Almost Home

Author: Mariah Stewart
ISBN: 978-0-345-52037-1
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Purchase Link: Almost Home
Source: TLC Book Tours

Synopsis:
When she was young, Steffie Wyler always knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: 1. Make ice cream. 2. Marry the coolest boy in town. 3. Live happily ever after. These days, Steffie is the proud owner of One Scoop or Two, a wildly popular ice cream parlor. But the cool guy left town right after high school, before they could scratch the surface of their mutual attraction to see what, if anything, lay beneath. Steffie’s made a great life for herself in St. Dennis, but true love has never come knocking.

Wade MacGregor left for college in Texas and remained there to start a successful business with his best friend, Robin Kennedy, but he’s always felt something was missing. Then life throws him a curveball: A third partner has robbed the company blind, and Robin has died—but not before entrusting Wade with a precious secret. Now back in St. Dennis, Wade’s determined to do whatever it takes to protect his friend’s legacy—and to figure out, once and for all, if the sparks that fly whenever he’s with Steffie are just temporary fireworks or the lights in the window leading him home.

Review:
The synopsis of this novel is perfect! It gives just enough information about the book without revealing the contents. This book has plenty of story lines to offer. I was pleasantly surprised with the number of characters and storylines going on around the main romance. Though the novel was fairly predictable, it was still enjoyable to read. I found myself drawn to the town, its people and their peculiarities.

The characters of Almost Home are a well developed group. Most are likeable, save a few minor annoyances. The personalities definitely play well into the town created by Mariah. The setting is magical. I would love to visit this town for vacation! It boasts a certain serenity and beauty along with enough hustle and bustle to keep a vacation enjoyable.

Almost Home is the third book in the Chesapeake Diaries. I purposely read this book out of order for your convenience. HA HA. I actually like to read books out of the series order, on occasion, for the purpose of review. This title is definitely a standalone book. Though I have the other two and will read them, they are not needed in order to understand or enjoy this book. I cannot tell you that you won’t enjoy this title more by reading it in order, but I can assure you that if you picked it up not knowing it was in a series you’d be fine.

Overall, I enjoyed the elements of this book. It had a good story even though it was predictable for the most part and didn’t take me by surprise. It had a wonderful setting with likable characters and a fairly steady pace. Though the romance had a low heat level, it was still an enjoyable and satisfying read. I would recommend this book.

Connect with Mariah Stewart:
Mariah's website: http://www.mariahstewart.com/
Mariah on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mariah-Stewart/106000742764985

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3.5 out of 5

Heat Level – 2

(few love making scenes – little to no detailed content or descriptions)