30. The Inn at Eagle Point by Sheryl Woods
Prompt: first book in a series you haven't read before
It's been years since Abby O'Brien Winters set foot in Chesapeake Shores. The Maryland town her father built has too many sad memories and Abby too few spare moments, thanks to her demanding Wall Street career, the crumbling of her marriage and energetic twin daughters. Then one panicked phone call from her youngest sister brings her racing back home to protect Jess's dream of renovating the charming Inn at Eagle Point.
But saving the inn from foreclosure means dealing not only with her own fractured family, but also with Trace Riley, the man Abby left ten years ago. Trace can be a roadblock to her plans...or proof that second chances happen in the most unexpected ways.
My Review:
I decided to start reading this series because of the TV show, Chesapeake Shores, on the Hallmark Channel. The show is based on this book series by Sherryl Woods.
When Jess O'Brien runs into trouble trying to renovate the Inn at Eagle Point, her sister Abby comes to the rescue by returning back home. Abby is in for more than she realizes as she not only has to deal with problems at the inn and her dysfunctional family, but an old flame as well. When Abby left or essentially walked out on Trace years before, she never expected that he would be the one who can destroy Jess's plans (and Abby's measures to rescue the inn) to revitalize the inn. Will the inn be saved? Will Jess mess up yet again? Will Trace and Abby get back together?
All these questions will be answered. I appreciated the backstory as it helped to explain why the O'Brien family was the way it was: dysfunctional and kind of broken. While I did say that, I want to take the time to point out that no family is perfect. Every family has its secrets or things that you necessarily don't want everyone to know about. Abby's mom left the family when Abby was around 11 if I remember correctly. As the oldest of five, Abby took on the role of mother and nurturer to her younger siblings. This is especially true as their father travelled for work a lot and they were left in the hands of their grandmother. Jess, as the youngest, was and has been known as the wild child who doesn't seem to take things seriously and has made lots of mistakes. In the midst of it all, Jess only wanted love, respect, and acceptance of her father. Her father had a tendency to only look at her faults and mistakes and not pay attention to her good qualities; she did/does have a good heart, but just struggled with the family's situation.
While the story was good in itself, I liked the supporting characters better than the three main characters of Abby, Jess, and Trace. All three managed to annoy me at times. I really enjoyed Trace's interactions with Abby's twins. My favorite person throughout the entire book was Nell, Abby's grandmother. Nell was the one who everyone could talk to and she would hold no judgment. She offered her advice, explained things in a calming and different way, but wasn't afraid to give some tough love at times either. Nell is a role model type of character and held the family together, even if members didn't speak to each other or whatever type of situation was going on.
I found myself comparing this to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, which also became a TV series for three seasons on Hallmark. Both of these series' are about similar things, but they do differ a bit. And when it comes down to it, I enjoyed Cedar Cove better. There was a better connection to the characters and the story just flowed better. With the first book of the Chesapeake Shores series, I couldn't get through it as easily, as it did drag a little. It was harder to pay attention to the characters, as some weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. I do plan to continuing the Chesapeake Shores series, though, as this book was still good; it was just a little underwhelming compared to Cedar Cove.
~Meg~
While the story was good in itself, I liked the supporting characters better than the three main characters of Abby, Jess, and Trace. All three managed to annoy me at times. I really enjoyed Trace's interactions with Abby's twins. My favorite person throughout the entire book was Nell, Abby's grandmother. Nell was the one who everyone could talk to and she would hold no judgment. She offered her advice, explained things in a calming and different way, but wasn't afraid to give some tough love at times either. Nell is a role model type of character and held the family together, even if members didn't speak to each other or whatever type of situation was going on.
I found myself comparing this to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, which also became a TV series for three seasons on Hallmark. Both of these series' are about similar things, but they do differ a bit. And when it comes down to it, I enjoyed Cedar Cove better. There was a better connection to the characters and the story just flowed better. With the first book of the Chesapeake Shores series, I couldn't get through it as easily, as it did drag a little. It was harder to pay attention to the characters, as some weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. I do plan to continuing the Chesapeake Shores series, though, as this book was still good; it was just a little underwhelming compared to Cedar Cove.
~Meg~
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