Within Maryland lies the beautiful town of St. Dennis, a
town Ellie Chapman has only heard of. Ellie, the only child of a successful
investment manager, had known only a life of privilege until her life takes a
turn when her father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from
investors in a massive Ponzi scheme.
Ellie loses her money, job, home and her fiancé who is found guilty
along with her father. Her life in pieces, Ellie has only one place to go, St.
Dennis.
Ellie arrives in St. Dennis with plans to leave as soon as
she can sell the house her late mother left her. With hopes of moving on with her life, Ellie
keeps her true identity a secret from the residents of St. Dennis. Unfortunately, Ellie’s luck hasn’t changed
and her only chance at a new beginning is a house in dire need of expensive
improvements. In addition, Ellie will be
the one who has to make most of the improvements, a task larger than life for a
former rich lady. Ellie soon becomes one with the hardware store, as she works
toward fixing the house on Bay View Road. Soon the charms of St. Dennis and
Cameron O’Conner begin to grow on Ellie, who’s not the only one with secrets.
Soon Ellie’s renovations become the beginning of rejuvenation as she learns
more about herself, her past and her future in St. Dennis.
Within this beautiful town of St. Dennis are gorgeous
houses, colorful characters, and a descriptive setting that’s sure to please
contemporary fiction readers. The novel
is full of romance, warmth, personality and characters that capture the reader’s
attention. Ellie is a character who’s
known one way of life and had complete trust in the one person who pulled her
life out from underneath her, leaving her with no one and nothing. Ellie is a character in survival mode; unsure
of where to go or what to do she turns to the only home she has, her mother’s
last gift to her, and the house on Bay View Road in the sleepy town of St.
Dennis. What begins as a place Ellie can’t
see herself staying in, ends as an awakening of the heart, mind and
spirit. Ellie finds a home unlike any
other she has known. It’s a beautiful story
to watch unfold as she finds her way and in-turn helps Cameron find his way as
well.
I love Mariah Stewart’s novels and always look forward to
more stories surrounding St. Dennis and its residents. The Long Way Home did not disappoint me in my
expectations. I highly suggest this book
and any other novel that you have not yet read in this series. They are novels
you won’t want to miss.
