Contemp Review: Home for the Summer (The Chesapeake Diaries: Wheeler Publishing Large Print Hardcover) [Large Print] [Paperback]

I've finished "Home for the Summer" the 5th book in her Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart.

Product Description

Some of Lucy Sinclair's best days were those spent growing up in small town St Dennis - working at the family inn and enjoying summers filled with swimming, sailing, tennis and the company of Clay Madison, her best friend. But Lucy's darkest day, the one that shattered her innocence with violence and fear, also happened in St Dennis. And the town she once loved became the place she gladly left behind - along with the terrible secret she's kept for twenty years. While Lucy headed off for college and a career, Clay remained - more than satisfied with the life St Dennis had to offer. But now, even after inheriting his family's thriving farm and starting up an organic brewery, he can't help feeling that something's missing. And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect, and find themselves re-evaluating their long-sleeping friendship that could blossom into something deeper. Like a book end to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy's chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past and plan her own whole new future.

About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-six novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women's fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. She lives with her husband and two daughters amidst the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Product Details
Paperback: 488 pages
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; Lrg edition (August 22, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410449513
ISBN-13: 978-1410449511

My Review:

Lucy Sinclair and Clay Madison lived in St. Dennis and were best friends.  Something horrible happened to Lucy 20 years ago and she has kept it a secret never telling anyone.  She left St. Dennis for college and now lives California.  She has purposely tried to stay away except for family holidays or planning events, etc.

Clay Madison has lived in St. Dennis all his life and worked on his family farm.  When he inherited the farm he decides to open an organic brewery.  He has never married but has always had a thing for Lucy.

Lucy returns for the summer to help plan a elaborate wedding event at her family's inn.  Clay is determined to convince Lucy that he's the one for her and to figure why she stopped their friendship.

I really liked Clay because he seemed like a nice guy and knew what he wanted and went after it.  He was very patient with Lucy and when she finally revealed her big secret to him he was there for her.

Lucy on the other hand I didn't like that much because she kept that big secret because she didn't want her parents to worry but look how it affected her to this day.  She didn't really deal with the problem and now she's kind of a wreck because of it (she has nightmares every night and she's skittish around Clay, etc.

3/5

A Different Light (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just finished reading "A Different Light" a re-issue by Mariah Stewart.

Product Description

Dear Reader:

I can hardly believe that A Different Light, one of my earliest novels, is available again at long last! And while the story is still the same, I've added new scenes and fleshed out the characters, making the novel richer and more contemporary. I've written twenty-three novels since A Different Light was first published, and I like to think I've brought the experience of the years to make this sparkling new edition even more compelling than before.

Throughout these years, the character of Athena Moran has stayed with me. In her New Jersey town, beautiful, vibrant Athena is well known as the young widow of a police officer slain in the line of duty and as the daughter of a beloved former city councilman. But when she meets Quentin Forbes, a tough newspaper reporter, emotions that she believed died along with her husband start to stir again. Then she is asked to run for mayor, and the political contest that follows will test her newfound feelings to the breaking point, teaching her that things are not always as they appear, and much of what she's believed is more smoke than substance. The new direction Athena chooses tests her strength and courage, and ultimately leads her to see herself and everyone she knows in a totally new and different light.

Best,

Mariah Stewart

My Review:

The characters were well written especially Athena, Quentin, Callie, etc.  Callie was a hoot not used to a 10 yr. old being that straightforward and rude.
I really enjoyed reading the romance between Athena and Quentiin except for the parts they were mad at each other and they totally ignore each other, etc.

Dan was a total jerk and I didn't like that he was using Athena for his own evil deeds and what he did near the end was just dispicable!

I also didn't like the Board Members treated Athena like she didn't have an opinion and also the secretary was just uhhh, glad to see what happened to her!  LOL!

I'm glad that Meg her sister-in-law was quite truthful and honest when speaking to Athena that she needed to move on and explained the situation about Quentin being a reporter and that was his job!

4/5

Thanks Loretta from Simon & Schuster Canada for sending this book to review!

Acts of Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just finished reading "Acts of Mercy" the 3rd book in her Mercy Street series by Mariah Stewart.

Product Description

Former FBI agent Sam Delvecchio brings the keen skills of a profiler to his new position as a Mercy Street Foundation operative–and not a moment too soon. His first assignment, the cold-case murder of a local soup kitchen volunteer, has all the telltale signs of a serial killer’s work. That grim suspicion is confirmed when FBI agent Fiona Summers shares the details of two other killings with eerie similarities to Sam’s case: The bodies in all three cases have been carefully posed. And when a fourth victim is discovered, the two investigators realize they’re pursuing the same twisted quarry.

Local parish priest Kevin Burch, Mercy Street founder Robert Magellan’s cousin, recognizes the posings for what they are: The killer is staging the church’s seven Acts of Mercy (“Feed the hungry, clothe the naked . . .”) with the bodies of his victims. But as Sam and Fiona race to prevent the final three murders, taunting messages from their target lead to the most chilling realization of all.

About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning author of the Last series: Last Look, Last Words, and Last Breath; the Truth series: Cold Truth, Hard Truth, Dark Truth, and Final Truth; and the Dead series: Dead Even, Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead End; as well as Forgotten, Until Dark, and The President's Daughter. She is the recipient of the Golden Leaf Award and the Award of Excellence presented by the Colorado Romance Writers, and has been a finalist for the Holt Medallion. Her books have been nominated for several awards from Romantic Times magazine, including Best Contemporary Romance and Best Contemporary Novel. Stewart is a native of Hightstown, New Jersey, and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two daughters.

My Review:

Storyline: There were two storylines the first one was who was killing all these men and why?  The second one was finding out who has Robert's baby boy?

Characters: All the characters were well written and you got to know them and care for them.

Romance: I enjoyed the romance between Sam and Fiona because they both are loners and they understood what each was going through.  They also worked for the same boss.  I also hope that Robert and Suze get together.

Killer: The killer wasn't as well written and I didn't really care for him.  Glad to see he got what was coming to him.  I can see his point of view but why kill all those people?

Glad to see previous main characters mentioned and for some making an appearance in this book!

4/5

Cry Mercy: A Mercy Street Novel (Mercy Street Novels)

I've just finished reading "Cry Mercy" the 2nd book in her Mercy Street series by Mariah Stewart.

Product Description

After Ann Nolan, a California beat cop, adopts the daughter of a notorious drug dealer, the ruthless father vows to take back his only child. In response, Ann flees across the country, changes her name, and starts a new life as an investigator for the Mercy Street Foundation, the billionaire-endowed organization dedicated to finding missing persons. As Emme Caldwell, she takes the lead on the Foundation's first case: Nineteen-year-old Belinda Hudson disappeared from her sorority house leaving behind only one cryptic clue. Retracing the vanished student's steps leads Emme to Heaven's Gate, a fertility clinic, and the mysterious Donor 1735.

Belinda's legal guardian, Nick Perone, is determined to shadow Emme's every move as she searches for his niece. But the closer Emme gets to Donor 1735 and the chilling truth, the more apparent it becomes that she's escaped one dangerous man only to run head-on into another-one who's far more determined and every bit as deadly.

About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning author of the Last series: Last Look, Last Words, and Last Breath; the Truth series: Cold Truth, Hard Truth, Dark Truth, and Final Truth; and the Dead series: Dead Even, Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead End; as well as Forgotten, Until Dark, and The President's Daughter. She is the recipient of the Golden Leaf Award and the Award of Excellence presented by the Colorado Romance Writers, and has been a finalist for the Holt Medallion. Her books have been nominated for several awards from Romantic Times magazine, including Best Contemporary Romance and Best Contemporary Novel. Stewart is a native of Hightstown, New Jersey, and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and their two daughters.

My Review:

Storyline: There is three storylines going on and they were both quite interesting.  First one has to do with Ann/Emme and her adopted daughter Chloe staying one ahead of her father a drug dealer.  I can understand why she would lie to protect her Chloe.  The second one has to do with Nick and his niece Belinda who he believes is dead and to find out who killed her and why plus some other murders that is connected to Belinda.  The third one has to do with Robert, his wife and son.  He doesn't know what happened to them or their car so he is searching for them.

Characters: All the characters were well written except the killer/accomplice.  I liked all the main characters and the killer/accomplice I would have liked to have learned more about them.

Romance: I enjoyed the romance between Emme & Nick because it was sweet and they took their time to get to know each other before making love.

Killer:  The main killer was just sick and perverted and I'm glad he got what was coming to him.  His accomplice was also sick but kind of scared of the main killer so they kept the secret.  Didn't know much about the killer and accomplice.

5/5

Thriller: No. 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down (MIRA) (Hardcover)

I've just finished reading "Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down" by various authors (Lisa Jackson, Mariah Stewart, etc..

Product Description

Turn off your phone. Shut down your computer. Say goodbye to your friends and family. Welcome to "Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down". When some of the top thriller writers in the world came together in "Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night", they became part of one of the most successful short-story anthologies ever published. The highly anticipated "Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down is even bigger". Edited by the grand master of adventure, Clive Cussler, "Thriller 2" is packed with over 20 all-new stories from some of the biggest names in fiction. From Jeffery Deaver's tale of international terrorism to Ridley Pearson's horrifying serial killer, this collection has something for all crime and thriller fans to enjoy.

About the Author

Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Clive Cussler began writing novels in 1965. His books have been published in over forty languages in more than a hundred countries. He lives in Arizona.

My review:

Some stories were better than others.

3/5

Forgotten: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just finished reading "Forgotten: A Novel" by Mariah Stewart.

Product Description

WHO SPEAKS FOR THE DEAD WHEN THEY SCREAM BLOODY MURDER?

Sheldon Woods kidnapped and killed an untold number of boys, then escaped the death penalty by making a plea bargain for multiple life sentences in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of some of his victims. More than a decade later, the full extent of his crimes is still unknown, and many of the dead have never been accounted for. But Lisa Walsh is certain her brother Christopher was one of them, and to honor her mother’s dying wish, she’s on a mission to learn the truth and recover the little boy’s remains. FBI agent Portia Cahill, tasked with confronting the caged killer, is obliged to play his mind games to get what she’s after, but she ends up with more than she bargained for when the remains of another boy’s body are discovered.

Determined to ID the mystery child, Portia reluctantly teams with James Cannon, the attorney who once defended Woods. But chasing a killer’s grisly legacy, and the bones of the forgotten dead, will lead them into the lethal orbit of a monster who’s seeding the graves of the past with a fresh wave of innocent victims.

About the Author

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania, with her husband and their two daughters.