"Jamie Valentine is the wildly successful author of self-help books advocating transparency in every relationship. But when her widowed mother passes away unexpectedly, Jamie discovers her own life has been based on a lie. Angry and deeply betrayed, she sets out to find the truth—which may be in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. Cutting her most recent book tour short, Jamie books a room at the Inn at Sinclair’s Point, just outside St. Dennis.
The death of Daniel Sinclair’s father forced him to take over the family inn, and his wife’s death left him a single parent of two children, so there’s little room for anything else in his life. His lovely new guest is intriguing, though, and he’s curious about the secret she’s clearly hiding. But in the end, Jamie and Dan could discover the greatest truth of all: that the search for one thing just might lead to the find of a lifetime—if you keep your heart open."
My Thoughts:
I love the cover of this book! Doesn't it just make you want to sit outside in the sun and read? This really was a great summertime read that I couldn't help but adore. I've read another book in this series a year or so ago and have meant to get back to this series every since. This book reminded me exactly why as I got to visit and fall in love all over again with Chesapeake Bay. Now this is a town that I want to go visit!! I've read this series completely out of order (starting in the middle and then now a few books behind that) and I can honestly tell you that it hasn't affected my enjoyment of these books in the slightest. I'm sure I'm missing some of the character's back stories but that just means I have something to look forward to. I found myself easily immersed yet again into the lives of the residents that live in this small town. And now I can't wait to read other books and get back to it once again!
In this book, Jamie comes to Chesapeake Bay in the hope of finding answers to questions she never really knew that she had. I'm deliberately being vague here so I don't spoil anything for other readers, but suffice it to say that she comes to this small town with the hopes that she will come to terms with everything surrounding her mother's death and the secrets she has uncovered. The story really focused on Jamie and her trying to come to terms with finding that everything that she thought she knew was based on a lie. A lie when her entire career has been centered around how important the truth really is especially when it comes to relationships. I loved watching Jamie struggle with all of this....it really helped for me as the reader to connect with her. I liked that there weren't always easy answers because that is real life. She knew with both of her parent's being dead that she wasn't going to get all of the answers that she wanted and needed. Her coming to terms with that and moving on felt very real to me. The relationship that developed between Jamie and Dan was sweet but a bit rushed. They start off disliking each other (this is my favorite type of romance) but for me their developing romance just felt secondary to the rest of the book. I liked it but for me that wasn't what kept me reading. Instead it was Jamie finding the answers to some of her questions in Chesapeake Bay that was what really compelled me to keep turning those pages. And the ending really tied the storyline up perfectly for me!
Overall, this was a really great summertime read that I enjoyed. Will I wait this long to visit once again Chesapeake Bay? No! I love the small town feel of these books and found myself wishing that I could actually visit a place just like this. Especially with that ice cream shop! It sounds delicious. This is one of those books that you could read in one afternoon by the pool and it would entirely be worth it. I would recommend this series to women's fiction fans easily. This is part of a series but in my opinion you can read them in any order. I can't wait to read more!
Bottom Line: A pleasurable read that made me wish I had read more from this series sooner!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Thoughts are my own!
You are right, this does sound like the perfect summertime read. I think I've read one or two books by this author but it's been a long time. I love stories set in small, charming towns so I'll have to add this one to my list!
ReplyDeleteI read another review of this one recently and it caught my attention. Contemporary romance and I have a hit and miss relationship thought so I'm always cautious nowadays about picking one up. I haven't read anything by Mariah Stewart before, but this does sound good.
ReplyDeleteIliana- I really have enjoyed both books that I have read in this series so far! I've been meaning to start this series from the beginning for awhile now. I even have the first book sitting there on my shelves. Ugh! I am so bad at doing that. I am going to be pulling it off of my shelves now very soon though! You'll have to let me know if you do give this series a try!
ReplyDeleteWendy- I am the say way sometimes when it comes to contem romances. That being said I found it really hard to consider this one as an actual romance as it was so secondary to everything else. Honestly this one felt more like women's fiction more than anything. Definitely a summer read!