Driftwood Cottage

October 24, 2011
Characters talk incessantly about the joys and woes of marriage the latest installment in Woods's romantic Chesapeake Shores series. Heather Donovan loves Connor O'Brien and the infant son they share, but she's tired of Connor's refusal to marry her. So she packs up their son and moves to Connor's hometown of Chesapeake Shores to open a quilting shop. Connor is stunned when Heather leaves him, but his parents' rocky relationship over the years and the ugly, bitter divorces he handles as an attorney make him see marriage as a mistake waiting to happen. Connor slowly starts to change his mind, but when Heather is involved in an accident, it may already be too late. Fans of the series may enjoy visiting the O'Brien clan again, but new readers will find it difficult to sort out who's who. The large cast of meddlesome characters further hinders the already bland, slow-moving plot.

May 1, 2011
Connor OBriens resentment of his parents for divorcing during his childhood and his relentless ambition to make partner in a leading Baltimore law firm as a go-to divorce lawyer advocating on behalf of cheating men have made him wealthy but also lonely and cynical. Since college, Heather has accepted Connors terms for their relationship, always hoping he would someday propose marriage. When it becomes obvious that will never happen, she moves out of their shared apartment, taking their infant son, and starts a new life in Chesapeake Shores. There she works as a quilt-store owner and teacher with the support of Connors entire family. Woods heartwarming contemporary romance continues to develop themes connecting the widespread OBrien family with environmental and social issues, offering updates on previous protagonists, and foreshadowing future characters in the Chesapeake Shores novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)