Monday, February 11, 2013

The Long Way Home - TLC Book Tours


Synopsis:  As the only child of a wealthy investment manager, Ellie Chapman has never known anything besides a life of perfect privilege. But her years of good fortune come to an abrupt end when her father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from innocent investors in a massive Ponzi scheme. And just like that, Ellie loses everything: money, job, home—even her fiancĂ©, who’s jailed as her father’s partner in crime. With no job prospects on the horizon, no cash, and her family name in tatters, Ellie has only one place to go.

Sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland, is hardly where Ellie intends to stay, however. Keeping her identity a secret, she plans to sell the house her late mother left her in the small town and use the proceeds to move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ticket to a new beginning is in dire need of a laundry list of pricey improvements, many of which she’ll have to do herself. And until the house on Bay View Road is fit to be sold, the sole place Ellie will be traveling is the hardware store. But as the many charms of St. Dennis—not to mention Cameron O’Connor, the handsome local contractor who has secrets of his own—begin to work their magic, what begins as a lesson in do-it-yourself renovations might just end up as Ellie’s very own rejuvenation.

My Review:  The Long Way Home is part of a series (The Chesapeake Diaries) that takes place in St. Dennis, which is on the Chesapeake Bay.  I have not read the other books in the series, but without a doubt, I will be.  They can be read as a stand alone.  I have been told that the characters grow through the series.

I really enjoyed The Long Way Home.  Ellie is the main character in the story.  Her past reminded me of the Bernie Madoff scandal, which makes a great story.  I like Cam and the relationship the blossoms between Cam and Ellie.  They are connected through the past and the house that Ellie has come to "flip" in St. Dennis.  However, she has to stay in the house for six months.....A lot can happen in six months!  Not only does a lot happen within six months, but there are twists along the way.

I loved the setting of The Long Way Home...is there really a St. Dennis out there?  If so, I want to live there.  The Long Way Home was an easy to read, very enjoyable, wanting more type of book.  Lucky for me, I haven't read the other books in The Chesapeake Diaries series, so I can read more!!!

Again, The Chesapeake Diaries Series books stand on there own.  See below for The Chesapeake Diaries Series:
 #1 Coming Home
#2 Home Again
#3 Almost Home
#4 Hometown Girl
#5 Home for the Summer
#6 The Long Way Home
#7 At the River's Edge (Coming Soon) 


Meet the Author:  Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and enjoys country life.

Interview with Mariah!:  She is too cool!


SBN: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Mariah: I am so boring – I read, I garden, I write, I shop. No sky-diving, marathon running or bull fighting!

SBN: When/Why did you start writing?
Mariah: I started when I was around seven – was very ill one summer (the entire summer!) and after having read through the local library’s children section several times, I started writing my own stories. Black and white composition books, #2 pencil. Would I ever love to get my hands on those now!

SBN:  Where/When do you feel most comfortable writing?
Mariah: Mostly in my office, at my desk. When I find myself stuck – which happens on a fairly regular basis! – I pack it up and take a pad and pen to my favorite restaurant where they let me sit in the corner and mutter to myself for as long as I need to.

SBN: Have you ever been inspired by another author? If so, who?
Mariah: Truthfully, the writer who inspired me the most was Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote the Anne of Green Gable series. Anne was the first character I ever really related to – the first time I saw, on paper, that someone else thought the same way I did.

SBN: Is it hard to let the characters go once you complete a novel?
Mariah: No, because I write series connected either by place or characters, so I can bring them back whenever I want. I constantly bring characters from one series into another, so we never really have to say goodbye to anyone!

SBN: Where does your inspiration for a story come from?
Mariah: No where and everywhere. As a general rule, I can’t point to one thing or another and say that that one thing inspired me. There are exceptions, of course. For example, THE PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER was inspired by a book I read about Mary Meyer, who was a mistress of JKF. Back in the 60s, while certainly people knew this was going on, it was kept out of the public eye. I got the idea for CRY MERCY after reading an article about donor siblings – children who were all fathered by the same sperm donor and who were seeking each other on the internet.

SBN: Do you have a favorite author?  Who?
Mariah: I love to read (see first question above!) – my list is all over the place! I have SO many favorites! James Lee Burke and Harlan Coben, Tess Gerritsen and Lisa Gardner – I’m obviously a big suspense reader! Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb, Victoria Alexander and Janet Evanovich, Karin Slaughter and Robyn Carr. I’ve never really been a fantasy reader, but I devoured every one of the Song of Fire and Ice books by George R.R. Martin.


Purchase It:  You can purchase The Long Way Home online at Amazon for $7.99.

Giveaway:  I am so excited to be able to offer you all a chance to win one copy of The Long Way Home.  All you have to do is leave a comment.  Contest ends February 18th at midnight EST.  Good luck.

To read more reviews on The Long Way Home from the TLC Book Tour, please click here. 

8 comments:

  1. If overseas readers are allowed, please count me in.

    Thanks.

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  2. I would love to read THE LONG WAY HOME thank you. Just fabulous.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  3. I love this series. I have this book on my wish list. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

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  4. Kim m galwayst@hotmail.comFebruary 9, 2013 at 6:54 AM

    Sounds like a great read, thanks for the chance to enter

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  5. This series is sooo heart warming and fun to read.

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  6. I would love to win. Thanks
    videoclimber(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'll bet most of us could use the warmth of this story about now! Thanks for making this opportunity.

    fatdogfarm(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
    Anna

    ReplyDelete

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