Bookwatch: Mariah Stewart

So, when HelenKay Dimon informed me at a SoCal Blogger get together a few months ago that Mariah Stewart was leaving her gritty romantic suspense and returning to non-suspense writing, I was heartbroken. But as I thought about it, her older books were wonderful. Heavy on the romance and containing a tiny bit of suspense that made complete sense within the story (no last-minute kidnappings, people!). I think Devlin's Light is one of my favorite books of hers - plus, the recipes! Oy, the recipes!

So I picked up Coming Home. And loved it. It was an offshoot of her FBI Shields family, but much softer and quieter. More contemplative. Set in a sleepy little coastal Maryland town. And I realize I never reviewed it. Damn. (I gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads).

Anyway, Stewart posted her reasons for the change on her website (no longer there - the reasons, not the website!), and you really can't argue with them. She was going through some things in her personal life and needed to move away from the dark and write more slow, uplifting stories. Fair enough.

So now, book 2 in her new series is coming out on July 27.



Dallas MacGregor is living the Hollywood dream. At thirtysomething, she’s an award-winning actress beloved by the public and bound for even bigger success. But when her soon-to-be-ex-husband, producer Emilio Baird, is caught in a sex scandal, Dallas’s charmed life turns tabloid nightmare. Determined to shield her young son, Cody, from the ugly uproar, Dallas seeks refuge in sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland—the Chesapeake Bay town where her happiest childhood days were spent.

Reunited with her boisterous, beloved great-aunt, Dallas wants nothing more than to leave her Hollywood days behind. And when she crosses paths with local veterinarian Grant Wyler, her high school summer love, she finds he’s everything she remembers, and more—and that the spark is still there. But Dallas’s promising new life takes a troubling turn when the unimaginable happens and she finds herself living a mother’s worst nightmare, and Emilio storms into St. Dennis to save the day—along with his damaged career. Trapped in the unwanted glare of the limelight once again, Dallas discovers that it’s coolheaded Grant who is willing to risk everything for her and her son, and to secure the future they were always meant to share.

I so want to read this one. Who doesn't love vet heroes?