Coming Home

I was expected one of those sweet hometown romances but instead got a really good story, a little suspense, a believable romance, and incentive to continue reading this series.

This book is hard to characterize. It is far more romance than suspense even though the hero is a former FBI agent with a dark past and the heroine has her own scars (literal and figurative) that put her in danger. She's menaced in a couple of different ways, but the danger is never of the heart-pumping, nail-biting variety. And yet, even though there's the requisite happily ever after, this is not so much a romance, either, because the other relationships in the book (family, friendships) are just as important as the romance. If the romance weren't so prominent, you could almost classify this as women's fiction, but that doesn't work, either, because the happily ever after *is* so important to the book.

OK, all that muddling stuff show more aside, the story here is quite sweet and definitely worth reading if you're a romance fan. Two damaged people who are slowly emerging from the messes of their pasts come together and begin to see a future. The setting is well-described, almost a character in itself, and all the secondary characters are fully developed.

The only weaknesses of this book are that 1) it tends to get a bit repetitive and 2) it can be a bit on the sugary side. But it verges into those territories only rarely and they're easy enough to ignore.

I'd begun to despair of Mariah Stewart after the last couple of Mercy Street novels, but she's definitely found her feet again here. show less

Mariah Stewart
Coming home
★☆★☆

Oh my my my, let me tell you I am so glad Julie from my local bookstore recommended this series. I am hooked :)

Vanessa gosh I just love her. Whats not to love about her? I didnt like the last few pages in the book lol, I thought for the first time she was a little whiney but I also understand shes not used to hiking :)

I love how in this romance novel no one threw the word I love you around after a only 10 days. I love that when he came back he didnt profess his love all cheesy like, and believe me I expected it. I enjoyed the closeness and the family touch.
I liked the little bit of mystery.

There isnt much I disliked about this book. I even like maggie though she does remind me a lot of my own mom.

I show more would def recommend this book show less

Mariah Stewart
Coming home
★☆★☆

Oh my my my, let me tell you I am so glad Julie from my local bookstore recommended this series. I am hooked :)

Vanessa gosh I just love her. Whats not to love about her? I didnt like the last few pages in the book lol, I thought for the first time she was a little whiney but I also understand shes not used to hiking :)

I love how in this romance novel no one threw the word I love you around after a only 10 days. I love that when he came back he didnt profess his love all cheesy like, and believe me I expected it. I enjoyed the closeness and the family touch.
I liked the little bit of mystery.

There isnt much I disliked about this book. I even like maggie though she does remind me a lot of my own mom.

I show more would def recommend this book show less

I adore books that talk about family, second choices and hope. This is one of them.

Grady Shields is an ex-FBI agent that lives like a reclusive on a ranch in Montana until her sister summons him to her wedding. Grady comes to St. Dennis, a lovely town on the Chesapeake Bay, to walk Mia in the aisle and then go back to his hiking and camping but he doesn't count with the sassy and attractive Vanessa Keaton, the sister's groom.

Vanessa had made terrible choices in the past and finally feels like home on St. Dennis: she has a family, a job and a house of her own as well as a place among the society. When she meets Grady, sparks fly between the two but both of them know that when the wedding is over, Grady returns to Montana and Vanessa back show more to her life. But, Vanessa shop is vandalized and Grady decides to stay to help her and the local police until the suspect is caught.

I love these stories about family, about wrong choices that makes people grow and change, about second chances. I like a lot this kind of romance, full with characters and their story, full of passion and love, with flaws and fears and doubts; the fact that this book is only the first of a series is also a major plus (at least for me) because you get to know what happens next to all of them. Because there are books that made you feel part of a big adoring family and this is one of them. show less

It’s been a while since I’ve read any books by Mariah Stewart. After reading, Coming Home, I want to go back and read the books I’ve missed; I enjoyed this book that much.
I liked the characters, the interactions between them and the small town in the fictional St. Dennis, Maryland on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. When the next book in the series comes out, I’ll be rushing to the bookstore to get it – can’t wait to see what’s been happening in St. Dennis and how everyone is doing.

This romance was a nice surprise to receive and review. The main characters at first glance couldn't be more different with loads of unresolved issues that seem unlikely to be overcome. However, Ms. Stewart weaves their motivation into an intriguing and entertaining story with many side threads like burglary, kidnapping, and a strained mother/daughter reconciliation brought about by a crazed killer. Loads of interesting characters and a satisfying ending leaving you wanting to follow these folks further. I recommend it!