When Chrissie Jenkins finally gains the courage necessary to escape from her abusive boyfriend, she heads to Cannonball Island, just off St. Dennis, Maryland, a quirky coastal town which has appeared in previous books by Stewart. It takes time for her to regain self confidence and learn to trust herself and to fall in love again - but her ex is looking for her so her future happiness is not guaranteed.

The twelfth book in a series and I started the series with this one. The thing about romance series is that you can start anywhere because each book in the series centers around a different character in the "universe" or one that recently moved to town. I tend to like to start at the beginning even in these series, but I decided to risk it all and start on this one. I could tell while reading this book that there was backstory for some of the extra characters that I was missing, but I didn't feel as though it took away from the story of the two main characters.

This book focused on Chrissy and Jared. Chrissy moves back to the small town where she has spent a lot of time with her great grandmother. She is escaping a bad situation and has no idea what is next for herself. Jared is just in town for a job. He has friendly connections to the small town, but this isn't a place he would call home until . . .

As in all romance books, the reader knows we will end in a happy ending, but I always rate romance books on two things. One, I rate on the sexy times in the books. I tend to like the books that have less sexy times and have more plot and when an author really leans on growing the relationship to move the story instead of leaning on the sexy times to move the story. This one did just that, the relationship was a great slow burn, no insta love and it allowed for a great plot to build. The other thing that I rate romance books on, that this book did well was, the thing that is 2/3 into the book that may break up the couple. There is always something that takes the couple apart and they must overcome to get to the happy ending and I loved the one for this book! Of course, I won't spoil, but I loved it.

I am a fan of Mariah Stewart and really want to make it a goal to catch up on her backlist.

This 12th book in the Chesapeake Diaries series was another good addition to the saga of St. Dennis and Cannonball Island. And before I even start the review, I think I could guess who would be the focus of book 13 (if Mariah Stewart decides another book should be released!)

The focus of this book brings you face to face with domestic violence and a young woman's struggle to develop confidence in herself and her abilities. And then you have the young man who will hopefully help Chrissie accomplish those abilities.

I loved how the author managed to bring back the characters from the first 11 books...some having a bigger role than others. However, because it has been a while since I read the eleventh book in the series, I struggled remembering details of some of the characters. That didn't take away from the story too much, but it would have helped me to have a synopsis of the characters at the beginning of the book to refresh my memory.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't read any of the books in this series but I was able to follow along as if it was a stand-alone title. The story unwound a bit too slow at the beginning for me, but eventually picked up. The description of Cannonball Island is making me want to visit right now. Well written love story, though it was a bit slow in the beginning.

This is a good story and a happy return to Chesapeake Diaries series. This is book 12 and we Chrissy Jenkins is returning home to Cannonball Island to hide from her ex-boyfriend and start a new life with her great-grandmother. She doesn't trust men and this includes Jared but agrees to be his date for his dad's wedding. I enjoy the diary entry concept to keep the story tied to the other books, Mariah Stewart always gives you a good romance with just a touch of suspense. The story does touch on domestic violence. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very sweet story with a little suspense...but more of a family saga type romance that just kind of hits you in all the right spots. You'll smile (maybe laugh), you might even cry, You'll be outraged and happy all kind of rolled together.

Chrissie Jenkins always thought she was ugly and not worth anything in life. So when a handsome guy sweeps her off her feet, she figures she found her very own prince charming. Except he wasn’t a prince nor charming. With more courage than she thought, she runs away and hides back on Cannonball Island and into the arms of her Great Aunt Ruby. Being back home soothes Chrissie’s soul and battered heart in many ways. But when she meets Jared Chandler, she finds an honest and sincere man who she becomes friends with. With her newly rebuilt life moving forward., Chrissie is determined to not fall for another man if she can help it. But what happens when she helps Jared out at his family wedding, they see things in one another that they never imagined. The question is will they embrace what they see in each other or will they ignore it and have their hearts break?

Mariah Stewart’s Chesapeake Diaries is a fun filled romp filled with captivating characters, intriguing bits of information about the locals and the history of Cannonball Island and St. Dennis filling the pages of DUNE DRIVE. I love this series since the first book, Coming Home, and was thrilled to see the author move onto the residents of Cannonball Island that is across the bridge from St. Dennis. The author does an amazing job in capturing the slow-paced life that makes up Cannonball Island and the few residents who live there are a treat. I loved seeing Ruby, the island’s oldest resident and one who cracks me up whenever she is on the page. Chrissie is hurting and trying to reclaim the person she was before her life became shattered. What I love the most are the characters in this series. We meet some new ones and a few old friends from past books. I love seeing how everyone is doing, what they are up to and all the gossip. The author does a marvelous job in capturing every character’s individual personality just perfectly. I like the diverse cast of characters and we got to see some older folk take center stage at times in the book.

Chrissie still can’t believe she is back on Cannonball Island. She couldn’t get enough dust behind her when she left. Coming back to the island to heal her battered heart and soul is just one aspect of Chrissie’s life now. The other is find out where the girl she was is again. I love Chrissie. She was hurting and ran to something familiar in this case her Aunt Ruby and family she has in and around St. Dennis & Cannonball Island. She is quite relatable and is the perfect foil to Jared Chandler, a salvager who is determined to never fall in love. Except when these two meets, its pure combustion. The sparks fly between Jared and Chrissie as they get to know one another as well explore the tiny town of St. Dennis and Cannonball Island. I love Chrissie and Jared together. They complement one another, and I found myself rooting for them to have their own happy ever after. The author captures their attraction perfectly amid the pages of DUNE DRIVE and ramps up the sexual tension between them just right.

DUNE DRIVE is a sweet tale of a woman who feels she list herself and her life and has no idea how strong she really is. With the right amount of tension, sweet romance and a small town that fairly brims with life, I long to see for myself what Bling has for the casual shopper, what the flavors of ice cream are at Scoops and more. If you haven’t read The Chesapeake Diaries series, I highly recommend you start from the beginning with Coming Home and just run with it. I love each book and hope the author returns to this quant town and island.

This was a very cute story by Mariah Stewart. It details the story of a woman running from an abusive relationship, which is a very heavy and sensitive topic. Stewart crafted it expertly and was able to weave a small-town romance into the mix. It was easy to become invested in the characters and I look forward to reading more by this author!

This is another addition to the Chesapeake Diaries series, but you do not have to have read the other books in the series to read and enjoy this one. In this book, Chrissy Jenkins returns to her ancestral home on Cannonball Island for a wedding and decides not to return to her home or job--or her abusive ex live-in. Chrissy has carefully planned everything out, so her ex will hopefully never find her, though she knows for certain he will track her down, even to the ends of the earth. Christy settles in nicely, working with her soon-to-be 101-year-old great-great grandmother in her country store and at a nearby restaurant. Though sworn off men, Christy befriends Jared, a local diver whose family company works on salvaging sunken ships and is going to dive for one in the area. Soon, this seemingly simple friendship moves into a different category, as both become enamored of each other. However, for obvious reasons, Christy is leery of any relationship, and Jared is just looking, enjoying himself and the women who come his way. Though Christy has worked hard to cover her tracks, she is constantly worried her ex will find her and punish her and anyone else he figures has helped her. Christy is also working through some other secrets about her past and her family, secrets her mother never would explain or clarify for her when asked while Christy was growing up. Still, one person, Great-great grandmother Ruby has information and answers—mostly due to the “sight” everyone claims she has.

This was a well-done book, like the others this author has written. One thing that drove me crazy as I read was the way the author had Ruby keep using “be” in lieu of other, more suited words/speech constructions whenever she spoke. I suspect the author was trying to give Ruby some sort of Cannonball Island dialect but failed badly because Ruby never used any other unusual forms of speech or any dialect as she spoke the rest of the time. In fact, Ruby was well spoken, using conventional speech patterns everywhere else. The budding romance between Christy and Jared was expected from the start but it was nice to watch it develop, as it was to watch Chrissy heal after her traumas with her ex. The setting was a small town, just as could be expected. I am quite familiar with the area, having lived there for many years, and I am not quite sure where this author used for her setting, as this is not quite what I have come to experience or expect about this area. Still, this is fiction, and an author is allowed to stretch things a bit—and she has throughout this series. This is a well-written book. The characters and setting are spot-on for the ambiance the author wanted to create. I do, however, wish I could find a St. Dennis, just to visit, if not to live in. If you enjoy reading the books in this series or any of the others written by this author, I recommend this one, as it probably will not disappoint. Also, as I said, it is not necessary to have read any of the other books in the series before this one, though it is quite far along in the series. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Chrissy married the wrong guy. Prince Charming turned out to be an abusive creep. Finally leaving him, she heads to her grandmother's to find healing on Cannonball Island. There she meets Jared and reluctantly forges a friendship with him. Stewart writes a character who struggles with trusting herself; after all, she married such a horrible man so how could she know that the next guy isn't just as bad? I think that is a feeling that many people feel after devastating betrayal, much less something as awful as what Chrissy experienced.

There is some well-written soul-searching that takes place in Dune Drive. All the self-doubts and lack of confidence fit the character's background, as does the way that she begins to blossom under the care of her great-grandmother. The romance between Chrissy and Jared is sweet. My only wish for the story is a greater interest at the beginning. It took about 1/3 of the way through the story that I felt like it hit it's stride. Still, it's a solid 4 star story.

Mariah Stewart has a way of writing a story that pulls you in and makes you feel like you are part of it. The book read very easy and left you with a good feeling


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Chrissie has come to Cannonball Island to escape her violent boyfriend and seek sanctuary with her hundred year old great grandmother Ruby. ARC from Net Galley.

Dune Drive is that perfect read for the summer. Chrissy is an inspiration as she leaves behind an abusive life style and returns to her roots on Cannonball Island. She's that perfect friend, grateful for all the good in her life, savoring every little treat and determined to give back to the community and her friends and family. Jarred surprising for his playboy ways turns out to be the perfect counterfoil making this a great addition to the series.

Ms. Stewart is one of my favorite authors and while the series itself has some ups and downs in my book I never miss a book. Eccentric and psychic Ruby has been a great character ever since she's been introduced in the series. I love her pronouncements that Chrissy takes in her stride but the one that really had me chuckling was the advise about clothing and shoes that a puzzled Chrissy ignored only to wish she had believed. The author sheds light on the evil nature of domestic abuse and how it saps even the smartest of person and Chrissy was so insecure to being with. However she's a great inspiration to those women who struggle to leave the shackles behind.
Jarred a treasure diver and a play boy to boot would not have been a choice for Chrissy and yet as they bond and build their friendship one ice cream at a time it just works out perfectly. For fans of the series, this book is a delight since it brings together so many characters from some of the Ms. Stewart's contemporary romances it's quite the treat to catch up both in town and over a wedding.
I really like how the story played out and can't wait to get more Ruby and Cannonball Island.

This series never gets old for me. Each character is so unique. I love Ruby and Grace. Chrissie and Jared are fantastic. I love how Mariah Stewart works in the horrors of an abusive relationship. I laughed and cried during this story and did not want to put it down. I received a copy of this book from gallery books for a blog tour and all opinions are my own.

The author did a great job showing how domestic violence affects a person and their family via her stellar writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

I must admit that I adore this series. Reading books from this series is like returning to your favorite small town and visiting all your old friends as well as making new ones. I really enjoyed getting to know Chrissy and Jared. This book was a great blend of women’s fiction and Romance. Strong female characters stand out and you can’t help but love all of them. In this installment of the Chesapeake Diaries Stewart tackles the issue of domestic violence and does a really good job capturing the feelings that the victim grapples with as she’s developing a new relationship. As always the writing is great, the plot is well thought out and the book flows right along. This book makes a great beach read and should be at the top of your list for summer reading.

I've said many times that I find this series to be inconsistent (including right above this) but I must say - this is one of the good ones. One of the ones that reminds me just why it is that I keep reading this series.

First off I really loved Chrissy. She's in recovery from a really terrible relationship and is just getting ready to find happiness for herself again. I liked that there was some delay between her leaving an abusive situation and even the possibility of a new relationship. While I love a getting back on your feet kind of story sometimes the healing/recovery process feels a bit too fast. Her relationship with her great-grandmother Ruby was so sweet (or as sweet as Ruby allows - she doesn't put up with getting sentimental) and I really believed her growth and her relationship with Jared.

I liked Jared too. His reasons for not wanting to settle down are a combination of baggage and practicality (his job requires a lot of travel) and actually made some sense. He's a good guy who is smart and funny. He loves his friends and his family. How can you not want him to have a happy ending?

This is really character driven. The bulk of the plot is the characters just going about their day to day lives and interacting with the people around them which was a really nice read. I love the community feel of this series (which may be why I can never resist the new one in the series) and this really brought that into focus. There were a lot of truly sweet moments that never got too sugary but really increased my enjoyment of the book. If you love a character driven romance with really likable characters in a wonderful community I think you'll really enjoy this book!

New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart returns with Dune Drive, the latest installment in her Chesapeake Diaries series set in the fictitious beachside locations of Cannonball Island and St. Dennis on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Dune Drive sees another island descendant return to this ancestral home to escape the past and find a brighter future.

Christiana “Chrissie” Jenkins makes the painful yet necessary decision to leave New Jersey and her abusive boyfriend of five years with no warning. She returns to Cannonball Island to stay with her great-grandmother, Ruby “Gigi” Carter, and start the healing process in the place where she had such good childhood memories — and to stay off the radar so that her ex-boyfriend won’t find her. As she starts to put her life back together she crosses paths with Jared Chandler, the son of the owner of a diving recovery company and good friend of her cousin, Owen. Jared, who considers women a temporary distraction, finds himself thinking of a more permanent future with Chrissie while Chrissie, who is still working on her self-esteem and jump-starting her new life as a restaurant chef, wonders how someone like Jared could ever be with someone like her. As Chrissie and Jared find their way to each other, the cloud of Chrissie’s ex-boyfriend looms until everything comes to a head after a memorable birthday party.

Stewart’s return to the popular Chesapeake Diaries series is predictable yet charming and full of local color, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have previous installments in the series. The character of Chrissie Jenkins, unfortunately, is one with which I have least connected over the series. One of the nitpicks I have with Dune Drive is the treatment of a weighty subject such as domestic violence in such a lighthearted novel. Since this is supposed to be a traditional contemporary romance instead of a suspenseful romance, it was expected for the domestic violence issue to be glossed over to a degree; however, Stewart’s self-improvement, “You go, girl” theme of Chrissie’s personal redemption was a bit too saccharine. The book almost read like she took the movie Sleeping With The Enemy and boiled it down to a palatable romance novel.

Another issue I had with this book was the sheer number of secondary and tertiary characters. While it’s admirable that so many characters are a signal to Stewart’s fans that the Chesapeake Diaries series will go on for quite some time, it got overwhelming at times, especially during the events of Delia Wright and Gordon’ Chandler’s wedding weekend. I had a difficult time keeping up with the convoluted genealogy.

A bright spot was the interesting twist involving Chrissie’s estranged mother and the disappearance of Chrissie’s brother Luke when she was eight years old. Stewart did a good job of hinting that there was a backstory to that situation without giving any type of clue to that backstory.

As is the norm in the Chesapeake Diaries series, the true star was Ruby Carter, the psychic, no-nonsense, island-dwelling matriarch who celebrated her 101st birthday in Dune Drive. Her character alone is a good reason to start any book in this series, and I hope that Stewart’s plans for the series include Ruby living for at least another ten years.

Dune Drive is a good beach read and fans of Stewart and/or the Chesapeake Diaries series won’t be disappointed.

For those who haven't yet read this series by Mariah Stewart you don't know what you are missing. The stories are all wonderfully written with characters that leap off the pages. Dune Drive is #12 in the series and I have to say I hope there are way more to come.

I have a little secret for you. The book prior to this one is the Chesapeake Bride. Yes it's good but it wasn't as good as the past books so I worried a little that the author might have gone to far with the series. It happens. So when I decided to read this one I told myself to go in with a open mind.

I didn't want to taint the book before even giving it a try. Thankfully it was just let the others in the series. Right away I was into the story and loving it. My heart just broke for Chrissy and all that she was going through. She has stuck in a crap relationship and needed out. She also had some family situations that needed work too.

All this help start off Dune Drive and push it into a wonderful fast paced story that it was. I totally love have both Chrissy and Jared started their relationship as just friends. It was a very slow build but one that I think worked best for both of them. they needed to learn what the other was about in their own time without sex and emotions taking over.

I think all of that made them stronger when they did start having feelings for each other.

I'm so glad I gave Dune Drive a chance it was well worth it and it made me excited for the next book to come. Maybe someones brother? You'll have to read it to know what I'm talking about. If you haven't yet read this series then it's time.

This series has definitely had its ups and downs with me. But as I mentioned in my review of The Chesapeake Bride, I’m a big fan of the Cannonball Island stories and Ruby. The heroine of this story, Chrissy, is Ruby’s great (great?) granddaughter. The hero, Jared, is a salvage diver who works with Owen, Chrissy’s cousin who was the focus of The Chesapeake Bride. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this story.

There are parts to Chrissy’s story that just had me in tears. I’m not giving anything away to say she was in an abusive relationship…that’s established from the beginning. It’s not the abuse that tore at my heart, but more the aftermath. Things I hadn’t ever really thought of. As much as I am aware of the long-lasting psychological effects of being in such a situation, the scope of how that can play out when looking for a job or making friends hadn’t occurred to me. Mariah Stewart really handled Chrissy’s situation beautifully and taught me a thing or two in the process.

The relationship between Jared and Chrissy starts very slowly. In fact, the two of them don’t so much as hold hands for quite a while and insist they are “good friends” when anyone mistakes their relationship for anything more. It’s actually very sweet and romantic although neither of them means for it to be sweet or romantic. Their bond happens so organically and their feelings grow in such a natural way, it’s almost a surprise when you realize how enmeshed they are with each other.

As the reader, you know certain things are going to play out. I don’t believe the author means for it to be a surprise and she surely drops hints constantly throughout the story. As always, that is fine with me when the author makes it a point of ensuring the trip is a joy to take. And here, it really was.

I’m a huge fan of this author’s The Hudson Sisters series and my curiosity was piqued when Devlin’s Light was mentioned. Now I’m going to have to hunt down the books in her Enright series since they tie to both The Hudson Sisters and The Chesapeake Diaries. I’d love to go back and find out more about some of the characters I’ve met in all the books that I didn’t realize had their own stories.