Sunday, July 13, 2008

Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts

Phillip's story.

I just finished this one and haven't even written my review of Rising Tides yet. But I was all teared up with the romantic and wonderful ending and just had to say that before I go off and get ready for work and do other things and forget this wonderful HEA feeling I'm harboring right now.

OK, I'm back to finish up my review. Truthfully, Phillip wasn't originally my favorite Quinn brother. He was kinda buttoned up, uptight, and maybe came across as a little superior in his own mind in the first 2 books, and somewhat into his own book.

Our heroine Sybill is harboring a couple of secrets on her own. I have to admit, I almost skipped several pages to read ahead because her introduction made me very very edgy and concerned!! Who was she really? Well, without revealing who she was, her career was as a psychologist/author, having written a couple of books that the Quinns had even read, and her "cover" was that she was researching a book on the behavior of people in small towns. What better place than the small town where the Quinns lived?

Phillip wasn't one who was necessarily avoiding relationships - he just needed everything to be tidy, organized, in its place, and so far his world wasn't ready for a relationship. And now that he's commuting from Baltimore to St Chris every weekend, and working 10-12 hour days in Baltimore, he doesn't even have time to date. His attraction to Sybill is just that, chemistry, and he'll act on it if he can fit it in...

But once Sybill's secrets are revealed (sooner to the reader, thank gawd, than to the brothers), there'll be hell to pay on both sides. Can Phillip get past it? Can Cam, Ethan, Anna, Grace and Seth ever get past it, is the bigger question, because it was big enough to tear the family apart.

Sybill was my least favorite Quinn heroine - even discounting her various secrets, she was awfully buttoned up and way too prissy and prim. OK, prissy and prim aren't exactly the right words - she was too... Too taken with her profession. Used too many big words and phrases and... ok, whatever, I just didn't warm to her and cannot seem to express what I mean, dammit. But she comes down a notch or 2 before it's over, and really, this story had the most romantic ending of the three, which had me tearing up and grinning through watery eyes and all that. You go Nora! Thank goodness someone out there can express herself with words!

5 stars and it's a keeper too.

1 comment:

Carpoolqueen (formerly known as Beth) said...

I love the Chesapeake Bay series! The 4th is Seth's story and it's called Chesapeake Blue. Funny, but I liked Ethan's story best. I understood his bossiness with Grace to be the angst over being in love with her, and feeling unworthy of her. Besides, he has that strong, silent thing going that leaves me ooey and gooey. I love Phillips ability and willingness to flirt with women of all ages. I love the humor with Cam's story. I enjoy the continued relationship between Seth and Aubrey. That's all I'm going to say about that story, you won't get any spoilers from me.