Customer Reviews

Safe Harbor

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

 

 

On Martha's Vineyard, accompanied by the beautiful Eden Walker, Eric Anderson sails away, leaving behind a distraught wife and two adult children. At about the same time, Sam Steadman's parents inform him that his estranged wife Eden has vanished after they gave her a valuable sixteenth century Durer engraving. Sam vows to regain what he believes was stolen from his naive parents. He traces Eden to the Anderson home where he meets Holly. Sam hides the truth from Holly, but tries to enlist her help.

When blood is found all over the Anderson yacht and Eden is missing, the police suspect Eric is a killer. However, Eden reappears and tries to get Sam to intercede with two vicious individuals chasing after her. Meanwhile, Sam and Holly fall in love. However, he knows that when she learns who he really is, their relationship could end. Holly still hurts from her father's betrayal and trust is critical to her.

Romance readers have quickly discovered how entertaining an Antoinette Stockenberg novel is as her books become KEEPSAKEs requiring A CHARMED PLACE to be kept. Her latest tale, SAFE HARBOR is a captivating contemporary romantic intrigue that centers on dysfunctional relationships. The story line is fun because the charcaters appear so real. Ms. Stockenberg has written another triumph that will thrill sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

Once again Stockenberg has produced an entertaining and suspenseful narrative. The conflict and secrets between Holly Anderson and Sam Steadman lend themselves to another absorbing story from the pen of this author. How the pitfalls are resolved make for an interesting tale. Those who have been to Martha's Vineyard where the scene is laid will easily be transported back to the island via the descriptive prose. A good summer read! Can't wait for her next book!

Holly is a local artist in Martha's vineyard. Her father has just left her mom for another woman. A woman half his age and her ex-tenant in her loft apartment. Enter Sam Steadman, a man on a mission. He too wants the woman Eden that stole Holly's father's heart. Follow me so far? Eden is his wife and she has something that doesn't belong to her and he wants it back. Together Holly and Sam search for Eden for different reasons. During their search can they help that they fall for each other. Book starts pretty slow but picks up towards the middle. Enjoy

When Sam Steadman, who has a secret he isn't about to share, rents (okay, borrows) an apartment from Holly, he takes a look at the contents of the bookshelves right off the bat. They are mostly women's fiction, Holly tells him. And Sam says, "Ah, yes. Relationships -- the kind of story where nothing happens."

Holly begs to differ. So would her mother. So, in truth would flippant Sam. And so would I -- esepcially in an Antoinette Stockenberg book. Relationships are the life's blood of Safe Harbor. Sam's relationship with his con-woman estranged wife, his relationship with his parents, Holly's relationship with her parents, her parents' relationship with each other and, of course, ultimately Sam and Holly's own relationship -- all of these and more are grist for the mill.

Holly is an artist, single and hopeful, but wary, too. As the book begins, she's hit between the eyes by the sudden breakdown of her parents' marriage which she'd always considered 'rock solid.' Sam is a man with a lot of baggage, most of it heavy and little of it easy to share. He's made the best of a hard life -- but it hasn't been easy and he's made some bad choices. The worst was marrying Eden who seems to wreak havoc wherever she goes.

How Sam and Holly deal with Eden's latest havoc-wreaking adventure makes them both allies and adversaries. It challenges them to discover hope and truth and, one dares hope, each other.

It's a relationship book. A lot happens, no matter what Sam says. And sometimes Safe Harbor doesn't seem safe at all. Antoinette Stockenberg understands the human condition, the trials and temptations, the complexities and compromises, the joys and sorrows. I loved Safe Harbor. I'm off to re-read Emily's Ghost. It's always worth spending time with one of Stockenberg's books.

I picked up this book as I was headed on vacation to Martha's Vineyard. I chose it because the setting of the book was Martha's Vineyard, which I thought appropriate. I like to read books of the island, because it is so easy to assimilate the setting. However, I found the book to be filled with just the right amount of intrigued and suspense, filled with turmoil and tempestuous feelings and attractions, that it kept the book alive and moving. I could feel the anquish of the woman whose husband left her for the conniving younger woman...especially as she destroys everything he treasured that he had left behind. You can feel for the daughter who feels betrayed by her father, but torn apart by her mother, and used by her sister who relies on her to handle it all. I felt like hitting the father over the head for the sap that he was, and shaking the potential lover the his stupid lies. Overall, a nice book, set in a wonderful place!

On Martha's Vineyard, accompanied by the beautiful Eden Walker, Eric Anderson sails away, leaving behind a distraught wife and two adult children. At about the same time, Sam Steadman's parents inform him that his estranged wife Eden has vanished after they gave her a valuable sixteenth century Durer engraving. Sam vows to regain what he believes was stolen from his naive parents. He traces Eden to the Anderson home where he meets Holly. Sam hides the truth from Holly, but tries to enlist her help.

When blood is found all over the Anderson yacht and Eden is missing, the police suspect Eric is a killer. However, Eden reappears and tries to get Sam to intercede with two vicious individuals chasing after her. Meanwhile, Sam and Holly fall in love. However, he knows that when she learns who he really is, their relationship could end. Holly still hurts from her father's betrayal and trust is critical to her.

Romance readers have quickly discovered how entertaining an Antoinette Stockenberg novel is as her books become KEEPSAKEs requiring A CHARMED PLACE to be kept. Her latest tale, SAFE HARBOR is a captivating contemporary romantic intrigue that centers on dysfunctional relationships. The story line is fun because the charcaters appear so real. Ms. Stockenberg has written another triumph that will thrill sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

Holly and Sam meet in Martha's Vineyard where Holly is an artist and a resident. Sam is searching for his ex-wife, Eden. Eden has taken an object of value from Sam's parents. Holly would like to find Eden also. Sadly, Eden has taken Holly's father. And life for Holly's mother, her sister, and herself has been thrown into turmoil. Sam keeps his identity hidden from Holly. And, for a while, he witholds himself from her completely. Holly pursues Sam, in spite of misgivings. And the relationship eventually progresses into a romance. The characterizations of both Holly and Sam, were very complete. However, I found the romance itself, lacking. Sam is almost rude to Holly; and, I couldn't see where their eventual feelings for each other, came from. The love scenes themselves, were more warm, rather than hot.

The main reason I would not give SAFE HARBOR a better rating is due to my own expectations (right or wrong). I wanted to get to know the "bad girl Eden" a little better. Unfortunately, she only makes a couple appearances. Also, I was looking for more confrontations between characters like Eden, Holly's parents, Sam and Holly etc. Instead, I read about Holly's sister, her sister's children, and her sister's bad marriage. The book had little good to say about any marriage, of any of the main characters.

Locale made this book a good read. Also, I enjoyed Ms. Stockenberg's writing. It's very easy to turn the pages of this book. Maybe not quite 4 stars--but, certainly better than 3.