A review by daybreak1012
Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods

4.25

When I need a lovely little place to visit within the pages of a book, Chesapeake Shores does not disappoint. This series knows what it is and it delivers to that expectation. 

What I liked about Driftwood Cottage:
The whole cast of characters - Someone (or some couple) is always the obvious center of the current plot, but you still get to hang out with the whole family. They're a humorous group, pushy and opinionated and meddling, all with the best intentions. While there are individual characters, "the O'Briens as a whole" is really a character all its own.
I love a charming setting - There is zero doubt that Chesapeake Shores is a charmer. This is the sort of setting that always wins me over. If a town is small and has character and community, you can wager with very little risk that I will fall in love with it. At least in theory, if I could pick anywhere on earth to live, it would be a charming small town.
Sherryl Woods writes books that are comfortable to read - This isn't a work of literature, but it's engaging, easy to get into, easy to read. I walk away feeling like I got a good story that didn't place excess demands on my mental bandwidth. I cared to see how it turned out, but I didn't have to work hard to get there.
Predictable plot - Listen, there is no reason this should be part of this section of my review format. I get that. But this is the sort of predictability that I appreciate. If you're five books into a series that stays true to what it's been from the start, then you know it's going to be predictable, you just don't know exactly what path you'll take to get there. There is something comfortable about this sort of storytelling, where you can just settle in and see how you get to the destination you fully expect to reach. The key to executing this is to not drag the pace, and Ms Woods does not.
My flavor of romance - I tend to wrinkle my nose at straight-up romance. The romantic pursuit can't be in the driver's seat. I require some depth: something else happening to keep the romance from taking centerstage, some character development, some relationship growth outside the romantic plotline, some humor. Give me more to focus on and I can cheer on the romance too.  

What left me conflicted:
The Thomas storyline - Without any spoilers, I will just say that maybe I shouldn't be bothered by the direction his story went, but for some reason it is currently sitting "weirdly" with me. We'll see.
Heather - I kinda vascillated between being sympathetic to Heather's misgivings and wanting to smack her upside the head. I realize that without her waffling, we don't have a point of conflict upon which to pivot the plot tension. As the section indicates: I am conflicted.

Worth noting:
Mostly clean - There is absolutely zero coarse language. There are some bedroom references but they are kept pretty tame and are not explicit. This is NOT a bodice-ripper by any means. Proceed as fits your personal value system on that front.

If you're looking for a sweet books that's easy on the emotions and easy on the brain, some romance, some family escapades, some personal growth, this is a series you can reach for. But start with the first book and work forward, otherwise you're setting yourself up for spoilers on anything that came before it.