Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Long Way Home



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 fiancĂ© 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.