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For four of the best summers of his young life, Luke Harris was in love with Sydney Donovan, a wealthy seasonal visitor to Gansett Island. Then Sydney went off to college and never came back. She married another man and had two children while Luke remained on the island, working at McCarthy's Gansett Marina and wondering what had gone wrong between him and the only woman he ever loved. Fifteen months after Sydney suffers the tragic loss of her husband and children, she's returned to Gansett to figure out what's next, and that may very well be a rekindled love affair with the one man from her past she’s never forgotten. But is she ready for a second chance at love?
He was an upstanding, hard-working young man, but he had not wealth nor was he considered "upper crust." Therefore, the Donovans didn't consider him good enough for their daughter Sydney. In spite of the fact that Luke loved Sydney with a mature and life-long love, she left and never returned until after her family had all been killed in a terrible auto accident and she was truly alone. Now she has returned to Gansett Island with the hope of finding some peace and some relief from her bone-crushing grief and loss. Every night, under the cover of darkness, Luke would quietly come up onto the back section of the Donovan property and silently watch over Sydney, not stalking are planning anything harmful to her. He didn't even hold out any hope for the future with her. He just simply loved her still and needed to be sure she was OK.
This is a story that will indeed pull at your heart strings. Third in the "McCarthys of Gansett Island" series, this is probably the best story so far for a number of reasons. First, it is very emotional and full of pathos--Sydney's sense of loss is at times overwhelming. Luke's deep sadness over the loss of their love affair years earlier has marked him making him even more shy and quiet. Second, as with many series, this book also continues the stories of couples from the first two books as well as the experiences of other full time residents of the island. It continues to be filled with that warmth and togetherness that pervades the other books and which forms the foundation for the relationships that make this such a wonderful place to live. Marie Force has such a compelling style of writing that readers will most accutely feel Sydney's struggles as she wants to move forward yet must deal with that sense of "betraying" or "cheating" on her dead husband as she allows her old love for Luke to resurface. Also, there is the still present sense by Sydney's parents that Luke isn't quite good enough for her and she must make some decisions about who is in control in her life and of her future.
I like series because I like to get deeper into the experiences of the characters, to journey with them into the future, to read about where their lives have gone and how their relationships have played out. Those qualities are very much present in this series and are more evident here than in the preceding novels. Obviously, as the series continues there is that build-up of information about the characters that keep on making their appearances. But there is something very special about Luke and Sydney's story, a kind of love affair that brings on that peculiar version of "warm fuzzies" I feel when a couple seem to fit to an extraordinary degree.
If you like the family-oriented love story mixed in with some spice and set in a delightful island community, you'll love this novel and those that came before it. It is really a joy to read and this author is one that is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5.
Joe Cantrell, owner of the Gansett Island Ferry Company, has been in love with Janey McCarthy for as long as he can remember. At the same time, Janey has been dating or engaged to doctor-in-training David Lawrence. When things go horribly wrong between David and Janey, she calls her “fifth brother” Joe, one of the few people in her close circle who lives on the mainland. Janey decides a few days with Joe is just what she needs before she goes home to the island to face her parents and family with the news of her broken engagement. It was bad enough for Joe loving Janey from afar, but having her in his house is pure torture. Will he take advantage of this opportunity to show her what they could have together? And what will Joe’s best friend and Janey’s protective older brother Mac have to say about it?
Second in the "McCarthys of Gansett Island" series, this novel tells the story of the youngest McCarthy sibling, the "baby sister" and the young woman who has been patiently and systematically building her life and future around the hopes and dreams and plans of her fiance, doctor-to-be David Lawrence. She is shocked, however, when she makes a surprise visit to her man--on the occasion of a special anniversary of their engagement--and finds that he is having an energetic romp with someone else in his apartment and subsequently tries to convince her that it was just a little "stress relief" for an overworked medical resident. Janey has to face the fact that the relationship has been over for a long time, that she has put her dreams on hold for David, and now she is at emotional loose ends. It is here that Joe Cantrell, close friend of her brothers--a fifth brother, if you will--and owner of the Gansett Island Ferry company steps in as "shoulder to cry on." Little does Janey realize that Joe has been in love with her for years, has just been nursing his broken heart as he sees her planning a life with her doctor.
This is a compelling love story that is complicated by the fact that Janey's view of Joe has always been one of deep friendship as a sort-of sibling to him. Now she begins to pick up on the sparks of his deep and long time love for her, sees Joe in a different light, and has to analyze her attachment to David, her own sense of deep disappointment over putting her own dreams on "hold" and how her future is going to play out. Add in the fact that Joe and her brothers have been close for years and you have the added stresses of working out how to deal with all those feelings.
Perhaps the deeper "story behind the story" here is that we often get involved in emotional entanglements that we think are one thing--romantic love leading to marriage--when in truth the relationship can't sustain that kind of longevity. In Janey's case she had taken so much for granted, the relationship had to bear the burden of long absences between her and David, and the deeply buried disappointments she carried inside of her over putting her future on hold in favor of David's plans. There are some surprises in this novel that keep the reader wondering what will happen next, but through it all runs the strands and bonds of deep family connection, this family's connection to the island itself, and the small but vibrant community of year round residents that make up Gansett Island. It's a compelling love story that is a stand alone novel, but reading book one will give the reader greater understanding of the dynamics that enrich and spice up this love story.
Released in mid-2011, this book is a wonderful piece of romance fiction and is worthy of being read and enjoyed. I hope you will give it a look. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Resort Hotel by Gansett’s “favorite son,” Mac McCarthy. He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long. When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son. He soon realizes his plans for a hit-and-run visit to the island are in serious jeopardy, and he just may be “maid” for love.
Author Marie Force is well know to romance suspense readers through her recent "Fatal . . ." series about a Washington, D.C. detective who fell in love with a United States senator. Such good stories and by the way . . . the fifth story in that series is due late in 2012.
Anyway, this particular novel is the first in an absolutely wonderful series about a fictional island off the Rhode Island coast that is patterned after Block Island. It's premier family is the McCarthy Family and all the stories are built around the experiences with members of that family or their close friends, all of whom are important to the life, commerce, and community sharing of Gansett Island. This first book is the story of oldest son Mac, a man who is a more than successful Florida resident, who has returned to the island due to his doctor's concern over recent panic attacks caused by high stress. It is during one of his sashays through the town that he steps off the curb without looking at oncoming traffic, and is mowed down by Maddie Chester, riding her bicycle to work as a maid at the McCarthy Hotel.
Maddie is a person who has been dubbed a "fallen woman" and has lived with years with a reputation as an "easy" woman every since high school. That she is now the mother of a baby out of wedlock has only cemented that reputation in the minds of most of Gansett Island's residents. But as Mac McCarthy picks himself up off the pavement, he realizes that Maddie is much more seriously injured and being a man of honor, declares that he is going to take care of her until she can return to her life. This is not a decision that is well received by Ms Chester at all, but that doesn't deter Mac. And thus, their relationship begins.Truth be told, Mac has been "knocked off his nine pins" by Maddie and as a man who has never been in love or who has ever believed in "love at first sight," he is completely overwhelmed by his response to this woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with him. And adding insult to injury, it appears that everything Mac tries to do for Maddie only makes people believe even worse about her.
This is a story about family and the bonds that manage to stretch and hold even when tested by life's most strident challenges. Mac's family have always believed Maddie's poor reputation the same as most of the island's residents. In fact, the head of housekeeping at McCarthy's Hotel has always given Maddie the worst rooms to clean and she has always done her job without complaint, knowing that nothing will change. Imagine the chagrin of Mac's mother, owner of the hotel as well as the chagrin of the head of housekeeping when Mac himself shows up to cover Maddie's shift and discovers the crap they have been shoveling at her.
This is also about a very honorable man who falls in love and allows nothing to defame the name and reputation of his lady love. He is a man who also falls in love with her infant son, becomes a babysitter extraordinaire, manages to finally convince others in the community through some creative planning that Maddie has been unjustly labeled. Watching this part of the story unfold is especially heart-warming.
This is indeed a beautiful love story and Ms Force writes about these characters with great skill and sensitivity. We all know people like Mac and Maddie and we "recognize" others in this community--some really fine and some not so fine. We are introduced to Maddie's sister and some of her friends who are quietly supporting her with their friendship even though the majority of people believe the worst. We meet Mac's family, his brothers and sister, and you will most probably come to adore Mac's dad who is known as Big Mac and whose open heart and accepting spirit have set the tone for all the people in his family and that of those with whom he works.
This is a wonderful novel that was released in April, 2011, and I was hooked from the first. I promptly bought every single book in the series and am waiting impatiently for the next book to come out in the Fall, 2012. Each book continues the story of several individuals and couples in addition to those whose love story is being highlighted. It is one of those novels that latches on to the imagination in such a way that the reader wants to experience the life of this island community first hand. Once you read this first novel, you will know why it has achieved such acclaim and is such a favorite. And best of all, right now it is a freebie at Amazon.com.
I think you will really be glad you put this one on your eReader. I give it a rating of 4.25 out of 5.
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