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judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
#1 in the Chesapeake Diaries Series – This is my favorite thus far (not reading them in order). Grady Shield (former FBI agent) is living in solitude in Montana after the murder of his wife and comes to St Dennis for his sister’s wedding. Of course his sister has him secretly matched up with her best friend Vanessa, who owns Bling the boutique town (with a troubled past which is coming back to haunt her). Mix in a bad childhood, love spells, gossip, break ins, good friends, secrets from the past, weddings, horrible mother, stand in dad, and a budding romance! Reminds- me of writing style and series of Sherryl Woods, Susan Wiggs, and Debbie Macomber.
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
Coming Home by Mariah Stewart
Like this series and catching up on the older books.
St. Dennis, MD on the shores of the Chesapeake. Vanesssa runs the Bling shop and her brother Beck is the local cop.
His wife to be is in Montana hoping to get her brother to walk her down the aisle to Beck.
The book also follows the life of Mia's brother, Grady. he's left the FBI after the death of his wife and he's settled in over the years.
He agreed to the family week long event before Mia's wedding. I loved hearing of his travels hiking and his future plans of excursions.
Some in town are attempting to set Vanessa up with Grady and they appear to like one another and enjoy each others company. Love the hikes!
Grady opens up to her about his life but she doesn't tell him of her troubles....hot steamy sex scenes. Others relationships go forward as do their businesses in town. Love how they all step up to help one another out.
Tragic events the day of the wedding and it sends a message to Vanessa...Grady helps her figure out some of the clues and who is after her..
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Like this series and catching up on the older books.
St. Dennis, MD on the shores of the Chesapeake. Vanesssa runs the Bling shop and her brother Beck is the local cop.
His wife to be is in Montana hoping to get her brother to walk her down the aisle to Beck.
The book also follows the life of Mia's brother, Grady. he's left the FBI after the death of his wife and he's settled in over the years.
He agreed to the family week long event before Mia's wedding. I loved hearing of his travels hiking and his future plans of excursions.
Some in town are attempting to set Vanessa up with Grady and they appear to like one another and enjoy each others company. Love the hikes!
Grady opens up to her about his life but she doesn't tell him of her troubles....hot steamy sex scenes. Others relationships go forward as do their businesses in town. Love how they all step up to help one another out.
Tragic events the day of the wedding and it sends a message to Vanessa...Grady helps her figure out some of the clues and who is after her..
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
caraheard's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmm. Well not exactly sure how I feel about this one. I liked several of the characters but something about them felt very flat. Usually I have a very clear picture in my mind of how characters look while reading. I haven't a clue about anyone in this book. I think that was the main problem. It was ok, but not a favorite. Probably more of a 2.5 than a 3. I liked the town, and maybe would feel better if I had read what I'm assuming are books about some of the other characters in this book. I really didn't see the point in Grace and her diary or the women who owned Vanessa's house and the witch stuff. Weird.
nighteyes82's review against another edition
3.0
that was a nice middle-of-nowhere-in-America (trou du c*l du monde) romance.
Was waiting for the suspense to begin for quite some time. the trouble really begin after half the book and then it's bing-bang-boom a~nd over. a bit disappointed there...
and I don't care for Miss Grace'diary...really... no
Was waiting for the suspense to begin for quite some time. the trouble really begin after half the book and then it's bing-bang-boom a~nd over. a bit disappointed there...
and I don't care for Miss Grace'diary...really... no
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
It has been more than one year since I read the fifth book in this series. I had forgotten all about that book until I was looking at what romances I read last year. This could be the disadvantage of reading books for escape. I don't always remember what I have read.
It was entertaining read the first volume in the Chesapeake Diaries series. I got to learn more about the community of St. Dennis and the people who live there. The main characters, Vanessa and Grady were fun to meet and the suspense was believable, but not too much for this timid soul.
If you read contemporary romances and have not tried Mariah Stewart, I recommend that you try this book. I hope you will enjoy it.
It was entertaining read the first volume in the Chesapeake Diaries series. I got to learn more about the community of St. Dennis and the people who live there. The main characters, Vanessa and Grady were fun to meet and the suspense was believable, but not too much for this timid soul.
If you read contemporary romances and have not tried Mariah Stewart, I recommend that you try this book. I hope you will enjoy it.
themichellegray's review against another edition
4.0
This started out slow but picked up and moved at a fast pace, longer chapters than I am used to though.
tennisleo's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of a Nora Roberts type romance novel. A little mystery, a little romance, a little "mysterious past". Add in a damsel in distress and the formula is complete. This "damsel in distress" didn't appear to need too much rescuing though, which I enjoyed. The author made Vanessa a strong, independent character and used Grady as support rather than relying on him to move the plot along. I felt like Vanessa was the central character who happened to fall in love, rather than focusing the book only on the romance aspect of the story. From my experience working in a victim-oriented field, I also appreciated that the author portrayed Vanessa's victimization from her abusive ex-husband, as Vanessa talked to Grady about how she blamed herself because she didn't leave the relationship. Grady normalized this for her, and reassured her that she wasn't responsible. I'm interested enough in this author to read the other books in the series.
nee223's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The life on the bay is fascinating. I love the small town atmosphere. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
disasterchick's review against another edition
2.0
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.