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Chesapeake Bay Saga #1-4
Nora Roberts' Chesapeake Bay Saga 1-4
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a collection including all four novels in her captivating saga about the lives and loves of four brothers on the windswept shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
SEA SWEPT
Cameron Quinn is coming home to say goodbye to the only father he ever loved. And he’ll have to put his fast-paced life on hold to care for the last lost boy Ray Quinn hoped to save…
RISING TIDES
Though not born to the tradition of a waterman, Ethan Quinn has embraced the life. But now, he must face his own dark past to accept not only who he is but what he hopes to become…
INNER HARBOR
As Phillip Quinn struggles to draw his new brother into his life, he must deal with a beautiful woman who has secrets that will affect them all—a woman who needs both his trust and his heart…
CHESAPEAKE BLUE
When world-renowned artist Seth Quinn returns to his home on Maryland’s eastern shore, he finds the woman of his dreams. But someone from his past is determined to destroy his newfound happiness…
Source: penguinrandomhouse.com
SEA SWEPT
Cameron Quinn is coming home to say goodbye to the only father he ever loved. And he’ll have to put his fast-paced life on hold to care for the last lost boy Ray Quinn hoped to save…
RISING TIDES
Though not born to the tradition of a waterman, Ethan Quinn has embraced the life. But now, he must face his own dark past to accept not only who he is but what he hopes to become…
INNER HARBOR
As Phillip Quinn struggles to draw his new brother into his life, he must deal with a beautiful woman who has secrets that will affect them all—a woman who needs both his trust and his heart…
CHESAPEAKE BLUE
When world-renowned artist Seth Quinn returns to his home on Maryland’s eastern shore, he finds the woman of his dreams. But someone from his past is determined to destroy his newfound happiness…
Source: penguinrandomhouse.com
1486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2002
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,765 books55k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
January 12, 2008
Taken separately, these are awesome stories- but together, it is impossible not to get down on my knees and worship Nora Roberts for this quartet. Has anyone read this series and NOT fallen crazy in love with the Quinn men? They would have to be made of stone, because these characters are designed to make a girl swoon, each and every one of them. Find a friend who has read the series and you'll spend a delicious hour debating which brother you'd pick and why and oh! how it would all shake out there in the Chesapeake. Of all the literary worlds I've visited, this is one that I love dearly, for the mix of love, laughter, passion, family, scenery and sheer escape. Thanks Nora, for rocking this boat of mine ;)
September 26, 2010
Yes, this book is romantic chick lit with lots of toe-curling sex, BUT it is actually a really engaging story. As someone from a big family, I love the dynamic between all of the Quinn brothers and their respective women. Nora Roberts does a great job introducing you to all the characters and making you care about all of them.
July 6, 2023
Reading these books has made me beyond homesick. My family settled the Eastern Shore of Maryland when they started immigrating to the colonies in the 1600's. The descriptions in these pages, of the Bay, the marshes, watermen, the blue crabs, etc., just took me straight back to my birthplace. So glad my Aunt kept urging me to read them. I probably rated them higher than I would otherwise because of sentimentality.
As far as the 4 books go, the first book 'Sea Swept' was my favorite. Loved both Cam & Anna. But it's truly a heartwarming saga about family.
As far as the 4 books go, the first book 'Sea Swept' was my favorite. Loved both Cam & Anna. But it's truly a heartwarming saga about family.
January 27, 2011
i loved this series. it was just really well written. i feel like her characters always have some kind of challenge they're trying to overcome, but the characters of this series had much darker pasts. It was, dare i say this about a romance novel, a little heavy (just their pasts, not the books).
March 22, 2020
I loved these 4 books - love, family and values.
February 15, 2013
Before the reread I had thought that this was one of the series where NR did not have anything supernatural, but I had forgotten that Ray shows up to talk to each of his boys. I do think it could be just general grief hallucinations, if you wanted to read it that way, because he doesn't give any information to advance the plot, he basically shows up to tell his boys he's proud of them and they should stick together.
Sea Swept (trigger warning for rape, not by the hero)
On the surface of it Cam is an alpha male super athlete, whatever thrilling sport he touches, he takes part in international competitions and wins them - free climbing, car racing and most of all sailing.
But this series is in some ways a departure from Roberts usual format as a) none of the brothers are physically related b) all come from a personal history of abuse and were fostered and then adopted by Stella and Ray Quinn (I quite liked the nod at "Mighty Quinn" here), as Stella can't have children. She's a pediatrician which comes in handy.
Cam's story of abuse was physical beating by his father, he had taken to a life of crime in response and had finally run away for good.
The setting is a small port town in Maryland (NR lives in Maryland), mostly dependent on the fishing and tourism, but seems to have a college, as Ray Quinn is a college professor.
At the start of the plot Stella has been dead for seven years from cancer, but Ray Quinn has had a car accident (he's in his sixties but very hale and hearty) and there's a new boy, ten-year-old Seth, which he has taken in. When Ray doesn't survive, Cam and his brothers swear they will take of Seth for Ray.
So there's not just this macho guy who decided to live life in the fast lane having to return to the place he loved, without the two people who gave him that place, but also the fact that throughout the series the men have to deal with their grief and an undercurrent plot of who Seth is to Ray and the fact that the insurance company is casting doubt whether the car accident was an accident at all.
It's NR doing as outwardly problematic a plot in her contemporary romance as I've ever seen. The interaction between the men and ten-year-old Seth read very believable, but for a romance you need a foil and we have Anna Spinelli, the incredibly dedicated, incredible looker of an Italian social worker who was assigned the case.
The fact that she's a social worker already brings a lot of underpinning for problems when she and Cam decide on their mutual fling because of serious sexual sparks. The fact that she also has the temperament of an Italian (I loved the fact she could keep it in check until appropriate reason was given to cut lose) makes for some hot and heavy breathing fast, which is how Cam prefers it.
But a real highlight is the twist that Anna serves Cam when he gets defensive about her recommendations for both Seth and him, she tells him how she lost her mother. Having read this part shortly after this thought provoking essay on the depiction of rape in romance, I believe NR does everything right: she shows that there was no reason for the rape, except for the opportunity of a car broken down on a country road. There was no justice for the victims (also statistically very true), there were emotional scars that took decades to work out, and Anna lost her mother because she fought to keep the men from raping her daughter, too.
Anna became one of the victims who blame themselves (she was twelve) and so became promiscuous, acting out against her grandparents. Only patience, love from them and a good social worker managed to get her through this - and that is why she became one herself. I was also able to believe that she had taken back her sexuality healthily to that extent that she doesn't mind fast play or restraint from Cam (who does ask for permission), but finds it a turn-on with him. However, I'm not a survivor of rape, so YMMV.
When Anna and Cam meet, both their traumatic abuse is decades in the past, but Cam has never needed to grow up completely, he fled Stella's death into the fast life in Europe. So when he falls both for Seth (not in a creepy way ;P - it's a NR book!) as a cool kid and not just a burden put on him by his father, and Anna, he can't adjust fast enough - and manages to lie to her.
Anna, who is no idiot, kicks him to the curb and goes home for a bit to lick her wounds, ever mindful she knew he wasn't family material and thought they were having a fling.
Where the story lets me down somewhat is that while Cam has to grovel a bit to get Anna to take him back (she does magnificent throwing of objects ^^), but he is pleased to see that she WAS hurt, because he correctly realizes that she would only be hurt if she already loved him. I think he got taken back far too easy - mostly because the book ran out of space.
Addendum: I think this was the series where her repetition/variation of emotional/sexual action passages during sex in triplicate really went into overdrive (and became noticeable), I'm glad she's cutting down on that these days.
Rising Tides (trigger warning for childhood rape of the hero)
I think this is my favourite of the original trilogy. I really seem to like the love stories where the heroine is the quiet, content, competent type (maybe because she is so totally unlike me and I don't start thinking "I'd never do that" or "she should do that"? I wonder). It's an interesting pairing because the hero is ALSO the quiet, thoughtful type - and both of them have a spine of steel.
Grace has always loved Ethan, but she's 8 years younger than him. She used to be the cherished only daughter of her strong-willed father and home-making mother (whose way of dealing with her daughter reminds me a lot of my impression of how mine dealt with me). I admire the fact that when her dreams for her life (Ethan not showing any interest to her, she decided she at least wanted to fulfil her dream of dancing professionally) didn't suit her parents and they refused to support her in them financially, she used her strong will to start working hard at labour-intensive jobs and save for her dream. And then a weak-willed guy sweet-talked her into bed, she got pregnant, they got married and shortly before her daughter's birth he panicked and ran off.
I doubly admire the way that Grace embraced her love for her daughter Aubrey and decided to work her best to give Aubrey the best she could. I totally understand her refusal to ask her father for help after he had cut her out of his life because he had been disappointed in her choice of careers and husbands. He adores his granddaughter though. So she looks like a ballerina and juggles numerous jobs to make ends meet.
Ethan was the second boy the Quinns adopted and he had been sold by his mother from age 8 to 12 to support her drug habit. This memory has kept him from ever trying for Grace, whom he has loved since she was 15 and is the big obstacle between the two, when Anna manages to talk her new friend Grace into actively going after Ethan.
He can't keep his hands off her for long when she makes it clear she wants him, and they get ever closer, but his feeling of being dirtied by his past leads him to try and "spare her" from making the mistake of marrying him. He goes as far as to eventually tell her why, but isn't willing to see whether it could work out.
There's a great talking to that Ethan gets from Anna, where she rightfully makes him realise that if he thinks Seth, who has a very similar background to Ethan, might grow up to be worthy of building a family, why not realise that he isn't what his biological mother made him either.
I cheered when Grace really lets him have it for his presumption of thinking he new best what she could handle or not and while she's got her mad up finally confronting her father with the disappointment of his treatment of her dreams these few years. I loved the fact that they made up, because for them loving the other was more important who was right in the argument in the first place. I envy that.
And the scene-stealer is two-year-old Aubrey, no question.
Inner Harbor
Starts dramatically with the hero dying at 13 in the ER of a Pittsburgh hospital due to a gang shooting.
Phillip may be the most suave Quinn, but it also seems as if he is the one who most hides behind the persona he has worked on. He's very, very cautious about whom he trusts and also was the one boy who had been a career criminal already and had sold himself to make ends meet. So it took Stella and Ray Quinn a lot longer to make him see their commitment and the love that was waiting for him, if he could keep from self-destructing.
Having been a grifter and conman, as well as a thief, Phillip has a good eye for people usually, and when an attractive woman happens to pass by the Quinn boatyard he strikes up an easy flirtation, hoping for some action between the sheets as he hasn't had time for this in months in his ad agency work in Baltimore, now he has to help out back home.
The problem is that the classy lady didn't do the tourist thing but came on purpose. She's a best-selling author of a book on urban communities and their behaviours (think Kate Fox's Watching the English), true enough, but she's also the sister of Seth Quinn's biological mother who has been repeatedly lied to by her sister and asked for money, allegedly for the purpose of talking abducted Seth back from the Quinns.
Having been the target of her sister's hate again and again, having loved Seth as a four-year-old until her sister had taken him and her money and run, Sybill isn't as naive as she was, but she still thinks if she doesn't let on about her relationship she'll get to see more of the truth and whether Seth is better with the Quinns than without.
Seth's background is finally cleared up, but the beauty of the story lies in Sybill's seduction out of her shell, being able to forgive herself for having stopped thinking of Seth after that last devastating blow her sister dealt her in decades of abusing her; forgive herself for realising that her parents never loved her and nothing she could have done would change that, because they're basically too selfish; learn to appreciate that with this handicap she still has a core of integrity and love to give (four-year-old Seth was basically the first person who ever loved her for herself).
And the second most fun bit is Phillip really losing his cool and suave personality in this relationship and being a strong shoulder, but also a nagger and a seducer and stumbling into love and getting angry at Sybill for that (makes him human, just like his constant griping while basically fulfilling all the needs his brother and the family has of him).
Chesapeake Blue
The by far weakest thread of the book is the blackmail plot, simply because if you have read all other three books you would know that Seth wouldn't go it alone (especially as the initial blackmailing happens when he is still a teenager), because that is exactly what he has learned in the other three books.
I liked the fact that he comes back home after years away at the start, years away not just because wanted to avoid problems for his brothers and their families but to explore and polish his painting.
The contact with Dru, recently fled from the high stakes political life of Washington and with a huge burden of expectation from her family's side (as well as loads of money) - who has found the balance she wanted from life in the harbour town she remembered fondly from childhood (AND who is escaping her own version of blackmail - emotional blackmail from her parents - good, how I can relate even though my mother has never gone as far as here), is built beautifully, with a good reason of why the two see each other regularly and can start exploring their mutual attraction.
I love that Dru, having been burned right before the altar (I LOVED the fact that the woman who was Dru's rival eventually acknowledges her wrongdoing and can see what a wimp her beloved it is, but STILL thinks she is better for him than Dru), is very questioning of Seth's motives of being with her and wants to run the show quite a bit and isn't thinking in terms of forever right away - and HILARIOUSLY makes him question his feelings for Aubrey.
The fact that the other Quinn brothers and their families show up is integrated nicely and is icing on the cake . It's just a lovely book all around, except for that Seth blackmail conceit for the suspense plot :P.
Sea Swept (trigger warning for rape, not by the hero)
On the surface of it Cam is an alpha male super athlete, whatever thrilling sport he touches, he takes part in international competitions and wins them - free climbing, car racing and most of all sailing.
But this series is in some ways a departure from Roberts usual format as a) none of the brothers are physically related b) all come from a personal history of abuse and were fostered and then adopted by Stella and Ray Quinn (I quite liked the nod at "Mighty Quinn" here), as Stella can't have children. She's a pediatrician which comes in handy.
Cam's story of abuse was physical beating by his father, he had taken to a life of crime in response and had finally run away for good.
The setting is a small port town in Maryland (NR lives in Maryland), mostly dependent on the fishing and tourism, but seems to have a college, as Ray Quinn is a college professor.
At the start of the plot Stella has been dead for seven years from cancer, but Ray Quinn has had a car accident (he's in his sixties but very hale and hearty) and there's a new boy, ten-year-old Seth, which he has taken in. When Ray doesn't survive, Cam and his brothers swear they will take of Seth for Ray.
So there's not just this macho guy who decided to live life in the fast lane having to return to the place he loved, without the two people who gave him that place, but also the fact that throughout the series the men have to deal with their grief and an undercurrent plot of who Seth is to Ray and the fact that the insurance company is casting doubt whether the car accident was an accident at all.
It's NR doing as outwardly problematic a plot in her contemporary romance as I've ever seen. The interaction between the men and ten-year-old Seth read very believable, but for a romance you need a foil and we have Anna Spinelli, the incredibly dedicated, incredible looker of an Italian social worker who was assigned the case.
The fact that she's a social worker already brings a lot of underpinning for problems when she and Cam decide on their mutual fling because of serious sexual sparks. The fact that she also has the temperament of an Italian (I loved the fact she could keep it in check until appropriate reason was given to cut lose) makes for some hot and heavy breathing fast, which is how Cam prefers it.
But a real highlight is the twist that Anna serves Cam when he gets defensive about her recommendations for both Seth and him, she tells him how she lost her mother. Having read this part shortly after this thought provoking essay on the depiction of rape in romance, I believe NR does everything right: she shows that there was no reason for the rape, except for the opportunity of a car broken down on a country road. There was no justice for the victims (also statistically very true), there were emotional scars that took decades to work out, and Anna lost her mother because she fought to keep the men from raping her daughter, too.
Anna became one of the victims who blame themselves (she was twelve) and so became promiscuous, acting out against her grandparents. Only patience, love from them and a good social worker managed to get her through this - and that is why she became one herself. I was also able to believe that she had taken back her sexuality healthily to that extent that she doesn't mind fast play or restraint from Cam (who does ask for permission), but finds it a turn-on with him. However, I'm not a survivor of rape, so YMMV.
When Anna and Cam meet, both their traumatic abuse is decades in the past, but Cam has never needed to grow up completely, he fled Stella's death into the fast life in Europe. So when he falls both for Seth (not in a creepy way ;P - it's a NR book!) as a cool kid and not just a burden put on him by his father, and Anna, he can't adjust fast enough - and manages to lie to her.
Anna, who is no idiot, kicks him to the curb and goes home for a bit to lick her wounds, ever mindful she knew he wasn't family material and thought they were having a fling.
Where the story lets me down somewhat is that while Cam has to grovel a bit to get Anna to take him back (she does magnificent throwing of objects ^^), but he is pleased to see that she WAS hurt, because he correctly realizes that she would only be hurt if she already loved him. I think he got taken back far too easy - mostly because the book ran out of space.
Addendum: I think this was the series where her repetition/variation of emotional/sexual action passages during sex in triplicate really went into overdrive (and became noticeable), I'm glad she's cutting down on that these days.
Rising Tides (trigger warning for childhood rape of the hero)
I think this is my favourite of the original trilogy. I really seem to like the love stories where the heroine is the quiet, content, competent type (maybe because she is so totally unlike me and I don't start thinking "I'd never do that" or "she should do that"? I wonder). It's an interesting pairing because the hero is ALSO the quiet, thoughtful type - and both of them have a spine of steel.
Grace has always loved Ethan, but she's 8 years younger than him. She used to be the cherished only daughter of her strong-willed father and home-making mother (whose way of dealing with her daughter reminds me a lot of my impression of how mine dealt with me). I admire the fact that when her dreams for her life (Ethan not showing any interest to her, she decided she at least wanted to fulfil her dream of dancing professionally) didn't suit her parents and they refused to support her in them financially, she used her strong will to start working hard at labour-intensive jobs and save for her dream. And then a weak-willed guy sweet-talked her into bed, she got pregnant, they got married and shortly before her daughter's birth he panicked and ran off.
I doubly admire the way that Grace embraced her love for her daughter Aubrey and decided to work her best to give Aubrey the best she could. I totally understand her refusal to ask her father for help after he had cut her out of his life because he had been disappointed in her choice of careers and husbands. He adores his granddaughter though. So she looks like a ballerina and juggles numerous jobs to make ends meet.
Ethan was the second boy the Quinns adopted and he had been sold by his mother from age 8 to 12 to support her drug habit. This memory has kept him from ever trying for Grace, whom he has loved since she was 15 and is the big obstacle between the two, when Anna manages to talk her new friend Grace into actively going after Ethan.
He can't keep his hands off her for long when she makes it clear she wants him, and they get ever closer, but his feeling of being dirtied by his past leads him to try and "spare her" from making the mistake of marrying him. He goes as far as to eventually tell her why, but isn't willing to see whether it could work out.
There's a great talking to that Ethan gets from Anna, where she rightfully makes him realise that if he thinks Seth, who has a very similar background to Ethan, might grow up to be worthy of building a family, why not realise that he isn't what his biological mother made him either.
I cheered when Grace really lets him have it for his presumption of thinking he new best what she could handle or not and while she's got her mad up finally confronting her father with the disappointment of his treatment of her dreams these few years. I loved the fact that they made up, because for them loving the other was more important who was right in the argument in the first place. I envy that.
And the scene-stealer is two-year-old Aubrey, no question.
Inner Harbor
Starts dramatically with the hero dying at 13 in the ER of a Pittsburgh hospital due to a gang shooting.
Phillip may be the most suave Quinn, but it also seems as if he is the one who most hides behind the persona he has worked on. He's very, very cautious about whom he trusts and also was the one boy who had been a career criminal already and had sold himself to make ends meet. So it took Stella and Ray Quinn a lot longer to make him see their commitment and the love that was waiting for him, if he could keep from self-destructing.
Having been a grifter and conman, as well as a thief, Phillip has a good eye for people usually, and when an attractive woman happens to pass by the Quinn boatyard he strikes up an easy flirtation, hoping for some action between the sheets as he hasn't had time for this in months in his ad agency work in Baltimore, now he has to help out back home.
The problem is that the classy lady didn't do the tourist thing but came on purpose. She's a best-selling author of a book on urban communities and their behaviours (think Kate Fox's Watching the English), true enough, but she's also the sister of Seth Quinn's biological mother who has been repeatedly lied to by her sister and asked for money, allegedly for the purpose of talking abducted Seth back from the Quinns.
Having been the target of her sister's hate again and again, having loved Seth as a four-year-old until her sister had taken him and her money and run, Sybill isn't as naive as she was, but she still thinks if she doesn't let on about her relationship she'll get to see more of the truth and whether Seth is better with the Quinns than without.
Seth's background is finally cleared up, but the beauty of the story lies in Sybill's seduction out of her shell, being able to forgive herself for having stopped thinking of Seth after that last devastating blow her sister dealt her in decades of abusing her; forgive herself for realising that her parents never loved her and nothing she could have done would change that, because they're basically too selfish; learn to appreciate that with this handicap she still has a core of integrity and love to give (four-year-old Seth was basically the first person who ever loved her for herself).
And the second most fun bit is Phillip really losing his cool and suave personality in this relationship and being a strong shoulder, but also a nagger and a seducer and stumbling into love and getting angry at Sybill for that (makes him human, just like his constant griping while basically fulfilling all the needs his brother and the family has of him).
Chesapeake Blue
The by far weakest thread of the book is the blackmail plot, simply because if you have read all other three books you would know that Seth wouldn't go it alone (especially as the initial blackmailing happens when he is still a teenager), because that is exactly what he has learned in the other three books.
I liked the fact that he comes back home after years away at the start, years away not just because wanted to avoid problems for his brothers and their families but to explore and polish his painting.
The contact with Dru, recently fled from the high stakes political life of Washington and with a huge burden of expectation from her family's side (as well as loads of money) - who has found the balance she wanted from life in the harbour town she remembered fondly from childhood (AND who is escaping her own version of blackmail - emotional blackmail from her parents - good, how I can relate even though my mother has never gone as far as here), is built beautifully, with a good reason of why the two see each other regularly and can start exploring their mutual attraction.
I love that Dru, having been burned right before the altar (I LOVED the fact that the woman who was Dru's rival eventually acknowledges her wrongdoing and can see what a wimp her beloved it is, but STILL thinks she is better for him than Dru), is very questioning of Seth's motives of being with her and wants to run the show quite a bit and isn't thinking in terms of forever right away - and HILARIOUSLY makes him question his feelings for Aubrey.
The fact that the other Quinn brothers and their families show up is integrated nicely and is icing on the cake . It's just a lovely book all around, except for that Seth blackmail conceit for the suspense plot :P.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2024
Great series, I love the way you get updates on the characters from the previous books. As usual Nora Roberts characters are believable and enjoyable, and re-reading her books is like visiting old friends.
September 1, 2020
The Quinn Brothers "saga" is worthing to be read ... four stories full of suspense and mystery ... four boys with a similar past of violence and / or sexual abuse, with prostitute mothers who neglected and used their children as a source of income ... The three older brothers, adopted by a teacher and a doctor, willing to educate and unconditionally love these young boys ... a love based on understanding, communication and trust allows them to grow as human beings and develop their potential, on a trajectory that includes academic and professional achievement, happy or content with their individual path ...
When this adoptive father, a widower, discovers his biological daughter (deeply disturbed ... manipulative, lying, addicted to alcohol and drugs, willing to do anything ... to defame, prostitute, blackmail, steal ...) his life is radically transformed ... to save his grandson from this disruptive mother he will pay a high price ... high sum of money and death after a road accident ...
The older sons are called and asked to protect and adopte/educate the younger "brother".
Four life stories, four love paths ... helped by the father's spirit / ghost or the grandmother when they find the woman who will be his wife ...
And more I do not say ...
When this adoptive father, a widower, discovers his biological daughter (deeply disturbed ... manipulative, lying, addicted to alcohol and drugs, willing to do anything ... to defame, prostitute, blackmail, steal ...) his life is radically transformed ... to save his grandson from this disruptive mother he will pay a high price ... high sum of money and death after a road accident ...
The older sons are called and asked to protect and adopte/educate the younger "brother".
Four life stories, four love paths ... helped by the father's spirit / ghost or the grandmother when they find the woman who will be his wife ...
And more I do not say ...
October 24, 2012
First of all, I love any book that Nora Roberts writes. These stories are about the Quinn brothers, Cam, Ethan, Philip and Seth. Not related by blood but by love. Each book deals with the story of each son starting with Cam. The 3 older boys stand by their father's death bed and make a promise to take care of another lost boy (Seth). My favorite of the 4 books involves Ethan.
The love, loyalty and family bonds these books have are wonderful. Last night as I finished the fourth book "Chesapeake Blue" I wanted the story to go on. Wanted to know what was going to happen next in the lives of this 4 outstanding men.
The love, loyalty and family bonds these books have are wonderful. Last night as I finished the fourth book "Chesapeake Blue" I wanted the story to go on. Wanted to know what was going to happen next in the lives of this 4 outstanding men.
June 11, 2018
Had a HARD week and decided to reread this class romance series set near my hometown. It was exactly what I needed. Some of the discussion around gender and abuse felt very dated, but I was still swept up into the story of these four brothers and their romance.
October 29, 2021
This was honestly one of my favourite series from her. The characters had vivid backstories, and all were so different. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it (just as I do anything written by Nora Roberts).
May 4, 2023
I did say a review was coming… Even after more than seven months, I still think about this series. This was my first Nora Roberts…and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, too. I got the ebook quartet from the library and plowed through it. It was un-put-down-able.
Recommended to me by someone I follow on here and on the socials, it was billed as a found family/older brothers taking care of the younger brother. It delivered on that promise and so much more. The Quinn brothers are so dreamy, not only because of their hunkiness, but also the caretaking; not just of the youngest brother, but of each other. The backstory work is so good and ties in beautifully with the overall story.
The bay is also a favorite character. The naturally beauty and the parts the water and bayside town play in the lives of the Quinns is so dreamy. I got that same feeling when I read Georgie, All Along. The imagery is so vibrant. I felt like I was there.
I can definitely see the allure of Nora Roberts’ writing after reading this series and will definitely read more of her work.
Recommended to me by someone I follow on here and on the socials, it was billed as a found family/older brothers taking care of the younger brother. It delivered on that promise and so much more. The Quinn brothers are so dreamy, not only because of their hunkiness, but also the caretaking; not just of the youngest brother, but of each other. The backstory work is so good and ties in beautifully with the overall story.
The bay is also a favorite character. The naturally beauty and the parts the water and bayside town play in the lives of the Quinns is so dreamy. I got that same feeling when I read Georgie, All Along. The imagery is so vibrant. I felt like I was there.
I can definitely see the allure of Nora Roberts’ writing after reading this series and will definitely read more of her work.
February 27, 2012
This set of four books is about 4 adopted brothers - about their lives, how each was changed by their parents influence, and how each one finds love and makes their own way. Love the town this is set in and all the personalties of the four young men - One of Nora Roberts best series - I could read this again and again.
August 25, 2021
One of my favorite series
These four stories about men who had horrible childhoods until they were saved by the Mighty Quinn are heart wrenching, romantic, funny. They fight, they love they become a very strong family. Nora Roberts at her finest.
These four stories about men who had horrible childhoods until they were saved by the Mighty Quinn are heart wrenching, romantic, funny. They fight, they love they become a very strong family. Nora Roberts at her finest.
May 22, 2013
Books 1 and 4 were my favorite. Overall such a great series. I definitely recommend.
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September 13, 2020So much!
I laughed and I cried. There is just so much love and laughter in this group of stories. I would love for there to be additional stories with these people.
I laughed and I cried. There is just so much love and laughter in this group of stories. I would love for there to be additional stories with these people.
March 5, 2021
****SEA SWEPT****
Cam travels around the world racing his boats and cars. When his adopted father is in a single-car accident, he rushes home. Once there, he's tasked with looking out after another of his father's "lost boys", a young man named Seth.
Anna is a social worker. She's drawn to the case for Seth. She meets Cam while his working on repairing the steps to the house, and sparks fly.
However, there is a dark cloud over their heads regarding the parentage of Seth.
****RISING TIDES****
Ethan is one of Ray Quinn's "lost boys". He was adopted by Ray & his wife when he was young. Now a fisherman in their port side town, he's helping to raise the newest of the "lost boys" with his adopted brothers.
Grace has been in love with Ethan for most of her life. Though with as slow and methodical as he moves, they might be into their old age by the time he decides to do something about it.
The dark cloud gets thicker over their heads as more questions pop up regarding Seth.
****INNER HARBOR****
Phillip has what he wants - a great job he excels at, his apartment in the city, and company of the female persuasion anytime he chooses. All that is put on hold while he helps to raise the newest "lost boy" Ray Quinn adopted.
Sybil is in town under partial pretenses. She's writing a book, but she's also looking into the Quinn's to see Seth.
Things come to a dramatic conclusion, the dark cloud of Seth's parentage is finally lifted, and the secret is known.
****CHESAPEAKE BLUE****
Seth is finally coming home. After years of studying his art abroad, he's coming home to family. Hoping that the trouble that has plagued him for years will finally leave him alone.
Dru only wants to run her flower business. She's not looking for a relationship of any kind, even though Seth makes it hard to say no.
The past catches up with Seth, and he realizes he's always had his family (and now Dru) by his side.
This book seemed to be a bit of an afterthought, in my opinion. It seemed it was a bit rushed to give closure to some open questions. All in all, the series is a good one.
Cam travels around the world racing his boats and cars. When his adopted father is in a single-car accident, he rushes home. Once there, he's tasked with looking out after another of his father's "lost boys", a young man named Seth.
Anna is a social worker. She's drawn to the case for Seth. She meets Cam while his working on repairing the steps to the house, and sparks fly.
However, there is a dark cloud over their heads regarding the parentage of Seth.
****RISING TIDES****
Ethan is one of Ray Quinn's "lost boys". He was adopted by Ray & his wife when he was young. Now a fisherman in their port side town, he's helping to raise the newest of the "lost boys" with his adopted brothers.
Grace has been in love with Ethan for most of her life. Though with as slow and methodical as he moves, they might be into their old age by the time he decides to do something about it.
The dark cloud gets thicker over their heads as more questions pop up regarding Seth.
****INNER HARBOR****
Phillip has what he wants - a great job he excels at, his apartment in the city, and company of the female persuasion anytime he chooses. All that is put on hold while he helps to raise the newest "lost boy" Ray Quinn adopted.
Sybil is in town under partial pretenses. She's writing a book, but she's also looking into the Quinn's to see Seth.
Things come to a dramatic conclusion, the dark cloud of Seth's parentage is finally lifted, and the secret is known.
****CHESAPEAKE BLUE****
Seth is finally coming home. After years of studying his art abroad, he's coming home to family. Hoping that the trouble that has plagued him for years will finally leave him alone.
Dru only wants to run her flower business. She's not looking for a relationship of any kind, even though Seth makes it hard to say no.
The past catches up with Seth, and he realizes he's always had his family (and now Dru) by his side.
This book seemed to be a bit of an afterthought, in my opinion. It seemed it was a bit rushed to give closure to some open questions. All in all, the series is a good one.
April 27, 2022
I enjoyed this four box set of books. They were entertaining and heart felt. I loved the stories about Seth growing up.
Sea Swept
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a social worker and a race car driver who also races boats. Cameron is brought back to his hometown by the death of his father and a last dying wish that he and his brothers raise a boy that his father has taken in Seth.
Seth is not orphaned but he might as well be since his mother is no good and his father stepped out of the picture. Seth has been taken in to be raised by Cameron and his brothers. The social worker involved in the case cares a lot about what happens to Seth.
Anna is a woman that wants the best for children and she's ready to go head to head with Cam if he thinks he can swindle her into thinking that he's taking care of Seth when he's not. But as Anna finds out Seth is more than taken care of by the three brothers and she can't be happier.
Rising Tides
This is the story of Ethan and Grace. They've known each other since they were kids but have never gotten together. They are both a little broken, Ethan by his birth mother and Grace by her parents. They both feel unlovable. But the get together while Grace is cleaning the Quinn residence and Ethan is building boats along with helping to raise Seth.
The story tells you what happens with them along with some about Anna and Cam.
Inner Harbor
Tells the story of Phillip and Sybill. Sybill is Seth's Aunt but she has come to find out the truth about Seth's home. According to her sister the Quinn's stole him from his mother and has made outlandish claims that she's unfit. She tells her sister that the only way she'll get her son back is with her sister's help.
Sybill is there to find out what really is going on and finds Phillip in the mess that's going on. Phillip is nothing like what she expected from the Quinn's and he is refined and worldly so she has a hard time believing her sister's claims.
Sea Swept
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a social worker and a race car driver who also races boats. Cameron is brought back to his hometown by the death of his father and a last dying wish that he and his brothers raise a boy that his father has taken in Seth.
Seth is not orphaned but he might as well be since his mother is no good and his father stepped out of the picture. Seth has been taken in to be raised by Cameron and his brothers. The social worker involved in the case cares a lot about what happens to Seth.
Anna is a woman that wants the best for children and she's ready to go head to head with Cam if he thinks he can swindle her into thinking that he's taking care of Seth when he's not. But as Anna finds out Seth is more than taken care of by the three brothers and she can't be happier.
Rising Tides
This is the story of Ethan and Grace. They've known each other since they were kids but have never gotten together. They are both a little broken, Ethan by his birth mother and Grace by her parents. They both feel unlovable. But the get together while Grace is cleaning the Quinn residence and Ethan is building boats along with helping to raise Seth.
The story tells you what happens with them along with some about Anna and Cam.
Inner Harbor
Tells the story of Phillip and Sybill. Sybill is Seth's Aunt but she has come to find out the truth about Seth's home. According to her sister the Quinn's stole him from his mother and has made outlandish claims that she's unfit. She tells her sister that the only way she'll get her son back is with her sister's help.
Sybill is there to find out what really is going on and finds Phillip in the mess that's going on. Phillip is nothing like what she expected from the Quinn's and he is refined and worldly so she has a hard time believing her sister's claims.
March 5, 2018
Short Take: A little too emotional for me!
Ray Quinn and Stella Quinn are a married couple, who have a large heart, enough to nurture three abused boys, Cameron, Ethan and Phillip, into grown men, capable of standing on their own two feet. The series kicks off with Ray Quinn on a hospital bed and his three sons waiting for him to open his eyes. When he does, he extracts a promise to take care of his another adopted son, Seth Quinn, who is ten year old and just joined the Quinn household and passes away.
The series talks about the back drop of each kid, growing into a man and what brought them to the Quinn's home and what bonded them, despite not being related by blood. The novels are about how these three bothers take Seth, another about to be adopted kid, under their wing and teach him what it means to be a Quinn and help him grow into a capable and responsible adult.
I enjoyed this series. Nora Roberts has a way with growing characters on you. Swearing, fighting, exchanging punches and eating pizza might be the way the boys bond, but it seems a little ridiculous to rinse and repeat this across all the books in this series. Otherwise, it was good to read about the small town life and loyalties of family and the bonds between brothers.
The antagonist of this series was not very strong and the ending was a bit anti-climatic. Despite this, I really could not stop turning through the pages of this emotional roller coaster.
For people who like drama, it certainly has plenty, albeit a predictable one!
Ray Quinn and Stella Quinn are a married couple, who have a large heart, enough to nurture three abused boys, Cameron, Ethan and Phillip, into grown men, capable of standing on their own two feet. The series kicks off with Ray Quinn on a hospital bed and his three sons waiting for him to open his eyes. When he does, he extracts a promise to take care of his another adopted son, Seth Quinn, who is ten year old and just joined the Quinn household and passes away.
The series talks about the back drop of each kid, growing into a man and what brought them to the Quinn's home and what bonded them, despite not being related by blood. The novels are about how these three bothers take Seth, another about to be adopted kid, under their wing and teach him what it means to be a Quinn and help him grow into a capable and responsible adult.
I enjoyed this series. Nora Roberts has a way with growing characters on you. Swearing, fighting, exchanging punches and eating pizza might be the way the boys bond, but it seems a little ridiculous to rinse and repeat this across all the books in this series. Otherwise, it was good to read about the small town life and loyalties of family and the bonds between brothers.
The antagonist of this series was not very strong and the ending was a bit anti-climatic. Despite this, I really could not stop turning through the pages of this emotional roller coaster.
For people who like drama, it certainly has plenty, albeit a predictable one!
December 15, 2018
A Family History
I give this book a high rating simply because Nora Roberts does a good job of building a family and carrying them through several books. In all honesty, I realized I had read this before, all of them, so I read the first one then skipped to the end. That doesn’t really matter because I still got the gist of the story.
I titled this a family history because even though it was not hundreds of years long, it was the history of the family.....a history doesn’t have to take many generations to be written. This family, brought together by love and not biology, was stronger than many biological families I know.
Through this family saga, one is able to see what happens when one allows love to flow and how that love changes lives. We see how boys, unrelated, can come together to become a strong thriving successful family. Basically, we see nature versus nurture and here, nurture wins out.
Yes, you have the famous Roberts’ sex scenes; what would her books be without them? But we also see the need for the love, the sex, the family.....and we meet strong women who become a vital part of the family.....the ones who hold it together and bring all those needs together to form a family who cannot be torn apart.
I give this book a high rating simply because Nora Roberts does a good job of building a family and carrying them through several books. In all honesty, I realized I had read this before, all of them, so I read the first one then skipped to the end. That doesn’t really matter because I still got the gist of the story.
I titled this a family history because even though it was not hundreds of years long, it was the history of the family.....a history doesn’t have to take many generations to be written. This family, brought together by love and not biology, was stronger than many biological families I know.
Through this family saga, one is able to see what happens when one allows love to flow and how that love changes lives. We see how boys, unrelated, can come together to become a strong thriving successful family. Basically, we see nature versus nurture and here, nurture wins out.
Yes, you have the famous Roberts’ sex scenes; what would her books be without them? But we also see the need for the love, the sex, the family.....and we meet strong women who become a vital part of the family.....the ones who hold it together and bring all those needs together to form a family who cannot be torn apart.
May 24, 2019
Another great read by Nora Roberts. I know I've read at least the first book in this series a while back and since I'm a great fan of NR I knew I had to go back and start at book 1 and read them all. The Chesapeake Bay Saga gave me the chance to do that. I use the Libby app through my library and it was great to have them all there at my fingertips and no cost and no books laying around my house. Anyway, back to the review. I loved reading about each of the Quinn boys and it was a greater joy getting to read the about the last Quinn boy, Seth. I thoroughly enjoy delving into the stories with the highs lows, the descriptive story line and just everything. Touches on all your emotions. Also, I loved the women they had in their lives and maybe down the road NR can add on and speak about the kids of the Quinn's brothers. That would be something!!
July 26, 2021
Here's what I love about Nora: she's consistent in her story telling. It's not great. I think she's the Stephen King of romance. But it's comforting and predictable.
This story line was fun because it was unique, or at least it was new to me, following the story line of brothers instead of the usual women's pov.
What I didn't like? Or what I am generally starting to not like about Nora...is that every single couple is very hetero. Every gender is so stereotypical. I felt like she really had to stretch herself to have a tomboy character. And every couple wants and has children. I'd prefer stories with all walks of life, but I understand she has a formula that works for her. Even in that vanilla world... couldn't a couple or two just... not want kids and still be a part of a family?
This story line was fun because it was unique, or at least it was new to me, following the story line of brothers instead of the usual women's pov.
What I didn't like? Or what I am generally starting to not like about Nora...is that every single couple is very hetero. Every gender is so stereotypical. I felt like she really had to stretch herself to have a tomboy character. And every couple wants and has children. I'd prefer stories with all walks of life, but I understand she has a formula that works for her. Even in that vanilla world... couldn't a couple or two just... not want kids and still be a part of a family?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2020
Reading books from 1998-2002 in 2020 is bizarre
So. Do you like being grabbed by the shoulders and shaken during a fight?
Do you like being stopped from leaving a fight?
I read the first book pretty thoroughly but skimmed through the other three. I've read Nora Roberts' recent books and I honestly don't know if I see progress in her writing or plots. But as someone without brothers I suppose this kind of loyalty and male bonding is possible.
Rape informs a lot of her characters with traumas.
So. Do you like being grabbed by the shoulders and shaken during a fight?
Do you like being stopped from leaving a fight?
I read the first book pretty thoroughly but skimmed through the other three. I've read Nora Roberts' recent books and I honestly don't know if I see progress in her writing or plots. But as someone without brothers I suppose this kind of loyalty and male bonding is possible.
Rape informs a lot of her characters with traumas.
January 1, 2021
All Ashore!
One of the qualities that keeps me hooked on Nora Roberts is her gift with family dynamics. That sharp sense of personalities, that clear presentation of brohood and unity, keeps me coming back. The four books in this quartet were originally released as single titles which means there was considerable time in between the appearance of each book; especially Chesapeake Blue when compared with Sea Swept, Rising Tides and Inner Harbor. But it was worth the wait then and even more of a blessing in this compilation of all four.
Bravo, Ms Roberts, Bravo!
One of the qualities that keeps me hooked on Nora Roberts is her gift with family dynamics. That sharp sense of personalities, that clear presentation of brohood and unity, keeps me coming back. The four books in this quartet were originally released as single titles which means there was considerable time in between the appearance of each book; especially Chesapeake Blue when compared with Sea Swept, Rising Tides and Inner Harbor. But it was worth the wait then and even more of a blessing in this compilation of all four.
Bravo, Ms Roberts, Bravo!
November 25, 2017
A wonderful 4 story saga about the Quinn family
Each story brought you closer into the lives of the Quinn men- the four brothers brought together by the love, strength and care of Stella and Ray Quinn! Wonderful the way their ghosts drop in , the stories made laugh and cry - at the end I just wanted more!
Each story brought you closer into the lives of the Quinn men- the four brothers brought together by the love, strength and care of Stella and Ray Quinn! Wonderful the way their ghosts drop in , the stories made laugh and cry - at the end I just wanted more!
March 8, 2021
Nora Roberts definitely writes in a formulaic manner but I enjoy that when I am looking for a book I can escape into and that does not overtax my brain. Her books are great beach/vacation reads. I do not enjoy all of her series but this particular series is one of those that I quite enjoy both the story and characters.
May 16, 2022
Read all four books one after the other. Guess I was just in a mood to escape and I like this series plus it had been some time since I last read it. Sort of like popcorn, once you start you keep going until the bowl is empty. Liked the setting and the emphasis on family relationships both good and bad.
March 16, 2023
I've read this series of books at least two times.
I'm always impressed by how Nora Roberts researches the subject of her books. Here it was boat building. Another Nora Roberts series Blue Dahlia, Black Rose and Red Lily, was about a nursery business. The point is her books are full of facts and lots of love.
I'm always impressed by how Nora Roberts researches the subject of her books. Here it was boat building. Another Nora Roberts series Blue Dahlia, Black Rose and Red Lily, was about a nursery business. The point is her books are full of facts and lots of love.
July 13, 2017
Great Series
I read these books years ago when they were first released but wanted a refresher. The Quinns are a wonderful family with an interesting dynamic. Thoroughly enjoyed this reread.
I read these books years ago when they were first released but wanted a refresher. The Quinns are a wonderful family with an interesting dynamic. Thoroughly enjoyed this reread.
January 24, 2018
There's nothing like reading a series and this one made me want to read them over again once I finished. I love reading about brothers and throwing the mix in that all of them saw the ghost of their dad was very special. I can't wait to read more of Nora's trilogies!
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