Along the Shore

The Book Club #3

by Rochelle Alers

Set on a charming North Carolina island, the latest novel in National bestselling author Rochelle Alers’ unforgettable, heartfelt Book Club series tells of one woman whose past comes calling—even as a new beginning beckons . . . Cherie Renee Thompson is finally ready to dive into change. After two summers vacationing on Coates Island, she’s now a permanent resident, studying to be a teacher, and has formed invaluable friendships with two remarkable women, Kayana and Leah. Their summer book club, which meets weekly at the Seaside Café, has taught Cherie to seize the day. And as the ex-mistress of a powerful politician consistently unable to commit, Cherie is determined not to waste any more time—or try romance again . . .   When Cherie meets new sheriff and ex-army veteran Reese Matthews, there’s an immediate, undeniable spark between them. For his part, Reese has survived ongoing loss and believes that Cherie is as open and uncomplicated as she appears—until her former flame returns. Free of his responsibilities, he’s offering Cherie the luxurious life he always promised . . .   Now, in a summer of glowing potential, tranquil days, and book club meetings filled with insight and caring, Cherie must weigh past dreams against new chances, search her heart for what’s real—and what will fulfill her most.“Mature, realistic protagonists, a plethora of family and friends, and a well-researched and thoughtful story that skillfully straddles the line between romance and women’s fiction beautifully sets the stage for this fascinating series to come.”—Library Journal on The Inheritance  

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Womens Fiction, Contemporary

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2022

About the author

Rochelle Alers was born in Manhattan, New York, USA, where she raised. She obtained degrees in Sociology and Psychology, before started to work. She is a member of the Iota Theta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and her interests include gourmet cooking and traveling. She has traveled to countries in North, Central and South America, and Europe. She is also in accomplished in knitting, crocheting and needlepoint.

Published since 1988, today a full-time writer, has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most prolific and popular African-American authors of romance and women's fiction. With more than fifty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, she is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. She also wrote as Susan James and Rena McLeary.

Rochelle Alers lives in a charming hamlet on Long Island.

Reviews

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cherie Renee Thompson is no stranger to Coates Island. In fact, she has visiting the island more than once, and she decides to make it her permanent homes. She plans on going back to school for her teaching degree, and can't think of a better place than Coates Island to jumpstart her life. During her previous visits to the island, Cherie formed strong friendships with two if the island residents, Kayana and Leah. The ladies met when they formed a book club during the first summer they were together. Over those last two summers, both Kayana and Leah have found love, even though they each had their own baggage. Things are not so different for Cherie. In fact, her past is still something that she is working through.

When Cherie meets the town's new sheriff, Reese Matthews, she has an undeniable attraction to the handsome man, and he feels quite the same. However, Cherie experienced hurt and pain in her past, and is not so sure she can trust herself to feel anything for Reese. Reese also had some pain in his past, but there is just something about Cherie that brings light to Reese's eyes.

Along the Shore is the delightful and emotional third book in the Book Club series. In fact, I read the first two books, he Seaside Café and The Beach House, just before reading this book. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series, especially as the characters are bibliophiles like myself.

Many thanks to Dafina and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an awkward book with bad dialogue, an unnecessarily bitchy main character, and people doing stuff that makes no sense. You can see what the big misunderstanding/climax will be about from the first night the main characters spend together, which coincidentally is the second time they spend any time together and also the day they declare they're boyfriend/girlfriend. But, not to worry, because the big misunderstanding/climax happens about 10 pages from the end of the book and is resolved that quickly.

Basically, everyone does a lot of stupid things in this book. The main character's mom comes to visit for two weeks but ends up ignoring her daughter completely and spending that entire time with a man she just met, and then they decide to move in together. Just tons of bad decisions and wtf moments.

Also, there were a lot of strange long-winded explanations of pointless things. For instance, when Reese (the male lead) gets home, the author uses a lot of words to describe him pressing the button on the garage door remote, which was clipped to the visor in his vehicle, to make his garage door open. Then he pulled his vehicle inside and used the remote again to close the garage door. First of all, who cares? Are we supposed to be impressed that this guy has a garage door opener? Is this new technology to somebody? Why does this need to be described and explained? And secondly, really, who cares? He came home and went in the house. Even that isn't very interesting, let alone any further detail surrounding it.

That's just one example. The book is full of stuff like that. But really, what bothered me the most was what a mercurial bitch the main character was and how dumb her backstory was. Based on the many passages in this book that explained what happened in the previous books, apparently she used to be even worse. Why write a main character who's such a bitch? This is supposed to be fun.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really liked this series. I love the setting and all the talk about books.
Reese is a tall glass of yumminess. I love his character and that he loves to read, plus is skilled with his hands with woodworking,
I like that Cherie is so into books and reading,
What I really struggled with was liking Cherie. She made a decision in her past that was very calculating and callous. I couldn’t get past the concept that she had a choice, yet all the characters never admitted it and kept painting it in a positive light.
Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the early read.

[Kellie Merrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through this book. As other reviews have stated, the main character wasn't entirely likable. She is smart enough to get a scholarship to a private high school and then to Yale but her goal in life was to escape poverty by marrying a rich guy and when that didn't happen she manipulated him to get expensive gifts. And we are supposed to like her and want her to find love. The author also kept repeating things over and over and over again, as if she had to have a minimum number of words and ran out of things to say so kept copying and pasting the same paragraphs again and again with slight variations. And the main character often commented on how her friends were old, old enough to be her mother if they had kids at 15!!! Oh my goodness, people never become friends with women who are 15 years older than them. It would be one thing if she were 18 but she is 35, get over it. And no mention of how the man she is falling in love with is so old because he is in his mid-forties? I didn't like the main character, I didn't like the repetitive nature of the text, and I didn't believe this unfriendly, mean to strangers, bitter woman could develop these amazing friendships over a Summer - maybe that is explained in an earlier book. Can't imagine how it happened considering how old they are.

[Kelsie Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along the Shore by Rochelle Alers is book three in her The Book Club series. This is Cherie’s story, the last original member of the book club. Kayana’s story is told in The Seaside Café, and Leah’s story is told in The Beach House.

Cherie Renee Thompson is determined to rise above her low-income upbringing and will do almost anything to reach her lofty goals. Reese Matthews is on his second career and plans to be just as successful as he was with his first. Neither one is looking for love. Did love find them despite themselves?

Rochelle Alers is a must read author for me, and she did not disappoint with Along the Shore. Though I’d read the previous book in this series, I found they read well as standalones. We learn even more about the ladies in the book club. Alers often features interracial relationships and continues to do so here. The plot is compelling with unexpected twists. I enjoyed this novel and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to all readers of women’s fiction, especially those who enjoy romance and/or multicultural themes.

My thanks to Kensington Books, Dafina, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

Along the Shore by Rochelle Alers
The Book Club #3
11hours and 32 minutes narrated by Patricia R. Floyd
320 pages PB

Genre: Fiction

Featuring: Fictional North Carolina Island, Food, Secrets, Small Towns, Classism, Spoilers For Previous Books, Sex- Detailed, Spoilers for Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Live by Night by Dennis Lehane, Family Drama, Irritable MC, Inconsistencies, Sloppy Research, Brad Pitt Lookalike, Loss of Child

Rating as a movie: R for sexual content and adult themes

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

My thoughts: 19% 2:12:33 Ch. 6 - I'm so irritated that this guy was commissioned for 20 years and retired an O-3. How hard it is to do a quick Google search and discover promotion schedules? He would have been kicked out a long time ago for failure to promote. Also Leah's age changed. 😌
📱27% 3:06:46, 20 minutes into Ch. 7 - I'm ready for some books and recipes.
📱36% 4:06:00 Ch. 10 - This is the part of the book where they get on my nerves. It's like clockwork with the other books.
📱59% 8 minutes into Ch. 15 - So many issues with the mindset of characters. Like how do you have 2 brothers who attended military colleges but you are shocked a retired military officer has a degree, even if you didn't know he was an officer, that's an odd response. Spoilers for Like Water For Chocolate.

Cherie has gotten on my nerves since the first book but I was hoping getting under her skin would give me a different perspective. It didn't, she comes off pretentious as usual and the narration came off preachy. The ages of characters including Cherie was inconsistent and a lot of their actions made no sense. Like saying you're going to figure out how to help a friend get back with their man, but a couple hours later you that same guy attitude when he shows up to reconnect and apologize. Just drama for no reason. Once again they recap the events of the previous books and discuss books in detail so there are major spoilers. I had the audiobook so I don't know if there are recipes but they were present in the previous books.

Recommend to others?: Sure. It's okay, but for me it wasn't as good as the previous books. However, if you like drama and you don't mind exposition of emotions and looks, it could be great. Especially if you loved the other books.

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interestingly sweet romance about leaving the worst behind and starting over. This is an extreme case with this of course, but I enjoyed the take that this author put on this story. Both of our characters had baggage and pasta, just like most of us do, which gave this romance a fun dynamic. Would recommend.

[Nicola “Shortbookthyme” · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overcoming ones past is the key element in this story.
So many secrets.
Can happiness be found?
Maybe with the help and comfort of others happiness CAN be found.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much happens with the mains. It's a stand-alone book, but the other two female characters have books, too. Their confusing stories are revealed slowly. The meet cute involves a stranger choking Cherie and Reese saving her. That's a new twist. The perp is arrested and dealt with. He doesn't escape to bother her again and wasn't sent by her former lover. Cherie has endless funds and no reason to become a teacher in an area where there aren't opportunities. How does someone go to an island for a vacation and somehow start a book club? I won't be reading the other books to learn. The ending is contrived, and her boyfriend's ghosting her, while she's pregnant, is unforgivable.

[Denise Schenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherie Thompson has moved permanently to the island after spending the past two summers on the island. Her best friends Leah and Kayana have both settled into their live with their husbands and fiancé'. Cherie has had a hard life growing up in the projects. She was really smart got a scholarship to a private school and later to Yale on a full scholarship. Cherie meets her former boyfriend at fifteen at school. They start seeing each other but he wants to keep it a secret. This affair goes on for years even after he marries. Cherie has to get away from PA and start a new life to move on.
Cherie meets Reese a deputy sheriff who is a retired army ranger. Reese is smitten from first sighting of Cherie. They start seeing each other, but Cherie needs to come clean to Reese on her former life.
Cherie's former lover shows up at her home and Reese answers the door. Cherie and Reese were just settling into their new life together. This was not a good way to find out Cherie's secrets. I really loved the stories of these 3 ladies who become best friends and their lives intertwin.

[Readsandeats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to Netgalley, Kensington Books and Rochelle Alers for the E ARC copy of this book.
This is the third book in the Book Club series, a series I have really enjoyed so far.
In this book we concentrate on Cherie as she makes the decision to move permanently to Coates Island. Here she solidifies her friendships with Kayana and Leah, becomes a part time worker in the seaside café, has the joy housing buying and decorating, enjoys the book group meetings and makes new friends.
However, she also has to decide whether she wants to become involved with the new sheriff. He is also wary of getting involved but neither can ignore the spark between them. But can Cherie put the past behind her, especially when her former lover comes to ask for another chance?
The interplay between Cherie and her friends was well written and it made you as the reader feel part of their circle. I loved the way that Cherie also reconnected with her mother and their relationship became closer and stronger. Her Mum was a nice character that you could understand why she was as she was. I loved seeing Cherie grow even more and make decisions for herself and follow her dreams. It was also good to catch up with both Leah and Kayana and their lives.
This series and this book in particular are not only about women finding their way but about the joy, comfort and strength that having strong female friendships can have. I am hoping that there are going to be more books in this series.

[Courtney]

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Ugh, what a way to ruin the promise of such a good series on the last hurdle. But I’m sorry, Along the Shore was not it. I thought the last book was disappointing…this one was a travesty.
I am glad for some book club elements, and those are the only redeeming moments for me. The friendship among the women was always the strongest point, and I’ll take what I can get where these books are concerned.
And Cherie is a compelling character, on her own. She comes from humble roots, and while she denies the connection with race while depicting the stereotypical situation many think of, she’s sympathetic in her desire for better, and it’s understandable that she got swept up in the promises of an affair toxic man who couldn’t fully commit to her.
But the romance…WTF? Reese was all right, and he’s dealt with struggles of his own. But together, I didn’t see them working long-term. And the one magical fix to that apparently, in Alers’ mind (as she’s done this before) is to have them have unprotected sex once and have it result in a third-act pregnancy. Because that’ll totally inspire commitment! *eyeroll*
I basically rage-quit, and because I was also raging at the insult of this releasing after Roe had been overturned (although written before), I Googled abortion laws in North Carolina, to see what possible out Cherie had in my alternate ending. And information about that would also be helpful, as on top of that, Cherie lost a baby while with her previous “partner,” so it all ties into overall reproductive healthcare. On the whole, I already hate the trope, and the book already came at me at the worst time imaginable.
I can see the appeal for some people, especially if they don’t have my particular triggers. However, I’m now more skeptical of picking up anything from Rochelle Alers in the future, given this is the second time she’s done this (that I know of).
CWs: pregnancy loss, accidental pregnancy

[Moira]

My favorite of the series. Cherie escaped to Coates Island after becoming an unwilling surrogate to her former lover. She needed to recuperate and move away from Virginia and the situation. After having spent time there over the past 2 summers she knew it was the best place to start over.

She sold some jewelry, the condo she had been set up in, and with the payoff from being a surrogate, was able to buy a large home on the island.

Shortly after arriving she sees a handsome deputy who affects her like no one she's ever met. After he saves her from a deranged attacker, their relationship starts. Although she knows she needs to tell him of her past, she procrastinates and then it may be too late. After a devastating accident which changes her life, and her former lover shows up at her home, Reese learns the truth and backs off. Can he forgive her past to go forward with the life they planned? You'll want to read this one to find out. Although part of a series it can be read as a standalone story but more fun to read the series.

I received an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher and I'm voluntarily submitting this review.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Along the Shore is the first book I have read in this series by Rochelle Alers. This is the third book of the series, which involves three women who are restarting their lives. Each book tells both the story of the relationship between the women and the development of a romantic relationship for one of the women. The setting is a small, sparsely populated island off North Carolina which helps to explain the bond between the women. This book tells the story of Cherie's permanent move to the island and how she is struggling to put the past behind her and forge a new path.
Favorite elements:
* the women aren't perfect, they are allowed to have aspects of their personalities that are not positive
* one woman is co-owner of a cafe, and the food descriptions are mouth watering
Not as enjoyable:
I don't know if this is a thing, but it felt like the author spent the majority of the time "authorsplaining" to me. I prefer to be shown information, not told.
I received this book as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program in exchange for an honest review.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I have read the entire series and this book was my favorite. What happened in Cherie's past was basically grooming, even though the man was not much older, and it was interesting to see how she used that to her advantage in the end. I was glad that her friends and family supported her and understood how she was used and how Cherie handled it. It wasn't easy to read those parts and I can see where others might think she was the one who was manipulative, but I think the author did a great job of trying to explain how it was really Cherie who was manipulated and she just decided to make the best of a very bad situation. I wish she had told Reese earlier, but also get that it difficult conversations are hard to have especially when you don't have enough trust in a how a person will react. Overall, I was very happy to finally read about Cherie's story and glad that she got her happily ever after.

[Jennifer Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along the Shore is the third book in Rochelle Alers The Book Club series. Cherie Renee Thompson is so very ready for a change! Emotionally her life is in shambles! A long term relationship beginning in her teens has ended in heartache for Cherie. Her one time career is now empty. And she just needs a new beginning.

After her recent, and second, vacation to Coates Island, NC, Cherie decides it is time to make that change by relocating to the home she has purchased on Coates Island. She will have a network of friends around her in The Book Club she has joined with Kayana and Leah on the island. Her plans are to settle in, investigate colleges where she might add on to her Yale degree, and try to convince her mother to leave the iffy New Haven neighborhood where she lives and join her on the island.

This is a lovely book and I very much enjoyed it. I do recommend it!

[Lori R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story quite interesting as I learned more about Cherie.  Her past certainly had made her stronger and I was glad that her move to Coates Island, North Carolina really helped her to move on and heal.
Leah and Kayana sounded like such fun friends,  I liked reading about their book club and recipes.  I also liked Deputy Reese Mathews and how there was a chemistry between Reese and Cherie from the first moment they met.  The book was quite interesting and I could not put it down as I wanted to know how the story would end.  I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherie Renee Thompson was ready for change. She needed to change her life. She wanted to be a teacher. She decided to leave Connecticut and move to Coates Island. Her two book club friends became her unofficial sisters. She meets the new sheriff Reese Matthews and she finally ready to take a chance to get to know him. She had thinks in her past that she was concerned with how people close to her would receive them. The other good thing is her mother Edwina decided to quit her job and move to Coates Island also. Edwina met Chief Parker and it was love at first sight. A lot happened in this book. It was great learning how Cherie became her own person and got past old hurts.

[raven walthour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story

I have not read the first two in this series, but it was easy enough to get the gist of the story and the characters in the previous books. Cherie has long-time illicit affair with a married man, realizes that the man who is on a fast track politically will never marry her. She makes a deal, moves to an island off the coast of North Carolina, reunites with friends there from previous visit, and begins a new life. The characters were multi dimensional, and believable. Don't want to give away the story. Rochelle is one of my favorite authors. Will have to read the first two in the series.

[Gloria Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a regular book -- nothing special. I found it to be kind of slow paced. Cherie Thompson moves to an island off the North Carolina shore to start her life again after some bad experiences in Connecticut. She had spent 2 summers on Coates Island and met some good friends in the previous 2 years. Now they would form the core for her to build new friends on the island.

Almost immediately she meets Reese Matthews and the sparks begin to fly. One knows that this will be a romance of interest.

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed every book in the series, and this one is no exception. My favorite part of this book was the growth of Cherrie, from the first book until now. This was such a great story line, and I especially enjoyed the flow of this story. There were also twists in the book that I was not expecting. I really enjoy this author's writing style and love how she weaves a story together.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable read about the third character in this series.
Cherie Thompson is determined to become successful after she was used by
her former boyfriend to get what he wanted. After two summers she relocated
From Connecticut to Coates Island in N.C. to make a new life and be near
Her book club friends. She meets and is attracted to Reese Matthews a
Local sheriff and resident after he returned from active duty. He too is
Making a new career. The book was about new chances, trust, forgiveness,
And accepting the past.I recommend this author and series.

[Margaret Layne]

Along the shore


Brilliant! Brilliant! Did I say brilliant?!
Rochelle Alerts you remain one of m too five romance authors! Your characters are filled with such great substance and integrity! Cherie's journey was plagued with thorns but her innate survives resilience came to the fore! Love Reese as her perfect soulmate! The book club friends?! Superb anchors of strength and wisdom! What a supportive community of love, family, and awesome friends!
This is another must read! You left the best for last! Ten thumbs up! Oops I only have two! Sigh

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. The plot wasn't great, the writing was poor with dozens of typos in the book (come on! Who edits this stuff? Did they even read it?) And the characters - they were 2 dimensional and not consistent. When Reese calls Cherie "Bae" I gave up. Too inconsistent and all over the place. I really wanted to like it, the premise was good, setting was good and I liked the discussion of good books for their book club. Ironically, this book was not good and hopefully any book clubs reading it could discuss that too.

[Kwana Swain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third Book in The Seaside Cafe Book Club and I have to say my favorite, Cherie Thompson 34 years old with a chip in her shoulder, when she laid eyes on Deputy Sheriff Reese Matthews the man whom started knocking that chip off. My only problem with Cherie is that she never was completely honest with her bookclub friends and with Reese, but love wins in the end. I love Cherie mother Edwina,

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and the whole series in fact! I wasn't even halfway through this one before I was hoping for more books to the series (fingers crossed Rochelle Alers has another one in the hopper!!) I liked the character development and the seamless introduction of new players. I can completely picture Coates Island as I read. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Lee Holden, E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Excellent read, I enjoyed the characters and storyline. Cherie was the last of the book club’s member to share her past. Her story was intriguing and a little sad. On Coates Island she found love and happiness with Reese. She also managed to strengthen her relationship with her mother. It was great to catch up with all the book club members and their spouses, along with new characters.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the third in this Book Club series.

Cherie fell in love with her classmate when she was 16, and made a bad decision to continue to sleep with him even after he was married and even gave up her child to him and his wife.

She finally broke away from his influence and makes a life for herself on Coates Island and finds two strangers - Kayana and Leah who become her unofficial big sisters and champions

[Turtleberry Turtleberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherie was mean, jaded, and bitter because of her past relationship. She decided to leave and move to the seaside town where she had vacationed two summers in a row. She was going to leave the past behind her and move forward with her life.
Then she met Reese. He was a local deputy who ended up saving her life. It didn't take long for the two of them to begin a relationship.
I enjoyed this book. This entire series was really good.

[Kamilah Hall Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book to complete the Book Club Series. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline of this one and the others. The audible of this book had a different narrator which took some getting used to initially. My biggest issue with this book is the repetition. I understand needing to bring readers up to speed on the characters from the previous books. However, the stories get repeated several times. I still would recommend the series.