Rising Tides (The Chesapeake Bay Saga, Book 2) (U)

Nora Roberts presents the second novel in a dramatic trilogy of three men who return home to honor their father's last wish. Of the three brothers, it was Ethan who shared his father's passion for the Maryland shore. And now with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life.Publishers WeeklyRoberts continues to celebrate the healing power of love and family in the second volume of her Quinn trilogy (one for each of the strapping young Quinn lads). The three brothers, abused boys who were adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn, have moved into the family's comfortable home on the eastern shore of Maryland to protect their newest brother, 12-year-old Seth, who was taken in by their father before his death in an automobile accident. Ethan's brothers -- Cam the roguish racer and Phillip the debonair executive -- have been around the world, while Ethan has stayed home working as a waterman in the Chesapeake. He is patient and kind, and has had his eyes on Grace Monroe, the Quinn housekeeper, since high school. With some help from Anna, Cam's new wife (see Sea Swept), Grace finally seduces Ethan, who has always been afraid that his rough passion would hurt his lover. It's up to the other Quinns to see that Ethan and Grace get together and to provide the laughter, love and understanding (not to mention the cooked crab, fried chicken and pasta salad) that will sustain all of them. Roberts stops just short of cloying to create a heating pad of good feeling with lots of her signature clean-yet-dirty sex.