REVIEW: Driftwood Point by Mariah Stewart

Driftwood Point (Chesapeake Diaries #10) by Mariah Stewart is an amazing story about a small town Cannonball Island. I love the small town stories. They make the characters feel more like family and really get you invested in the story. Although this is the tenth book in the Chesapeake Diaries series, I can tell you, as someone who had not read the books in this series, I never felt lost. This is the story of Lis and Alec.

Lisbeth Parker is a up and coming artist who has returned home to Cannonball Island to show her work and visit with her Great Grandmother, GiGi. Upon arriving she finds that her GiGi has remodeled the downstairs of the family store and has also given the boat that has been in there family forever to none other than Alec Jansen, the boy that she has had a crush on for years, the boy that was off limits to her because he was not from the island. Not only does Alec have the boat, but he has also done all of the remodeling at GiGi’s house. What Lis can not figure out is why?

Alec Jansen has been in love with Lisbeth since they were in school together. Never understanding why she would not give him the time of day, he suffered in silence. When Lisbeth returns to Cannonball Island and it looks like she may be around for awhile, Alec offers to help her renovate her Great Grandmother’s old home. The more time that Lis and Alec spend together the closer they become.

But when a land developer tries to come in wanting to purchase land on Cannonball Island to build big gaudy homes that will destroy the delicate balance and ecosystem that the island loves so much, it will pit Alec and Lis against each other. Alec will need to find a way to make the developer see the light before he loses Lis for good.

I loved the connection between Alec and Lis. Lis has jumps to a lot of conclusions about Alec, but what she does not understand is that Alec has always been on her side, has always put the island and it’s heritage first. Making it clear that the environment, that way of life of the people on Cannonball Island should be preserved, that if the land is to be developed, it should be done in a way that will enhance the island, make it look more like a part of the history, not something that will stick out like a sore thumb.

I loved the connection between GiGi and Lis. How she wants to try and preserve the stories of the past so that they are not lost to the generations yet to come. This is an amazing summertime read that will give you a look into yesterday, with a wonderful story about family and finding love.
 

Book Info:

Publication: Published June 21st 2016 | Gallery Books | Chesapeake Diaries #10

The sun sets on the Chesapeake Diaries, New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart’s cherished series based on Maryland’s picturesque eastern shore, with this romantic tale of a man who takes a second chance on love with the high school crush who broke his heart.

Up-and-coming artist Lisbeth Parker finally has a chance to show the folks back home what it means to leave Cannonball Island and make something of yourself. As a native whose stubborn father forbade her from befriending townies, Lis always felt like an outsider in St. Dennis. So while her work is on display in the local art gallery, she records her ailing centenarian great-grandmother’s stories of the island’s rich history and spearheads a fight for its survival.

Lis was Alec Jansen’s secret dream girl growing up, even after she flat-out refused to be his prom date. Now the handsome environmental engineer and the whip-smart beauty are on opposite sides of a debate over the island’s future. Hired to prove that developing the shore will have little impact on the area’s natural integrity and huge gains for its economy, Alec is determined to change his alluring, headstrong rival’s mind—and to win her heart.