A Month At The Shore [Mass Market Paperback]

Antoinette Stockenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2003

Acclaimed USA Today bestselling author Antoinette Stockenberg consistently engages readers with her breathtaking stories of small-town romance tinged with danger. Now she returns with a tale of one woman's struggle to put the past to rest-even as it haunts her every waking moment...

A Month for New Beginnings
Laura Shore's memories of her Cape Cod childhood are far from fond, mostly serving as a persistent reminder of why she left home in the first place. But now she's back. Her tyrannical father is dead, and his children have banded together to try to salvage the family nursery he ran into the ground. Laura, her younger sister Corinne, and their black-sheep brother, Snack, have given themselves exactly a month to try to get the business on its feet. Developers wait in the wings, eager to purchase the property, while local-boy-made-good Kendall Barclay is there whenever Laura turns around. Kendall's intentions may be honorable, but his attentions are the last thing she's interested in...

A Month for Bitter Endings
Yet Kendall turns out to be a rock-steady shelter from the storm of publicity that blows in after he makes a shocking discovery on the property. Suddenly a murder investigation is underway, placing the Shores under the scrutiny of village gossips--and someone far more dangerous. Someone who thinks that this secret should have stayed buried. And who will stop at nothing to see that Laura's first visit home in years is also her last...

A Month At the Shore

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stockenberg is a fresh, exciting voice. Her writing is delicious!" -Jayne Ann Krentz

"Stockenberg is the only writer working today who could be an heir to Mary Stewart's romantic suspense crown." --Teresa Medeiros

From the Inside Flap

Outstanding Praise for Antoinette Stockenberg and Her Novels

"Stockenberg is a fresh, exciting voice. Her writing is delicious!" -Jayne Ann Krentz

Sand Castles
"Antoinette Stockenberg shows her ability to provide a powerful suspense thriller with the exciting Sand Castles. The characters are a superb group...Fans of taut thrillers with a pinch of romance will want to read [this] strong intrigue."--Book Browser Reviews

"Well-drawn, sympathetic characters, exceptional writing, and an intriguing premise that puts a new spin on a classic plot combine to produce a riveting story of selfishness, betrayal, and love."-Library Journal

"Moral dilemmas abound in this intriguing and complex tale."-Booklist

"Twists, good dialogue, and a question to answer at the end...an excellent read!"
-Old Book Barn Gazette

"A beautifully moving story that touches the deepest recesses of the human heart."
-Romance Writers Club

Tidewater
"Antoinette Stockenberg is pure magic."-Susan Elizabeth Phillips

"A spellbinding thriller that is both intense and riveting."-Romantic Times

"Tidewater is a fast-paced, intriguing, seaside suspense novel of betrayal, deception, family and love. Stockenberg writes strong emotions, relationships and sharp dialogue." -- WCRG Romance Review

"A compulsively readable suspense story."-The Romance Reader

"Sparks your imagination and keeps your interest...a very good book!" -- Old Book Barn Gazette

"[A] fabulous ability to steam up a small-town environment."-Painted Rock Reviews

"Stockenberg [is destined to become] a major voice in women's fiction."-Publishers Weekly


Safe Harbor
"A complex, fast-moving plot--peopled with winning secondary characters--as well as a humorous and tender love story."-Publishers Weekly

"Safe Harbor adds another notch in the growing collection of compelling dramas that Ms. Stockenberg just keeps producing. This author really knows how to tell a story!"-Romantic Times

"This book is fresh and exciting...Ms. Stockenberg's stories only get better and better."-The Belles & Beaux of Romance

"Safe Harbor is a most entertaining contemporary romance. It has great characters, a satisfying love story, and just enough suspense to keep the story moving...[Stockenberg] is very, very good."-Romance Reader Reviews

Keepsake
"Ms. Stockenberg does a stellar job breathing life into this absorbing story that probes deep into the painful heart of a small community. Keepsake is a keeper!"-Romantic Times

"Laced with natural, engaging dialogue, and intense narrative, Ms. Stockenberg has rendered a briskly paced, exhilarating story that's impossible to put down. She writes with such depth of perception, I was totally involved in the characters' lives. Don't miss this book...it's her best one yet."-Old Book Barn Gazette

"Antoinette Stockenberg is writing some of the smartest, sassiest, and sexiest contemporaries around. This book will keep you reading well into the night. Very entertaining."-Amazon.com

"Gloriously alive with fresh writing and an intriguing story...a standing ovation for Antoinette Stockenberg."-Under the Covers Book Reviews

A Charmed Place
"Award-winning author Antoinette Stockenberg takes a dramatic turn in her new mainstream release. Passion, love, hatred and deceit all collide with unexpected force in the powerful and expressive A Charmed Place."-Romantic Times

"Ms. Stockenberg writes with the wisdom and grace of the ageless to create a beautiful story in this intricately woven suspense. I love everything she creates."-Bell, Book, and Candle

"Well-written...Every sentences builds the tension as the protagonists try to find their way back to each other and Maddie tries to protect her daughter. Ms. Stockenberg's passion for writing pulses through this superb story."-Rendezvous

"Ms. Stockenberg has a very witty writing style and wonderfully drawn characters."
-Old Book Barn Gazette

Dream A Little Dream
"A delightful blend of goosebumps, passion, and treachery that combine to make this novel a truly exhilarating read. Ms. Stockenberg delivers once again!"-Romantic Times

"Dream A Little Dream is a wonderful modern fairy tale--complete with meddlesome ghosts, an enchanted castle, and a knight in shining armor. Dream a Little Dream casts a powerful romantic spell. If you like modern fairy tales, you'll love Dream a Little Dream. Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore to purchase a copy of this magical romance."-Kristin Hannah

"This humorous, well-crafted and inventive novel is certain to establish Stockenberg as a major voice in women's fiction."-Publishers Weekly

"Well-developed, likeable protagonists; appealing relatives; an intriguing villain; and a ghostly pair of ancient lovers propel the plot of this...well-written story with a definite Gothic touch."
-Library Journal

Beyond Midnight
"Stockenberg's special talent is blending the realistic details of contemporary women's fiction with the spooky elements of paranormal romance. So believable are her characters, so well-drawn her setting, so subtle her introduction of the paranormal twist, that you buy into the experience completely...Beyond Midnight has a terrific plot, a wicked villain and a sexy hero. But the novel ventures beyond sheer entertainment and it is easy to see why Stockenberg's work has won such acclaim."-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"Full of charm and wit, Stockenberg's latest paranormal romance is truly enthralling."
-Publishers Weekly

"Antoinette Stockenberg creates another winner with this fast-paced and lively contemporary romance...a definite award-winner...contemporary romance at its best!"-Affaire de Coeur

"A gripping and chilling page-turner...outstanding reading!-Romantic Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312981554
• ISBN-13: 978-0312981556
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today bestselling novelist Antoinette Stockenberg grew up wanting be a cowgirl and have her own horse (her great-grandfather bred horses for the carriage trade back in the old country), but the geography just didn't work out: there weren't many ranches in Chicago. Her other, more doable dream was to write books, and after stints as secretary, programmer, teacher, grad student, boatyard hand, office manager and magazine writer (in that order), she achieved that goal, writing over a dozen novels, several of them with paranormal elements. One of them is the RITA award-winning EMILY'S GHOST.

Stockenberg's books have been published in eleven languages and are often set in quaint New England harbor towns, always with a dose of humor. She writes about complex family relationships and the fallout that old, unearthed secrets can have on them. Sometimes there's an old murder. Sometimes there's an old ghost. Sometimes once-lovers find one another after half a lifetime apart.

Her work has been compared to writers as diverse as LaVyrle Spencer, Nora Roberts, and Mary Stewart by critics and authors alike, and her novels have appeared on bestseller lists in USA Today as well as the national bookstore chains. Her website features sample chapters, numerous reviews, and many photos. www.antoinettestockenberg.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly enjoyable!, August 31, 2005

By 

Donna K. "bookcrosser" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Month At The Shore (Mass Market Paperback)

An engrossingly interesting story of three siblings, who were considered outcasts while growing up, and their attempt to revive the family business and restore the family's reputation in the quaint Cape Cod community with the help of some old friends and not-so-good friends. In order to accomplish this goal, they need to confront and resolve the issues of their past, and handle new wrenches thrown their way, including solving a crime that occurred on their property and was recently discovered, threatening to destroy all their efforts.

I would have given this a higher rating, but I wasn't convinced that Ken and the Shore siblings came to their crime-solving conclusions based on the evidence their sleuthing came up with. It just seemed to easy that they figured it all out correctly when it wasn't the obvious or typical response. As well, only 2 of the 3 siblings find happiness in the end, and it was unsatisfying that one remained hurting without closure and a happy ending too. I didn't guess who the murderer was (although the victim was obvious from the start).

Ken is a gem! A sturdy rock for Laura to lean on! What a wonderful, down-to-earth man, who was willing to go against popular opinion and believe the best about people, and would go through great lengths to support them. As well, the initial lovemaking scene between Ken and Laura started off wonderfully, but sort of fell apart in a very unsatisfying fashion.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Alright, May 14, 2004

By 

Katie (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Month At The Shore (Mass Market Paperback)

I really didn't enjoy this book that much... I never grew to like the characters. I know this is supposed to be a stupid romance novel, but the plot was overly contrived, the characters all spoke very similarly/had the same personality, and I didn't identify with them. The writing was not bad, and the book was generally ok, but I can't really enjoy a book if I don't enjoy its characters and can predict the entire plot from the first chapter.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, August 5, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Month At The Shore (Mass Market Paperback)

Following the funeral of their oppressive father, siblings Laura and Snack Shore return home to Cape Cod for the first time in years unlike their sister Corinne who still lives at home. Corinne persuades her two reluctant siblings to stay for one month to try to turn around Shore Gardens, the family nursery that has been a failure for years because she feels the business can be saved if family was around to do so.

Laura's school classmate Kendall Barclay runs the bank. When he and Laura were children, he took a pounding to rescue her from an assault. He always liked Laura and she him, but nothing major came of it except some heartache. However, when a corpse is found on the property, police investigate. But so does the three Shores. Only Ken keeps Laura safe, as he wants her more than ever and vows no one will harm her, but she still avoids committing beyond a tenuous friendship.

Fans will enjoy spending A MONTH ON THE SHORE as this summer romance contains several enjoyable characters. The Shore siblings are distinct individuals that make it easy to follow them while Ken is a wannabe knight in shining armor when it comes to Laura. The murder mystery takes a back seat to the romance except when Laura (and in some ways more so Corinne) is a damsel in distress. Antoinette Stockenberg provides a strong tale of a family in trouble.

Harriet Klausner