Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Snippet Reviews: Chesapeake Bay

Nora Robert's Chesapeake Bay books remain my favorite contemporary romance books. They also happen to be among the first romance novels I ever read, and so they are nostalgic for me.

In sum, these books focus on three boys who were adopted into a family and became brothers. Years later, their father appears to have adopted another boy, Seth. He then dies unexpectedly and leaves Seth in the hands of his older sons. Three very different men with very different lifestyles must learn to raise a young boy and rebuild their family.

Book 1: Sea Swept: This book is about Cameron, the daredevil brother who has spent years traveling Europe and entering various races involving anything that will go fast. Moving back home and caring for a frightened kid is not what he wants to be doing, but he goes willingly and tries his best in honor of his adopted father's memory. The love interest, Anna, is Seth's social worker. Under her professional veneer she's feisty and hot tempered, but has a good heart. She's a great match for Cam. I loved them as a couple. I love the interactions between the brothers and the family atmosphere it creates. All around, a wonderful book. 5 stars.


Book 2: Rising Tides: This book is about Ethan, the quiet, more down-to-earth brother who has remained a fisherman at home all his life. The love interest is Grace, a single mom who has been working for the brothers as a housekeeper. I found Ethan's story to be the most emotional of the three brothers. He has a really dark past and a lot of issues to work through. But I liked that he was less of an alpha-male and more a sweet, gentle fellow. I loved his journey to finding peace. 4.5 stars.

Book 3: Inner Harbor: This book is about Philip, the most slick and sophisticated of the brothers. The love interest is Sybill, who presents herself as a psychologist interested in researching Seth's case. Naturally, the brothers are pretty wary of her. This was always my least favorite of the books, because the heroine is a bit cold at first and Phil is not a terribly easy character to relate to. But it does finish up the original trilogy with many heart-warming moments. 4 stars.

Book 4: Chesapeake Blue: This was written as an addition to the original series. It focuses on Seth, all grown up and moving back to his home town after spending years in Europe as a traveling artist. The love interest is Dru, a woman from a wealthy family who decided to break away from her previously upscale life to run a small town flower shop. Not only was this book a wonderful love story in it's own right, it's also and extended happily-ever-after form the other three brothers. I loved seeing how the family had grown and still stayed close. 4.5 stars.

So there you have it, one of my all time favorite romance trilogies (erm, quartets). I haven't always liked everything Nora Roberts wrote, but these are big winners in my book. Happy Reading!

3 comments:

  1. These do sound interesting. I've never read anything by Nora Roberts. Would you say this is a good series/book to start with?

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  2. Nora Roberts has written a ton of books! Some are better than others. I think these are a really good representation of her better work. I also liked Midnight Bayou, High Noon, and Northern Lights--all of which are standalones.

    I've also tried her J.D Robb books, starting with Naked in Death. Those are mystery/suspence/futuristic. I liked the early ones in the series, but found the later ones formulaic and boring.

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  3. I enjoyed these ones, too! Seth's story especially.

    Haven't been thrilled by anything Robert's published in the last two years or so, but she has a lot of great stories out. I loved that one series set in the Hollows...can't remember the name...nice blend of contemporary romance with a bit of magic/dark fantasy.

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Thoughtful comments are appreciated! I always respond to them, and I usually return the favor! Happy reading!

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