Book Review-Risng Tides

Rising Tides
Chesepeake Bay (2)
Nora Roberts
Jove,
330 Pages
Published August 1998
Contemporary Romance
ISBN0-515-12317-X

Synopsis
Nora Roberts presents the second novel in a dramatic trilogy of three men who return home to honor their father's last wish. Of the three brothers, it was Ethan who shared his father's passion for the Maryland shore. And now with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life.

My Review:
Rising Tides is the second installment in the Chesapeake Bay Saga, where we begin with Ethan's story. Ethan like his brothers came into the Quinn family with a difficult past that with the help of Ray and Stella Quinn was able to overcome and make a good life out of himself. Ethan has always had a secret desire for one woman, that has held his heart for many years, Grace. Grace, having to bear the responsibility of being a single mother to her beloved daughter, whom she sacrifces much for. Having been divorced, and enstranged from her father, times are tough on grace and wearing her thin. When she goes to work as a house cleaner for the Quinns, she is faced frequently with Ethan, whom she has always been strongly attracted to ever since she was young. As she struggles with trying to raise her daughter on her own, and stay independent, things heat up between Grace and the middle Quinn brother. As these two souls come together, and find a precious love they never expected to find, they also find a child, Seth, who needs love and guidance as Ethan bonds with him and finds that he and Seth have more in common than either of them realize, that will make them stronger to face a danger on the horizon, that could disrupt the fragile trust that Seth has built up on the Chesepeake Bay.

I just loved Ethan and Grace's story, in Rising Tides, we see a romance blossom (finally) between Grace and Ethan whom both are lost in their own way, but find it in each others love. Grace, although circumstances should have left her broken, only have given her a inner strength, to raise her daughter on her own financially and emotionally. When things start to heat up between her and Ethan, she discovers that she has loved him much longer than she ever realized. She yearns to make him see that their love that they have found, will only strengthen them not destroy them. Ethan, having a difficult time in overcoming his past, realizes that he has fallen in love with Grace, but knows that he can never marry her and give her what she deserves. He doesn't want his past to taint her and her future, but he will find that she will meet him with full on stubborness and fight like hell to give him hope and trust in their love to overcome any challenge no matter the difficulty involved. This was definitely a great book, and I loved it just as much as the first one. I admired both of these characters, they both have experienced pain and suffering, but they also find a way to rise above it. As we see a love grow between them, I found myself on their side, hoping that both of them would see reason, and learn to trust in their feelings for each other, which give them a strength they never expected to find within themselves. I also loved the bond that grows between them and the boy who has come into their home, who needs healing and laughter and love more than anything. I could see how much Seth grows just from these two books so far. It was truly a delightful adventure to discover in this saga.

My Grade On This Book
4.5 Blossoms

Other Books In The Series
Sea Swept
Inner Harbor
Chesepeake Blue