Chesapeake Blue: The Chesapeake Bay Saga #4 [Mass Market Paperback]

Okay, so Roberts doesn't know Chesapeake country as well as people seem to think--no, you CAN'T sail in a fifteen-foot skiff from Tangier Sound to the Little Choptank before lunchtime, and if Ethan's really a waterman he'd know you haul up your heavy stuff with winches, not wenches. Okay, so the real reason the Brothers Quinn all have to be self-employed is because the lower Shore's economically depressed. So the Quinn family, despite its tormented background, is just a little too perfect: what, NO learning disabilities, sexual dysfunctions, drug problems, power struggles, school cutbacks, or marital struggles for dominance? Everybody survives those heinous childhoods without any therapy at all and comes out more mentally healthy than anyone has a right to be? (Incidentally, that's why we probably won't get Aubrey's story; as the eldest of the first generation of Non-Conflicted Quinns, she has no childhood betrayals to overcome.) And who took care of all those kids anyway while Anna was working long hours in Princess Anne and Cam was at the boatyard? Even Grace might blanch at the prospect of nursemaiding seven kids.

These are all genuine flaws in the books, including Chesapeake Blue, but as an exilt from Chesapeake and extended family alike, I'm eerily forgiving of this series. Imagination and memory fill in the gaps: if Roberts implies that Phillip (my fave--pity he has no speaking part in this novel) drives off the Bay Bridge into pristine salt marsh, ignoring the development that's scarring the Shore from Cecil to Accomac, I just shake my head and sniffle onwards. I still love this series as much as it's possible for me to love formula romance.

The bottom line? Family plus location, location, location. The sex is pedestrian (I mean, COULD the orgasm be described in nonviolent terms a bit more often?), the romance plot predictably predictable, but the idealized family and the idealized Shore together are a sentimental powerhouse, at least for readers like me.

I thought it would be hard to pick a favorite book from an author with such an impressive backlist. But after reading this book it was actually very easy. This book is just an absolute joy to read. Seth is sweet, charming, sensitive and doesn't suffer from the emotional constipation that so many romance heroes seem to be afflicted with. What I mean is that Seth is open about his felings for Dru from the start and readily admits his love for her and that is indeed a rare treat for me. On the other hand, Dru was a little harder to like at first and this is a problem I have with many of Roberts heroines. In my opinion they tend to come across as too self contained and aloof and at the beginning of the book Dru seemed to exhibit those annoying qualities. However, as the story progresses Dru slowly sheds the icy facade layer by layer and little by little the reader discovers the reasons for her coolness towards Seth and by the end it is a delight to see her transformation into a warm and loving woman. So, in the end I loved Dru as much as Seth. Finally, what I loved even more that Seth and Dru's perfect love was revisiting the awesome, larger than life Quinn family. Roberts has such a rare gift for realistically portraying the intricate dynamics of family and male bonding and as a result she makes her characters come alive and seem so real to the reader.The scenes with the Quinn family and the interactions between Seth and his brothers are priceless.I had absolutely no quibbles with this book at all so I consider this book a perfect read in every way. In case there's any doubt I highly recommend Chesapeake Blue and while I think the book is stand alone I strongly suggest reading the first three books (Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor) in order to appreciate the perfection that is this book. :0)