Tag: Chesapeake Bay Saga

Review: Rising Tides by Nora Roberts.

Posted January 24, 2013 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment

Rowena’s review of Rising Tides (Chesapeake Bay Saga #2) by Nora Roberts.

Hero: Ethan Quinn
Heroine: Grace Monroe

Of the three brothers, it was Ethan who shared his father’s passion for the Maryland shore. And now with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life…

There is young Seth, who needs him more than ever. And there is a woman he has always loved but never believed he could have. But beneath Ethan’s seemingly still waters is a dark and painful past. He must learn to see around the shadows to accept who he is. Because through Ethan’s past lies the future–and his one chance at happiness..

This is the second book in the Chesapeake Bay series and it’s Ethan Quinn’s story.  I love the Quinn brothers.  They were all adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn, taken in when nobody else wanted them.  Ray and Stella gave them a place to call home and a family to love and the three boys grew up to be extremely grateful for the life that Ray and Stella provided for them.

Ethan is the second oldest of the Quinn brothers and he’s the exact opposite of his fast paced, thrill seeking brother Cam.  He’s a quiet man that likes to live a simple life.  He’s a loner by nature but he’s got a protective streak in him that stretches for miles and miles.  When Seth comes into their lives and wreaks havoc with the reputation that Ray Quinn is known by, Ethan is drawn to him because they come from similar backgrounds.  They were both abused and it is through Ethan that Seth starts to come around.

This book is told in a slow going kind of flow but the story does pack an emotional punch.  When Ethan is confronted with memories of a past that he’s tried so hard to leave behind him, everything he goes through really sucker punches you in the gut.

Cam is one of my all time favorite heroes but that didn’t diminish my love for his brother Ethan.  I loved getting to know the quiet man we were introduced to in Cam’s book, Seaswept.  I loved getting into his head and watching him stumble his way to his happy ending with Grace.  I loved that even though Grace was the one that was down on her luck, Ethan needed her just as much as she needed him.  I loved seeing the two of them come together and I really liked seeing the bond form between Seth and Aubrey.

This was a solid read and I always love re-reading this series.  It’s my favorite series by Nora Roberts and I don’t think that will ever change.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

This book is available from Jove. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

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Review: Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts.

Posted January 22, 2013 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Rowena’s review of Inner Harbor (Chesapeake Bay Saga #3) by Nora Roberts.

Hero: Phillip Quinn
Heroine: Dr. Sybil Griffin

Third in the sweeping Chesapeake quartet, about three brothers who come together in a time of need. They honored their father’s wish to raise young Seth as their own. And with all of the brothers home again, the Quinn family has never been so strong. But in the months to come, their strength is tested–once again.

Phillip Quinn has done everything to make his life seem perfect. With his career on the fast track and a condo overlooking the Harbor, his life on the street is firmly in the past. But one look at Seth and he’s reminded of the boy he once was…

Phillip intends to fulfill his father’s dying request and considers Seth to be a duty. But he never expected he would grow to love Seth, and soon his promise to his father has become more than just an obligation. Seth’s future as a Quinn seems assured–until a stranger arrives in town. She claims to be researching St. Christopher’s for her new book, but the true objects of study are the Quinns. Her cool reserve intrigues Phillip. He is determined to uncover her motives, but she is holding a secret that has the power to threaten the life the brothers have made for Seth. A secret that could tear the family apart… forever.

Inner Harbor is Phillip Quinn’s book and in this book, we find a whole bunch of things out.  This story ties everything up from the previous two books and it answers a lot of questions we had from reading the other stories.  Questions we had about Ray’s ties to Seth and what happened there.  It also brought up a whole set of new problems with the arrival of a stranger in town who claims to be in town to do some research for a book.  The research is actually a problem to the Quinns and the tenuous hold they have on little Seth.

Phillip Quinn is the brains of the brothers.  He’s got a big city job and he lives the big city life.  He loves his life in Baltimore.  Even though he loves his family, he does what he can for them but still maintains his life in the city.  Phillip is close with his brothers and has grown to love the new addition to the Quinn family.  When Dr. Sybil Griffin shows up in town and throws all of their security up in the air, it wasn’t easy for me to not like her.

Actually, Sybil did a great deal to piss me off.  So when her identity is made known, she’s already close to Phillip and Phillip is up in arms about it.  That’s not what pissed me off, what pissed me off was for someone as smart as Sybil was, she thought that Seth should be with his mother.  After everything that Sybil went through with Gloria and everything that Seth went through when he was with Gloria, she still thought that Gloria was a good choice for Seth.

WTF?

I mean, I get that she didn’t see the way that Seth was when he first came to town and she wasn’t around to see how messed up he was and everything but still, she knew what kind of person Gloria was and for her to think that Seth was better off with her instead of these random strangers made me want to smack her around.  Of the three books so far, this book was my least favorite.  That’s not to say that this book was bad, it’s good but it wasn’t my favorite.  Sybil had a lot of making up to do for me to be okay with her pairing with Phillip and eventually, she got there but through a whole chunk of the book, I wanted to smack her around.  See how she liked it.

What I really like about Nora Roberts writing (especially in her trilogies) is that there are always multiple stories being told and she spends good pages tying everything together.  I loved the way that she brought all of the loose ends together and I really liked the way that there was no leaf left unturned.  Everything comes together nicely and my love for the Quinn brothers was only strengthened in this book.  Nora Roberts writes really good trilogies and this is one of my favorites.

Phillip and Sybil’s story came full circle and I was happy with the way that their happy ending came about, it got my emotions up and running but it didn’t leave me hanging so by the end of the book, I was a happy camper.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

This book is available from Jove. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

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Weekly Reread: Seaswept by Nora Roberts

Posted May 10, 2007 by Rowena in Reviews | 9 Comments

Weekly Reread: Seaswept by Nora RobertsReviewer: Rowena
Sea Swept (Chesapeake Bay #1) by Nora Roberts
Series: Chesapeake Bay #1
Also in this series: Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Blue
Publisher: Penguin, Jove
Publication Date: January 1st, 1998
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 356
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
five-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Nora Roberts presents the first novel in a stunning new trilogy of three men bound by the love of the extraordinary couple who took them in and raised them as brothers. Now grown and living on their own, the Quinn brothers must return to the family home on the Maryland shore, to honor their father's last request.

A champion boat racer, Cameron Quinn traveled the world spending his winnings on champagne and women. But when his dying father called him home to care for Seth, a troubled young boy not unlike Cameron once was, his life changed overnight...

After years of independence, Cameron had to learn to live with his brothers again, while he struggled with cooking, cleaning, and caring for a difficult boy. Old rivalries and new resentments flared between Cameron and his brothers, but they tried to put aside their differences for Seth's sake. In the end, a social worker would decide Seth's fate, and as tough as she was beautiful, she had the power to bring the Quinns together—or tear them apart...

Hands down, this book is my favorite Nora Roberts book.

I saw this book sitting on my dresser and thought, wow it’s been a long time since I read this book. I remember taking it out because I was supposed to read it a couple of months ago for a discussion on a board that I post at but I never got around to reading it again.

Well I fixed that this past weekend (long after the book discussion is done, mind you, LOL). Being wrapped up in the Quinn’s world again was such a great walk down memory lane. Throughout this series, I love how Nora Roberts was able to capture each story and tell it in the personality of the main characters in it. Like Cam Quinn is an action loving man who lives his life in the fast lane, a man who races through life with all the speed and agility that racers tend to have. His story was told in that fast paced, action packed way that had me engrossed right from the very beginning.

Not only are the characters rich and charming in this series but the sense of family is strong and that is one thing that I’m such a sucker for.

I love stories, series that revolve around families and this series is most definitely one of my favorites from any author.

The way that the Quinn brothers came together and were formed into the family that we read about in this series warmed my heart and made me giddy to read each and every one of their stories.

In this book, we’re gifted with the eldest Quinn brother, Cam’s story. He was the first boy to be adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn and together, Ray and Stella changed Cam’s life for the better. They gave him a life and a future to look forward to. They gave him a sense of worth and a sense of purpose and Cam grew to be a man who appreciated them and their love.

So when disaster strikes and the man that Cam has known as Dad dies, he rushes home to the family that is left.

His brothers.

Plus one.

Rumors are flying all over the place about his Father’s faithfulness to his Mother and together, as a family, the Quinn brothers need to sift through what happened to their Father and find out just who this little boy that Ray Quinn left behind is and they have to deal with keeping their promise to their Dad about sticking together and keeping the boy with them, no matter what they’ve got going on in their personal lives and no matter what misgivings they have.

The stories that unfold from this book are so great that this is a book that I revist at least once a year just because I love the stories and these characters.

Cam Quinn is my favorite Quinn. He’s tall, dark and handsome, he’s brash and flashy and just everything a celebrity would be and it’s great to see him come to grips with his father’s death and the rumors surrounding his death and it’s absolutely wonderful to see him try to keep his family together, no matter what he has to do. He’s the funniest housewife EVER and one of the bestest brothers ever too. I loved the way he fell for Anna Spinelli and I loved his confidence and arrogance and really, I just loved him. He made this book so much more fun and memorable.

A great hero.

Anna Spinelli was fantastic herself. She was fun, sexy and smart. She had a way with people that made me smile and she was witty and vibrant, everything that Cam needed. She complimented him well and she fit right in with the other Quinns. I loved how she took to Seth and cuddled him close and did everything in her power to keep him where he belonged.

The journey and the adventures these guys go through to find themselves, to find love and to stay together was a great treat for me and continues to be, long after I’ve finished reading this book for the first time.

If y’all haven’t read this series, I totally recommend that you fix that pronto because you won’t be disappointed, these guys are great!

Grade: 5 out of 5

five-stars

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