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A review by annmarie_in_november
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
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.