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anonymous_blobfish's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Technically a re-read for me (although idk if I should count it as I was maybe 14 and I remembered next to nothing about it), this is the first in one of Roberts older series and it does show a bit. I’d probably rate this one more a 2.5-2.75 ⭐️ both for the dated language and the way the story just kinda ends. I found the characters as engaging as ever and the concept fun although I think she could do it better if she wrote it now. Still going to finally read the other books in this one as it was still enjoyable (as Roberts always is).
saj_81's review against another edition
2.0
I believe I've read this trilogy before, but I got a set of paperbacks from my mother so might as well read them.
Not my favourite thing by Roberts. I don't really care for Cameron, but constantly angry heroes aren't really my thing in general. The worst problem is that I keep thinking that Anna is really a pretty bad social worker. You can't just go around sleeping with a client's brother/father figure, no matter how sexy and angry he is. Poor Seth needs someone to make him a priority.
Not my favourite thing by Roberts. I don't really care for Cameron, but constantly angry heroes aren't really my thing in general. The worst problem is that I keep thinking that Anna is really a pretty bad social worker. You can't just go around sleeping with a client's brother/father figure, no matter how sexy and angry he is. Poor Seth needs someone to make him a priority.
33p3barpercent's review against another edition
3.0
This one's tough for me to review. I like Cam--a lot--on his own. He's flirty, charming, snarky, and flawed. Anna, however, I couldn't get a bead on. I know her background, and I know she's passionate about her job. But she read to me almost like a cardboard cut-out. So them together I couldn't buy. I wanted to. I really did. Also, them being together is a total conflict of interest, and I'm pretty sure she would have been fired or reassigned.
I've read a couple of Nora Roberts's books, and though I love her dialogue and most of her characters, there's just something missing in the mix. I don't know what it is either. But it's something that makes me read these books as light and frothy, and not in a beach-reads type of way. I read NR's books, and as soon as I finish them, I forget all about what happened in them.
Also, the ghost thing. Just... I understand this isn't hyperreality or anything, but... no. I can't condone that.
I miss epilogues, too. This one ended quite abruptly for me.
Bottom line? Fun, funny dialogue. Good characters, bit of a weak plot. Definitely setting up for the rest of a series.
I've read a couple of Nora Roberts's books, and though I love her dialogue and most of her characters, there's just something missing in the mix. I don't know what it is either. But it's something that makes me read these books as light and frothy, and not in a beach-reads type of way. I read NR's books, and as soon as I finish them, I forget all about what happened in them.
Also, the ghost thing. Just... I understand this isn't hyperreality or anything, but... no. I can't condone that.
I miss epilogues, too. This one ended quite abruptly for me.
Bottom line? Fun, funny dialogue. Good characters, bit of a weak plot. Definitely setting up for the rest of a series.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this and the developing relationships between the Quinn boys and Seth
estheria's review against another edition
2.0
I am very concerned for this couple.
Anna & Cam's romance was similarly hard to take seriously. It moved too fast, the chemistry was forced, and Anna's personality never jelled. She was different from scene to scene. I found the story of the Quinn family more compelling and believable, and the romance just obscured it. If a book is purporting to be a romance, the romance should be the best thing about it. This seems to be a pattern in Roberts's books -- interesting situations, unrealistic romances. I might try reading the second book of this series as I just finished another series of hers and found I liked the later books in that series better.
Spoiler
I don't think marriage is a good idea for them. I am also concerned that Anna's supervisor didn't intervene and/or fire her for messing around with the man aspiring to be her charge's guardian. The whole book long, I was waiting for Anna to get in trouble, but it was like Anna was operating in a universe where her job didn't even exist. Her job only came into play to introduce her to Cam and create tension between them. Anna could've had any occupation and the story would've been mostly the same. Roberts would've found some other way to create tension, and the setup (ANY setup) would've been more believable.Anna & Cam's romance was similarly hard to take seriously. It moved too fast, the chemistry was forced, and Anna's personality never jelled. She was different from scene to scene. I found the story of the Quinn family more compelling and believable, and the romance just obscured it. If a book is purporting to be a romance, the romance should be the best thing about it. This seems to be a pattern in Roberts's books -- interesting situations, unrealistic romances. I might try reading the second book of this series as I just finished another series of hers and found I liked the later books in that series better.
shippers1983's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
wickedplutoswickedreading's review against another edition
3.0
It was alright. I enjoyed the banter and the plot. However, the whole macho guy thing.......and the near constant commentary about laying women....yeah not so much.
meganmccamy's review
3.0
Fast read, the kind you read in one day. I genuinely like the story of brothers coming together to do right by their newest family member. I could do without the romance aspect of it though. I’ll read the other books in the series because I want to know what happens to the family.
annmarie_in_november's review against another edition
4.0
Just about 4 stars.
I’ve wanted to read Nora Roberts for years but never knew where to start – she's just so prolific, the sheer amount of choice seemed overwhelming. But I finally picked this series simply because the setting called to me – Chesapeake Bay. I completely see the quality and lure of NR’s capabilities and why she's so popular – she establishes characters and settings quickly with confident, clear prose. We’re dropped right into the story, feet on the ground, everything up and running.
Someone encouraging me to try NR said her books are cosy comfort reads, and I agree. I felt warmly enveloped by the coastal setting and the family unit of the four diverse, gruff, difficult brothers. I loved the main premise so much - three adult brothers discover their late adoptive father was in the process of adopting a fourth son - a 10-year-old boy named Seth. Cam, Ethan and Phillip all have their own dark childhoods, having suffered abuse and neglect before they were adopted. Despite how unprepared they are for parenthood, they feel it important that they complete the adoption of Seth and raise him as their dad would have.
The most enjoyable parts of this book were simply these family scenes - the domestic chaos as the three brothers become homemakers for the first time, their rough-and-tumble style of group parenting, their work together on their boat business which they loop Seth into to give him purpose and a feeling of belonging. It isn't overly saccharine either which I appreciated - these men are uncomfortable with emotion and Seth has lingering PTSD and nothing is solved easily, but I loved the messy, loving family life they create. It felt like sinking in a soapy TV drama more so than a book, chiefly due to NR's penchant for head-hopping. The point of view jumps frequently, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph, which I quite enjoyed in this context - getting into the thoughts and emotions of all the main characters, and not just the main hero/heroine, made the story feel more meaningful and wide-ranging.
The downside of this book for me was its main hero and the romance and I actually could've done with less of both, in this case, which is unusual for me. Cam is something of a stereotypical alpha male - unenlightened, domineering and presumptuous - and he falls in insta-lust with Anna, Seth's social worker (!!!) and pursues her right away, whether she likes it or not. Cam felt quite 70s/80s in tone to me. At times the romance felt like an old school battle of the sexes, with a hyper-gendered push-pull between the big possessive manly man and the headstrong woman who ends up having to bend to him. I also could've done without Cam's misogynistic cracks about women - people in real life absolutely make off-the-cuff remarks like these, sure - but hearing the hero make them about the heroine didn't exactly endear him to me.
All that said, Cam's fatherly relationship with Seth, Anna's wonderfully warm character, and the general family dynamic all made this an enjoyable read and I'd be happy to sink back into Chesapeake Bay and continue the series with Ethan's story.
I’ve wanted to read Nora Roberts for years but never knew where to start – she's just so prolific, the sheer amount of choice seemed overwhelming. But I finally picked this series simply because the setting called to me – Chesapeake Bay. I completely see the quality and lure of NR’s capabilities and why she's so popular – she establishes characters and settings quickly with confident, clear prose. We’re dropped right into the story, feet on the ground, everything up and running.
Someone encouraging me to try NR said her books are cosy comfort reads, and I agree. I felt warmly enveloped by the coastal setting and the family unit of the four diverse, gruff, difficult brothers. I loved the main premise so much - three adult brothers discover their late adoptive father was in the process of adopting a fourth son - a 10-year-old boy named Seth. Cam, Ethan and Phillip all have their own dark childhoods, having suffered abuse and neglect before they were adopted. Despite how unprepared they are for parenthood, they feel it important that they complete the adoption of Seth and raise him as their dad would have.
The most enjoyable parts of this book were simply these family scenes - the domestic chaos as the three brothers become homemakers for the first time, their rough-and-tumble style of group parenting, their work together on their boat business which they loop Seth into to give him purpose and a feeling of belonging. It isn't overly saccharine either which I appreciated - these men are uncomfortable with emotion and Seth has lingering PTSD and nothing is solved easily, but I loved the messy, loving family life they create. It felt like sinking in a soapy TV drama more so than a book, chiefly due to NR's penchant for head-hopping. The point of view jumps frequently, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph, which I quite enjoyed in this context - getting into the thoughts and emotions of all the main characters, and not just the main hero/heroine, made the story feel more meaningful and wide-ranging.
The downside of this book for me was its main hero and the romance and I actually could've done with less of both, in this case, which is unusual for me. Cam is something of a stereotypical alpha male - unenlightened, domineering and presumptuous - and he falls in insta-lust with Anna, Seth's social worker (!!!) and pursues her right away, whether she likes it or not. Cam felt quite 70s/80s in tone to me. At times the romance felt like an old school battle of the sexes, with a hyper-gendered push-pull between the big possessive manly man and the headstrong woman who ends up having to bend to him. I also could've done without Cam's misogynistic cracks about women - people in real life absolutely make off-the-cuff remarks like these, sure - but hearing the hero make them about the heroine didn't exactly endear him to me.
All that said, Cam's fatherly relationship with Seth, Anna's wonderfully warm character, and the general family dynamic all made this an enjoyable read and I'd be happy to sink back into Chesapeake Bay and continue the series with Ethan's story.