Blog Tour: That Chesapeake Summer by Mariah Stewart

• Title:  That Chesapeake Summer
• Series:  Chesapeake Diaries #9
• Author:  Mariah Stewart
• Genre:  Contemporary Romance
• Published:  June 2015 – Pocket Books
• Source:  Publisher

Synopsis:  Jamie Valentine is the wildly successful author of self-help books advocating transparency in every relationship. But when her widowed mother passes away unexpectedly, Jamie discovers her own life has been based on a lie. Angry and deeply betrayed, she sets out to find the truth—which may be in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. Cutting her most recent book tour short, Jamie books a room at the Inn at Sinclair’s Point, just outside St. Dennis.

The death of Daniel Sinclair’s father forced him to take over the family inn, and his wife’s death left him a single parent of two children, so there’s little room for anything else in his life. His lovely new guest is intriguing, though, and he’s curious about the secret she’s clearly hiding. But in the end, Jamie and Dan could discover the greatest truth of all: that the search for one thing just might lead to the find of a lifetime—if you keep your heart open.  (publisher)

My take:  I read and enjoyed the first book in the Chesapeake Diaries series almost five years ago. For one reason or another I didn’t make it back to the series until the latest – That Chesapeake Summer. Read the synopsis – it tells you all you need to know. I liked this ninth installment a lot.

It was easy to sympathize with Jamie. How shocking it must have been to find out that your life is not what you thought on the most basic level. She set out to learn the truth and ended up at Dan Sinclair’s inn.

Dan is a single father of two teenagers and he runs the Inn. He’s had his guard up since his wife died 8 years earlier. His defensiveness wore on me but as the novel went on Mariah Stewart brought me up to speed on what had made him that way. Will he be able to trust Jamie enough to invite her into his life?

In Jamie’s search for the truth she meets many of St. Dennis’s citizens. She likes them and begins to feel that she could fit in. Will the truth change that? What will the facts do to her reputation as a self-help author whose books deal with honesty in relationships?

That Chesapeake Summer is #9 in the series but it can stand on its own. I didn’t feel I’d missed key information by not reading since the first book. I liked the setting and the characters and was happy with how Stewart brought the novel to a close.  This would be a good book to read this summer – at home or the beach.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MARIAH STEWART is the award-winning New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author of numerous novels and several novellas and short stories.  A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and two rambunctious rescue dogs amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she savors country life and tends her gardens.  Visit her website at www.mariahstewart.com, and like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorMariahStewart.

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“[THAT CHESAPEAKE SUMMER] deftly uses the tools of the genre to explore issues of identity, truth,and small town kinship… Stewart offers a strong statement on the power of love and trust, a fitting theme for this big-hearted small town romance.” —Publishers Weekly

 “A touching story of self-discovery and homecoming that is sure to warm readers’ hearts…fans are sure to feel right at home in Stewart’s idyllic seaside setting and follow this emotional journey with avid interest.” —RT Reviews

• The Chesapeake Diaries #9
• Mariah Stewart
• Pocket Books
• June 23, 2015
• $7.99

 

Blog Tour:

• 6/22:                 Harlequin Junkies
• 6/23:                 USA Today’s Happy Ever After
• 6/24:                 Reviews from the Heart
• 6/25:                 Booked on a Feeling
• 6/26:                 From L.A. to LA
• 6/27:                 From the TBR Pile
• 6/28:                 Abigail Books Addiction
• 6/29:                 Romancing the Book
• 6/30:                 Bibliotica
• 7/1:                   Four Chicks Flipping Pages
• 7/2:                   The Lovely Books
• 7/3:                   Sara’s Organized Chaos
• 7/6:                   Reviews by Crystal
• 7/8:                   Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
• 7/9:                   Bookfan
• 7/10:                 Emily-Jane’s Book Corner
• 7/13:                 Literary Gossip
• 7/19:                 Ramblings from this Chick
• 7/26:                 Svetlana’s Reads

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