Flowers on Main: Chesapeake Shores series

by: Sherryl Woods

Published by: MIRA Books

Reviewed by Barbara L. Fielder

Like a well-worn and comfortable pair of shoes, the Chesapeake Shores book series is likably predictable. This is the author’s second book with a third installment on the way.

The O’Brien family is definitely a dysfunctional family, however; that being said, the author brings them through the often tearful, difficult and challenging steps of personal awareness. All of their fallacies, strengths and desires unfold through each enduring chapter.

For those of you who read The Inn at Eagle Point, you’ll be happy to know the main characters in that novel are woven nicely in this new Chesapeake Shores installment. Bree was mentioned in the author’s first foray into the O’Brien family saga, and is the main character for Flowers on Main. Bree is an accomplished playwright. However, after her first successful play, two dismal plays and scathing reviews in Chicago followed. Bree has sought out solace in returning home to the comfort of family and familiar places.
Motivated by a need to remain close to family, her lack of confidence in her writing skills, avoiding a former lover in Chicago, and focusing on her love of flowers, Bree opens Flowers on Main.

This all sounds simple enough, however there is a one glitch. Her former lover Jake, who is very much in the picture, resides in Chesapeake Shores. This complicates Bree’s life and brings about the crux of the story. As Bree ramps up her business, Jake is constantly in her path either willingly or unwillingly and there is no way around each other.

You wonder: does her former Chicago lover find a way to reclaim Bree’s affection? Is Bree still fanning the flames for Jake? Does her heart belong to her writing or is she satisfied with owning Flowers on Main?

Leave it to her dysfunctional family, who each has their own opinion, to weigh-in on these issues and more. Do Bree’s divorced parents, Mick and Megan, gain more ground in their relationship? What about Jess and Abby, Bree’s sisters, and her brothers? Is Gram still the ever-present foundation for the family?

This light-hearted and charming novel has a many questions, with answers that unfold.

Armchair Interviews says: Storytelling you expect from Sherryl Woods.

Author’s Web site: http://www.SherrylWoods.com