The Chesapeake Bride

This was my first book by Mariah Stewart, but it will not be the last. Even though this is the 11th book in the series, I never felt lost, only intrigued. I will definitely add the other books to my "want to read" list. I loved the setting of the islands of the Chesapeake Bay in the early autumn, with the descriptions of the warm days and cool nights. The homes and businesses were ones I'd love to visit, from having tea with Grace at the Inn or ice cream at One or Two Scoops in St. Dennis, to visiting with Ruby at the general store on Cannonball Island.

I was immediately drawn into the lives of the two main characters, Cassidy and Owen. Cassidy is an architect with her father's construction company. She has designed a series of houses to show more be built on the island, ones that retain the style and history of the originals, to the point of using materials saved from the old houses in the new ones. I loved her enthusiasm, as every day seemed to give her new ideas on ways to bring the past and the future together. Something not in her plans is getting involved with Owen Parker, local playboy and rolling stone.

Owen is one of the island's more notorious residents. He is handsome, fun-loving, and hasn't run very fast when the girls chased him, though he doesn't stay caught for long. He's spent years going where his whims take him, from Alaska to Australia, but lately, he's felt nostalgic for home. When a friend offers him a job as a diver helping to excavate a sunken ship, he jumps at the chance. It doesn't take long for him to be drawn to Cass, but she doesn't want anything to do with him.

I loved the development of the relationship between Owen and Cass. Both of them have failed marriages in their pasts, making them wary of getting involved. Cass was married to a man who was never home, having decided that his military career was more important than their marriage. She's determined not to get involved with another rolling stone. Owen married the girl who was always there when he came back from one of his trips, thinking it was time for him to settle down, but friendship and habit weren't enough to sustain the marriage and keep him from wandering. Owen was attracted to Cass from the moment he met her, but she wouldn't give him the time of day, no matter how hard he tried. Fortune smiled on him, though, when the ship excavation disrupted her construction plans, giving him the chance to offer his assistance. I loved seeing Owen approach his goal of getting to know her from a different angle, and being very smart about it. Instead of making it personal, he offered to help her find another solution, and at the same time show her around the island. Cass is, of course, skeptical at first, but relaxes when he behaves himself.

I loved the way that Cass's enthusiasm for the island and everything about it made Owen look at her as more than just another conquest. It didn't take long for him to realize that he had gone past wanting her to needing her in his life. I loved seeing him find multiple little ways to help her learn about the island, from showing her the little cemeteries to taking her crabbing. Even when his attempts went wrong (the trip on the schooner), his sensitivity to her needs was amazing. It was fun to watch Cass realize that she was fighting a losing battle when it came to resisting Owen. In spite of frequently reminding herself that he was a player, she discovered that there was much more to him than she expected. But just when things looked especially promising for them, an unexpected twist turns Owen's life upside down. I ached for Owen, who didn't know how to handle it and feared becoming a man like his father. I also ached for Cass, who believed that her dreams were crumbling in front of her. It took some blunt talk from family members for each of them to overcome their fears and realize that they could handle anything if they did it together.

I loved the importance of family and community in the book. Owen's great-grandmother, Ruby, was my favorite of the secondary characters. She's one hundred years old, with the Southern grace and steel to go along with those years. She also has the "sight" but doesn't use it to interfere in people's lives, though she will occasionally make a comment to get someone thinking. Thanks to her age, Ruby also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the area, and the stories she told gave extra depth to the magic of the island. I loved how various people in the community embraced Cass and her ideas for ways to preserve and showcase the island's history. There were some terrific scenes of that support, from Grace's teas to a possible collaboration with Owen's sister. I can't wait to go back and read the earlier books. show less

This is one of my favorite Contemporary Romance series. Though lighter on the steam, it is ginormous on the amount of heart poured into each story. Every time I get the chance to indulge in another installment, I am once again whisked away to the shores of Chesapeake Bay, welcomed back to a community all its own, and wrapped in the attentions and affections of those who call it home. As you read further into the series, they become like your own extended family. From the movie stars to the innkeepers, business owners to prodigal sons, and everyone in-between, each has a part to play on the island, each carries a part of it with them wherever they go, and each can't help but heed the call of island life when it beckons. Not even Owen show more Parker...

In the end, it was a wonderful, heart filled story about two people trying to make their way in life sans another, but fate having a bit more to say about it than they would like. There's ups and downs, and everything in-between, but after all is said and done, the heart wants what it wants, and if we only listen to what its saying, we'll find out path to true happiness...just like the characters here do. You can't go wrong when you dive in the Chesapeake Bay series....

**copy received for review show less

After reading "The Chesapeake Bride" I have added 10 more books to my TBR list. This is book eleven in the "Chesapeake Diaries" series, and even though it can be read as a standalone, after meeting the characters in this story, I want to read their stories. There was enough of the history of the characters in the story that you were able to get the idea of what this little island and its history means to the characters in the story.

I have never been to this area, but I definitely want to go now. Mariah Stewart does an amazing job weaving the descriptions of the area, the architecture and the history of Cannonball Island into the story with the quirky and interesting characters that live there and on St. Dennis. I absolutely loved the show more character of Ruby, the irascible 100 year old matriarch of the Parker family. She has "the sight" but does not interfere and share her knowledge. When the romance of Cass (Cassidy Logan) and Owen begins to grow, you can feel the emotions, and their wonder. I wanted to be there and watch it unfold. As they move through all the other stuff that gets in the way and pops up unexpectedly, you cheer them on, you want them to get together. With plenty of unique and fun characters to get to know, the exploration of the town, and the upcoming nuptials of Owen's sister Lis, this story is a sweet romance, community drama and family story that will leave you wanting more. There is definitely another visit to Chesapeake in my future reading. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less

A light, appealing romance. Cass Logan has come to the small Chesapeake town of St. Denis to build homes on Cannonball Island. Owen Parker, rolling stone grandson of the oldest inhabitant, is back to dive a wreck found offshore. They immediately find each other appealing, but Cass is not interested in becoming involved in someone who won't stick around. They spend a lot of time together anyway, as Owen shows her the real Cannonball, and things slowly develop from there.

I loved this romance. I love this town and all the characters in it. My favorites are Grace and Ruby. They keep this town together. Cassidy learns to love this town and Owen has grown up here. You can feel the love just oozing out through this book. There is actually a little mystery in this one and I love the ending solution. I received this book from Simon and Schuster as part of their blog tour for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.