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Chesapeake Diaries #1
The Chesapeake Diaries: Coming Home
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 left behind. The last thing she’s looking for is romance, but the hot new man in town is hard to resist. And when Vanessa’s 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.
From the Paperback edition.
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 left behind. The last thing she’s looking for is romance, but the hot new man in town is hard to resist. And when Vanessa’s 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.
From the Paperback edition.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2010
411 people are currently reading
2568 people want to read
About the author
Mariah Stewart
88 books1,528 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 221 reviews
October 16, 2017
4.25/5
I've always loved Mariah Stewart's heartwarming love stories. And this is another book from her that brought me such enjoyment. Despite being a bit slow-paced at times, this was a very nice and pleasant read. It was sweet, beautiful, touching, and emotional. I enjoyed reading this one a lot.
I've always loved Mariah Stewart's heartwarming love stories. And this is another book from her that brought me such enjoyment. Despite being a bit slow-paced at times, this was a very nice and pleasant read. It was sweet, beautiful, touching, and emotional. I enjoyed reading this one a lot.
February 27, 2012
I wish I had known before I started reading this series that there was a trilogy that preceded it (The "Last" trilogy). There are so many references to characters in these other books that I spent the first hundred pages wondering if I'd picked up the wrong book in the series after carefully checking that it was the start of The Chesapeake Diaries.
My main comment about this novel is that it reads like a soap opera: The plot focuses on a group of core couples, with a bunch of supporting characters on the periphery that the reader can already tell will get their own stories. The reader is supposed to be following Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton as they meet and fall in love over the week that precedes his sister Mia's wedding to her brother Beck. It's a little cheesy, but once you get hooked you want to find out what happens next and can't stop watching. The plot even moves with the slowness of a television serial: The reader gets to spend time with the inner thoughts of at last a half a dozen characters, and the shifting POV further detracts from the focus on what is supposed to be the primary couple. This definitely strips much of the emotion and connection to these characters and, while it's good for building a series that will soon include a fifth book, it didn't feel like the main characters ever really had much of a chance to stand center stage.
I will also add that I don't like the diary aspect of the novel, as written by Grace Sinclair, an elderly character who has lived in St. Dennis all her life. The entries felt like a rehash of everything I had just read, and screamed "JUST IN CASE YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATENTION DURING THE LAST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS!" These diary entries would have been a lot more interesting if they had offered some insight or secret insider knowledge, that is, after all, what diaries in novels are for, but they never seem to function in a productive way in this book. Even the little surprise twist Grace offers isn't that exciting and I don't know how it will lead to anything in future books.
Another somewhat forgettable aspect of the narrative is the mystery that needs to be solved. The first key event takes place 175 pages into the story, and Vanessa spends the next 100 pages minimizing the possibility that someone might actually want to hurt her. When the climax of the story finally does arrive, it happens quickly, and there is very little suspense or question about how everything will be resolved.
Although this story never truly moved me, it did catch my interest enough to want to know what happens to the citizens of St. Dennis. I like Mariah Stewart's writing style, and the characters she has created feel real; I am compelled to return to St. Dennis to find out how everybody else's story goes. This isn't a series, however, that rises above simple 'like,' and will send me rushing to recommend it all my fellow romance lovers. It's a good story, set in an interesting community, and would be an entertaining read for a lazy weekend or beach read, but that's as far as I would suggest it.
My main comment about this novel is that it reads like a soap opera: The plot focuses on a group of core couples, with a bunch of supporting characters on the periphery that the reader can already tell will get their own stories. The reader is supposed to be following Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton as they meet and fall in love over the week that precedes his sister Mia's wedding to her brother Beck. It's a little cheesy, but once you get hooked you want to find out what happens next and can't stop watching. The plot even moves with the slowness of a television serial: The reader gets to spend time with the inner thoughts of at last a half a dozen characters, and the shifting POV further detracts from the focus on what is supposed to be the primary couple. This definitely strips much of the emotion and connection to these characters and, while it's good for building a series that will soon include a fifth book, it didn't feel like the main characters ever really had much of a chance to stand center stage.
I will also add that I don't like the diary aspect of the novel, as written by Grace Sinclair, an elderly character who has lived in St. Dennis all her life. The entries felt like a rehash of everything I had just read, and screamed "JUST IN CASE YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATENTION DURING THE LAST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS!" These diary entries would have been a lot more interesting if they had offered some insight or secret insider knowledge, that is, after all, what diaries in novels are for, but they never seem to function in a productive way in this book. Even the little surprise twist Grace offers isn't that exciting and I don't know how it will lead to anything in future books.
Another somewhat forgettable aspect of the narrative is the mystery that needs to be solved. The first key event takes place 175 pages into the story, and Vanessa spends the next 100 pages minimizing the possibility that someone might actually want to hurt her. When the climax of the story finally does arrive, it happens quickly, and there is very little suspense or question about how everything will be resolved.
Although this story never truly moved me, it did catch my interest enough to want to know what happens to the citizens of St. Dennis. I like Mariah Stewart's writing style, and the characters she has created feel real; I am compelled to return to St. Dennis to find out how everybody else's story goes. This isn't a series, however, that rises above simple 'like,' and will send me rushing to recommend it all my fellow romance lovers. It's a good story, set in an interesting community, and would be an entertaining read for a lazy weekend or beach read, but that's as far as I would suggest it.
April 12, 2011
I love Mariah Stewart’s writing style and her flexibility with it. Will this be a suspenseful book with romance, or romance with a twist of suspense to keep things energized? Well, it doesn’t matter to me which way it comes, because I loved Coming Home. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and that it flowed naturally. It helped whenever back story was mentioned, in case you missed her earlier “Last” series. I do love when an author finds characters that can be brought back!!! It was a wonderful book, romantic and funny and sassy and even suspenseful. Bonus is that it is first in a new trilogy, so I look forward to the second book coming in the fall!!!
October 3, 2020
Another great summer romance.... Just what I needed in this strange world. Today is my 67th birthday.
September 26, 2025
I relistened to this in audio. I originally read this in print when it first came out, over 10 years ago. When GoodReads suggested I read this for the first time (another book dropped from my reading list by GoodReads) I remembered it fondly, and thought I was due for a comfort read.
I recalled liking the entire series (fairly long), but didn't have many memories of this first entry in the series. While I liked parts of it, it's a book that feels as if it can't decide what to be. Is it a cozy contemporary (AKA 2010) romance set in a small town? It it an edgier contemporary romance (with characters with tragedy in their backgrounds), or is it a mystery filled with dangerous villains? The hero and heroine seemed to change slightly depending on which book they were in.
As always, the narrator, Xe Sands, is outstanding. The book was okay for me, but I'm going to go ahead and relisten to some of the others in the series to see if I like them more, or if my taste has just changed.
I recalled liking the entire series (fairly long), but didn't have many memories of this first entry in the series. While I liked parts of it, it's a book that feels as if it can't decide what to be. Is it a cozy contemporary (AKA 2010) romance set in a small town? It it an edgier contemporary romance (with characters with tragedy in their backgrounds), or is it a mystery filled with dangerous villains? The hero and heroine seemed to change slightly depending on which book they were in.
As always, the narrator, Xe Sands, is outstanding. The book was okay for me, but I'm going to go ahead and relisten to some of the others in the series to see if I like them more, or if my taste has just changed.
February 18, 2013
When Vanessa Keaton's escapes an abusive marriage, she returns to the only place she has ever really called home. Whilst Hal is not really her stepfather any more, he and her half brother Beck have never treated Vanessa as anything other than family after she was dumped on their doorstep by her neglectful mother Maggie. Now, she has rebuilt her life. She has a successful dress boutique in the small town of St Dennis called Bling, she has friends and she is happy being single.
With Beck getting married, his fiancee has asked her to look after her reclusive brother, Grady Shields, who will be in town for just a few days for the wedding. Grady is ex FBI but now he lives in the isolated wilds of Montana. He operates adventure tours, but mostly he just wants to be alone and has done so since the death of his wife while he was an FBI agent. He is also pretty sure he doesn't need a babysitter for the few days he is in town, but he can't deny his attraction to Vanessa.
When there are a series of incidents where Vanessa and her business appear to be the targets, Grady steps in, determined to protect her, no matter what it takes.
This is one of, if not, the only books in the series to have that romantic suspense style subplot. It isn't my favourite thing, but I can live with it occasionally.
Rating 4/5
See my thoughts on the first five books in the series here:
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2013...
With Beck getting married, his fiancee has asked her to look after her reclusive brother, Grady Shields, who will be in town for just a few days for the wedding. Grady is ex FBI but now he lives in the isolated wilds of Montana. He operates adventure tours, but mostly he just wants to be alone and has done so since the death of his wife while he was an FBI agent. He is also pretty sure he doesn't need a babysitter for the few days he is in town, but he can't deny his attraction to Vanessa.
When there are a series of incidents where Vanessa and her business appear to be the targets, Grady steps in, determined to protect her, no matter what it takes.
This is one of, if not, the only books in the series to have that romantic suspense style subplot. It isn't my favourite thing, but I can live with it occasionally.
Rating 4/5
See my thoughts on the first five books in the series here:
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2013...
August 11, 2010
I loved this book. This is the first book I have read by Mariah Stewart and it will not be my last. This is the first book in the Chesapeake Diaries series.
This was one of those romance novels that you did not want to put down. I could have read 400 more pages of this book and not been sick of the characters. The character of Grady sounds like my dream man. A rough and rugged cowboy who has a soft and caring heart, especially when it comes to Vanessa. A woman who has made bad choices growing up but met up with her brother and her brothers father who helped her get back on her feet. Grady and Vanessa's relationship was perfect. They both had something happen to them that they seemed closed off about, until they found each other.
I found myself laughing and smiling a lot while reading this book. It was just an amazing read, and full of action!
This was one of those romance novels that you did not want to put down. I could have read 400 more pages of this book and not been sick of the characters. The character of Grady sounds like my dream man. A rough and rugged cowboy who has a soft and caring heart, especially when it comes to Vanessa. A woman who has made bad choices growing up but met up with her brother and her brothers father who helped her get back on her feet. Grady and Vanessa's relationship was perfect. They both had something happen to them that they seemed closed off about, until they found each other.
I found myself laughing and smiling a lot while reading this book. It was just an amazing read, and full of action!
September 15, 2021
I had seen a recommendation for Home Again, and right before seeing it I saw it was number two in a series so I got Coming Home. Now I see that it is part of another series. I thought this book was just okay. Maybe because I jumped in the middle of the story rather than the beginning. The first half with the wedding was perfect and boring. The second half was predictable. I was curious about the history of Vanessa's home but I don't know if that was in the other series or will come later. Not sure I'm that intrigued to go on the mission to find it.
February 23, 2025
This will forever be my favorite series I’ve ever read ! The small town feel! The drama. Ugh !!!
Vanessa and Grady are just 🔥😘 the chemistry is there. They are truly the best. A couple who endured so much apart and connected on that !!!
A must read !
Vanessa and Grady are just 🔥😘 the chemistry is there. They are truly the best. A couple who endured so much apart and connected on that !!!
A must read !
September 9, 2022
So the writing of this book just cut the novel itself to pieces. We spend a lot of time prepping for a wedding that takes place in less then a page with main focus somewhere else. Hell we just spent 3-4 pages baking cookies for this wedding. The peak of the bad guy getting caught is ok but the book keeps going to an ending that majes little sense. It just stops and really does nothing to "wrap things up". We read of an young lady who was in an abusive relationship complete with disfigurement then we read her taking lots of initiative in the bedroom with the new guy in the book. It is sickening. The new guy, ex FBI, is led around like a puppy without a brain. I really hate when characters in the book are written about such a lame, blaise spirit.
September 29, 2023
The storyline had its ups and downs, the characters were alright, nothing that really grabbed me. I am torn on how I really feel about the book. The continuity between the events made me wonder what was the true focus of the book, the ending seemed odd and rushed. In fact it ended so abruptly that I had to go back a page or two to reread it wondering if I missed something. Hmmm more of a headscratch for me.
February 23, 2017
Did this book bore you? It did for me. Usually when I read something terrible, I can basically get it done in less than two days and give a long-winded speech on how it fails at romance and how it is degrading to feminism, etc. etc. etc....
So you get the point. I gave it three stars because the author gets brownie points for stating:
"What's pathetic is a man who is so small that he has to hurt someone else in order to feel like a man." (p. 202). In this case, I'm glad she brings up abuse and tackles it head on. Vanessa faced two shitty marriages, the second almost getting killed by her ex-husband. It doesn't help that her female role model was Maggie who went through crappy marriages and didn't bother raising her children in the first place. Maggie dumps her son, Beck, on Hal's door with a birth certificate and later sends Vanessa there because she can't help in any way or form.
The sense of community was there, but I was rather bored with the daily interactions. Despite having a stalker destroying Vanessa's property and trying to get back at her, St. Dennis is a very dull town and even the newspaper editor bored me to tears with her diary entries that sounded obviously the author's voice. No rule against that, but it made me wonder if the author is boring in real life as well as her other works.
The suspense happened pretty quickly as well as the attraction between Grady and Vanessa. I didn't expect sparks flying or some heated smut here and there. But the moment they show interest, the kissing and groping comes out of nowhere that I have to go back and re-read the paragraph to expect some form of building emotional appeal for the reader. I didn't get a whole lot of that. If the author did a good job at something, she was right about them being closed off. Grady was great until he left. Um, okay? I guess that pissed me off a little. You clearly love her, but decide that leaving is the best for the both of you. Because you can decide what's best for her feelings too. I get that you're still wounded from your murdered wife, but it doesn't make you a freaking psychic on how others feel exactly.
So you get the point. I gave it three stars because the author gets brownie points for stating:
"What's pathetic is a man who is so small that he has to hurt someone else in order to feel like a man." (p. 202). In this case, I'm glad she brings up abuse and tackles it head on. Vanessa faced two shitty marriages, the second almost getting killed by her ex-husband. It doesn't help that her female role model was Maggie who went through crappy marriages and didn't bother raising her children in the first place. Maggie dumps her son, Beck, on Hal's door with a birth certificate and later sends Vanessa there because she can't help in any way or form.
The sense of community was there, but I was rather bored with the daily interactions. Despite having a stalker destroying Vanessa's property and trying to get back at her, St. Dennis is a very dull town and even the newspaper editor bored me to tears with her diary entries that sounded obviously the author's voice. No rule against that, but it made me wonder if the author is boring in real life as well as her other works.
The suspense happened pretty quickly as well as the attraction between Grady and Vanessa. I didn't expect sparks flying or some heated smut here and there. But the moment they show interest, the kissing and groping comes out of nowhere that I have to go back and re-read the paragraph to expect some form of building emotional appeal for the reader. I didn't get a whole lot of that. If the author did a good job at something, she was right about them being closed off. Grady was great until he left. Um, okay? I guess that pissed me off a little. You clearly love her, but decide that leaving is the best for the both of you. Because you can decide what's best for her feelings too. I get that you're still wounded from your murdered wife, but it doesn't make you a freaking psychic on how others feel exactly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2012
I downloaded this book for free from my library. Somehow, it got stuck in the section entitled "historical romance". First, it isn't historical. Second, while it reads like a romance, it is on the border of chic lit. It also involves a lot of big, heavy, themes such as domestic violence, grieving widowers, and two generations of people falling in love. The backdrop is a town in the midst of revitalization, a lot of people who get along really well for a small, gossipy community. One of the major problems in this book are diary entries from a senior citizen who has lived in this town forever. While I'm normally on board with different points of view in italics, this didn't work. The italicized parts read like a newspaper, but I don't want to read a synopsis of the previous chapter, I would like a little more insight or some foreshadowing on the upcoming chapters.
The Hero & Heroine....I liked them. They seem like nice characters. But they didn't have a story, really. The book was so populated with secondary characters that the time spent on these two was rushed. This is where it borders on chick lit, because I know more about the relationship between the heroine and her best friend than I do about the hero & heroine. Actually, I was more interested in the best friend and her story, and I kind of lost interest in the heroine's.
This is one of those times that I wish I could give half stars, because really, this is a 2.5 review. I probably won't read more from this author, unless I stumble upon the best friend's story at some point in the future.
The Hero & Heroine....I liked them. They seem like nice characters. But they didn't have a story, really. The book was so populated with secondary characters that the time spent on these two was rushed. This is where it borders on chick lit, because I know more about the relationship between the heroine and her best friend than I do about the hero & heroine. Actually, I was more interested in the best friend and her story, and I kind of lost interest in the heroine's.
This is one of those times that I wish I could give half stars, because really, this is a 2.5 review. I probably won't read more from this author, unless I stumble upon the best friend's story at some point in the future.
July 6, 2017
Author: Mariah Stewart
First published: 2010
Length: 4968 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary. St Dennis, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
Sex: Explicit. Infrequent.
Hero: Former FBI now wilderness guide.
Heroine: Owns clothes store, Bling.
Trigger: Domestic abuse and spousal abuse.
Includes: excerpt from Home Again
It wasn’t the best written book - internal monologues and some other parts of the narrative were stilted - but it was an enjoyable story.
Strong links to other series but still stands well enough alone.
~ Grady was an Agent for John Mancini.
~ Grady’s cousins are Connor Shields from Last Breath and Aiden Shields from Dead Wrong.
~ The death of Dylan Shields (Dead End) plays an integral part in Grady’s life.
~ Vanessa’s brother, Beck, and Grady’s sister, Mia, are getting married. Their story is told in Last Words.
~ Last Words also introduces St Dennis.
Suspenseful enough story to give the fast romance some depth.
And a good set up for future stories.
Enjoyable but overall light.
Chesapeake Diaries:
Book 1 Coming Home - Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton
Book 2 Home Again - Dallas MacGregor and Grant Wyler
Book 3 Almost Home - Steffie Wyler and Wade MacGregor
Book 4 Hometown Girl - Brooke Madison Bowers and Jesse Enright
Book 5 Home for the Summer - Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison
Book 6 The Long Way Home - Ellie Chapman and Cameron O'Connor
Book 7 At the River’s Edge - Sophie Enright and Jason Bowers
Book 8 On Sunset Beach - Carly Summit and Ford Sinclair
Book 9 That Chesapeake Summer - Jamie Valentine and Daniel Sinclair
Book 10 Driftwood Point - Lisbeth Parker and Alec Jansen
Book 11 The Chesapeake Bride - Cassidy Logan and Owen Parker
John Mancini:
Book 1 Voices Carry - Genna Snow and John Mancini
Book 2 Until Dark - Kendra Smith and Adam Stark
Book 3 Dead Wrong - Mara Douglas and Aidan Shields
Book 4 Dead Certain - Amanda Crosby and Sean Mercer
Book 5 Dead Even - Miranda Cahill and Will Fletcher
Book 6 Dead End - Annie Marie McCall and Evan Crosby
Book 7 Cold Truth - Cassie Burke and Rick Cisco
Book 8 Hard Truth - Lorna Temple and T. J. Dawson
Book 9 Dark Truth - Nina Madden and Wes Powell
Book 10 Final Truth - Lester Ray Barnes and Regan Landry
Book 11 Last Look - Dorsey Collins and Andrew Shields
Book 12 Last Words - Mia Shields and Gabriel Beck
Book 13 Last Breath - Dr. Daria McGowan and Connor Shields
References:
Author's website: http://www.mariahstewart.com/books.html
(ISBN 9781405516266)
-CR-
First published: 2010
Length: 4968 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary. St Dennis, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
Sex: Explicit. Infrequent.
Hero: Former FBI now wilderness guide.
Heroine: Owns clothes store, Bling.
Trigger: Domestic abuse and spousal abuse.
Includes: excerpt from Home Again
It wasn’t the best written book - internal monologues and some other parts of the narrative were stilted - but it was an enjoyable story.
Strong links to other series but still stands well enough alone.
~ Grady was an Agent for John Mancini.
~ Grady’s cousins are Connor Shields from Last Breath and Aiden Shields from Dead Wrong.
~ The death of Dylan Shields (Dead End) plays an integral part in Grady’s life.
~ Vanessa’s brother, Beck, and Grady’s sister, Mia, are getting married. Their story is told in Last Words.
~ Last Words also introduces St Dennis.
Suspenseful enough story to give the fast romance some depth.
And a good set up for future stories.
Enjoyable but overall light.
Chesapeake Diaries:
Book 1 Coming Home - Grady Shields and Vanessa Keaton
Book 2 Home Again - Dallas MacGregor and Grant Wyler
Book 3 Almost Home - Steffie Wyler and Wade MacGregor
Book 4 Hometown Girl - Brooke Madison Bowers and Jesse Enright
Book 5 Home for the Summer - Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison
Book 6 The Long Way Home - Ellie Chapman and Cameron O'Connor
Book 7 At the River’s Edge - Sophie Enright and Jason Bowers
Book 8 On Sunset Beach - Carly Summit and Ford Sinclair
Book 9 That Chesapeake Summer - Jamie Valentine and Daniel Sinclair
Book 10 Driftwood Point - Lisbeth Parker and Alec Jansen
Book 11 The Chesapeake Bride - Cassidy Logan and Owen Parker
John Mancini:
Book 1 Voices Carry - Genna Snow and John Mancini
Book 2 Until Dark - Kendra Smith and Adam Stark
Book 3 Dead Wrong - Mara Douglas and Aidan Shields
Book 4 Dead Certain - Amanda Crosby and Sean Mercer
Book 5 Dead Even - Miranda Cahill and Will Fletcher
Book 6 Dead End - Annie Marie McCall and Evan Crosby
Book 7 Cold Truth - Cassie Burke and Rick Cisco
Book 8 Hard Truth - Lorna Temple and T. J. Dawson
Book 9 Dark Truth - Nina Madden and Wes Powell
Book 10 Final Truth - Lester Ray Barnes and Regan Landry
Book 11 Last Look - Dorsey Collins and Andrew Shields
Book 12 Last Words - Mia Shields and Gabriel Beck
Book 13 Last Breath - Dr. Daria McGowan and Connor Shields
References:
Author's website: http://www.mariahstewart.com/books.html
(ISBN 9781405516266)
-CR-
June 6, 2011
Anyone that likes Debbie Macomber, Sherryl Woods or Robyn Carr, will love this book. Coming Home is the first book in The Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart. It is part romance and part suspense, but really it is a story about relationships and families.
The story takes place in St Dennis, a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. This book helps to set up the next two books in the trilogy. In this book you are introduced to all the key players. The focus of this book is Vanessa and Grady. Both are wounded individuals when it comes to relationships, but something clicks between them.
The romance blossoms, much faster than it would in real life, but hey! this is romantic fiction. It isn't real life. Vanessa and Grady really seem to belong together, regardless of the things that happened to them in the past. The past however doesn't want to stay in the past.
Vanessa has a string of incidents happen that is more than just a tiny police matter, and Grady feels the need to step in.
This is really when their relationship blossoms, it is also when some other relationships start to mend.
I love the small town that Ms.Stewart created in this book. The townspeople are fun and much like those that you find all over America. This book could easily have been about my town.
She keeps both the romance and the suspense fairly light, making this a great read for the beach. I can't wait to dive into the next book
The story takes place in St Dennis, a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. This book helps to set up the next two books in the trilogy. In this book you are introduced to all the key players. The focus of this book is Vanessa and Grady. Both are wounded individuals when it comes to relationships, but something clicks between them.
The romance blossoms, much faster than it would in real life, but hey! this is romantic fiction. It isn't real life. Vanessa and Grady really seem to belong together, regardless of the things that happened to them in the past. The past however doesn't want to stay in the past.
Vanessa has a string of incidents happen that is more than just a tiny police matter, and Grady feels the need to step in.
This is really when their relationship blossoms, it is also when some other relationships start to mend.
I love the small town that Ms.Stewart created in this book. The townspeople are fun and much like those that you find all over America. This book could easily have been about my town.
She keeps both the romance and the suspense fairly light, making this a great read for the beach. I can't wait to dive into the next book
March 23, 2010
This is a book I won on the Goodreads FirstReads giveaway. I received it yesterday, and then, when I started it last night, I couldn't put it down.
It's a good story by Mariah Stewart.
This is a predictable romance story. I could have predicted what would happen and why. What I liked about it was one of the main characters, who had bad things happen in his life, didn't have the "WOE IS ME!" attitude. His philosophy of "I did what I could, and I couldn't change certain things. Let's move on" is something more people need to use. It's good that someone is not making excuses.
I'll probably read the other novels in her Chesapeake Diaries series.
It's a good story by Mariah Stewart.
This is a predictable romance story. I could have predicted what would happen and why. What I liked about it was one of the main characters, who had bad things happen in his life, didn't have the "WOE IS ME!" attitude. His philosophy of "I did what I could, and I couldn't change certain things. Let's move on" is something more people need to use. It's good that someone is not making excuses.
I'll probably read the other novels in her Chesapeake Diaries series.
September 6, 2012
I read this because the Read Between the Wines group chose it. Our book-hostess this month met the author and had never read anything by her, so ....
The story is predictable and contrived. The characters are cliche and rather silly. The writing is a lot of tell, tell, tell.
The scenery is interesting (being familiar with Annapolis helped my interest) and this set up a number of side stories for future books about the small town. I was entertained by it in that same way I'm entertained by Chef Ramsey on Master Chef. I don't like him but I don't change the channel, either.
Not that "I've read worse" is a very good review, but that's kind of where this one stands.
The story is predictable and contrived. The characters are cliche and rather silly. The writing is a lot of tell, tell, tell.
The scenery is interesting (being familiar with Annapolis helped my interest) and this set up a number of side stories for future books about the small town. I was entertained by it in that same way I'm entertained by Chef Ramsey on Master Chef. I don't like him but I don't change the channel, either.
Not that "I've read worse" is a very good review, but that's kind of where this one stands.
November 13, 2016
This was not a good fit for me. The writing style I did not care for. Too many switches between characters and in addition also diary entries from a bystander character. It seemed to me that the author wanted to use every trick there is too story telling and lost me on the way.
The story is not thrilling. The romance is not sizzling. I could not identify with any of the characters.
The comparison to Carr and Macomber is too far fetched. The only similarity is that this is a small town - happy life kind of book.
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http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14265225
The story is not thrilling. The romance is not sizzling. I could not identify with any of the characters.
The comparison to Carr and Macomber is too far fetched. The only similarity is that this is a small town - happy life kind of book.
Ich habe ein Buch bei BookCrossing.com registriert!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14265225
March 12, 2010
3.5 stars for the novel. 5 stars for Xe Sands' performance. She did an excellent job voicing Mariah Stewart's characters. I particularly enjoyed the subplot of Maggie and Hal. I'll look for the second book in the series.
August 29, 2017
I'm not really a big fan of the summer beach read types of books that the Chesapeake Diaries series falls under, often because they play into tired old heteronormative tropes and enforce toxic gender roles, but I digress.
My boss lent me the entire stack of books in the series, so naturally I began with the first one. The romance was predictable and a little too cliche for my taste, but I enjoyed the character of Grady - who just wanted a quiet life doing the nature thing after a painful and hard life in the FBI. I can respect that. Vanessa is a girl I didn't quite understand - I've met a lot of people who come from her type of background and situation, and people DO NOT just pull a 180 like that and become nice little small-town gals with no drama. So she seemed a little far-fetched. And I had a hard time believing that Grady and Vanessa had any real connection or attraction to each other - they were just too different and besides wanting to constantly make out with each other, didn't really understand what they actually LIKED about each other, you know?
Mariah Stewart does a good job writing the voice of older characters, but can't seem to capture the casual manner in which younger generations speak, which I feel makes all of her characters seem older than they really are. Especially Vanessa and Steffie. I had to remind myself that these women were in their twenties and not their forties while reading scenes of them together. Negative marks for that.
All of her women characters are portrayed as very feminine and sort of smart, but not "too capable" and ALL heterosexual and into the "manly" man, of which naturally all the male love interests in this series live up to. It's just a little tired and overdone, I suppose.
7/10 - it was an easy read and watching Grady's past catch up with him and Vanessa's demons come back to bite her made for a fun time. Nothing to write home about though. Will continue the series.
My boss lent me the entire stack of books in the series, so naturally I began with the first one. The romance was predictable and a little too cliche for my taste, but I enjoyed the character of Grady - who just wanted a quiet life doing the nature thing after a painful and hard life in the FBI. I can respect that. Vanessa is a girl I didn't quite understand - I've met a lot of people who come from her type of background and situation, and people DO NOT just pull a 180 like that and become nice little small-town gals with no drama. So she seemed a little far-fetched. And I had a hard time believing that Grady and Vanessa had any real connection or attraction to each other - they were just too different and besides wanting to constantly make out with each other, didn't really understand what they actually LIKED about each other, you know?
Mariah Stewart does a good job writing the voice of older characters, but can't seem to capture the casual manner in which younger generations speak, which I feel makes all of her characters seem older than they really are. Especially Vanessa and Steffie. I had to remind myself that these women were in their twenties and not their forties while reading scenes of them together. Negative marks for that.
All of her women characters are portrayed as very feminine and sort of smart, but not "too capable" and ALL heterosexual and into the "manly" man, of which naturally all the male love interests in this series live up to. It's just a little tired and overdone, I suppose.
7/10 - it was an easy read and watching Grady's past catch up with him and Vanessa's demons come back to bite her made for a fun time. Nothing to write home about though. Will continue the series.
March 12, 2018
After reading “That Chesapeake Summer” I decided to read all the books in this series. I enjoyed this book too. The plot was good. The characters were all enjoyable except Maggie. Grady and Vanessa were very likable characters. There was a hint of suspense along with the romance.
I don’t understand how the author gave a happy ending for Maggie. I had loved Hal. Maggie doesn’t deserve Hal! Hal should have got a better love interest. I disliked Maggie from the beginning. First she ditches Hal and marries another. Ok.. understandable if she was forced. But what about years later when she comes to dump their son to Hal? And then she abandons her daughter too. To top it all she comes uninvited to her son’s wedding and expects to be welcomed with open arms. Hal deserves a kind hearted woman not Maggie!
Other than this, I’m happy with the book. I still look forward to reading other books.
I don’t understand how the author gave a happy ending for Maggie. I had loved Hal. Maggie doesn’t deserve Hal! Hal should have got a better love interest. I disliked Maggie from the beginning. First she ditches Hal and marries another. Ok.. understandable if she was forced. But what about years later when she comes to dump their son to Hal? And then she abandons her daughter too. To top it all she comes uninvited to her son’s wedding and expects to be welcomed with open arms. Hal deserves a kind hearted woman not Maggie!
Other than this, I’m happy with the book. I still look forward to reading other books.
May 28, 2018
A heartwarming romance with a pinch of intrigue and mystery. I enjoyed watching Vanessa and Grady grow as characters, as they each struggled to come to terms with their pasts and move forward with a future that may or may not involve a long-term relationship. Grady is the perfect man--showing Vanessa what a real relationship should look like, 2 people caring for and depending on one another. And Vanessa opens Grady's eyes to the possibility of romance just by being herself. He fights it--but he can't in good conscience leave while she's in danger. This is a charming introduction to the town of St. Dennis and it's myriad inhabitants, as well as a softer side of Mariah Stewart. For those familiar with her romantic suspense novels, this one is much heavier on the romance and much lighter on the suspense side. It acts as a nice transition to her more relaxing, heartwarming romances.
September 1, 2018
This is my first time reading this author. I didn’t know what to expect, so I thought this was just another contemporary romance, but it was more. It had a little mystery and a little bit of suspense. I loved Grady and Vanessa. They laid ground rules and followed them. There wasn’t much misunderstanding that some authors use to get the characters to realize their love. It was just them getting to know each other with some outside drama and then when something threatens to disturb the balance it makes them realize what they have. I liked all the secondary characters and look forward to getting to know them too. I listened to this on audio. At first, I didn’t think I was going to like the narrator, but she did a good job with all the voices. Well worth reading or listening too.
May 24, 2017
I thrilled that I actually started a series from the first book! This rarely happens to me, since I buy books on sale at libraries, flea markets and from anyone that has used book.
I've also been getting more and more of them from the audio books, so that I can listen to as I drive.
Anyway, this book was very nice. A nice story of support and friendliness and caring and finding love in a small town that is also coming back to life.
I'm listening to some of the next sections of the series.
I've also been getting more and more of them from the audio books, so that I can listen to as I drive.
Anyway, this book was very nice. A nice story of support and friendliness and caring and finding love in a small town that is also coming back to life.
I'm listening to some of the next sections of the series.
August 24, 2018
I enjoyed it
Really, I did. There are a lot of storylines happening here, but obviously some of them are set up for following stories. Vanessa is totally believable as the main character, and Grady (her love interest) is pretty good too. The circumstances from both their pasts, especially Grady’s, are maybe a little overly tragic. However, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down at one point, needing to see what happened. This was a fun little read.
Really, I did. There are a lot of storylines happening here, but obviously some of them are set up for following stories. Vanessa is totally believable as the main character, and Grady (her love interest) is pretty good too. The circumstances from both their pasts, especially Grady’s, are maybe a little overly tragic. However, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down at one point, needing to see what happened. This was a fun little read.
September 15, 2024
Ok, i picked up this book thinking it was the first of the series, but very quickly the number of back stories which are quickly summarized made me think that I was definitely missing something and sure enough after some research discovered that this is a followup to the "last" series which is a spinoff of the "Dead" series.
Seriously misleading.
It is a decent mix of mystery , thirller , and romance, but nohthing award winning here.
Seriously misleading.
It is a decent mix of mystery , thirller , and romance, but nohthing award winning here.
September 27, 2017
3.75 stars
This was a sweet, fun first book in a series. It was light and entertaining, and just what you need sometimes. I will echo what others have said that it's clearly a spin-off from earlier series and the author alludes to previous stories frequently. It would have been helpful to know that before starting out, but it can be read on it's own as well.
This was a sweet, fun first book in a series. It was light and entertaining, and just what you need sometimes. I will echo what others have said that it's clearly a spin-off from earlier series and the author alludes to previous stories frequently. It would have been helpful to know that before starting out, but it can be read on it's own as well.
August 24, 2018
I only read the first chapter and couldn’t get past the fictitious names of places near my beloved Chesapeake Bay. Again, I only read the first chapter but the name St. Dennis is what I assume to be St. Michael’s. The local airport was BMI instead of BWI. That was the end of it for me... why not just use the correct names????
May 19, 2019
This book took me awhile to get into. Set in a small town Vanessa is trying to learn to live independently and open her clothing store. She falls in love with her sister-in-law's brother and he will stay to protect her. I do like the characters, and plan on reading the rest in the series, but the story was predictable and not suspenseful enough for me.
August 29, 2021
In pursuit of another summery book to scratch my itch, I tried this one that's been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. I'm glad I did! I loved the cute little seaside town she created with great characters and an interesting storyline. Too much astonishment, it actually had some suspense as well! This was definitely a win and I will be continuing this series!
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