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Author Interview
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1/17/19
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BONUS Promo
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1/18/19
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Review
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1/19/19
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Excerpt
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1/20/19
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Playlist
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1/21/19
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Review
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1/22/19
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Guest Post
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1/23/19
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Review
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1/24/19
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Review
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1/25/19
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Scrapbook
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1/26/19
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Review
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One thought on “Aransas Evening”
WOW! This review and this post are both next level. Gotta get this series — just what I need right now. Escape.