Customer Reviews

Hometown Girl: The Chesapeake Diaries

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Over two years ago, Brooke Madison Bower's beloved husband died while serving in Iraq. She never had time to grieve as the widow had to help their young child Logan with the loss of his father. Mother and son moved back to her family farm in St. Denis, Maryland where her mother and brother live. Brooke also opened up a cupcake bakery.

Attorney Jesse Enright has also come home to St. Denis. He wants to prove to his family that he is not a chip off his irresponsible father; thus he joins his grandfather's law firm Enright and Enright. Jesse is attracted to the former prom queen Brooke, but the widow has vowed to never fall in love again while he has doubts about his paternal descendant (his father) being good enough for the mom and her son who he loves.

The fourth Chesapeake Diaries (see Home Again and Almost Home) is a warm contemporary tale starring two likable lead protagonists and the strong cast of St. Denis townsfolk. The story line focuses on a widow with an eight year old son learning to never say never following the death of her spouse who she was with since high school. Although straightforward with no major twists, fans of the series will enjoy a stop at Cupcakes.

Harriet Klausner

Brooke Madison Bowers needs a fresh start on her life, not just on her professional life but also in her love life as well. Being a widow for over two years now since her husband was killed in Iraq, she faces the challenges of learning to let go of her fears and embrace the opportunities that will come her way in the small town of St. Dennis, Maryland.

Living with her brother Clay and her young son, Logan on the family farm, Brooke is already begin to take on new challenges. She is a wonderful and talented baker whose cupcakes are becoming a town must have and favorite craving. Uniting with some of her friends, Steffie, the owner of One Scoop or Two, the local ice cream shop, she begins to offer her cupcakes for sale. If all goes well, she hopes to open her own shop, called simply enough, Cupcakes!

Now if she can just get her love life in order and eliminate the fear of just dating the local men one time. Once she dates them the first time, it also becomes the last. Seems like old memories of her husband keep her from moving forward and finding true love once again. Lucky for her, her brother sees what is happening and when her lawyer, Jesse Enright, begins to show interest, Clay teaches him what it will take to win his sisters heart. If only Jesse will have the patience to win her heart and love by waiting for Brooke to make the first move.

Set in the fall in a small ocean side town of St. Dennis, Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart, takes the reader into a cozy and quaint town where small town gathering, warm friendships and weddings are in the future. If you have ever dreamed of living in a small town where friendship and community abound, then this is a delightful book for you to savor and enjoy the fall and winter months ahead sitting beside a crackling fire!

I received Hometown Girl compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and have read every single book in The Chesapeake Diaries series, this being book number 4! This entire series is wonderfully written from a classic seaside romance perspective in which there is such love and warmth by all the colorful characters that Mariah in introduces the reader to, from the quirky and spunky old lady, Grace who runs the local paper, to the fun-loving and creative Steffie, who runs Scoop the local ice cream shop and is always dreaming up the most incredible flavors of ice cream. I highly recommend this series to anyone from young adult and up. The material contains nothing objectionable and is truly one of the best romance series I've read! This is why, I award this book a 5 out of 5 stars. It's a perfect stand alone for readers just picking this one up, but after you read it, you'll want the rest! This book is available in paperback and ebook formats at your local retailer!

I have read the whole series and will read any others she may add to the series. The first three were very good. This was mellow, nothing really exciting happening to the characters. The ending does suggest another book to come. An easy read but liked the first three better.

This book took me two weeks to read. It was 300 something pages of absolutely nothing. I even found my self skipping pages of unnecessary chatter I didn't care about. I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. Its a perfect little town with perfect people who have petty problems. Where is the drama,suspense, gossip, secrets, and mystery? There was no tension whatsoever in this book and the story was way too predictable.

Haven't read this author in awhile. Enjoyed. It's a quick read and great for the busy holiday season. I would recommend it.

Another hit by Ms. Stewart with this addition to the Chesapeake Diaries series. Hard to put down but very easy to read. Already looking forward to next entry in the series.

This is the fourth book in the series. As with Mariah Stewart's other books, this is also a great book. If you are going to read them in order but can be read in any order or just of the book.

Review by Valerie: Book four in this series and while predictable can be a boring thing, in this instance, it's not. Predictable for this series is like going home to put on your favorite pajamas and snuggle up with hot chocolate on a cold night with a fire crackling in the fireplace. You know the two characters will end up together but getting there is most definitely the fun.

Brooke has a lot to overcome in this book. She's returned to town to live with her mom and brother, along with her son, after her husband's death in Iraq. When she was younger, she was one of those girls, you know, the mean ones. She made fun of several girls in high school and always got the hot guys. Then, she got married and life was still great for her. Now, she returns to a small town as a different person on the inside, grieving, remorseful, but who will believe it? As she tries to make a small business for herself and her son's future, she deals with a lot of small town kindness that surprises her.

Jesse wants Brooke, no way to mistake that look in his eye, but her brother tells him he better play like he's not interested or else she'll run fast and far away from him. Geez, how's a guy to pretend he just wants to be friends? Since he's a lawyer, he offers his services to Brooke and makes sure to plan the visits when it's time for lunch or supper, etc. However, his year at the law firm is almost up. What will he do if his grandfather doesn't accept him and offer him a job?

As things heated up, it was fantastic to read about how the characters coped with their growing attraction, as well as read about some of the other characters from previous books. I simply love this series! A special shout out to Molly Edwards for sharing this book with me!

I just love the small town books and Mariah Stewart has a way of making me feel a part of St Dennis. I enjoyed reading Brooke and Jesse's story. I liked them both very much. I also loved reading about how Jesse went about healing the relationship with his Grandfater Curtis. When I finish Ms. Stewarts' books I immediately go to her website to see when the next one will come out. I just can't get enough. Summer 2012 seems too long to wait right now.

Readers who have enjoyed Mariah Stewart's earlier books about the Devlin and Enright families as well as her more recent Chesapeake Diaries will find lots of old friends in this, the fourth of the Diaries.
Hometown St. Dennis girl Brooke Madison Bowers went back to college after her beloved husband Eric was killed in Iraq. She has her degree and is living with her brother Clay on the farm where they grew up and he inherited from their father.
Brooke has dreamt of her own business for several years. Now she is opening a CupCake mobile delivery service as a predecessor to her hoped for cup cake baking business. Jesse Enfield - who recently took over from his uncle as an attorney in St. Dennis - is helping Brooke with her legal needs for her business.
Readers of earlier Stewart books will remember Berry, Dallas, Steffie, and Vanessa from earlier Chesapeake Diaries books. Hometown Girl brings the Devlins and Enrights into this series. This story is a fine continuance of the series.