I really enjoyed this second book in the Quinn Brothers series. This book focuses on the love story between Ethan and Grace, the single mother who cleans their house and who the brothers have known since they were kids. The thread that ties the books together has to do with Seth, the youngest foster brother. The way he ended up as part of the family wasn’t entirely through the proper legal channels, so there is concern about his mother showing up in his life again. That storyline doesn’t really go far in this book, but the stage was set for some dramatic happenings in the next. And, in true Nora Roberts sibling saga fashion, there’s a ghost lurking in the background. I could actually do without that part, but I understand what she’s trying to do. Also, she does a wonderful job of bringing the Chesapeake Bay setting to life. I’ll definitely be finishing this series.

Cam and Anna have married. The boat building business has started.

Ethan has always loved Grace, and Grace has always loved Ethan. However, Ethan thinks he never wants to pass on his genes, and Grace "needs" a large family. Ethan was sold sexually, for drugs, by his mother. Ethan gets to explain/show sex doesn't have to be mean and ugly to Seth. ( )

This is the 2nd book in the Quinn series, and my least favorite, though it was better this time through than I remembered. (The first book was Sea Swept.)

Ethan is the strong, silent type, referred to as a "waterman," by which I assume is meant that he makes his living on the water. Grace is a single mother, extremely hard-working and devoted to her child. She's got a bit of estrangement from her father, but it's due to normal family stuff--they disappointed each other and were both too stubborn to be the first to forgive--rather than anything more dramatic than that.

Ethan's character was better explained than I remembered--introverted because of his past before coming to the Quinns. And I suppose that explains his self-imposed martyrdom, though it doesn't make me like it any better for being explained. "I can never marry because I might have a child and I can never have a child because my birth mother was an evil whore and I might pass on her genes." That doesn't make me sympathetic. It just makes me want to smack some sense into him. Which Anna does, eventually, in one of my absolute favorite scenes in the book.

I want to smack Grace, too. She married because she was pregnant, and divorced soon after. Her father was disappointed in her, which got her back up, and they've both stubbornly clung to what's often referred to as "pride"--more commonly known as stupidity, IMO. So she's preternaturally perfect, except for her "fatal flaw" of stubborn pride, which is seen as some sort of warped virtue. She cleans houses and waits tables until she's dead on her feet; she's The Perfect Mother, a genius at home decoration, the world's greatest cook, tall & slim & gorgeous of course, beloved by small children and animals, and can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Then there's the problem that nothing much happens in this book. In the first one, the whole problem is set up, and the brothers have to change their lives. The third book has the climactic showdown. This one... there's not much development in the ongoing trilogy plot except for a demand from Seth's mother for more money. And with Ethan and Grace having the fewest conflicts of the three couples, it makes for a less engaging book.

And do I need to mention how much 22-year-old Ethan having the hots for 14-year-old Grace squicks me out? Do 22-year-old men (who aren't sickos) spend a lot of time pining after high school freshmen?

Okay, those are my complaints. But you'll notice that I did give this book 4 stars anyway. Why? Because despite the fact that I didn't particularly like the characters, they were very real and very understandable. And despite the fact that it didn't move the trilogy plot along very much, there were some wonderful scenes. ( )

Of all of 12 year old Sean's three brothers, it is Ethan's past childhood trauma's that most matches his. Ethan, Cameron, and Philip were all adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn and rescued fro abusive situations. However Ray dies after a car accident before he can complete the formalities to adopt Sean. The three brothers promise their father on his death bed that they will make sure that he is safely adopted. Ethan is as a waterman in the Chesapeake, Cam is a boat racer and Philip is a businessman. they all agree to live in the family home so they can demonstrate their are capable of being responsible for Sean.

Cam has married Anna, the Social Worker assigned to the case. Sean's mother is still threatening to take back her son and this book follows the continuing steps to preventing this. Ethan and Sean form a very close bond as Sean gradually realises that Ethan has had the same horrific past - and really does understand what he is going through. At the same time Grace, a single mum, is gradually able to convince Ethan that he is he worthy of a loving relationship - especially if she is the second half of that relationship.

A wonderful story of developing trust and relationships between family members. I have the last in this trilogy (The Quinn Brothers Trilogy) 'Inner Harbour' to follow. There is also a separate book about Sean when he is all grown up called 'Chesapeake Bay Blues'. ( )

Featuring Ethan, my least favourite Quinn brother. ( )