A Connecticut beach forever promising summer,
a place where I find endless stories in the sand and in the sweet salt water.
During two August weeks, denim designer Maris Carrington and coastal architect Jason Barlow prepare for their much-anticipated wedding. Guests arrive early, turning keys in charming cottage doors to begin their New England summer escape. The wedding is a reason for old friends to gather again; to meet in their shabby beach hangout and get the jukebox cranking; to walk that weathered boardwalk beneath a starry sky; to breathe the sweet salt air. "Cures what ails you," one of the friends, Neil, always said long before his life was sadly claimed. But his legacy was not.When Maris discovers Neil's long-lost journal, its passages reveal a heartbreaking secret. Can truths be found within its timeworn pages? Can this leather-bound journal unite the friends as their lives begin to fray? A bittersweet family reunion, a surprising encounter from a devastating accident, a shocking confession leaving one marriage shattered--all will test the once close-knit circle. Suddenly this safe haven on the tranquil Connecticut shoreline churns with emotional turmoil, threatening even the beach wedding just days before it is to happen.
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Joanne DeMaio is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I discovered her writing a few months back and have been trying to read everything she's written. Originally I saw one of her book covers and there was something about it that just spoke to my heart, but that was nothing compared to how it touched me. She writes stories about friendship, community, love, romance and sweet memories.
Meet Joanne:
Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea.
Joanne's novels include the New York Times Bestseller Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans; Whole Latte Life, a Kirkus Reviews Critics' Pick; Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes, a USA Today Bestseller; True Blend; The Denim Blue Sea; and Snow Deer and Cocoa Cheer. Her latest books are Beach Blues and Wishing on Snowflakes, a wintry keepsake collection.
Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut and is currently at work on her next novel, due out in 2017.
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Life's momentarily pauses in their brief seaward gazes, as though this forms the core of it. All else springs from this connection.
Stony Point, Connecticut
My Thoughts:
I loved this story!!
The author sweeps us back to the fictional town of Stony Point, CT. where once again I could feel the breeze, the warm sunshine on my face, smell the sweet salt air, feel the sand and ocean on my feet. I felt like I was reunited with old friends at the beach.
Maris, Jason, Eva, Matt, Lauren and Kyle are beach friends from their younger days. At present Maris has returned from being away for 14 years. It was almost like they has never parted. Maris and Jason have recently gotten engaged and are planning their upcoming wedding. Kyle bought a local dinner and keeps busy with running it. Lauren is still dabbling in producing art pieces while being a full time mom and homemaker. Eva is still selling real estate and her husband Matt works as a state policeman.
As the story opens we find Maris beyond stressed at trying to keep tract of everything that's going on, her upcoming wedding and the design of her new line of denim. Jason is trying to help with the wedding preparations while looking for new inspiration for his designs. Suddenly life hits them in the face. Maris is upset with a new project Jason is taking on, Jason is still plagued with memories of the accident that took his brother Neil from him. Kyle thinks his marriage is on the right tract with Lauren until he overhears her telling a secret she has been keeping from him.
The author's ability to weave words together is amazing. I was immediately drawn into this drama and couldn't put the book down. The characters and setting immediately come to life. The characters are easy to love. These engaging characters are complex and have real issues. The emotions displayed are both real and raw. I could feel both their fear and joy. There are twists and turns that no one expects. This story has elements of betrayal, love, forgiveness, sweet memories, romantic tension, and friendship.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a good romance or drama. I have to admit these stories of Stony Point are addicting to read. Every time I read one I want another.
**I received this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts or opinions are entirely my own.
Coming Soon.....
After a heartbreaking summer on the Connecticut shore, a group of beach friends is as adrift as an unmoored rowboat. When a dismayed Jason Barlow drives as far away from the sea as he can, leaving behind his wife, Maris, as well as their stately cottage on the bluff, that news hits like a sudden wave. Gathering over an intimate meal in a coastal diner, the friends make a solemn pact to lean on each other and not make any more rash decisions.Which is all well and good, until each friend wavers--testing relationships, commitments, and especially love in the little beach community of Stony Point. But can the magic of the weathered boardwalk, whispering lagoon grasses, and sweet salt air cure what ails them?
Expected publication: March 7th 2017 by Joanne DeMaio
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