Sunday Salon - A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods

Sherryl Woods' latest novel may be called A Chesapeake Shores Christmas, but, since it starts just before Thanksgiving, it's the perfect book for this Sunday.  It's one of those holiday books filled with romance and holiday celebrations, but it also shows the turmoil that may come to the forefront in families this time of year.

After twenty years of marriage Megan O'Brien left her controlling husband, Mick, who couldn't seem to understand that she wanted him at home in Chesapeake Shores instead of working as an architect, flying all over the country.  She planned to take their five children with her, but none of them wanted to be uprooted from their home in the charming seaside community their father built.

Neither Megan nor Mick ever fell out of love. They just couldn't live together.  Now, they're planning to marry again, with the blessings of all of their children, except one, Connor.  Connor never forgave his mother, and even became a divorce attorney, where he fights for the rights of men.  But, the O'Brien men have always been stubborn, as evidenced by Mick's long-standing fights with his brothers.  Even so, the holidays have always been sacred, and Mick's brothers always came home.  So, it comes as a shock to everyone when Connor and his father fight over the upcoming marriage, and Connor refuses to come back for Thanksgiving. 

Megan had hoped to come home as an equal partner in this marriage.  Now, she's reconsidering.  Does Mick really understand what she wants?  He still seems just as demanding, and has even pushed Connor away during a family holiday.  Is she really ready for a New Year's wedding with an O'Brien?  There's no time to think that far ahead, though, when Thanksgiving suddenly throws everyone a curve that wasn't anticipated. 

It seems that holidays can't be planned in the O'Brien family.  Sherryl Woods does everyone a favor in this novel, reminding us that holidays aren't perfect, and the course of love isn't always as smooth as so many Christmas novels indicate.  If you want to read about a large, argumentative, loving family, try Sherryl Woods' A Chesapeake Shores Christmas.  And, if you enjoy this story of the O'Briens, you'll want to watch for their next story, Driftwood Cottage, in April 2011.

Sherryl Woods' website is http://www.sherrylwoods.com/

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods.   MIRA, ©2010. ISBN 9780778328520 (hardcover), 288p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publicist sent me a copy for possible review.

Home Again by Mariah Stewart

The first book in Mariah Stewart's Chesapeake Diaries series was released in March, Coming Home.  I haven't read that one yet, and you don't need to have read it to enjoy Home Again.  But, let me just tell you, that according to Stewart's website, in the first week it was out, Coming Home was "The #1 bestselling romance in Borders (#3 bestselling mass market overall);

#11 bestselling mass market at Barnes & Noble;

#11 on Publisher’s Weekly bestselling mass market list;

#12 On the New York Times bestselling mass market list ~

AND spent 5 weeks on USAToday and 9 weeks on Bookscan's Romance list!"  And, if Home Again is any example, deservedly so.  I don't read a large number of romances during the year, but this one was wonderful.  If you're willing to try romances, I hope you try Home Again.

 

Dallas MacGregor was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.  But, she considered herself a mother first and an actress second.  When her six-year-old son, Cody, came home from camp  in tears because the other kids knew his sleazy father was on sex tapes with two women, Dallas, who had already filed for divorce, knew it was time to find a refuge.  And, what better place than St. Dennis, a small town on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland?  The town had been Dallas' own refuge when her father died suddenly when she was eleven.  And, her great aunt, Beryl (Berry) Eberle, retired as an actress herself, took Dallas in then, and is willing to welcome Dallas and her son home now.

 

Now, back in her summer home, can Dallas rebuild a secure life for her son?  And, what about Grant Wyler, her summer love from the time she was eleven?  The boy that she left when she went for her dream as an actress, is back in St. Dennis with a practice as a veterinarian.  And, Berry is quite skillful at finding a way to bring together a boy and a dog, and a woman with her ex-boyfriend.

 

This is a romance with strong, interesting characters, and left over stories that will make you eager to read the next book in the series.  The minor characters have their own backstories to be told.  Beryl's story is revealed in this one, but there are other interesting characters, beginning with Grant's sister, Steffie, who runs the local ice cream store.  And, what's the secret behind Dallas' brother?  There are more stories to be told. 

 

In the meantime, Mariah Stewart's Home Again offers warmth, romance, dogs, and a beautiful setting.  Is there anything else you expect from a romantic novel?

*****
The publisher is offering a copy of Home Again to one winner from each blog on Mariah Stewart's blog tour.  If you'd like to enter to win, just comment below, and include your email address.  Thursday night, after 6 p.m., I'll contact the winner to get the address where you want the book sent.  If you win, you could also give the address of a friend, if you'd like to surprise them with the book.  Good luck!  You have just two days to enter.

 

Mariah Stewart's website is http://www.mariahstewart.com/,  and she can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mariah-Stewart/106000742764985?v=desc

 

Home Again by Mariah Stewart.  Ballantine Books, ©2010. ISBN 9780345520357 (paperback), 464p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - As part of the TLC Tour, the publicist sent me a copy of Home Again, so I could read and review it.

 

 

 

 

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

At thirty-eight, Eliza Benedict may appear to be an ordinary wife and mother of two kids.  She and her family have just returned from six years in England, and her husband has a good job.  They have an expensive house in Bethesda, Maryland.  But, Eliza has a past, and Laura Lippman is the author skillful enough to reveal it while leaving you still wondering about it.  I'd Know You Anywhere is a riveting, powerful novel of tragedy and suspense.

It came as a shock to Eliza to receive a letter from Walter Bowman.   He was on death row for the murder of a young teen, but, when Eliza was fifteen and known as Elizabeth Lerner, he had kidnapped her, and held her hostage for six weeks.  Why was Elizabeth allowed to live when Bowman had killed at least two girls, and was suspected of killing others?  That's the question that has haunted the adult Eliza for years, and, now that Walter is facing execution and writes, she faces a dilemma.  Should she write back?  She and her husband, Peter, have kept her past a secret from their children.  But, someone delivered and wrote that letter for Walter.  There's more than one threat to Eliza's peace out there.  Why her?  Why is Walter writing now?  Why did he let her live?  Why was Elizabeth the one that got away?

Throughout the book, Lippman takes the reader back to 1985, and Elizabeth's experiences when she's on the run with Walter.  Elizabeth, who lived for fifteen years with a volatile older sister, quickly learned to read Walter's moods, and she remained calm, fed his ego, and tried not to disturb him.  At the same time, she never made a move to get away from him, and it was a traffic stop after a kidnapping and murder that led to his capture and Elizabeth's release.   Now, Barbara LaFortuny, a victim of a violent crime herself, has decided to play advocate in Walter's case, pushing Eliza to meet with him. 

I'd Know You Anywhere is a gripping novel of psychological suspense.  While Eliza tried to hide her past from others, a journalist, Barbara, and others were threatening to reveal the secrets she had hidden from her children.   What was the motivation for the characters in this book?  If it's possible to hate a minor character, I hated Barbara LaFortuny.  What was her motivation?  Why was she such a meddler in the lives of others?  She was motivated by something other than her stand against the death penalty, although she would never acknowledge it.  Even Walter's true motivation was hidden until the end of the book.

But, Eliza, to paraphrase Lippman, only wanted to live a life that wasn't defined by what happened to her as a teenager.  And, she still yearns for the house, and the childhood she lost, because of those six weeks in her life.  When asked, "How were you rescued," Lippman had Eliza almost say, "I'm not sure I was."  I'd Know You Anywhere is an intense novel that recognizes the dangers in the ordinary world, and the strength it takes to live one day at a time knowing of that danger.

Laura Lippman's website is http://www.lauralippman.com/

I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman.  HarperCollins, ©2010. ISBN 9780061706554 (hardcover), 384p.

*****

FTC Full Disclosure - I'm participating in the TLC Blog Tour for I'd Know You Anywhere, so Lippman's publicist send me an ARC of the book.