Home for the Summer (edition 2012)

Home for the Summer: The Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah Stewart
Lucy Sinclair originally from St. Dennis s returning to the island to plan an elaborate wedding. She holds many secrets that we will learn about as time goes on.
Clay Madison has always stayed on the island and is happy with his decisions. He runs the farm, organic crops and he wants to venture into a brewery, raising his own crops for that.
Now that Lucy is back from the east coast, the wedding at her familys inn everybody that has a wedding planned with the company wants the small little trees with the twinkling lights. The trees were from Clay's farm and she's not sure she can get a lot of them in time for the others wedding.
Clay now lives in the family house and his sister Brooke and her son live there after her husband was killed in action in Afghanistan. He helps Gracie at the inn by putting up her tree and decorating it-he finds his carved initials in a chair that is still there and he remembers how he fell in love with Lucy.
Lucy realizes after spending a night with the local females what is missing from her life. Many trips back to the island to oversee more weddings brings her closer and confiding in Clay about that summer that drew them apart. ( )

I received this book as a LT Early Reviewers copy. Usually I don't pick up books that are part of a series. I feel like I have to read all the books before or after a certain title and I don't like the repetition of reading an entire series. However, this book was a little different. Like many books in a series, this one was set in a small town with many characters, who's back stories I hadn't read. Fortunately the author filled in the gaps enough that I could pick up on who was who. This was a light and enjoyable read with an interesting enough story.

It does deal with some tough topics, such as rape. But the author lovingly guided her characters through the difficult plot twists in a gentle and realistic way that didn't feel uncomfortable. I find this is important to note because I've come across some books who deal with this topic in a way that is not at all realistic or can be very painful to read.

All in all I think this was an enjoyable book with very lovable characters. I may have to pick up another one in the series just to check in and see how everyone is doing. ( )

A very nice book. Lucy Sinclair is a event planner who works in L.A. She has been asked to plan an extravagant wedding at an inn on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The inn has been in her family for generations and was her home. But an incident earlier in her life has kept Lucy from the town, the home that she loves, and her best friend, Clay. In addition to planning the wedding, the time spent at home has Lucy re-evaluating her life and her relationship to Clay. The book was a gentle, pleasant read. It was the fifth in a series, but read well as a standalone. If this volume was typical of the series, it would be a good series for YA readers who wish to have their romances populated with adults. I will probably read more of the series as I come across the books. ( )

Home for the Summer is the story of Lucy Sinclair who is an event planner living in Los Angeles but her family owns an inn on the Chesapeake Bay. Lucy has avoided spending anytime at her family home because of a secret she hasn't told anyone, but when she lands a big wedding to be held at the inn she learns to face her fears.

Lucy appears to be a strong character but avoids spending anytime with her best friend from childhood Clay. Clay has always had feelings for Lucy and convinces her to spend time with him. The relationship between Lucy and Clay is slow to warm up. I felt little connection between them until the end of the book. I wanted a little more development with her secret and Clay. Otherwise it was a decent book. ( )

I absolutely loved this book. Loved the attention to details that allowed me to really picture things in my mind. Looking forward to reading more books by this author. ( )