Customer Reviews

The Quinn Legacy (Chesapeake Bay)

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

 

 

I read the second installment on the new printouts that Nora has published (4 Quinn novels - 2 in each book) and I have to say Phillip and Seth's story were every bit as good, if not better, than the first half - The Quinn Brothers - Cameron and Ethan. The first novel, "Inner Harbor" takes us through the continuing saga of three lost boys taken in by Ray and Stella Quinn. This is Phillip's story and it centers around Sybill Griffin (Seth's aunt) however, no one knows that on the onset. Sybill has come to St. Chris to check on her sister's (Gloria De Lauter) son, Seth and see if he is being properly taken care of (according to Gloria, he's been kidnapped by the Quinns)! Gloria has a long history of storytelling and Sybill decides it is in the boy's best interest to see for herself. Through it all, she meets up with the Quinns and starts to develop a relationship w/Phillip. Once Phillip finds out who she is, he is annoyed, to say the least, and determined to sever all ties, however, he is drawn to this lady and her to him and that is where the romance comes in along with the struggle to hold onto Seth. Gloria is determined to make trouble for the Quinns and the question is, how long will it take Sybill to come to terms with the fact that her sister is truly a woman with very serious problems, both mentally and physically. The second novel in the book, "Chesapeake Blue," tells Seth's story. The story begins 18 years later with Seth just coming back to St. Chris from Italy, a world-renowned artist. Seth meets the new girl in town, Druscilla (Dru) Whitcomb Banks, the product of a very well-to-do family, escaping her own prior life for the peace and quiet of a coastal small town and a chance to make it on her own with her flower shop. The romance is centered on Dru and Seth now but the conflict still lies with the unresolved matter of Seth's mother, Gloria who is determined, at any cost, to squeeze every penny out of the Quinns and her son to "get her fair share." "The Quinn Legacy" is a wonderful culmination to the story of the 4 brothers, Cam, Ethan, Phillip and Seth and the development of their families. The description of St. Christopher and the local shops and people is an added treat.

Irresistable saga about 4 adopted brothers and their extraordinary parents. I loved the humor and charm of these characters.

I liked the four brothers as they banded together in good and bad times. The other characters worked quite well too. I didn't like the language in it. I think if it was not in the book it would have been better to read. I was given this book so I'm glad I didn't buy it. It has plenty of romance too.
Lyn

while the MacKade brothers are still my favorite; the Quinn brothers are just as facinating.

THE SERIES:
The Chesapeake Bay series includes four books which tell a continuing story about a family. Ray and Stella Quinn adopt three troubled boys who came from abusive homes. In the first three books the boys are about 30 years old. They left home, have good jobs and are single. Stella died several years earlier. In the beginning of the first book Ray took in another boy, 10-year-old Seth, who was abused by his mother Gloria. Gloria offered to give legal guardianship to Ray in return for a large sum of money. Before anything was official, Ray died in a car accident. Shortly before he died, he asked his three sons to move back home to take care of Seth. All three men promised they would. They decide to start a boat building business. In the first three books each of the three men meets and falls in love with a woman. The fourth book tells the story of Seth, who is grown, returns home and falls in love. The best parts of the first three books are watching the developing relationships among Seth and the three men and seeing Seth blossom. Each book has a minor amount of fantasy due to some conversations with a ghost. The four books, main characters, and my ratings are:
Sea Swept (Cameron and Anna) 4 stars
Rising Tides (Ethan and Grace) 3 stars
Inner Harbor (Phillip and Sybill) 3 stars
Chesapeake Blue (Seth and Dru) 2.5 stars

3 stars for INNER HARBOR (Book 3).

Story Brief:
Phillip's mother was a stripper and prostitute. Phillip survived by stealing, using drugs and sometimes selling himself. At age 13, he was shot in gang crossfire and nearly died. Ray and Stella discovered him in the hospital and took him home. Due to their love and environment, he changed and thrived. He is now a successful advertising executive in Baltimore. He dresses well, drinks fine wines and eats healthy. During his three-day weekends, he handles administrative details, legal issues and paperwork for the brothers' boat building business, as well as some of the sweaty carpentry work.

Dr. Sybill Griffin has made a career out of the study of urban life and has published two books. She has degrees in anthropology, sociology and psychology. She comes to Chesapeake Bay to observe and study small town life for her next book. However, the reader soon learns that she chose Chesapeake Bay because of Seth. She purposely meets the brothers and finds that Phillip is attracted to her. She begins a relationship with him in order to be closer to and learn about Seth. Gloria (Seth's mother) returns to the area. Gloria has a bigger role in this book than in the previous two books.

Reviewer's Opinion:
This was ok, but I couldn't get into the characters. They were good as supporting characters in the Seth story and for the series, but the story about their relationship wasn't as good as I'd hoped. They each were wounded in the past in different ways. Now they are smooth and polished. I didn't see how they grew to love each other. They were sort of thrown together, and then they have sex because they are physically attracted to each other. The value of this book is learning about Gloria and seeing some of her actions. It finishes some of the unresolved issues from the first two books. So it's worthwhile in that way.

Data:
Story length: 238 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 7. Setting: current day Chesapeake Bay area and Baltimore, Maryland. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary romance with fantasy.


2.5 stars for CHESAPEAKE BLUE (Book 4).

Story Brief with Mild Spoilers:
Seth is now about 28. Gloria began contacting him when he was a teen, threatening to hurt his family. He secretly has been paying her money to stay away. He spent several years in Europe to get away from her. But when he became a famous painter, she followed him to Europe. Since he couldn't avoid her and since he missed his family, he moves back to Chesapeake Bay.

Dru is the only child of a wealthy family in Washington D.C. Her fiancé cheated on her, and she moved to Chesapeake Bay to open a flower shop. She bought a house and loves living alone, with no domestic help. She likes the small town environment. Seth sees her and immediately falls for her. He wants to paint her. She is reluctant. He rents the space above her flower shop for his art studio.

Reviewer's Opinion:
The primary weakness was the two main characters were not interesting enough. There was not enough relationship development. I also felt it was too quick for Seth to ask her to marry him. The best parts of the book were the camaraderie, teasing, and conversations among the Quinn family members. That was entertaining and well done.

The major conflict in this story was regarding Gloria, Seth's horrible mother. The Gloria problem was resolved in Book 3. So I was unhappy to see that the author had to weaken Seth's character in order to reactivate Gloria's bad guy role. I did not enjoy seeing Seth wimp out and pay her blackmail money over fourteen years without telling his family. They stood up to her and scared her off before. They would have done it again. I wasn't happy with this plot. I enjoyed the first book the most.

Data:
Story length: 240 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 7. Setting: current day Chesapeake Bay area and Washington D.C.. Copyright: 2002. Genre: contemporary romance with fantasy.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books, see my 4.5 star review of "Angels Fall" posted on 6-30-08.

Who doesn't love the fabulous, sexy, family-oriented Quinns? Hot as hell, a little dangerous, and still devoted to family. The only question is, where can I find Seth Quinn in flesh-and-blood. I love the new trade paper formats being used for reissues of Nora's trilogies--not only do I end up with more room on my shelves for future Nora books, but I can replace my old, well-loved mass markets without feeling guilty and reread the new editions to revisit my favorite Nora stories and characters. All hail Nora, goddess amongst romance authors!

The books arrived very quickly and were in great condition, great stories as usual by Nora Roberts. Thanks for making it easy for me to get them.