A Chesapeake Shores Christmas (A Chesapeake Shores Novel)

I have loved all the Chesapeake Shores novels, and can't wait to finish my present one A Summer Garden. I feel like I really know the characters. Thanks Sheryl for writing this series, and the store for making it available.

My first Sherryl Woods read. I was expecting so much more. Being from the Chesapeake Bay area, I was disappointed that there was so little setting background. Way too many characters introduced very early in the book. It seemed like one long dispute by all these many family members. It was very difficult to get involved in the story for all these reasons. This did not feel like a "Christmas" story, and did not feel like it took place around Chesapeake Bay. It didn't make me "feel" anything.

Mick and Megan O'Brien divorced twelve years ago and had five children together. After twelve years of trying to go their separate ways, Mick and Megan are back together, slowly working towards reconciliation and getting remarried. Megan still can't seem to let go that Mick is stubborn in his ways, and that he continually put his work before her while they were married- and fears he will do the same the second time around. Some of the children (now grown adults) aren't quite on board with their parents impending nuptials, especially divorce attorney Connor, who seems determined to ruin the wedding. Will the family be able to come together for the holidays, or will too many unseen obstacles keep getting in the way?

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods is from a series, but don't be worried if you haven't read the previous books. You will feel right at home with the O'Brien family. The story is sweet, a couple coming together after years apart, finding their way again after so many hurdles. I read that many people didn't like Megan's character, because she left the family after her and Mick divorced, but I related with her. As the story goes on, she becomes a very likeable heroine: strong, determined, and trying to be independent. It is clear that she loves all her children deeply, even Connor who keeps trying to shut her out. I think my only problem with this story is that it was just too nice and sweet. Sure, Connor plays a villain and has his own challenge present itself, but that wasn't enough conflict to really make me feel for the character's stories. If you are looking for a light read that will make you saw "aww" and feel warm and cuddly inside, A Chesapeake Shores Christmas would be right for you.

One of Woods' best qualities as a writer, is writing people who are realistic. The men in this story have flaws, yet are written in a way to let the reader see why the women in their lives love them. So many similar stories have extreme personalities when describing the men (either unrealistically doting and romantic OR selfish and violent at times) that it is hard to really imagine the man. The women too, are portrayed in an honest manner, making it easy to relate to elements of their personalities.

Another facet I appreciate is that Woods listened to her readers who wanted more about this family. I have read the entire series and believe Chesapeake Shores does a wonderful job putting closure on Megan and Mick's tumultuous relationship. Though the reader can predict some elements of the story and even the ending, there are a few surprises thrown in that the book jacket did not give away! That made for a more fun read. We were given a teaser that three more in the series will be published in spring 2011 - hopefully time will go fast.

Whether you buy or borrow, this series is great when you need a quick read and pick me up. Sometimes a lighter book gets me through a tiring day and I found myself really wanting to read it each night. It easily could be read in a day or two; I parcelled out the chapters to make it last longer.

After a dozen plus years since their divorce, Mick and Megan O'Brien are remarrying in Chesapeake Shores. This will be only the second time since she left Mick to hide in New York that she will be in the place her children grew up. She prays her offspring will accept her back in their lives and that of their daddy, but knows her mistakes of not being there for them could prove too much to overcome.

The adult kids are euphoric that their parents are coming together. That is all except Connor who became a divorce lawyer due to his mother's abandonment of him and his siblings. He cannot forgive her unlike the rest of the family who bless this union. His rejection amplifies Megan's doubts as she does no want to hurt her loved ones again. It will take a miracle to bring the O'Brien family together, but it is the season of miracles.

The latest Chesapeake Shores tale (see Harbor Lights and Flowers on Main Street) is an enjoyable second chance at family drama. The parents and their children are fully developed characters, but it is Connor who makes the story line work. Megan recognizes his relationship with Heather as a repeat of the mistakes made by and Mick. Readers will enjoy the return to the O'Brien brood in Sherryl Woods' warm return to Chesapeake Shores.

Harriet Klausner

This newest book by Sherryl Woods is like coming home for Christmas! I love Chesapeake Shores and this little book wet my appetite wanting me more! Can't wait for April of 2011. But back to the book. Mick and Meg, they have come together and realize they still love each other. Mick is overbearing and Meg wants her independence. Can they get it together, because Mick has already planned a New Year's Eve wedding! All the kids seem on board, but Connor is downright protesting this union. So when Mick goes to tell him basically he will be there at the wedding and he will put a smile on his face whether he likes it or not! You know how guys are though, tempers flare and Mick tells him he isn't welcome at home; he is banished. Meg WILL find out though and this could ruin everything!

There may not be a wedding at all! Then things go from bad to worse. A young lady drops a baby off and says he needs to be with his dad. The baby's name being MICK! Find out who the father is and if things ever get settled with Mick and Meg.

This is the perfect story to read this time of year. Really gets you in the holiday mood, all the talk of lights, decorations and family.

When Megan and Mick O'Brien were divorced twelve years ago, the children were left with Mick as Megan felt they should not be taken from the home they knew because she moved to live in New York. This wasn't easy as she missed them so very much. Having tried to visit years before for holidays and it not working out, Megan had stayed clear but now she and Mick have found their way back to each other and want to remarry. Megan stands firm, however, that as much as she wants this, she wants all 5 of the children to approve of it. She speaks with them all and over time, they all agree with her except for Connor. He is a divorce lawyer and is adamant about not wanting them back together. He thinks it is a huge mistake. The other children try to talk Connor into it as they want their family back together and their parents happy.

Having read the other Chesapeake Shores books by Sherryl Woods, and it being a Christmas story, I could almost tell what would eventually happen but then again, was I right? I think this is a perfect nugget of fiction to sink into just around this time of year and still have substance to the story and keep readers interested.

After years of being apart, Mick and Megan O'Brien are remarrying. But not all of their children are happy about it. Their son, Conner, has never forgiven his mother for walking out on the family and starting a new life. So he's not about to give his approval to this reunion. Can the O'Brien family heal their wounds and share a family Christmas?

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas is a sweet holiday novel. However, I had serious problems with the heroine, Megan, and could never really connect with the story because of it. While I understood how her marriage had fallen apart and I even could understand her need to leave her husband, I could not relate to her moving to New York and leaving her children behind. To me that is the antithesis of a heroine, so I could not cheer for her to have a happy ending. A Chesapeake Shores Christmas is a story about forgiveness and family; I could only wish that the heroine was more sympathetic because it had the potential to be a holiday book worth putting on the keeper shelf.

Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Memorable characters and exquisite writing makes A Chesapeake Shores Christmas exceptionally good reading.

Megan wants to remarry Mick but she wants to be a partner not a possession to him. Making it happen may be next to impossible. Mick's controlling, I-know-best attitude had made him a successful, rich man but had negated Megan's value in their marriage until she ran to save her sense of self, but their love for each other never died.

She'd tried to communicate that she and the children needed him to be a part of their lives not just a good provider. Communication did take place, but each person interpreted the words from his or her own perspective. It reminds me of a song from `back when' that said, everybody's talking at me. I don't hear a word they are saying. The lack of understanding brought heartbreaking results--a divorce that colored the lives of Megan and Mick's five children.

Older and hopefully wiser Megan tries to mend family ties that she rent asunder when she divorced Mick and allowed their five children to stay with him--a decision that cut deep wounds in her heart--wounds that bled afresh each time her children rebuffed her.

The children, now adults, play major roles in the reconciliation efforts of Mick and Megan. Connor, the youngest and a divorce lawyer, is an antagonist deluxe. His pessimistic, judgmental attitude not only threatens his parents' happiness, it also threatens his own happiness.

Families squabble, but the O'Briens have developed it into an art form.

Consequently, Megan's being strong enough to stand up to Mick's bulldozer ways gets tested over and over again as he works to make good on his claim that he has changed. An even tougher test is holding on to her convictions while dealing lovely with Connor who has deep-seated anger and abandonment issues that make him truly cruel at times. The other children add opinions to their parents reuniting which makes for some volatile family gatherings. However, great-grandmother Nell and tiny baby Mick just may be two of the most pivotal characters that influence the resolution of some major issues--these two wield lots of power.

Sherryl Woods' character development reveals such true-to-life emotions that the members of the O'Brien family seem like neighborhood friends that weather some of the toughest of life's emotional storms, never giving up, and never taking the easy way out of problems. A mixture of `muleheadedness', we-will-survive attitude, and an abundance of both family love and romantic love makes A Chesapeake Shores Christmas a story with its share of Christmas miracles. When the chips are down, love wins the day, but not without a ton of conflicts that make a spellbinding story.

Originally posted at: [...]

Megan and Mick O'Brien were divorced several years ago. Megan went to live in New York and left their five kids with Mick. She didn't want to uproot them. However she missed them terribly. Now, she and Mick are back together and want to get married in the New Year. There's just one thing: Megan won't marry Mick unless all five of their children give them their blessing. Mick isn't going to take that lying down! I have to say, I agreed with Mick. Why would Megan allow her grown children to dictate whether or not she remarried their father? Grown children are definitely not going to listen when a parent tries to stand in the way of their happiness! Anyway, read it and take sides: Mick's or Megan's. The story had humor, lots of sweet moments with family, and there was even a baby in it. A prerequisite in a Christmas tale, in my opinion. :o)

A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Sherryl Woods spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia, and over the years she has lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers. In addition to her more than seventy-five romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries -- nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series. When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet. Other titles include: HOME AT ROSE COTTAGE, SWEET TEA AT SUNRISE, MENDING FENCES, STEALING HOME, ASK ANYONE, and ANGEL MINE.

After divorcing many years ago and being apart, Megan and Mick O'Brien are ready to take the plunge together again and make their rekindled love official. Their grown children seem supportive and happy for them, well, all but one. Connor is still harboring bitter resentment for Megan and what she did to the family by leaving them. The last thing Megan wants to do is hurt her family again, but doesn't she deserve the chance for happiness with her one true love? With an impending marriage and holiday season, can miracles truly happen? It seems as if only an unexpected delivery and a miracle can reunite this family. And Christmas is the only time of year for just such a miracle.

I'm normally a huge fan of Sherryl Woods books. She writes with a bittersweet reverie that is so timeless and unique to her, and rarely heard anymore. But this book was not for me. Her readers will disagree with me, as this is a personal preference to me and not a knock on the book. I could not relate to the main character, Megan, at all. Here is a woman who selfishly left her family years before. I realize why, and on some level I understand it, but I cannot relate to a heroine who did that. I'm all for second chances, but not in this scenario for a heroine. I was actually rooting against her.

In saying that, Sherryl's readers will delight in her charismatic writing style and tearful moments in this story, just as her previous ones. It's a heartfelt book filled with miracles and family--what better for Christmas? I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series: DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE- Connor's story (April 2011), MOONLIGHT COVE- Jess's story (May 2011), and BEACH LANE- Susie and Mack's story (June 2011).

Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
Bookpleasures

I just finished the third novel in the Chesapeake series (Harbor Lights) yesterday and this book arrived today. I knew it would have the same setting, but didn't realize that it was the next in the series. What a treat! Christmas continues the story of the O'Brien family and the trials they face in their attempts to find happiness. It reiterates the power of understanding, communication and unconditional love. Here the focus in on Mick and Megan as well as their illusive son, Connor. You meet familiar friends and find new ones to enjoy. What I especially like is that each book in her series can stand alone. The author alludes to the other stories without needing them to be read to follow the current theme. This is another quick and thoroughly enjoyable Sherryl Woods book. I highly recommend it.

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas draws you in straight away to the story and life of the O'Brien family and the impending remarriage of the parents, Mick and Megan. There are secrets, but most of all, non-communication between many of the family members. It says something for the writing that you like these people immediately and feel their frustration. The characters are well described and even better, since this is a book in a series; it does stand alone. You can enjoy this book without having read the previous ones; but it will make you want to read them too.
You feel the love and frustration of this large family; but most of all their love. It is an enjoyable read and a nice little Christmas book.

This would possibly be a charming, quick to read adult Christmas story book, if not for the main theme of the book. A couple, with five children, who had gotten divorced 12 years earlier are now going to get remarried during the Christmas/New Year's holiday. Not all the children are happy about this especially their one son, a divorce attorney. This seems to be a fairy tale family with plenty of money, living in a lovely home or the grown children off in their respective homes and successful careers, even a live in grandmother that keep the home fires burning while the mother was off finding herself.

I find it very difficult to imagine the actual scenario of a 12 year divorced couple that had never stopped loving each other getting remarried. I haven't read any other books in this series, but if they are all like this book, they are fluff pieces for when you want to read and relax and not have to do much thinking. If that is what you need this is a perfect book.

I looked forward to reading this book as I really enjoyed the first 3 books in the series and looked forward to reading more about Mick and Megan. This book was very disappointing - I had to force myself to finish it. Spoilers - Megan's reasons for dragging her feet were annoying and repetitive and I almost got to the point where I didn't care what happened.

Another heartwarming tale of the O'Brien family. This one is centered on Megan and Mick. It also brings to the forefront Megan trying to mend fences with her son Connor. The dysfunctional family manages to function, meddle, and amuse the reader all at the same time. It's a shorter story this time, so a quick weekend read. Always a feel good, happy ending kind of book. The kind I like to read she. I am down to make me more "up."