Hashes & Bashes by PJ Colando Book Review!

FAITH… FAMILY… FRENZY! 

Nine months after their comically abbreviated RV road trip, detailed in the award-winning book, STASHES, the Breeden family farm routines have stabilized: Jackie returned to her high school cafeteria job and their only son, Brandon, works alongside his father, Steve, in the family micro-dairy. 

But then an outsider arrives, claiming to be kin, and HASHES & BASHES begin. 

Steve was already perturbed with the brother he has when Carl Edwards strides onto the farm. David Breeden, who lives nearby, is not a bastard but always acted like one. Carl, a charismatic Californian, may be a bastard but doesn’t act like one… 

Yet Carl rocks the entire small Midwestern farming community, including a lively cast of characters who assault Steve’s calm-against-chaos pattern in this humorous family saga: 

• his spunky farmwife, Jackie, and her meddlesome church lady friends 

• his immature son, Brandon, and his female pursuers 

• his pastor, who attempts to foist guilt while grubbing funds 

• the lure of edible and spreadable medical marijuana and easy money from natural gas fracking 

Only Sparty, Steve’s dog, remains steadfast throughout the hijinks. But then...

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I was born and raised in the Midwest but unabashedly aspired for adventure elsewhere, following my parents' model. I live in southern California, where seasons seldom matter, where any promise can be conjured and fulfilled. I write while my husband watches TV sports, which are always in season = often. My genre is humorous satire, family sagas of the Midwest, stirred by provocative current events.
https://www.pjcolando.com/

Hashes and Bashes is the second book about the Breeden family on their farm in the Midwest. After the escapades of Jackie and Steven in the previous book that ended after the trip that they took out west, on their quest to take a much-needed vacation in the RV that Jackie purchased as a retirement gift to herself. Jackie has a penchant for selling pot in the form of cookies. These were sold along with the dairy delivery route that they had. When their daughter in law was found out this had to stop. 

In this book, we are introduced to Carl Edwards, the brother that Steve never knew he had, he does have another brother David but they really don't get along. Carl comes from California, has a penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts and every one loves him.  Carl decides to buy the farm down the road from Jackie and Steve and soon finds that there may be oil on the property. So drilling starts but the outcome is not exactly what Carl hopes it will be. 

Jackie has gone back to her job at the school and life seems to be a bit more fun in the Breeden household with the addition of Carl to the family. They spend a lot of time together until a horrible thing happens to get in the way of family love. A whole cast of characters, some old, some new are melded together to create another fun and funny story of Jackie and Steve. 

Reading one of P.J.'s books is an experience that you don't want to end. Lots of funny situations, I especially love the parts about the cows and especially the bull that loves to sleep on it's back with feet up in the air. I had to giggle when I read that part. I could see it in my mind's eye. A lot of detail within the story I can relate to, well not the farm bit, although I did live on a farm when I was a kid, but just the life that exists on the Breeden farm, definitely Midwestern in nature. I am a midwesterner myself so, yes, I can relate.

When I read one of P.J.'s books, it never fails that I get the giggles, with how she tells a story, you feel like you are right there between the pages! I think if you are going to read one of these books you should really start with the first one, Stashes. It definitely sets up the story in the second book. I highly recommend these books!

My review is voluntary.