At the River's Edge by Mariah Stewart (4.5 stars)

About At the River's Edge

Series: Chesapeake Diaries
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 28, 2014)

After taking stock of her life, Sophie Enright has decided it’s time for a break. Between a law career that’s become criminally dull and a two-timing boyfriend she’s done with once and for all, Sophie desperately needs some time to think and some space to breathe. The perfect place to do both is easygoing St. Dennis, Maryland, where Sophie can visit with her brother while she figures out her options. Once in St. Dennis, she discovers a shuttered restaurant and makes a bold move that is also a leap of faith. Sophie buys the fixer-upper in order to finally pursue her dream career.

But Sophie’s labor of love becomes a bone of contention for her new neighbor Jason Bowers. The local landscaper has big plans for growing his business—until Sophie scoops up the property he’s got his eye on. And no amount of buyout offers or badgering from him will get her to budge. It’s hardly the start of a beautiful friendship. But when they’re paired up to work on a community project, they agree to put their differences aside, and sparks begin to fly. Then Sophie’s cheating ex suddenly shows up, looking for a second chance—and threatening to make Jason a third wheel just when his hotheaded feelings about Sophie were turning decidedly warmhearted. All Sophie wants is a new life and a true love. But what are the odds of having both?

Review

Sophie Enright gets an eyeful of her cheating boyfriend and decides to take some time to clear her head. To do so, she visits her brother and his fiance in St. Dennis, Maryland. Although it begins as a time to regroup, she quickly discovers a desire to make several changes in her life. 

She may have gone into the family business years ago, entering a career in law just like her grandfather and brother, but it was never her first love. When the opportunity to pursue her real dream presents itself, she embraces it. But will others be as supportive? And will she have time to pursue the developing heat and feelings between her and Jason, a landscaper whose dream conflicts with hers?

I've read a few books in this series, and I love how Mariah Stewart weaves together generations of emotions, desires, and fears. What makes a great romance series for me... how each character continues to live his/her story through others' story. I'm always amazed how authors who write these type of series so intricately plan out how these lives intersect.

Characters make books for me. The more I care about and feel connected to a character, the more I love a book. It's really that simple (yet that unexplainable sometimes). Sophie spends much of the book fighting for her dream, working her butt off to attain it, and facing the obstacles in her way. She's not a whiner. But, most importantly, she and Jason don't have a cheesy, all-too-quick, love affair. It's gradual, and it only comes after a lot of character and story development. By the time things begin to heat up, the reader is invested.

Plus, the town is so well-described and steeped in history that it becomes a character--each member of the story an important part of what makes the town so captivating.

That being said, my only disappointment was the ending--that it came too quickly. I wanted more of their story and this book only scratches the surface. I hope both of these characters will be woven into further installments. A great series--I'm officially hooked.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Please check out my reviews of two more books in this series: The Long Way Home and Coming Home. 

© Nicole Leigh

About Mariah Stewart 

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and enjoys country life.
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Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on the At the River's Edge blog tour page.

The Long Way Home, Mariah Stewart (4.5 stars) Review & Giveaway

About The Long Way Home 

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages 
Publisher: Ballantine Books (Jan 29, 2013)

As the only child of a wealthy investment manager, Ellie Chapman has never known anything besides a life of perfect privilege. But her years of good fortune come to an abrupt end when her father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from innocent investors in a massive Ponzi scheme. And just like that, Ellie loses everything: money, job, home—even her fiancé, who’s jailed as her father’s partner in crime. With no job prospects on the horizon, no cash, and her family name in tatters, Ellie has only one place to go.

Sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland, is hardly where Ellie intends to stay, however. Keeping her identity a secret, she plans to sell the house her late mother left her in the small town and use the proceeds to move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ticket to a new beginning is in dire need of a laundry list of pricey improvements, many of which she’ll have to do herself. And until the house on Bay View Road is fit to be sold, the sole place Ellie will be traveling is the hardware store. But as the many charms of St. Dennis–not to mention Cameron O’Connor, the handsome local contractor who has secrets of his own–begin to work their magic, what begins as a lesson in do-it-yourself renovations might just end up as Ellie’s very own rejuvenation.

Review

It's hard enough to live in the public eye when you are a media darling, much less when a family member does something horrific and is being vilified all over the news. Thus is the case for Ellis Chapman. Everything has been taken from her, all because of the sins of her father and fiance. She is penniless and beaten down.

Her mother used to escape to a lovely home in St. Dennis, a beach town. Ellis inherits this house, but with one stipulation: she has to live in it for six months before she can sell it. With no other options, she moves there and assumes a new identity to avoid any further scrutiny, Ellie Ryder. But secrets can only stay buried for so long.

Cameron has devastating secrets of his own, and the one place he considers a safe harbor is now Ellie's residence. He needs to convince her he's the best person to sell to, so he offers to help her fix up the place. The time spent together brings them closer, but the secrets are the elephant in the room. Can they learn to trust each other? 

The charming town of St. Dennis is the perfect backdrop for a character like Ellie, one who is damaged and raw, to find her strength again. And to find love. There are several twists and turns in her journey, especially when she seeks answers about her mom and when another secret from her dad's past affects her.

I'm always on the lookout for authors who can bring charming characters and good stories into my life, and I will now consider Mariah Stewart a go-to for those things. I highly recommend this to readers who want to open a book and be transported to a town full of engaging characters with secrets and desires. The Long Way Home is a heartwarming treat.

Rating: 4.5 stars
(Worthy of rounding up to a 5 on GoodReads & Amazon)

About Mariah Stewart

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. 

A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and enjoys country life.

Please visit Mariah Stewart's website or join her on Facebook.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on the The Long Way Home blog tour page.

*****

Note: I will be reviewing more Mariah Stewart books soon--I am addicted. Just yesterday, I reviewed the first book in this series, Coming Home here. 

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Giveaway

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I'm thrilled to be giving away a copy of The Long Way Home to one lucky reader (open to US/Canada mailing addresses only).

To enter to win, please leave your name and email address in the comments below. The contest will close at 5:00pm EST on Monday, March 4.

I will put each name in a hat and have my trusty assistant (my lovely 12-year-old daughter) pick one. The winner will be announced here.

Good luck!

Coming Home, Mariah Stewart (4 stars)

About Coming Home
The Chesapeake Diaries Series #1
(From Mariah Stewart's website)

In the wake of his wife’s murder, agent Grady Shields turned his back on the FBI—and everything else—to retreat into the vast solitude of Montana, grieve for his lost love, and forget the world. But after years in seclusion, his sister’s wedding draws him to St. Dennis, a peaceful town on the Chesapeake Bay. Though he swears he isn’t interested in finding love again, Grady can’t ignore the mutual sparks that fly when he meets Vanessa Keaton.

Although her past was marked by bad choices, Vanessa has found that coming to St. Dennis is the best decision she’s ever made. Bling, her trendy boutique, is a success with tourists as well as with the townspeople. She’s made friends, has a home she loves, and has established a life for herself far from the nightmare she’s left behind. The last thing she’s looking for is romance, but she’s finding the hot new man in town is hard to resist.

And when her past catches up with her, Grady finds that he’s unwilling to let her become a victim again. As together they fight her demons, Grady and Vanessa discover that life still holds some surprises and that love doesn’t always have to hurt. 

Read an excerpt

Review

Love isn't always a bed of roses, and both Grady and Vanessa fully understand that. Neither is looking for love. In fact, they both avoid it. But there's nothing like a wedding, especially between two people who are a wonderful match, to bring out the possibilities.

Vanessa lives in a charming town, one that gave her a new lease on life. Years ago, she found a brother, Beck, there as well as a man who became like a father to her. Grady left town to leave behind his own demons, but he's back for his sister's wedding to Beck. 

There are some initial sparks, but then Vanessa's past comes back to haunt her. Grady, a former FBI agent, will not stand by and watch. What starts out as mutual attraction and need develops into something deeper. It's not fast, but it is sweet.

What I loved: characters with depth, a mature romance (not just a their-eyes-met-across-a-crowded room one), and the charming town of St. Dennis. There were so many characters that stayed with me, leaving me wanting to know more about them. Good thing this is the first of The Chesapeake Dairies series. I can't wait to find out more about this town and its inhabitants.

I highly recommend to readers who enjoy romance, but not just fluff. Mariah Stewart does a great job of building something real. By the end, I wanted to live in this town and be surrounded by these type of people. All in all, a wonderful read.

Rating: 4 stars

About Mariah Stewart

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. 

A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and enjoys country life.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Stop by tomorrow (2/27/13) for my review of the latest of The Chesapeake Diaries series, The Long Way Home.