The Chesapeake Bride Giveaway and Review

I love great series of books that don't stop at the traditional 3 book trilogy that most do. It's like you get so involved in these characters, the small town of St. Dennis and the many people who live, work and fall in love there, all have their own stories created in their own novels. If you have never picked up any of the now eleven novels in the series, and love romances that are built on that small town feel along a beautiful and enchanting seaside community, you will want to pick up all of the books in the Chesapeake Diary series from Mariah Stewart.

In the Chesapeake Bride, the eleventh in the series, Cass Logan is an architect with a big vision of restoring the small community of Cannonball Island that has spent the last 200 plus years raising families, burying their loved ones and in most cases left behind as the ocean claimed more and more of the smaller islands. Now in disrepair and barely standing Cass' father, owner of Deiter Construction has purchased all 22 lots with the idea of building a new community. But with Cass' imagination and information she has gleaned from the oldest of residents who lived and loved those who made the island a home, she wants to restore as much of the original home as possible using the reclaimed materials and keep the original look and feel of the homes that were once built there.

With each encounter of a new person she meets from St. Dennis, her ideas and creativity are manifesting them in ways that has her winning the support of the surrounding town and even potential buyers before the homes have even broke ground. The only thing that she is certain about is that she isn't about to fall for local boy Owen Parker, whom she perceives as a player and heart breaker. When she runs into a potential huge delay in her project, a sunken vessel at the mouth of the river which would mean not being able to build docks for the homes she had originally designed, she has to rely on Owen whose been hired to salvage and determine the nature of the vessel and hopefully open the way up to continued work on the island home renovations. Not only that her father has placed the entire project in her hands and at this stage it seems like all hope might just sink!

I received The Chesapeake Bride by Mariah Stewart compliments of Simon and Schuster Publishers. I have read every single one of this books in the series and really LOVE this one as probably my most favorite. You have a single attractive adrenaline travel junkie, Owen Parker, who is not about to be rejected by any woman, including Cass Logan. Yet the more time they spend together, not doing the traditional date stuff, the more they begin to learn about the true person hiding behind the shell most see on the outside only. But like all good things, it can't just end with a happily ever after ending you'd expect. Nope this one has more debris than what is laying on the ocean floor that seem determined to keep our favorite characters separated. You'll find out how it all ends by picking up this novel, but I must warn you, be prepared for another potential sequel where things might wrap up there instead. Am I giving you a premonition or simply trying to create a desire to pick this one up? Only time will tell. I'd give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Chesapeake Bride, Mariah Stewart or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Chesapeake Bride by Mariah Stewart

You can find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Chesapeake Bride, please visit Simon and Schuster Publisher's website. 

Thanks to the generosity of Simon and Schuster's Publisher, they are offering a copy of Driftwood Point, the 10th book in the series to one lucky follower of my blog. Here's all you need to do to enter to win.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart or "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US mailing address. No P.O. Boxes please!

3. Leave a comment either below on this blog post or on the Facebook page tell me why you'd love to win a copy of Driftwood Point. Please include your email address below along with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols. Facebook users, just leave me a comment and if you are chosen as the lucky winner, I will Private Message you for the information required. Blog Followers: No email address, means I have no way of reaching you to let you know if you are the lucky winner.

The giveaway will end on September 21st, so please be sure to enter as many times as you want. For an extra entry, share on your social media pages and I will give you an entry for each link you post and share on either Facebook or this blog post.

Driftwood Point

I am so blessed to have been a part of Mariah Stewart's amazing series, The Chesapeake Diaries from the very beginning and have lovingly enjoyed each of the novels that she introduces. I truly hope it never ends. Driftwood Point is the 10th novel to enter into the world of the residents of St. Dennis, a charming seaside community along the Chesapeake Bay. Once more readers are taken back to that small town sense of community and companionship you dream really exists in the world.

As the art display of Lisbeth Parker is about to make its debut in the small town, everyone is generally excited to have one of their own, now about to become a well-known name in the world of art. Even though she was raised along the Chesapeake Bay in the nearby Cannonball Island, her paintings are that of New York cityscapes and that of Central Park during the changing seasons. People are truly drawn to them in such a way but even her family wonders why someone who spent her whole life living on the Bay isn't drawn to capture the life of the island and its town before it soon is abandoned much like the beach cottages that lie desolate all over the small community.

She returns to spend some time figuring out why she no longer has the inspiration to paint anymore as many of her painting in her New Jersey apartment now sit vacant and unfinished. Perhaps its the change in her own life as she walked away from an engagement to a man she no longer loved. Is the island calling her back? She now is helping her 100-year-old great grandmother Ruby, run the general store on the island and finding some sort of inspiration she has been missing. Maybe it's time to renovate the family's deteriorating cottage along Driftwood Point and start over again. Whatever life is ready to hand her, she is more than ready.

Alec Jansen has had a crush on Lisbeth since the fifth grade and is more than thrilled when she moves back to Cannonball Island with her great-grandmother, but soon finds himself defending his actions to help her renovate a few things in the general store in lieu of payment by restoring an original skipjack that his family had made. She believes that Alec has taking advantage of her great-grandmother because she always believed the boat should stay as part of her family home. Now it just seems like things are changing and Lis can't do anything to stop them. Alec meanwhile has been hired by a land developer to look into the abandoned homes now all over Cannonball Island in the hopes of making a tidy profit off of buying them, demolishing them and rebuilding something more large and extravagant in their place and his eyes are set primarily on the 22 acres of Driftwood Point.

I received Driftwood Point by Mariah Stewart compliments of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my personal and unbiased review. Coming back to St. Dennis has always been huge favorite of mine and this entire series would make for a great summer read. But trust me, while each can stand on its own, you won't know each of the resident's stories until you read them as they have moved or married within the town limits of St. Dennis. This is truly a charming and heart-warming series and one I am so excited to see whenever there is a new addition. By the way this one ends, looks like there is more in store for the residents of St. Dennis in the very near future. For me this one is another 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information about Driftwood Point, Mariah Stewart or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Driftwood Point by Mariah Stewart

You can find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Driftwood Point, please visit Simon and Schuster's website. 

If Only In My Dreams

Sometimes our best laid plans can often times come up too short. To say that Quinn Hollister and Caleb McKenzie were high school sweethearts would be an understatement. Sometimes you just know you are meant to be with someone despite how others around you may think they know what is best. So it came as quite a surprise when both Quinn and Caleb announced that they wanted to get married just after high school. It was the answer of Quinn's parents that cause them off guard. They felt she was simply too young and immature to understand the complexities of what she was getting into and they felt that she would give up on college simply to be Caleb's new wife. They asked her to wait two years at least before making that decision.

But Caleb and Quinn had other plans. They knew what true love knows deep down inside, that they were truly meant to be. Caleb wanted everything perfect for Quinn, to be able to keep her close to her family, to support her dreams and be able to provide for her as a husband should. He had it all laid out perfectly and they agreed to meet together at the cabin without anyone knowing and simply elope before anyone could change their minds. However, heartbreak, tears and more came from that plan and soon they went their own separate ways, knowing that someone in their heart, they were never quite complete again.

Christmas has come again to Montana and with it the expectations for the family to gather around and be together. Quinn just didn't expect that Caleb would also be returning home to spend the holiday with his sister Valerie at the McKenzie cabin now that it has been renovated, along with his twin boys. Will a ghost from Christmas past, find a way to unite the two hearts once again and give them the possibility of having their dreams come true?

I received If Only In My Dreams by Mariah Stewart compliments of Pocket Star, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of the book, in exchange for my honest review. At just under 98 pages, this is the perfect short story that feels like so much more. I only wish it was longer because I have been a huge fan of Mariah Stewarts novels. What a true classic story of love that endures, never dies and always hopes and for that reason I give this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about If Only In My Dreams, Mariah Stewart or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

If Only In My Dreams by Mariah Stewart

You can find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

For more reviews on If Only In My Dreams, please visit Simon and Schuster's website. 

At River's Edge - Giveaway and Review

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Mariah Stewart launches her latest novel in the Chesapeake Diaries series, At River's Edge! If you love romance stories set in a small seaside village, much like Debbie Macomber's Cedar Creek series, you will definitely want to grab these. This is her seventh novel in the series and like most readers who become addicted to their favorite author's series, I am thrilled that Mariah didn't stop at the standard three novels in a series. And before you ask, yes there is going to be an eighth novel which you get a sneak peek at when you get to the end of this one. You can read these as stand alones, but in order to understand who all the characters are that are referenced in these novels, you will want to start at the beginning. I have listed them in order at the conclusion of this review for your reference and buying list.

In At River's Edge, we are introduced to Sophie Enright who is a hard working and successful prosecutor for the DA's office who literally had the world at her fingertips. Great job, Chris, a man who she had fallen in love with, and was in the beginning stages of taking that next step when she found him with someone else in the backseat of his car in the parking ground of the law firm they both work at. Now thrown for a tailspin and having to face him and her every day at the office, she is looking for a change of pace. Perhaps even a change in career and place to live, so she takes some time off of work and heads to visit her brother, Jessie who lives in St. Dennis to spend some time getting a different perspective on what to do next and to spend time with him before his wedding to Brooke.

Jesse tries to convince Sophie to join the family law firm Enright and Enright who have been practicing law in St. Dennis as far back as any of them can remember. With her uncle and grandfather having retired, Jesse has more than enough cases for her to join the firm.Only she's not sure if she wants to continue in law or try something else, like running a diner, if she can find a building she can rent that is affordable, something she has always LOVED doing since she spent her summers working as a short order cook, but Jesse thinks she's crazy to try anything like that.  However when an abandoned piece of property that used to be a former restaurant comes on the market, perhaps Sophie's dreams are just beginning to fall in place after all.

I received At River's Edge by Mariah Stewart compliments of TLC Book Tours and Ballantine Books for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. It's hard not to rush through this book because you just want redemption of some sort for Sophie after everything she has gone through with Chris, that you are turning pages as fast as you can. Yet at the same time, the story is so good you don't want it to end. Ah power struggle until the next book comes out in the Spring of 2014. There are such a host of secondary characters like the mysterious ghost of Rose, Sophie's grandmother that died twenty years ago that still frequents the house her grandfather lives in alone. Her fragrance of gardenia's is always present when she is near even though no gardenias are present in the house or in the garden, and it provides a sense of lasting romance that carries over from Sophie's grandparents and hoping that she, too can find love that transcends the passage of time like they have. A poignant love story of what all romance is about and just in time for Valentine's Day. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for On Sunset Beach in the Spring! A must read for romantics at heart.

For more information about At River's Edge, Mariah Stewart or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

At River's Edge by Mariah Stewart

You can find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on At River's Edge, please visit TLC Book Tour's website. 

Now for the best part, thanks to TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy of At River's Edge to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines to enter:

1. "Like" my Facebook page Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US Shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment below telling me why you would love to win a copy of At River's Edge. Don't forget to include your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email when the giveaway ends on February 14th. 

For those of you that want to pick up the novels in the Chesapeake Diaries Series, here they are in order:

#1 - Coming Home
#2 - Home Again
#3 - Almost Home
#4 - Hometown Girl
#5 - Home for the Summer
#6 - Long Way Home
#7 - At River's Edge

The Long Way Home

Welcome back to St. Dennis, a quaint seaside small town where you are bound to find friendship and love in the most unlikely of places. Once you come for a visit, you may decide you never want to leave. Take Ellis Chapman, the daughter whose father and fiance' have been convicted in one of the biggest Ponze schemes in New York. Now having lost not only her home, her job, her car, her money and her love, she is looking for a place to simply disappear from the limelight and publicity that is haunting her in New York. Taking help from her close friend, Ellie learns that her mother who died of cancer has left her a home in St. Dennis. Since they were divorced at the time, it escaped being sold off with the rest of her family's assets.

There is only one small stipulation in her mother's will, that Ellie live in the house at least six months before selling it. Working with Jesse Enright, the local attorney in St. Dennis, she creates a new identity of Ellie Ryder and learns that will the right money management the funds her mother left behind to care for the house and property may last through the six months she needs to stay there. In that time, she hopes to update it to make it more profitable to sell and hopefully find a way to restore her life. What she doesn't plan on is the house needing more repairs than she has money to pay for.

She finds Cameron O'Connor, the local caretaker that has been maintaining the house and grounds for many years working with her grandmother Lilly when she lived in the home many years before and later her mother, Lynley when she was living there while undergoing treatment for cancer. Cameron learns that the house he has always wanted to own has now been sold but doesn't know that Ellie is related to the family and that is just how she wants things until she can arrange for the house to be sold. She hopes her identity will remain elusive and that she can put her six months in and sell the home. Will she be able to maintain her secret or will her past catch up to her even in a small town like St. Dennis?

In the latest novel from the Chesapeake Diaries series from Mariah Stewart, The Long Way Home captures the same characters from the books we've come to love and adore, Jesse Enright is the local attorney who is married to Brooke, the local owner and creator of the town's delicious cupcakes. Once again the small town feel is apparent from the first page as the novel opens once again with a diary entry from the oldest town resident Grace who owns the local newspaper and the town's historic inn. New characters now intermingle with the charming residents that Mariah has so lovingly introduced us to in each of her consecutive novels and my heart warms whenever Mariah launches a new novel in the series. The saddest part is when this series will come to a close, but thankfully there is another waiting in the wings when this one ends. So it gives this reader peace to know that the story will continue for a bit more longer with an excerpt to At The River's Edge at the conclusion to tease us until it publishes.

I received The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart compliments of TLC Book Tours and Ballantine Books for my honest review. I am always excited to learn when another novel in this series is published because to me, it's like returning home to place where love, peace and friendship resides and I can escape my routine life to escape into virtual one for a brief time. I only wish St. Dennis were as real as the residents that Mariah Stewart so lovingly breathed life into. I, myself would move there instantly and open my own bookstore and join in the fun of living among real friends and true down to earth people. I easily rate this one a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend it and if you haven't read any of the books in the series, please pick them all up. You'll definitely want all of them if you love small town romance with friendship and great characters that will captivate you from the very first page. This one can be read as a stand alone however. but once you read this one, you 'll want them all.

For more information about The Long Way Home, Mariah Stewart and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

You can also find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Long Way Home from the TLC Book Tour, please click here. 

The Chesapeake Diaries Series:
 #1 Coming Home
#2 Home Again
#3 Almost Home
#4 Hometown Girl
#5 Home for the Summer
#6 The Long Way Home
#7 At the River's Edge (Coming Soon)

Home For the Summer

There is a reason for Lucy Sinclair to stay away from her childhood home in St. Dennis, it simply holds too many memories she wishes desperately to forget. It's also a reason she hasn't told anyone and doesn't plan on it if she can help it. If only the nightmares didn't keep her up all night and her mother didn't want her to come home for the holidays more. Being a successful wedding planner as a joint owner in her own company Shaefer & Sinclair, she stayed more than busy in her office in Los Angeles. Now after the biggest celebrity wedding she hosted for Dallas MacGregor in her hometown of St. Dennis, the phones were literally ringing off the hook with business.

But things are going to get even more interesting as Lucy gets another big boost to her business when billionaire Robert Magellan wants the exact same wedding set up for her new bride Suzanna and he will spare no expense to ensure she has the true wedding of her dreams. Their's won't simply be a one day affair, they want a week long event and they want it all to take place at her family's historic inn in St. Dennis. Knowing she can't possibly turn down an opportunity this grand, Lucy does what she can to hop back and forth from L.A. to St. Dennis to attempt to coordinate this wedding. However Susanna isn't the type to deal with phone calls and emails. She wants the personal face to face contact with Lucy and she won't deal with anyone else.

Now Lucy has to try and find some way to work through the many details of pulling together a wedding of a life time in only 5 short months while trying to manage her ever increasingly busy business back in L.A. Her partner Bonnie is now commuting to Sacramento to help her ailing ex-husband back to health and finds herself falling in love with him once more. Will Lucy be able to handle all the increasing work load on both coasts or will she have to find a way to cut something lose before she loses her sanity.

In book 5 of The Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart, Home for the Summer will require a balancing act for poor Lucy Sinclair of epic proportions to make her business a success and still give her elite clients exactly what they desire. Along the way, Lucy befriends her childhood friend, Clay Madison and soon finds that there is more there than simply friendship with someone she has grown up to respect and possibly love. But is that enough to warrant leaving her successful business in L.A.? Only time will tell as the romance continues to grow between some of the most wonderful characters in St. Dennis. If you haven't had the opportunity to pick up this series, may I suggest starting at the beginning with Coming Home? This is an unforgettable series and I for one am more than thrilled that Mariah is keeping this one going when most authors end a series after three books.

I received Home For The Summer by Mariah Stewart compliments of Ballantine Books and TLC Book Tours for my honest review and the saddest part about her books is when you get to the last page. It's hard to let go of the characters you honestly come to love and get to know. From the always quirky Inn owner and editor of the St. Dennis Gazette Grace, to the fun-loving ice cream shoppe owner, Stef, you are just bound to connect to someone in this delightful and truly charming series. I personally rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and while it's not a stand alone book there is certainly enough given in the book, that you could read it as a first, but trust me you'll want to pick up the entire series! I absolutely LOVE it and highly recommend it! Now I'm am anxiously awaiting, the Long Way Home which is due out in January 2013!!!

For more information about Home For The Summer, Mariah Stewart or where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Home For The Summer by Mariah Stewart

You can find Mariah Stewart on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345531221
• ISBN-13: 978-0345531223
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.9 inches

Hometown Girl - Giveaway and Review

Brooke Madison Bowers needs a fresh start on her life, not just on her professional life but also in her love life as well. Being a widow for over two years now since her husband was killed in Iraq, she faces the challenges of learning to let go of her fears and embrace the opportunities that will come her way in the small town of St. Dennis, Maryland.

Living with her brother Clay and her young son, Logan on the family farm, Brooke is already begin to take on new challenges. She is a wonderful and talented baker whose cupcakes are becoming a town must have and favorite craving. Uniting with some of her friends, Steffie, the owner of One Scoop or Two, the local ice cream shop, she begins to offer her cupcakes for sale. If all goes well, she hopes to open her own shop, called simply enough, Cupcakes!

Now if she can just get her love life in order and eliminate the fear of just dating the local men one time. Once she dates them the first time, it also becomes the last. Seems like old memories of her husband keep her from moving forward and finding true love once again. Lucky for her, her brother sees what is happening and when her lawyer, Jesse Enright, begins to show interest, Clay teaches him what it will take to win his sisters heart. If only Jesse will have the patience to win her heart and love by waiting for Brooke to make the first move.

Set in the fall in a small ocean side town of St. Dennis, Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart, takes the reader into a cozy and quaint town where small town gathering, warm friendships and weddings are in the future. If you have ever dreamed of living in a small town where friendship and community abound, then this is a delightful book for you to savor and enjoy the fall and winter months ahead sitting beside a crackling fire!

I received Hometown Girl compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and have read every single book in The Chesapeake Diaries series, this being book number 4! This entire series is wonderfully written from a classic seaside romance perspective in which there is such love and warmth by all the colorful characters that Mariah in introduces the reader to, from the quirky and spunky old lady, Grace who runs the local paper, to the fun-loving and creative Steffie, who runs Scoop the local ice cream shop and is always dreaming up the most incredible flavors of ice cream. I highly recommend this series to anyone from young adult and up. The material contains nothing objectionable and is truly one of the best romance series I've read! This is why, I award this book a 5 out of 5 stars. It's a perfect stand alone for readers just picking this one up, but after you read it, you'll want the rest! This book is available in paperback and ebook formats at your local retailer!

For more information on this book, the author, read an excerpt, and where to pick up your copy today, please click on the links below:

Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart

You can also follow Mariah on Facebook by clicking here.

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky reader of this blog. Here are your guidelines for entering:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Like my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart by clicking here.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. I need an email address to contact you if you're the lucky winner, so please be sure to include one with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols. Leave me a comment and tell me why you'd be interested in this giveaway.

The giveaway will end on Oct 13th and I will notify the winner by email at that time.

If you're looking for more reviews on this amazing book, click here and follow the tour!

Almost Home - Giveaway and Review

Who hasn't imagined falling in love with the man you've dreamed about since you were young. Hoping for the perfect day for him to realize that you are his dream girl and falls head over heels in love with you?

Steffie Wyler, owner of One Scoop or Two, the best place for ice cream in the tourist town of St. Dennis, imagines that with every encounter she has had with Wade MacGregor. Only when she invited him as her prom date, his excuse was simply he respected his best friend, her oldest brother, too much to take advantage of little Steffie.

Now that she is grown and is attending a wedding, she hopes with just the right dress she finally get her wish.

It isn't that Wade isn't interested in Steffie, but the timing has been all wrong. When the prom came around, she was simply too young and there are laws that protect younger people from going out with someone as young as Steffie was at 17! Only when he sees her at the wedding, all grown up, he believes he too will finally get his chance. She looks amazing!!

Only one phone call will alter both of their lives forever that night. Their happily ever after is about to be changed in ways neither of them would ever imagine. Will true love stand the test of time? Or will love spells be in order to win the heart of Wade MacGregor once and for all?

In the next sequel from the Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah Stewart, Almost Home takes us into the lives of the MacGregor family once more. Here we recapture fading love for Steffie Wyler among all her friends and family of St. Dennis. With some long discovered journals from an attic, they are about to discover what some of the residents have been hiding in this quaint sea-side tourist town just waiting to be uncovered at long last.

I received Almost Home by Mariah Stewart compliments of TLC Book Tours and having read each one of this books in a series, it was a welcome home for me as well. Being familiar with the people of St. Dennis is an inviting time for me to see the youngest, Steffie Wyler who has run the town's most popular ice cream shop complete with the most delightful creative flavors ever, dream about the man of her life coming to sweep her off her feet. This is a must read for the summer as you escape in the romance of truly having your dreams come true in the most unusual way possible. This one scores a 5 out of 5 stars for me. I can only hope that there is one more in this series! She has captivated my heart and truly left me wanting more. You can read this as a stand alone or pick up the whole set and start at the beginning and be whisked away!

For even more amazing information about the book, the author or where to purchase a copy of this book, check out the link below:

Almost Home by Mariah Stewart

Thanks to the wonderful folks at TLC Book Tours, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of this blog. Here are your guidelines:

1. You must be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. You must be a resident of the US or Canada. No P.O. Boxes please.

3. I must have a way to contact you, so please include your email address with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Leave a comment and let me know why you'd love to win a copy. What is your most idea of romance. The giveaway will end on May 16th and I will notify the winner by email.

Coming Home Review

Neither of them were looking for love but then again when love happens are we really looking for it? That's exactly what happened to Vanessa Keaton and Grady Shields the night of the prewedding party between Vanessa's brother, Beck and Grady's sister Mia. One look was all it took and both of them were hooked. Yet both of them vowed that this would go no further than being nice to one another during the week long wedding plans in St. Dennis along the Chesapeake Bay.

Grady was trying to get over the loss of his wife Melissa and his brother Brendan who all worked for the FBI at one time. Grady now spends his time alone in the mountains of Montana trying to find a way to make his life work again.

Vanessa Keaton is the owner of a shop called Bling in St. Dennis that sells all things girly, from accessories to clothes. She has vowed that she will never let another man into her life ever again and after two failed marriages, we can understand why not.

Yet, something draws Grady and Vanessa together besides the festivities of the wedding between their families and something about both of their pasts is soon to bring them together in a very unexpected way. You'll need to read Coming Home by Mariah Stewart, the first in the Chesapeake Diaries series.

I must admit I fell in love with all the people who live in St. Dennis besides Vanessa and Grady. There is Grace, who runs the town's local paper but herself has many secrets to hide, Beck the chief of police as well as Vanessa's brother who is getting married, Mia, her newest sister in law, and of course Steffie her best friend, who runs the busiest ice cream store in the town. I fell in love with the story behind this wonderful book and now can't wait to begin reading the sequel Home Again.

I received this book, compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review. I must say this is a great summer read and would easily rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The characters are real and likeable and you really get to know them through Mariah's writing style. For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of Coming Home, click on the link below:

http://www.mariahstewart.com/cominghome_excerpt.html

Home Again Giveaway and Review

Picking up just where Coming Home left off, Mariah Stewart takes us on the second part of our journey in the book, Home Again, part of the Chesapeake Diaries series. This time the story that takes place within the small seaside community of St. Dennis, involves Dallas MacGregor, a famous Hollywood movie star seeking solace among her friends and family while waiting for her divorce to be final from her husband Emilio, who has turned up in the tabloids with being seen with other woman in a sex scandal nightmare. Dallas takes her son Cody with her to St. Dennis after seeing that even she can't protect him from the rumors circulating about his father even at summer camp. She feels that they both can use a break while things simmer down in Hollywood.

Dallas returns to her Aunt Berry's house, who herself is a retired long famous starlet from the silver screen as well, but since changing her last name, the press haven't been able to bother her in this small seaside town. Berry is delighted to have Dallas and Cody stay with her since she has been lonely for so long. After she herself gave up happiness and love since returning back to St. Dennis herself, Berry still finds herself remembering her long lost love, Archer and the memories of what could have been.

Grant Wyler has also returned to St. Dennis after his divorce with his daughter Paige to take over the local veterinary practice. He shares a history with Dallas of a summer romance that lasted through their high school years only to find himself left broken hearted when Dallas left to find her life's passion in Hollywood on the silver screen, never looking back at what her life could have been with Grant. Since this is such a small town, odds are highly likely that Dallas and Grant as destined to bump into one another. Will the sparks from their past love still warm their hearts, or has the past really been left as water under the bridge? Read, Home Again by Mariah Stewart and find out!!! There is even another book coming out in the Spring of 2011 to continue this saga of love.

I received this book compliments from TLC book tours for my honest review. If you are looking for a great summertime romance novel that will completely immerse you in the lives of a long lost romance, than this is truly a great book for you. For more information on this book, the author and where you can purchase the book, please click on the book title below:

Home Again

You can also visit Mariah Stewart's website at http://www.mariahstewart.com/

For one lucky follower of my blog, TLC is providing a copy of the book as a giveaway. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog.

2. Must reside in the US or Canada and NO P.O. Boxes please.

3. Winners will be notified by email so please include it with your comment. You may use (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. The giveaway will end on September 7th. I will close the comments and notify the winner. You will have 5 business days to respond. If I don't hear from you I will select another winner.

5. Leave a comment and tell me what you idea is of romance!