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Chesapeake Diaries #5
Home for the Summer
Some of Lucy Sinclair's best days were those spent growing up in small town St. Dennis, working at the family inn and enjoying summers filled with swimming, sailing, tennis, and the company of Clay Madison, her best friend. But Lucy's darkest day, the one that shattered her innocence with violence and fear, also happened in St. Dennis. And the town she once loved became the place she gladly left behind--along with the terrible secret she's kept for twenty years.
While Lucy headed off for college and a career, Clay remained, more than satisfied with the life St. Dennis had to offer. But now, even after inheriting his family's thriving farm and starting up an organic brewery, he can't help feeling that something's missing. And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect and find themselves reevaluating their friendship and the possibility that it could blossom into something deeper. Like a bookend to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy's chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past, and plan a new future for herself.
While Lucy headed off for college and a career, Clay remained, more than satisfied with the life St. Dennis had to offer. But now, even after inheriting his family's thriving farm and starting up an organic brewery, he can't help feeling that something's missing. And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect and find themselves reevaluating their friendship and the possibility that it could blossom into something deeper. Like a bookend to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy's chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past, and plan a new future for herself.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
290 people are currently reading
900 people want to read
About the author
Mariah Stewart
89 books1,529 followersMariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of forty-one novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women's fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. A three-time winner of the Golden Leaf Award presented by the New Jersey Romance Writers, Stewart was recently awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award (which placed her in their Hall of Fame along with former recipients Nora Roberts and Mary Jo Putney — very excellent company, indeed!)
After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?
After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
July 2, 2012
I'm just about to give up on this series. There is entirely too much frivolous filler and not enough solid believable storyline. It took four books before we finally got Lucy and Clay's story -what a disappointment it was. Talk about cheating the main characters out of center stage! They spent more time apart than together and when they were together, most of that time was shared space with others. There was no feeling of a relationship growing between Lucy and Clay. Both characters made appearances in previous books and had piqued my attention from the beginning. Both were likable, interesting people with great potential for a captivating read. The author hinted at all the possibilities but chose not to write it. Even the ending was rushed and unromantic. This one was a major disappointment.
November 10, 2020
Wonderful series! Love, peace and joyful!
July 25, 2014
OH, I was OH so bored reading this one! But I still love this serie3s and all it's characters as a whole. It seemed the book was more of 'The story of Lucy' rather than a romance novel. I guessed from the beginning what her tragedy was in her past because it was predictable. You read enough fiction and you tend to get these things quickly LOL Her back story wasn't dealt properly in my opinion. The only good thing done was that in her over-all life, she seemed to have moved past it except when she was home, which makes total sense. After all, it's where the tragedy takes place. That kinda thing tends to haunt you for a long time, especially if it's gone without therapy. Which leads me to the next badly done/told part of the story. It's a bit unrealistic for me to believe that she never once sought out help for this 'thing' that happened to her. Even as an adult living WAY away from home. Not once. That was hard for me to swallow.
The main reason I was bored is because the dramatic parts of this story, or what should have been dramatic parts, where just kinda thrown in there and just moved along. If I say too much more, I will be telling too much of the story and I hate reviews that give away the plot.
Just know going into this book that it's totally different from her past books in this series and it isn't so much about her and Clay coming together, because THAT also happens like WHAM and moving on, it's about Lucy and her struggles to realize where she belongs. I just didn't feel like it was a love story at all.
The main reason I was bored is because the dramatic parts of this story, or what should have been dramatic parts, where just kinda thrown in there and just moved along. If I say too much more, I will be telling too much of the story and I hate reviews that give away the plot.
Just know going into this book that it's totally different from her past books in this series and it isn't so much about her and Clay coming together, because THAT also happens like WHAM and moving on, it's about Lucy and her struggles to realize where she belongs. I just didn't feel like it was a love story at all.
June 22, 2012
I give this story a 4 star rating I don't really read to many regular romance novels but this one had me pretty much hooked from the beginning the relationship between Lucy(LuLu) and Clay begins in their childhood as best friends . Lucy is a an event planner who has been asked back to plan an extravagant wedding for a town friend of her moms, Clay has been in love with Lucy for ever. This is a light hearted read and a quick read and very sweet. I believe most everyone would Love this story , I mean if you like romance a little humor and a great relationship between mom and daughter then this is your book. the secret she has well you will have to read it to find out what happen in the years past to Lucy. I recommend this book to the romantic at heart. I won this copy on Goodreads and I am very glad I did Thank You.
February 27, 2025
Oh Lucy and clay 😭
Her story is a heartbreaking one and I love that she was able to tell her side of the story and get that heavy burden off her back! Also the best wedding planner on the west coast !! She comes home to help get a big wedding at her family’s inn together!
Clay is a farmer who’s ready to start a journey with his friend Wade (aka book 3’s hottie) making specialty beers!
Ugh I love these stories. Every single one is just so good
Her story is a heartbreaking one and I love that she was able to tell her side of the story and get that heavy burden off her back! Also the best wedding planner on the west coast !! She comes home to help get a big wedding at her family’s inn together!
Clay is a farmer who’s ready to start a journey with his friend Wade (aka book 3’s hottie) making specialty beers!
Ugh I love these stories. Every single one is just so good
April 14, 2015
Another fast weekend read by Stewart. She paints a lovely picture of a town that anyone would like to visit, yes, even live in. I like the way she develops the romances between sometime reluctant partners. It is a world that when you are done reading the book, you wish you could go there.
October 13, 2025
I listened to this in audio and as always Xe Sands sparkles as narrtor. This is probably my least favorite of the series so far. It dragged a bit at the beginning for me, and the ending was far too rushed. I would've liked a lot more of Lucy and Clay at the end, as well as Lucy's decision process regarding her agency in LA, and less of the various brides and weddings.
February 19, 2015
I hate that I'm having such a hard time with this series. It's so odd to me that I love the characters but have such a hard time getting through their stories.
I'm sure one of the reasons for the plodding pacing of these books is the extra words. So many unnecessary words! This book is almost 400 pages and could have easily been less than 300. "Brooke started the van and drove to the end of Cherry Street, then made a left onto Charles." In no way did the route Brooke was taking have any bearing whatsoever on this story. And since this is book 5, we pretty much know the lay of the land. Then there are the ones like this: "Lucy placed her bag on a side table while she put on her coat." It makes the reader think there will be some significance later about her putting her bag down. Is she going to forget it and have to go back? I somebody going to steal it? Will her wallet drop out of it? Nope! Apparently, Mariah Stewart does not trust her readers enough for her to think we KNOW Lucy is going to put her purse down before trying to shove her arm into her coat. I could go on and on (and on and on) with the examples of unnecessary words.
Then there was the fact that, about 3/4 of the way through the book, Lucy tells Clay about her family inn. Basically a verbal tour about the views and such. This really confused me since they've known each other since they were 5 and he used to hang out at the inn after school pretty much every day while they were growing up. If the author wants to give the reader a visual of the space (again, this is book 5 and should not really be needed) then shouldn't the history and tour of the inn been written with another character earlier in the book? Say, the bride-to-be who is hiring Lucy and the inn for her wedding. That would have at least made sense.
I feel like I'm being super negative about this book and I really don't mean to be. Believe it or not, I actually plan to read the next book. I think I'll take a bit of a break from St. Dennis first. But I will read it eventually. Like I said at the beginning. I really like the characters. And I love the town, too. That's why these books are driving me so bonkers!
I'm sure one of the reasons for the plodding pacing of these books is the extra words. So many unnecessary words! This book is almost 400 pages and could have easily been less than 300. "Brooke started the van and drove to the end of Cherry Street, then made a left onto Charles." In no way did the route Brooke was taking have any bearing whatsoever on this story. And since this is book 5, we pretty much know the lay of the land. Then there are the ones like this: "Lucy placed her bag on a side table while she put on her coat." It makes the reader think there will be some significance later about her putting her bag down. Is she going to forget it and have to go back? I somebody going to steal it? Will her wallet drop out of it? Nope! Apparently, Mariah Stewart does not trust her readers enough for her to think we KNOW Lucy is going to put her purse down before trying to shove her arm into her coat. I could go on and on (and on and on) with the examples of unnecessary words.
Then there was the fact that, about 3/4 of the way through the book, Lucy tells Clay about her family inn. Basically a verbal tour about the views and such. This really confused me since they've known each other since they were 5 and he used to hang out at the inn after school pretty much every day while they were growing up. If the author wants to give the reader a visual of the space (again, this is book 5 and should not really be needed) then shouldn't the history and tour of the inn been written with another character earlier in the book? Say, the bride-to-be who is hiring Lucy and the inn for her wedding. That would have at least made sense.
I feel like I'm being super negative about this book and I really don't mean to be. Believe it or not, I actually plan to read the next book. I think I'll take a bit of a break from St. Dennis first. But I will read it eventually. Like I said at the beginning. I really like the characters. And I love the town, too. That's why these books are driving me so bonkers!
February 18, 2013
Didn't feel a lot of chemistry between Clay and Lucy and thought a lot of the event planning stuff got in the way of the story. Also, found the fact that the story would jump forward in time without any kind of notice a bit distracting
*************************
Lucy Sinclair is a successful wedding planner based in Los Angeles. She comes back to her hometown of St Dennis infrequently, claiming to be too busy with her business to come more regularly, but when she gets offered the chance to do a second celebrity wedding in town, she knows that the time has come when she has to face her demons, for the summer at least.
Clay Madison never quite figured out what happened with his friendship with Lucy. She was his best friend until something happened, and he had no clue what, and then she left town as soon as she could cutting nearly all ties. Now Clay is an organic farmer, working on a partnership to develop organic beers with Wade. Life is good for Clay, but he still thinks of Lucy as his what-if woman. When she comes back to town, he takes his chances to be with her, but she is so busy that it is difficult to find time, and she is so reluctant to talk about what changed between them all those years ago.
Whereas most of the other romances developed over a relatively short period, this one took longer to develop, which I think was the right thing to do for these two people, but I did find it distracting that the story jumped forward weeks at a time without any real indication to the reader and I do think think that the fact that I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two of them wasn't helped by the slowness of their relationship.
Rating 3/5
See my thoughts on the first five books in the series here:
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2013...
*************************
Lucy Sinclair is a successful wedding planner based in Los Angeles. She comes back to her hometown of St Dennis infrequently, claiming to be too busy with her business to come more regularly, but when she gets offered the chance to do a second celebrity wedding in town, she knows that the time has come when she has to face her demons, for the summer at least.
Clay Madison never quite figured out what happened with his friendship with Lucy. She was his best friend until something happened, and he had no clue what, and then she left town as soon as she could cutting nearly all ties. Now Clay is an organic farmer, working on a partnership to develop organic beers with Wade. Life is good for Clay, but he still thinks of Lucy as his what-if woman. When she comes back to town, he takes his chances to be with her, but she is so busy that it is difficult to find time, and she is so reluctant to talk about what changed between them all those years ago.
Whereas most of the other romances developed over a relatively short period, this one took longer to develop, which I think was the right thing to do for these two people, but I did find it distracting that the story jumped forward weeks at a time without any real indication to the reader and I do think think that the fact that I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two of them wasn't helped by the slowness of their relationship.
Rating 3/5
See my thoughts on the first five books in the series here:
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2013...
June 23, 2012
This is part of the Cheaspeake Diaries series. Though well written, I think the plot of the story was very shallow and predictable. Frankly, the book was a big disappointment to me, as I have come to expect more from the author. Lucy has left the St. Dennis area, where she grew up, and is working as an event planner in LA. Her once constant companion Clay remained in the town and took over his father's farm. Both remain good friends. However, Clay has realized he is a bit closer to Lucy than she is to him. As the story progresses, we see their relationship grow closer. I found this book to be rather run of the mill. I am getting tired of books today where boy/girl meets up with girl/boy he/she once knew but who drifted away and now feels like there should be something more than friendship. As the plot moves along, they become closer and closer until both realize where this is going--and fast. There was an opportunity for the author to pursue another angle in this story (don't want tog ive away the plot), as Lucy seems to be running form something in St. Dennis, but she opted not to do that. I sincerely wish she had, for then it would not have been such a run of the mill book. The characters are developed but not as well as they could be. I also wish the author had included more on the town and its people. I have read all the books in the series, but still think there is more the author could do to bring me into St. Dennis. Definitely not one of her best books. I wonder if she is now writing books too quickly because her popularity has soared and the series is also very popular. I hope she does not "crank" out any more books like this one.
June 18, 2012
I won this book through a Good Reads giveaway. I was really excited to read it since this is the first book I have won. I was expecting a fun, light, beach read. Unfortunately it fell short. I would probably give it 1.5 stars. The book was about Lucy, a successful event planner living in LA, who has returned home to the coast of Maryland to plan a wedding being held at her family's inn. Lucy is 35 and has not spent much time at home since something traumatic happened when she was in high school. The wedding was successful and therefore another high-profile wedding is booked for Lucy to plan. While in town, Lucy reconnects with her best friend from childhood, Clay. The way the book was written, I just didn't connect with any of the characters or really care what happened. There were several things discussed in the book that were never really resolved. All of the "problems" that were encountered for Lucy throughout the book were easily resolved, so not very interesting. I don't think I will read another book by this author.
November 28, 2012
I couldn't get into this one at all. It just seemed terribly trite and predictable. I paged through reading a snippet here and there and put it into the bag to take to the used book store.
January 17, 2016
I love a good love story / romance but I found this one to predictable and main stream. I also felt that a lot of the info was repeated over and over again
September 20, 2017
Well,...I better get right into this review while the story is still fresh in my head. What a collossal disappointment. Miss Stewart- for shame!
*spoilers ahead. Ye be warned!*
Alright, so this little piece follows Lucy Sinclair - wedding planner extraordinaire - and farmer hick Clay Madison. These two couldn't be more different from each other or more oddly paired if you tried. I didn't get a sense of real chemistry between them at all.
Lucy is very much a modern gal, workaholic type living in L.A. and running her first class business while Clay is very old school, tied to the family farm, and all about maintaining his rigidly defined gender role. Lucy's modern sensibilities and Clay's old world chivalry don't really match up to well and I kind of cringed through a lot of their interactions. Which felt forced. All of them.
My biggest complaint is with how Miss Stewart addressed and tackled Lucy's rape. It was very obvious early on what Lucy's trauma was, but the conversation Lucy had with Clay where she described the event felt....contrite and unrealistic. Full stop here - I'm a rape survivor.
I mean...here we have this 14/15 year old girl who is held down and raped by a guest at her family's inn while her parents are away. Apparently, she tried to scream and struggle - which would have left some pretty obvious marks on her body so that if she did come clean about the event early on, this business about "nobody believing you" wouldn't have held up strongly at all. I'd understand her reasoning for not telling anyone if she hadn't really struggled or had been too scared to fight back, because that always carries with it shame and a sense of deserving what happened to you.
But I'm so mad that Miss Stewart didn't have Lucy resolve this with her family. In fact...nothing with her family got resolved. She never got to sit down and talk to her mom about the magic and witchcraft stuff either, and that was mentioned SO MANY TIMES throughout the book that I was honestly looking forward to that confrontation!
Truthfully, Lucy should have also told her mother what happened to her at the inn when she was a teenager. Yes, it would have been dramatic and full of sorrow and mixed emotions, but Lucy would be able to move forward and heal knowing that she'd come clean to the people who really mattered - her family. Just telling Clay isn't going to absolve her of all the complicated emotions and traumatic side effects. It's not realistic.
Overall, there was way too little character development and far too much technical talk about how to plan weddings and the *stress* involved. Yeah, I think we all understand that, it doesn't need to be spelled out so obviously. Clay and Lucy have no chemistry and I honestly don't get how they're good for each other when they're just too different. End of story - did not really enjoy this one. Which is a shame.
*spoilers ahead. Ye be warned!*
Alright, so this little piece follows Lucy Sinclair - wedding planner extraordinaire - and farmer hick Clay Madison. These two couldn't be more different from each other or more oddly paired if you tried. I didn't get a sense of real chemistry between them at all.
Lucy is very much a modern gal, workaholic type living in L.A. and running her first class business while Clay is very old school, tied to the family farm, and all about maintaining his rigidly defined gender role. Lucy's modern sensibilities and Clay's old world chivalry don't really match up to well and I kind of cringed through a lot of their interactions. Which felt forced. All of them.
My biggest complaint is with how Miss Stewart addressed and tackled Lucy's rape. It was very obvious early on what Lucy's trauma was, but the conversation Lucy had with Clay where she described the event felt....contrite and unrealistic. Full stop here - I'm a rape survivor.
I mean...here we have this 14/15 year old girl who is held down and raped by a guest at her family's inn while her parents are away. Apparently, she tried to scream and struggle - which would have left some pretty obvious marks on her body so that if she did come clean about the event early on, this business about "nobody believing you" wouldn't have held up strongly at all. I'd understand her reasoning for not telling anyone if she hadn't really struggled or had been too scared to fight back, because that always carries with it shame and a sense of deserving what happened to you.
But I'm so mad that Miss Stewart didn't have Lucy resolve this with her family. In fact...nothing with her family got resolved. She never got to sit down and talk to her mom about the magic and witchcraft stuff either, and that was mentioned SO MANY TIMES throughout the book that I was honestly looking forward to that confrontation!
Truthfully, Lucy should have also told her mother what happened to her at the inn when she was a teenager. Yes, it would have been dramatic and full of sorrow and mixed emotions, but Lucy would be able to move forward and heal knowing that she'd come clean to the people who really mattered - her family. Just telling Clay isn't going to absolve her of all the complicated emotions and traumatic side effects. It's not realistic.
Overall, there was way too little character development and far too much technical talk about how to plan weddings and the *stress* involved. Yeah, I think we all understand that, it doesn't need to be spelled out so obviously. Clay and Lucy have no chemistry and I honestly don't get how they're good for each other when they're just too different. End of story - did not really enjoy this one. Which is a shame.
October 25, 2017
Some of Lucy Sinclair's best days were those spent growing up in small town St. Dennis--working at the family inn and enjoying summers filled with swimming, sailing, tennis, and the company of Clay Madison, her best friend. But Lucy's darkest day, the one that shattered her innocence with violence and fear, also happened in St. Dennis. And the town she once loved became the place she gladly left behind--along with the terrible secret she's kept for twenty years.
While Lucy headed off for college and a career, Clay remained--more than satisfied with the life St. Dennis had to offer. But now, even after inheriting his family's thriving farm and starting up an organic brewery, he can't help feeling that something's missing. And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect, and find themselves reevaluating their long-sleeping friendship that could blossom into something deeper. Like a bookend to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy's chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past, and plan her own whole new future
While Lucy headed off for college and a career, Clay remained--more than satisfied with the life St. Dennis had to offer. But now, even after inheriting his family's thriving farm and starting up an organic brewery, he can't help feeling that something's missing. And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect, and find themselves reevaluating their long-sleeping friendship that could blossom into something deeper. Like a bookend to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy's chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past, and plan her own whole new future
March 26, 2022
I have mostly enjoyed the prior books in this series but this one was not to my liking. Lucy is a hard-charging event planner whose business in LA is incredibly successful with several high profile clients. However, she still suffers with a traumatic event from her teen years and so far, she has refused to deal with it. Clay is a farmer and soon to be beer brewer who has been Lucy's friend since childhood but wants more. This has been impossible with them living on either coast. When a celebrity wedding brings Lucy back to St Dennis, he begins to wonder if they can make things work. A lot of the time in the book is spent on describing Lucy's event planning activities. What I did not like about this book (and I do not recall this from prior books) is that there was some profanity but only a word or two. There also was a sexual relationship outside of marriage that was not as explicit as in many books but still too much for me. Because of this, I am not sure if I will continue with the series although the description of small town life and small town businesses is enjoyable.
February 15, 2025
Home for the Summer 🌞
Wedding and event planner Lucy St.Clair and local farmer Clay Madison were destined to be together. From the age of five they'd been best friends up until Lucy's world is turned tragic after she was raped at fourteen years old. She pushed everyone away even Clay and stayed away from St. Dennis because that was where the nightmares plaqued her. After planning world famous actress Dallas McGregor's wedding. She learned that she missed her life in her hometown. Then when internet mogul Robert Magellan and his fiance Susanna Jones want Lucy to plan their wedding at the inn. She takes it on and learns there was love to be found in Clay after she shared her truth with him. I really loved this story and I'm sure you will too. Mariah Stewart brings the feels
Wedding and event planner Lucy St.Clair and local farmer Clay Madison were destined to be together. From the age of five they'd been best friends up until Lucy's world is turned tragic after she was raped at fourteen years old. She pushed everyone away even Clay and stayed away from St. Dennis because that was where the nightmares plaqued her. After planning world famous actress Dallas McGregor's wedding. She learned that she missed her life in her hometown. Then when internet mogul Robert Magellan and his fiance Susanna Jones want Lucy to plan their wedding at the inn. She takes it on and learns there was love to be found in Clay after she shared her truth with him. I really loved this story and I'm sure you will too. Mariah Stewart brings the feels
February 9, 2021
Mariah Stewart has created a wonderful world for us readers. This book was a little different to me. The primary character Lucy is coming home for the summer. She comes home leaves and then comes back home again. Her attitude towards her family and her home is ambiguous and so it creates ambiguous feelings about her in me as a reader. I love Clay the mail main character. He is funny and sweet and kind and very patient with Lucy. Overall I gave this book 5 stars because The author stays true to her voice and the storyline. As usual, I love Miss Grace. She is funny and always has something interesting going on in her diary. Thanks for a good read! CSA
June 17, 2017
As a family drama, I would have given this 4 stars, but it was supposed to be a romance which there was little of.
I still love the town of St. Dennis, all it's characters and businesses. It's charming. And I loved the job descriptions of all the details that needed to be taken care of. It made the story more real.
The dialogue got too wordy sometimes. Guys just don't talk about their feelings with other guys, or most anyone for that matter.
Overall it was an enjoyable book, but not a great romance.
I still love the town of St. Dennis, all it's characters and businesses. It's charming. And I loved the job descriptions of all the details that needed to be taken care of. It made the story more real.
The dialogue got too wordy sometimes. Guys just don't talk about their feelings with other guys, or most anyone for that matter.
Overall it was an enjoyable book, but not a great romance.
May 12, 2022
The main characters and their romance were “meh”, no real big sparks flying. The biggest issue for me was the story revolves around the big wedding of Susanna and Robert Magellan. The author tried to portray Susanna as the this sweet person everyone loves, but honestly she’s a spoiled rich princess bride with pages of demands (who asks to have a gazebo moved?!?) and they only accommodated because money obviously talks. I think it would have made the story more interesting if she had been portrayed as the demanding bridezilla she actually was.
January 11, 2014
Rated 3.5, also posted at TBR Mountain Range.
If you enjoy sweet, contemporary romance with career-oriented characters, then this story is a perfect one to try. It's one of the better written stand-alones within a series that I've read.
A contemporary romance, HOME FOR THE SUMMER is Mariah Stewart's fifth book in her THE CHESAPEAKE DIARIES series. New to the series, I didn't have any trouble at all getting to know the characters and if anything, reading a book in this series out of order only made me more curious to find out more. This book has a diary theme in that the family has their history written down in diaries by their ancestor, and the main character's mother writes in one now. That's how the book begins, with an entry from Grace's diary, which familiarizes the reader with the story about to unfold. I have a weakness for books with diary or journal entries, so this appealed to me right off. They were nicely placed and not overdone. The entries added an enjoyable addition to the developing storyline, giving an insight on things we might not know otherwise, and a hint at some of the more quirky aspects of the characters, adding a curiosity that the heroine hopes to satisfy concerning her mother.
Still single at thirty-five, Lucy Sinclair is married to her career; too busy coordinating other people's weddings to have a relationship herself. When she is back home in St. Dennis, Maryland, coordinating a wedding, Lucy lands another client who is interested in using her family's inn. She has to find a way to coordinate a week-long affair on the East Coast while running her business on the West Coast. What will it be like to be home for the summer? Will she overcome the nightmares of her past?
Clay Madison has waited forever for his best friend to answer his question about what happened to their friendship. Did he do something to hurt Lucy to make her stay away from her hometown and distance herself from him when she's home? He's always been in love with her and he is determined to find out if she can love him too. An organic farmer, as well as in the process of opening a brewery with a friend soon, Clay can't imagine living anywhere else other than St. Dennis, Maryland.
Can a long distance relationship work for two entrepreneurs whose long-term friendship as kids became distanced by something in their past?
Those who are familiar with this series will enjoy more time with Brooke, Clay's sister, with an update on her relationship, as well as updates on Steffie and Vanessa. Reading this series out of order, HOME FOR THE SUMMER made me curious to read Brooke's story in book four, HOMETOWN GIRL.
Although Lucy has a career as a wedding and party planner to the stars, she's very down to earth. I liked that Clay has found a new way to keep his family's farm prospering by growing organic vegetables and herbs for restaurants, as well as organic hops for his future brewery. All the businesses in this book are intriguing which just adds to the overall story, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the high-caliber business that Lucy created with her partner, Bonnie. These businesswomen are just on the cusp of even more success when a series of events put a strain on everything they've built. This creates a great conflict to be explored throughout the book.
For those who like small town romance, there is a similarity to those running through this book but I liked that the majority of the story took place at the inn, or in the rural community surrounding it. There is a very small town as well, but the appeal to me was the inn and the holiday festivities taking place there before we get to the "summer" part of the book. We get to experience more than one season so another appeal is that the book covers a length of time for this romance to bloom.
HOME FOR THE SUMMER is an enjoyable romance about two kids who grew up as best friends, separated through early adulthood, then fate brings them back together in their thirties. As they explore the memories of their past and eventually what tore them apart, their love for one another blossoms. This is a sweet romance with a closed door approach to the character's sensual relationship. Their love story is slow-paced and believable, allowing them to become reacquainted and sort through their challenges. There wasn't anything I didn't like about this story, other than I wish I had read the previous books, which may have added to my enjoyment of this one. Overall, it's a good contemporary romance with interesting career-oriented characters that made me curious for more.
I'm looking forward to book seven, AT THE RIVER'S EDGE, coming out on January 28, 2014, which is about Sophie, who comes from a law career, and Jason, who is a landscaper, another intriguing plant related career. I love gardening themes and we get a brief glimpse of Jason in HOME FOR THE SUMMER. It sounds like Sophie will be involved in a new restaurant, which is another favorite theme for me.
HOME FOR THE SUMMER will satisfy those who enjoy a contemporary romance that centers on the activities at a very busy family resort style inn.
Review written by Dorine, Courtesy of Romance Junkies.
If you enjoy sweet, contemporary romance with career-oriented characters, then this story is a perfect one to try. It's one of the better written stand-alones within a series that I've read.
A contemporary romance, HOME FOR THE SUMMER is Mariah Stewart's fifth book in her THE CHESAPEAKE DIARIES series. New to the series, I didn't have any trouble at all getting to know the characters and if anything, reading a book in this series out of order only made me more curious to find out more. This book has a diary theme in that the family has their history written down in diaries by their ancestor, and the main character's mother writes in one now. That's how the book begins, with an entry from Grace's diary, which familiarizes the reader with the story about to unfold. I have a weakness for books with diary or journal entries, so this appealed to me right off. They were nicely placed and not overdone. The entries added an enjoyable addition to the developing storyline, giving an insight on things we might not know otherwise, and a hint at some of the more quirky aspects of the characters, adding a curiosity that the heroine hopes to satisfy concerning her mother.
Still single at thirty-five, Lucy Sinclair is married to her career; too busy coordinating other people's weddings to have a relationship herself. When she is back home in St. Dennis, Maryland, coordinating a wedding, Lucy lands another client who is interested in using her family's inn. She has to find a way to coordinate a week-long affair on the East Coast while running her business on the West Coast. What will it be like to be home for the summer? Will she overcome the nightmares of her past?
Clay Madison has waited forever for his best friend to answer his question about what happened to their friendship. Did he do something to hurt Lucy to make her stay away from her hometown and distance herself from him when she's home? He's always been in love with her and he is determined to find out if she can love him too. An organic farmer, as well as in the process of opening a brewery with a friend soon, Clay can't imagine living anywhere else other than St. Dennis, Maryland.
Can a long distance relationship work for two entrepreneurs whose long-term friendship as kids became distanced by something in their past?
Those who are familiar with this series will enjoy more time with Brooke, Clay's sister, with an update on her relationship, as well as updates on Steffie and Vanessa. Reading this series out of order, HOME FOR THE SUMMER made me curious to read Brooke's story in book four, HOMETOWN GIRL.
Although Lucy has a career as a wedding and party planner to the stars, she's very down to earth. I liked that Clay has found a new way to keep his family's farm prospering by growing organic vegetables and herbs for restaurants, as well as organic hops for his future brewery. All the businesses in this book are intriguing which just adds to the overall story, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the high-caliber business that Lucy created with her partner, Bonnie. These businesswomen are just on the cusp of even more success when a series of events put a strain on everything they've built. This creates a great conflict to be explored throughout the book.
For those who like small town romance, there is a similarity to those running through this book but I liked that the majority of the story took place at the inn, or in the rural community surrounding it. There is a very small town as well, but the appeal to me was the inn and the holiday festivities taking place there before we get to the "summer" part of the book. We get to experience more than one season so another appeal is that the book covers a length of time for this romance to bloom.
HOME FOR THE SUMMER is an enjoyable romance about two kids who grew up as best friends, separated through early adulthood, then fate brings them back together in their thirties. As they explore the memories of their past and eventually what tore them apart, their love for one another blossoms. This is a sweet romance with a closed door approach to the character's sensual relationship. Their love story is slow-paced and believable, allowing them to become reacquainted and sort through their challenges. There wasn't anything I didn't like about this story, other than I wish I had read the previous books, which may have added to my enjoyment of this one. Overall, it's a good contemporary romance with interesting career-oriented characters that made me curious for more.
I'm looking forward to book seven, AT THE RIVER'S EDGE, coming out on January 28, 2014, which is about Sophie, who comes from a law career, and Jason, who is a landscaper, another intriguing plant related career. I love gardening themes and we get a brief glimpse of Jason in HOME FOR THE SUMMER. It sounds like Sophie will be involved in a new restaurant, which is another favorite theme for me.
HOME FOR THE SUMMER will satisfy those who enjoy a contemporary romance that centers on the activities at a very busy family resort style inn.
Review written by Dorine, Courtesy of Romance Junkies.
April 24, 2020
Romance scenes are not the great. Don't understand why they are on the Audible Escape because these books are mild compared to other authors. I looked for authors like Karin Slaugther and Karen Rose. Mariah Stewart came up but Ms. Stewarts books are mild compared to the other authors. Cute story but you can predict what will happen before it does.
January 21, 2021
I read this series, in order, over the past month or so, through the lonely holidays in 'Covid 19 world'. It is a wonderful series-- 12 books each with a lovely romance, some mystery and magic. The characters are great and each story has its own theme, if you will, which made them so interesting as new friends were introduced to others in their small town on the beautiful Chesapeake.
August 10, 2021
This Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart continues to hit the spot for me in terms of the perfect comfort/escape light romance reading. Engaging stories where everything works out perfectly for everyone and the main recurring characters are all busily and happily pursuing their life dreams (mostly running their own businesses of one sort or another).
November 13, 2017
I enjoyed the previous novel I read by this author and so looked for another. Home for the Summer is a well-written romance novel, but might have benefited from a bit of pruning, particularly in regard to the event planning business.
June 3, 2018
I didn't like this book quite as much as the other 4 books in the series that I've read. I still plan on reading more of the series soon. They are great books to escape to during the stressful last days of the school year.
June 24, 2025
My least fave so far. Brooke was annoyingly nosy l. It was repetitive in parts. The ending was too fast. The wedding was breezed over. And the SA could have used some justice and a twist by the guy coming back and getting caught. My fault for assuming that would be one of the legacy guests.
May 28, 2017
This one had a little drama but mostly it was another sweet story of the wonderful little town of St. Dennis.
September 19, 2017
3.5 stars. I had not read any of the previous books in the series so as a "stand alone" it was a decent bedtime read.
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