Veena’s review of On Sunset Beach (Chesapeake Diaries, Book Eight) by Mariah Stewart
Contemporary Romance published by Ballantine Books 01 Jul 14
I’ve grown to expect a serving of mystery and mayhem in Ms. Stewart’s stories, so I’m somewhat disappointed when all the opportunities to introduce suspense into this story never materialized. Both Ford and Carly are great characters and I enjoyed meeting them very much, as well as re-visiting some of the folks that I’ve met in previous stories set in St. Dennis. Grace Sinclair, with her diary entries and her communing with ghosts and other supernatural things, is a very nice touch, but the story just doesn’t have any highs or lows or true emotional intensity that could capture me and pull me into it.
We’ve heard about Ford Sinclair in earlier stories, especially through the diary entries of his mother. He’s finally home after seeing unspeakable atrocities in war-torn Africa, needing peace and quiet to give him the space and distance he needs to recover his equilibrium. The last thing he’s looking for is romance. His mother wants nothing more than to keep him home and safe and loved. Will her machinations and the intervention of her ghostly friends create the happily ever after for both mother and son?
Carly Summit is an art dealer of some renown. She has an uncanny talent of picking out budding artists and opening the doors to their success through her art galleries. The discovery of a cache of paintings by her friend’s ancestor has her adrenaline soaring and she can’t wait to take the art world by storm, when she launches the artist to the public. When she hits the road bump of the town of St. Dennis wanting to launch their native talent via their new art center, she’s forced to change her plans and make St. Dennis her home for the interim as she prepares for her big launch.
His mother’s machinations bring Ford out to interview Carly for the paper. His fascination with her keeps him coming back for more. As she works on her launch plans, Ford makes inroads with her bringing alive some of the scenes out of her favorite paintings. Can Carly reach through the darkness of the pain and anguish that Ford still feels to forge a connection between them and keep him home in St. Dennis as his mother and now she desires? It seems that things might be falling into place, especially when he makes the deeply romantic gesture of taking her to Sunset Beach for their own “stolen moment.”
Despite Carly and Ford being such great characters and the growing town of St. Dennis being as charming as ever, the story just lacks the emotional intensity that might have made it great for me.
Grade: C
Summary:
Carly Summit’s name couldn’t be more fitting, since in life she always lands on top. She grew up wealthy and privileged in a tony Connecticut town, opened her own gallery in New York City, and is about to make art world history displaying previously unknown works by a prominent twentieth-century painter. No wonder she possesses a can-do attitude that can’t be soured. Ford Sinclair is another story. A military career in war-torn Africa, where he witnessed unspeakable violence and suffering, has left him haunted and deeply cynical. Now he’s looking for a way to forget and a place to belong. He hopes to find both back home in St. Dennis.
When Carly is forced to move the premiere of her new exhibit from her Manhattan gallery to St. Dennis, and Ford agrees to temporarily take over the town’s paper, the two cross paths. While Ford is confounded by Carly’s unflappable good cheer, he can’t help being drawn to her. And undaunted by Ford’s restless heart, Carly sees a man worth caring for. But when a late-night phone call sends Ford back to Africa, Carly’s left to wonder if the pull of the past and its ghosts will prove stronger than the promise of their future together.
Other books in this series:
