Sea Swept (Chesapeake Bay Saga, #1) (2024)

3.5⭐
A feel-good family drama with a touch of mystery and (quite steamy) romance.

Set in St. Christopher's, Maryland, the Quinns foster and adopt trouble boys. They adopted three boys Cameron, Ethan, and Phillip. Ray, a widower died leaving Seth, 10 years old the newest family member. Cam is the oldest and loves traveling and racing but is back home to pick up the pieces and honor Ray's dying wish to take care of Seth.

I didn't realize that each book in the series focuses on each adult boy so this first is about Cam. The mystery I am guessing is stretched out to the next since it wasn't concluded in this one. Definitely will read book two.

What is it about Nora Roberts' Quinn brothers that makes them so special? They're rough and tumble, they swear a lot, they like to be in charge, they're all good-looking. But I think it's the fact that they were once all troubled boys who were saved by two good people who instilled in them a sense of family, love, and loyalty that lasted even when they were grown and their adopted parents gone.

Sea Swept tells the story of the first of those boys, Cameron. He was the first troubled boy that Ray and Stella Quinn took in and saved. Now that he's grown, Cam travels the world racing boats, cars, motorcycles, dating models, gambling, and just plain old having a great time. But when his adopted father is in a fatal car accident, he must return to St. Christoper on the Chesapeake Bay where he learns that just before the accident that eventually kills him, Ray Quinn had taken in another troubled boy. A boy with secrets no one but Ray knew, and he's no longer there to answer the Quinn brothers questions.

This book, at least in my opinion, is a quintessential Nora Roberts romance. Great characters, a strong sense of family, and a romance that draws you in and makes you fall in love along with the hero and heroine. I first read this book years ago, but it's one that stands out in my mind and one I like to go back and reread once in a while, especially when I want a great romance and family story.

I love heroes that are rough-edged and Cam is definitely that. He likes to swear, he wears jeans most of the time, wears his hair long. Yet there's something about him that's rather endearing. And the heroine, Anna, is the perfect match for him. She's fiery and passionate and is strong enough to stand up against Cam's Alpha personality. The sparks flow between them from their first meeting.

What I really enjoy about this book, though, is the overall story. Three brothers suddenly find themselves in charge of a damaged 10-year-old boy and it changes all their lives. The story focuses on Cam and Anna, but you still feel like you know everyone else - Ethan, Phillip, Seth. And Ray. Despite the fact that he has a small appearance in the beginning and then dies, Roberts still makes you feel like you know him.

Seth's storyline is wonderfully done. I loved reading the interactions between Cam and Seth, and Seth and everyone else. You really feel the boys pain and just want to hug him and protect him. And the way it's all set up, you can't wait to keep reading the rest of the series to see how everything plays out.

This is just a great romance/people/family story to read. I loved every part of it and it's one that will always be on my keeper shelf.

Me ha encantado! Sobre todo por encontrarme con la Roberts de siempre. Muchas gracias, Marisa, por la recomendación;) Seguiré leyendo la trilogía, imposible dejarla a medias :)

3.5*.

2.5

I'm giving up on becoming an official Nora Roberts fan. It's a shame, since I have tons of her books waiting to be read adorning the shelves, and I know she's a popular and prolific writer who dishes out so many books per year witchcraft may actually be involved.

I'll bring up my main issue and why it's a lower rating before getting to the positives of the story:

The social worker thing was so unrealistic. I work as a paper grunt in social services, so I know case managers are so busy they don't have all that time to spend with one child who is in a good situation without concerns. There is no way in hell they would ethically sleep with a client, and if it were found out they'd get fired and perhaps charges brought up against them or in risk of losing their license. It's considered unethical and an abuse of power to sleep with a client when you have power over them - such as a family where you can take a child away - there are laws for a reason and Nora Roberts should have done at least a little research before writing. She didn't have to become an expert, but this also relies on common sense here...

Thankfully Sea Swept is an improvement over the predictable, formulaic Montana Sky I read in January. I actually like the brothers - they cracked me up - especially when arguing over the domestic duties. (Pink laundry? Mwhahahaha). Cam is a delight, Phillip intriguing, and Ethan awesome. Seth was...a child. It was sweet.

Anna, on the other hand, is just okay - a little predictable and dramatic. Fortunately as a social worker she didn't irritate me too much since she saw right away their situation was the best for the boy and didn't fight it. I was ready for a fight and ready to be pissed. She did get annoying later about how Seth would be affected by negative rumors and how it would have to 'go in her report', but seriously? That's nothing compared to stress a kid would face being sent from a home to a new foster family.

By now the state would have hunted the mother down - or at least tried much harder.

Despite how silly that subplot with the social worker was, the story itself held genuine heart and warmth. I actually got tickled a few times at funny moments. The characters were endearing, even if they were a little patterned and not wholly realistic.

Translation widget on The blog!!!
“Nimic decât plăcere” ni-a aduce în prim plan pe Cameron Quinn. Acesta încearcă să scurtcircuiteze o mașină, să o fure și să plece cu ea în Mexic pentru a scăpa de un tată abuziv...
Însă este prins! Raymond Quinn și soția sa, Stella, îl îngrijesc, iar baiatul rămâne definitiv la ei.
Îl regăsim peste ani, când este chemat urgent acasă de frații săi. Ajunge la fix pentru o ultimă convorbire și tatăl său înainte ca acesta să moară.
Astfel, el, Ethan și Phillip se văd puși în situația de a avea grijă de Seth, a cărui adopție o demarase tatăl său.
Cei trei bărbați se mobilizează repede, nu fără a face greșeli, dar sunt hotărâți să împlinească dorința tatălui lor.
Facem cunoștință astfel cu luptele cu sistemul social, cu traumele copiilor abuzați. Observăm dinamica unei familii închegate și încrederea reciprocă. Vedem și modul în care se atașează cei trei de micul Seth, felul în care pustiul începe să aibă încredere în ei.
Cam Quinn este cel care va avea custodia lui Seth, deoarece el locuiește în casă cu copilul. Acesta are de-a face și cu asistenta socială Anna Spnelli, care are un singur scop: acela de a ști că Seth va fi bine acolo unde va locui. Dar nici unul dintre ei nu ia în calcul atracția fulgerătoare ce izbucnește, cu atât mai mult nu se așteaptă la sentimente, fiind convinși că relația fizică se va sfârși de la sine.
Cam este un tip care a călătorit prin toată lumea câstigând diferite concursuri de navigație, îi place adrenalina, dar își asumă răspunderea pentru Seth, fiind de acord să-și schimbe viața complet pentru acest lucru.
Autoarea Nora Roberts ne-a introdus într-o lume a abuzurilor asupra copiilor, a unor părinți care ar fi trebuit să le poarte de grijă dar nu au făcut-o, a unui sistem apatic, obosit, care de cele mai multe ori se dovedește nepăsător. O problemă de actualitate chiar și în zilele noastre.
O carte care ne învață despre familie, despre ajutor reciproc, încredere și iubire.
Cam și Anna sunt explozivi împreună, aerul scanteiază în preajma lor. Vor reuși oare să descopere iubirea? Asta ne rămâne de descoperit.
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3.5 stars.

A nice read but nothing overwhelming. I think the reason that this did not "wow" me more is that it didn't have the "suspense/mystery" element that that other books that I have read by her had!

A champion boat racer, Cameron Quinn traveled the world spending his winnings on champagne and women. But when his dying father called him home to care for Seth, a troubled young boy not unlike Cameron once was, his life changed overnight ...

“You don’t want to get in the habit of overusing the word “f*ck” as an adjective. You’ll miss the vast variety of its uses.”

“How do you feel about me?"
"Tired of you!" she shouted. "Tired of me, tired of us. Sick and tired of telling myself fun and games
could be enough. Well, it's not. Not nearly, and I want you out"
He felt the temper and panic that had gripped him ease back into delight. "You're in love with me, aren't
you?"
He'd never seen a woman go from simmer to boil so fast. And seeing it, he wondered why it had taken
him so long to realize he adored her. She whirled, grabbed a lamp, and hurled it.”

Will I continue with the series? I probably will as there was a couple of questions that were left unanswered.

Everything had changed.Everything was different. And he was desperate to tell her. Cam knew his life had turned on its axis yet again. And somehow he'd ended up exactly where he needed to be.
The only thing missing was Anna.

"Whatever new chapter you start always has some basis in the one that came before."

I don't know what I was expecting going into this one, but it certainly wasn't to fall in love with an adorable (don't tell them) group of brothers. Tragedy hits them hard and fast when the father, not by blood, but by love, is killed suddenly. They have to rearrange the lives they built for themselves because of him, and quickly take on the life that was offered to them.

With hardly a complaint, they all turn their lives around hard and fast to keep his legacy alive.

His legacy being, taking a boy in and giving him a life he never could have imagined. All of them had been through it, and Cameron being the first, knew that so much of it could reflect into the last. He saw so much of himself in Seth, and because of his promise to his father, took him on faithfully, if not happily.

To watch him fall in love with the boy was the sweetest thing in the world.

Nora is the Queen of romance, named well for it, and that didn't disappoint here either. Of course, being a 90's baby, I can't imagine the way women were treated back then even by the men they loved. If you look passed the time jump, and the environment of the story, you can see just how much Nora always hoped for a world were women were treated right.

Cameron fought for that in his own way, and for that, I adored him and Anna. I loved how strong she was despite her circ*mstances, maybe because of them. I loved that he listened to her story and told her how strong her and her mama must have been to allow her to become the person he sees standing in front of him.

This is a Nora book through and through, and I am absolutely never disappointed. Even if I can't love something by her, I'm always captivated. This one just happened to hold both feelings for me. I can't wait to move on to book two!

DNF for the second time. At least now I reached almost 90% before giving up:) It's not bad, but I really can't get over the heroine screwing one of her 'cases' -very unprofessional & unethical- and the complete lack of tension between them. Not sexual tension, there was tons of that, but conflict. I mean, it's a story of boy meets girl, girl likes boy, they start dating, having sex and then realizing it was more serious than they first thought. No problems, no big fights, no differences between them; just the usual spats between two people getting close to each other. For me, that means boring. I just couldn't gather the interest to read more. Add to that a super co*cky heroine who she alone knows what to do in any case, who's managed to fight all sorts of personal deamons and become a strong, sexy woman (I really can't see a rape victim -especially at so tender an age- being so sexually confident as a grown up), a heroine who can do no wrong and I'm done. Plus, besides the tons of sexual tension, I couldn't see the love between those two. End of story.

Nope. Still couldn’t do it. 🥺

Y’all. Maybe this is an over-share for GR, but my Mom passed away July 31, 2014 and this series was the last series she gave to me. My Mom and I had a long history of trading books. Her favorites were always chick-lit, and I would always trade her ‘substance’ for ‘fluff’. The last exchange we did was A Thousand Splendid Suns for this series. I devoured it on our last family vacation together, and I thought this year would be a good time to revisit this final shared story, but it’s still a little too hard.

I guess I write this in this space to say to all those who are grieving that 1. There is healing that comes and beauty in the memories you share, but 2. It’s okay for some things to still be tender. ♥️

A decent story and a fun setting, but I really hated the romance in this one. Roberts is good and this one was written in the late 90s and that's about the time I have designated in my head when I don't expect a true loser or something I won't enjoy. And that expectation stands—it's a good story and I cared about most of the characters and the setting is outstanding.

But I kind of hated Cam. He's a selfish jerk from start to finish and he gets things his own way, far, far too often. And I hate the whole "I'm going to override your decision because we both know you want it." And yes, it does border on abuse. Enough so that if it hadn't been for the internal dialogue letting me know that Anna did really want it I'd have been entirely thrown out of the story. Frankly, this may have been an instance where I needed more tell and less show. Anna's dialogue and described posture is at odds with the signals Cam is clearly receiving and I found that disconcerting. Indeed, Cam actions could often be seen as either brusquely interested or creepy stalker based solely on Anna's reaction.

So I cared about the story, setting, brothers, and Seth. I just hated Cam and that kept me from fully engaging even with Anna, who I mildly liked. Plus, social worker dating guardian under evaluation just doesn't feel right...

A note about Steamy: Two and a half explicit scenes (the half was just really short) makes this mid-range for me. Frankly, this was the best part of their relationship.

Final rating: 5/5 stars
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.5~4.75/5 stars

This is the second book I've read from Nora Roberts and I was not disappointed. Whenever I saw Nora's books in the bookstore my first thought was: murder case! (Not saying that all her books are about murder cases, but somehow i have that luck of picking up every single one with a killer in it). This time it's different. This is a story of a family - three adopted brothers who, after the death of their father, accept to raise and fight for the sake of the youngest addition to the family - 10 years old brother.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and it made me eager to read more, and while I'm writing the review now, I have already started second one too. The only thing that threw me off was the sudden ending, but the story continues in the other books. So, if you are thinking of reading this series as a set of stand alones - pick up the third one and read only that one - stop! These books are connected to each other by a single character, and the timeline. Reading out of order, or reading any of the books without the knowledge of the previous ones will end bad... very bad. Read in order!

I was surprised by a flashback scenes - it was interesting to meet Ray and Stella back then and to see how things happened.

► STORY:

Each of the books in this series follow the story and life of one of the brothers. This one is starting with the oldest - the first addition to the family of Quinn's. Ray and Stella Quinn saved 3 broken, terrified, wounded, jaded teenagers, gave them home, accepted them in their family and helped them become something in life - become people who could stay alive without doing horrid things to survive or being subjected to the cruel torture and whims of their abusers. Many years later, all three of them have faced the death of their mother Stella, and now, Ray's car crash resulted not only in his death, but in arrival of another broken boy Ray tried to save.

Ray's condition? Work together and save Seth before it's too late. The way he helped Cameron, Ethan and Phillip, they should do the same for Seth and live as a family.

Only a few months in his care, Seth was trying to accustom to Ray and his life style, desperately trying to get away and stay anywhere that is far, far away from his mother who just "sold" him to Ray. And then the accident happened and he is afraid of the consequences - he would do anything, anything just to stay away from his mother. And Quinns don't give up that easily - they want to honor the last wish of their father, and they want to save Seth like they were saved: after all, Seth is a troubled boy who had to go through all things the three of them combined.

Enter social worker Anna - a woman who needs to decide whether Seth should go into the system or stay with the Quinns. The adoption process was never finished as Ray passed away during it and mother could take it back at any time.

The conditions set: Cameron needs to get a job and all three of them need to live together with Seth until they get the full adoption process.

And Cameron, as well as his other two brothers, decide that changing their own lives drastically is a small price to pay to save another lost soul - the soul all three of them understand the best.

(And then Cam and Anna decide that they fell in lust at the first sight. The end. (I'm joking)).

► CHARACTERS:

◈ Cameron is the first boy/teen saved by Ray and Stella. Broken by his father, he tries to escape and ends up getting caught by a man (Ray) whose car he was trying to steal. Assessing the situation, and understanding that Cameron was terribly abused by his own father, Ray and Stella accepted, healed and took care of their first son - Cam. And now, the only thing he wishes to do is live fast - drive fast, have fast relationships, be fast, and never be in one place. Easy going guy who lives for an adventure, and the sheer thrill of it. After being healed and been showed what real family should feel like, he thought this was the right way to live his life... until it changes the moment his father dies and meets his third brother Seth. Understanding him is not a problem - only looking at Seth tells him everything he needs to know: that he was once abused as Cam was, and he needs to help Seth move on in his life. Changing his life 180 degrees is drastic, unexpected, but it's a small price to pay to save another family member left by Quinn's. Cameron loves to flirt with women - he never passes and opportunity, and meeting Anna is one of the best days in his life - he would quite love to take her out on a date. He can be selfish, but also kind and caring and very determined.

“The boy’s mine. Yours now. Keep the boy, whatever happens, you see to him. Cam. You’ll understand him best.” The big hand, once so strong and vital, tried desperately to squeeze. “Your word on it.”
“We’ll take care of him.” At that moment, Cam would have promised to drag down the moon and stars. “We’ll take care of him until you’re on your feet again.”

◈ Ethan is the second child, still and calm as water, patient, but loner on the inside. Prefers being in calm and peaceful surrounding and a is a bit anti-social... unless he is talking to his family. He is a waterman and he does his job well aware of the risks. After finally getting apartment and peace he desired, his life was changed when he met Seth - and he knew he needs to help as well. Among the other brothers, he also understands Seth's fears and doubts. Once broken and betrayed by his own mother, messed up by her decisions and feeling neverending shame and pain, he tries to help any way he can.

“Ethan.” Ray sucked in another breath that wheezed through the respirator. “He’ll need your patience, your heart. You’re a fine waterman because of them.”
“Don’t worry about Seth. We’ll look after him.”

◈ Phillip, the third child adopted is now a man who excels at marketing, does it for living in another town, where he does wonders with his charismatic attitude. Being usually grumpy, annoyed, sometimes complaining, does not stop him from switching personality in seconds when it comes to convincing people to do things he wants. Having to go through traumatic events in his life and being saved when he thought it was over, changed his life for better. Now he is proud of his career choice and enjoys using his charismatic abilities on people. He looks like a real gentleman.

“Phillip.”
“Right here.” He moved closer, bending low. “We’re all right here.”
“Such good brains. You’ll figure how to make it all work. Don’t let the boy go. You’re brothers. Remember you’re brothers. So proud of you. All of you. Quinns.”

◈ Seth is the youngest of the four - 10 years old guarded, hurt and a broken boy who usually says what he doesn't mean. His only wish is to be far, far away from the person who hurt him so much which led to him abandoning any hopes in humanity. Expecting to be hurt for every single thing, he doesn't back down - he tries to fight like a lion instead - even if it includes annoying people, trying to seem disinterested, relaxed, beyond caring for anything. But every time he feels the same fear over and over again: that he will be returned to his mother, that the people who took him in would abandon him rather than let their lives change drastically, or abuse him like he was. He would rather die than let it happen to him again, unless he is able to bolt instead... Seth is not shy to express himself, rather daring people around him, trying to prove to himself that Quinns brothers are like people who hurt him. And trying to get under his skin is a hard thing to do, finding out about him himself even more... and Quinns know how to do that... One cannot change another in a day.

◈ Anna is the social worker sent to deal with Seth's situation. She is kind, thoughtful, sometimes is fast to conclude things, but usually takes quite a lot of time to think problems through. She understands what people like them had gone through and tries to evaluate the situation, surrounding, environment Seth needs the most, the best way for him to stay happy and heal in time. And when she meets Cameron, she knows the feeling of lust on the first sight is mutual enough... She had fast relationships too. But is it wise as it can affect her judging of the situation?

◈ Ray and Stella Quinn were two generous people who helped save 3 lives. Never stopping at what they set their eyes on, they helped the three of them accept that they can be loved unconditionally, that their lives can be changed for better, if only given opportunity. Bonded by love, not by blood, they succeeded in forging a strong sense of loyalty, friendship, brotherhood and family between three adopted teens trying to find a place in the world, while escaping their painful pasts.

◈ Grace is a family friend and love interest of one of the brothers. But, she doesn't know his feelings. Having a daughter of her own, she comes and helps the Quinn's brothers from time to time.

► OVERALL:

Wonderful book about trying to find a place in the family, helping a broken boy find his place in the world and helping a wounded soul accept the fact that he doesn't have to be alone in order to be free. Bonds between the brothers is wonderfully done and most enjoyable to read about. The romance was nicely done as well and I loved the relationships. It's not easy to change but sometimes you don't have to change to have another person fall in love with you.

“I’ve got something for you inside me, Anna.” He forgot his hands were grimy and laid them on her shoulders. “I haven’t used it up yet. This thing with you, it’s one of the first times I haven’t wanted to rush to the finish line.”

LIKED:
☑ relationship between the brothers and how it worked out
☑ family!!!
☑ there is no murder case in this one.

DISLIKED:
☒ Sudden ending

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: No. Part of a series. DO NOT READ AS STAND-ALONE BOOK, EVERY BOOK IN THIS SERIES IS CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BY STORY.
⚠ Point of View: Third POV, multiply characters.
⚠ Cliffhanger: No
⚠ Triggers: everything you can imagine, but mostly set in the past of the characters: drugs, physical and mental abuse, rape, and more.
⚠ Love triangle: No.
⚠ Angst: Hell yes.
⚠ Supernatural: Do hallucinations of people count? OR is it ghost?
⚠ Explicit content: Yes.
⚠ Ending type: HEA for now
⚠ Recommended: Yes!
⚠ Note: The books directly continue on each other, better have the next one in proximity.

► REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:

◈ Sea Swept (Chesapeake Bay Saga, #1)
◈ Rising Tides (Chesapeake Bay Saga, #2)
◈ Inner Harbor (Chesapeake Bay Saga, #3)
◈ Chesapeake Blue (Chesapeake Bay Saga, #4)

Other works by Nora Roberts - Stand alone books:
◈ Whiskey Beach
◈ Honest Illusions
◈ Northern Lights

The main thing I object is, cliché. Am I that stupid? Yes, I am. I really enjoy romances, quick light fix of alpha male and alpha female, just it’s hard to find an intelligent romance. But it is. Most of them are so badly written, that every time when I see so many 5 stars, I think about the readers and the old lady and her cats metaphor. Don't you have any whatsoever criteria if you rate THIS book 5 stars?

Why do they have to be so transparent? Quick fix doesn't necessarily need to be shallow as well. I know there are good romantic writers out there, just I haven't had my luck. And because I'm a junkie, I need my fix. So, I settle with everything, anything. Although, Roberts has a reputation as big as ... I don't know what comparison to use. National bank where she keeps her trillions.

The stereotypes were just killing me in this Chesapeake Bay Saga. Starting with the food: all they ate was pizza, meatball subway, lasagna and pasta. Budweiser. Period. They swear, they are gentle, they’re rough and they like their steaks blue rare. And they are all mind loosingly good looking. Like, properly good looking, like you would jump on them straight away. Like a nymphomaniac on a fly.

CAMERON, the oldest adopted brother is speedy, sexy, hands under skirt type of guy, been racing and likes speed, who met stunningly gorgeous almond shaped eye Anna, the Italian social worker. These two are fire, and they remain fire until the end. But, when I was reading their dialogues, it was so predictable. Why do you do that Nora Roberts? New York Times best seller countless times. You? The cats are meowing, sorry, I need to feed them.

Second brother ETHAN is an introverted fisherman, barely speaks, only hangs out with his boat and dog and is in love with Grace, first neighbor, who is sweet and good and peachy peach. PHILLIP, third brother, is an Armani wearing punk, falls in love with BA, MA, PhD psychologist Sybill, who was f*cked up, but came to her senses. And the fourth brother SETH, with his upper DC class girlfriend Drusilla. And Seth is like - new Jackson Pollock.

And then Roberts tries to be smart as hell, and she starts writing about Seth's paintings. Because, you know, he’s seen the world. Rome, Cork and Paris. Wow, did you really? Did you really Seth?! Is world really THAT big? Will you tell me about your paintings? Weeeeell, if you wanna know sugar, I’ll tell ya all. When in Rome you’ll call every woman bella and you’ll paint Spanish steps, because you know, when in Rome.... In Paris you’ll paint Eiffel tower, because you know, c’est la vie. And of course in Ireland, all colors are green, and people there are happy, happy happiness all around me people, who only think and talk about leprechauns and they search for lucky shamrocks, because Irish are all ‘away with the fairies’.

And then when you get bored with travelling, you’ll paint a man and his boat aka presenting character's inner disturbances (never seen that coming!), wheat fields during the summer and a little girl with a red balloon in it, and if you are in a special mood, you’ll paint the love of your life, covered with just rose petals. Really Seth, red roses, my favourite flowers are red roses. You just outwit yourself in originality. Let me grab you another Bud and pizza with all the toppings.

Annoying as hell. No, I am annoying as hell. Because you really have to be a dumbass to like it so much to give it more than 2 stars.

Reviewed for THC Reviews
Until now, I had never read a Nora Robert's book. Yeah, I know, how can I, a self-proclaimed romance junkie, not have read any books from the queen of the romance genre? Honestly, I don't know, but now, I've rectified that with Sea Swept, the first in her Chesapeake Bay Saga. I'd heard wonderful things about this series, so I thought it would be a great one to start my foray into Ms. Robert's almost overwhelming backlist. It was a very good story that worked exceptionally well as a family drama. I could easily see this novel transformed into a Lifetime movie. It also contained an intriguing touch of the paranormal and a light mystery that kept me engaged and wanting to know more. At the same time though, I felt somewhat let down by the romance. It just wasn't as spectacular as I was expecting given the author's millions of enthusiastic fans, but overall, it was a reasonably satisfying read.

Cameron is one of three boys who were adopted as troubled youths by a loving older couple who had no children. Cam grew up to be a reckless charmer, who loves fast cars, fast boats, and fast women. He's used to living life at a breakneck pace, living on the edge, going wherever he wants, and doing whatever he pleases. He's made a career out of traveling the world, racing just about anything he can. He's unexpectedly called home to the bedside of his severely injured father who makes a deathbed request of him and his brothers that they take care of another young boy he recently took in but had not yet legally adopted. I had to admire Cam's devotion to the only family he'd ever known, and his immediate willingness to accept Seth as his little brother and to fight for his well-being. Despite making that commitment though, staying at home with a kid is a foreign concept to Cam, and he has no real idea what he's doing. At first, he's only taking care of Seth to keep his promise to his dad, but deep down, he relates to Seth and sees a lot of himself in the boy. Slowly but surely, he comes to care for Seth, as well as his social services case worker. He and his brothers also pull together to make a go of living in the same house to share the responsibilities of raising Seth, while starting a boat building business. Even though Cam begins to create ties to his hometown, the thrill and freedom of racing is in his blood, still calling to him, so he has a hard time accepting that he might want to stay permanently. Romance readers who enjoy reckless, hot-headed, bad boys who fight their feelings tooth and nail will probably appreciate Cam more than I did, but usually I prefer my heroes to show a little more gentleness and vulnerability. His personality type is also very far removed from my own, which made it difficult for me to relate to him. Because of that, he's not going to end up on my favorite heroes list, but I think that deep down, his heart was in the right place, and in the end, he did right by both Anna and Seth.

Anna is a very practical woman with a no-nonsense approach to life. She knows pretty much from the moment she meets Cam that she's eventually going to end up in bed with him and doesn't try to fight it in the least, instead accepting it for what it is. After suffering through tragedy and trauma in her own childhood, she was inspired to become a social worker to advocate for innocent children who can't stand up for themselves. As such, she cares about Seth as more than just another case. In fact, she has a tendency to become somewhat personally involved in all her cases, but none more so than Seth's. Anna's relationship with Cam did give me pause. I couldn't help wondering about the rules on a case worker becoming romantically involved with the guardian of a boy under her supervision when she was supposed to be evaluating their situation objectively. I think her practicality helped her to maintain impartiality, but in real life, I'd guess it would be difficult for most social workers to do so if they were in the same situation. Anna is a caring woman who falls hard and fast for Cam and his whole family, but as with Cam, I didn't develop a deep connection to her.

Most of the time, I felt like Cam and Anna's romance was secondary to other events in the story. I think it was this combined with the fact that I didn't relate well to Cam and Anna as individual characters that prevented their romance from really sparking for me. Cam is very overtly sexual, while Anna has a matter-of-fact attitude about sex. I felt their personalities and perceptions of their relationship didn't leave a lot of room for tender feelings or true passion. In my opinion, they didn't really share any deeply romantic moments either. They end up in bed together with little fanfare leading up to it. I tend to prefer both characters feeling something more serious about one another before falling into bed, but that wasn't the case here. I think both of them begin the relationship resigned to the fact that it's a no-strings affair. Anna starts realizing she's falling in love with Cam, and Cam realizes he's feeling "something" for Anna without much build up to those emotions either, which made it difficult to understand why they were feeling those things in the first place. I truly hate to have to say it about this well-loved grand dame of romance, but when Ms. Roberts does delve into some deeper introspection and begin to explain these emotions, she's really telling about how they arrived at that place rather than showing the development of their feelings in a more organic way. This definitely left some distance between me as the reader and her characters. I was also bothered by the physicality (Anna starts throwing things at Cam) that ensues when their relationship conflict hits the fan. To me, that's not acceptable behavior, especially for a social worker, or romantic at all, even though Cam seemed amused by it.

What Sea Swept lacked in romance, it certainly made up for in family drama. I loved the relationships between Cam and his two brothers, Ethan and Phillip. They all have very different personalities. Perhaps because of this, they tend to argue a lot and occasionally get into a fist-fight, but they always come out the other side as friends. It's very obvious in spite of their bickering that they truly love and would do anything for one another and that goes for their new brother, Seth, too. I love the way they all pull together to fulfill their father's dying wish by ensuring that Seth stays with them and isn't put back into foster care. In many ways, I related to Phillip and Ethan better than I did Cam, especially Ethan, because he seems more quiet and thoughtful. Ethan obviously has a crush on Grace, a young single mother who is a friend of theirs and who helps out around the house. These two become the main hero and heroine of the next book, Rising Tide. I also loved the backstory of how these three men became brothers and the wonderful couple who took them in. Although their mother passed on quite a while before the story opens, their father, Ray, is an inspiration to Cam from beyond the grave, when he appears a few times as a ghost, adding that touch of paranormal that I mentioned earlier. The boys also have a bit of a mystery on their hands when rumors surface that Ray may have been Seth's biological father and that the car accident that killed him may have been a deliberate attempt at suicide. This mystery is not solved in this first book, so I have a feeling it will develop and play out throughout the entire series or at least the first three books. It is also implied that Ray's ghost will be appearing in turn to all of his sons.

Even though I had a hard time connecting with the main characters and even though the romantic relationship didn't quite do it for me either, I did generally enjoy Sea Swept overall. The intense and complex familial relationships are where the story really excelled and my favorite part about it. This first foray into Nora Roberts' work was reasonably satisfying, but I'm not entirely sure her writing in general will work for me long-term. I was rather surprised to see a seasoned author like her engaging in an extreme amount of head-hopping which is a writing style I'm not fond of. I've always felt that rapidly changing perspectives distract from the building emotion of the characters and story, which likely contributed to me not connecting with them as well as I would have hoped. Ms. Roberts may end up being one of those authors I pick up occasionally rather than reading obsessively, but in any case, Sea Swept was sufficiently good enough to draw me into the Quinn family's lives and make me want to continue with the series to see how the story plays out, especially since Ethan's book is next.

Upon the death of their adopted father, Cameron, Ethan, and Philip Quinn have to band together to take care of Ray Quinn's ten-year-old ward, Seth. Each book in the Chesapeake Bay Sagaseries focuses on each brother tackling their demons and finding romance. But Seth's biological mother, Gloria is always there ready to ruffle the feathers of the Quinn family.

Sea Swept begins with the family adrenaline junkie, Cameron, traveling abroad and enjoying the women in every city. When he gets the devasting news that Ray Quinn has passed, Cameron returns home. What he doesn't expect is that it will be a permanent move. While he and Seth get acquainted, Cameron finds himself drawn to Anna, Seth's social worker. He also keeps seeing his adopted father everywhere. Does Cameron have what it takes to be the man his father always knew he could be?

By now I think anyone who reads my reviews knows that I am a Nora Roberts fan. Especially when it comes to her series. Most of the trilogies and quartets I had previously read have focused on female-driven protagonists. So I quite enjoyed the shift to a male-centric narrative. I liked the characters and the romance was the right amount of sweet and spicy.

Goodreads review published 06/05/23

¡Me ha encantado! Todo, la trama es súper interesante y se irá desarrollando durante toda la serie. Los personajes están súper bien construidos, todos con sus propias cualidades y personalidades marcadas. Cada uno empieza evolucionar de manera distinta y rápido por los acontecimientos de la historia. Este es el libro de Cam y Anna y los dos son divertidos, con sus inseguridades pero se complementan muy bien. Ahora viene Ethan, que no me cabe duda que será genial.

Update: February 21st, 2019

I keep rereading this book and every time I do, I love it even more. I thank the romance Goddesses for placing this wonderful story in my way. Sea Swept is without a doubt the best of the best in romance. If I had to pick a book to read for the rest of my life, this would be it.

First review: July 2011

My first book by Nora Roberts was "Vision in White". I actually read the entire series (Bride Quartet) since I bought the 4 books at the same time. I liked it but there was something lacking, something that didn't capture me as other stories do.

I was even reluctant to read Nora Roberts again but she has so many books and she's considered one of the best romance authors, so how could I not give her books another try? I looked through her series and found the Chesapeake Bay Saga. The summary of Sea Swept (first book in the series) draw me in and I knew I had to read it.

I'm so glad I did.

Each character is interesting. I liked all the Quinn brothers, though I have to admit I loved Cameron. And the heroine? Wow! It's been a long time since I liked the heroine as much as the hero.

Lately it's happened to me that I liked the hero more, but in this case I absolutely loved them both.
Anna knows how to hold her ground, how to stand up to people. She was the perfect match for Cameron, who like her, knows how to hold his ground.

It was amazing seeing them falling in love. They are perfect for each other. I can't wait to read the following books in the saga to know more about them, and also to know more about the rest of the Quinn brothers. Their brotherhood was my favorite part of the story, more than the romance between Cameron and Anna (and I absolutely loved those two).

God, I feel like I wrote a lot, haha. All that's left to say is that I highly recommend this book to those romance readers who are not only looking for a story about two people falling in love, but also about the importance of family.

DNF. I liked the writing, and enjoyed the interaction between the Quinn brothers, but I could not relate to the romance.

Problems:

In the opening scene we meet the hero, Cam, as a love-them-and-leave-them type who uses women and tosses them aside like used tissues.

A bit later we meet Anna, a dedicated social worker who takes on the case of Cam's young foster brother.

After Anna has made two professional visits to the Quinn home, Cam turns up uninvited at her apartment late in the evening. The two end up kissing with passion and declaring their lust for each other, and they pretty much agree that they'll have sex some time soon.

I would expect that sort of bold seduction from Cam, but I cannot see how a social worker who takes her job seriously would engage in professional misconduct with a man she barely knows.

During their next encounter, Cam says something Anna doesn't like, so she storms off in a rage. Cam (who previously seemed to worry very little about upsetting any of his female conquests) goes after her to make sure she is all right.

Anna, still in a rage, throws herself into more deep kisses and is eager to have sex. Cam won't go along with it because she might regret it later. Where does he suddenly develop such a decent streak? I assume it is just romance novel shorthand to saying none of those other women mattered to him but this one he cares about.

Anna tells him she'll never want to mix sex and guilt.

From this simple yet ambiguous statement Cam figures out she's been raped. And Anna, the reserved professional, promptly pours out the story of her dark past to this near stranger. Hard to believe.

Even harder it is to believe that Anna, after she was raped at age twelve, reacted by becoming promiscuous and sleeping around for the next three years. We are talking about a twelve year old. Who did she have lots of sex with? Adult men not afraid of prison? Other kids? It does not make sense to me.

It did not really appeal to me to have a romance so strongly driven by lust. And, as the lust was mutual and fully embraced by both parties, there was no conflict, no wrinkles in the romance. To insert conflict, the author has Anna going into a hissy fit every now and then, and Cam has to bring her back to the fold with a bout of aggressive sex.

Not for me. I liked the other brothers, though, and will take a look at their stories before writing off the series.

Nora is a master at cliched small towns. I love these types of stories!

This is book one in her Chesapeake Bay saga. About three "brothers" who were each adopted during their wild and abused adolescences by Ray and Stella Quinn. They grow up to be respectable, honorable and handsome men. After Ray is in a horrible accident and is on his death bed, he makes the three brothers promise to take in and look after the newest addition to the Quinn family. Seth. A ten year old with a smart mouth and a bad attitude...and a lot more in common with the brothers than they care to admit. Together, Cameron, Ethan and Philip must come together to honor their late father's dying wish.

Sea Swept focuses primarily on Cameron (Cam) Quinn. He has a penchant for speed and jet setting around the world. He likes fast cars, fast boats, and even faster women. The last thing he is ready to do is move back into the home in St. Chris where he & his "brothers" grew up in after the Quinn's took them in. That is until he meets Seth's social worker, the charming little spitfire Anna Spinelli. To his surprise, next thing he knows, Cam is startled to realize that not only is he falling hard for Miz Spinelli, but he is also warming to his new little brother, Seth. Being close to Ethan and Philip again isn't so bad either. Maybe coming back home isn't so bad after all.

Again, I love these types of stories and Nora Roberts definitely knows how to deliver. Anxiously looking forward to the other brothers stories! Even though this series bares a striking resemblance to one of NR's earlier series about the brothers MacKade. Cameron Quinn and Rafe MacKade seem as though they were separated at birth! Though that could be a whole other series entirely...

I'm going thru yet another Nora Roberts "phase" and reading her books again.

I have always loved this series and Cameron's HEA is one of my favorites. He's just as a fabulous alpha-hero. Playboy boat racer who is suddenly faced with great changes in his life, after his adopted father's death.

Nora Roberts writes the most amazing family sagas and this is one of those. Three troubled teenagers who are adopted by the Quinn's who are having to deal with Seth, who was in the process of being adopted before the tragedy.

I loved the social worker, Anna. No helpless female here...she's focused, independent and is not afraid to make the first "move" on Cameron.

Great interaction between the characters, especially Cameron and Seth.
There's such a sense of family love that I absolutely loved.

Great sparkly and witty dialogue, endearing characters and a great story line is what this author knows how to do.

#RitaNorita
Esta es la Norita que más me gusta.
He disfrutado mucho de la relectura, fue un arrebato de última hora y 🥰

Esta historia me ha atrapado, estos 4 hermanos tienen mucho dentro. Cam ha sido el primero, pero hay tramas que quedan pendientes que se irán desarrollando en los otros libros, y que me tienen en el aire.

This felt like a surface book to me. There was no depth at all. The characters had very little development, and Anna and Cam had no chemistry at all, so I have no idea why the got together. Anna was annoying and got mad every two seconds for no reason. Anna's sob story did not ring true, and felt fake and forced, as if put there to make her seem real, when it had the opposite effect. Cam's sob story was never discussed; it just loomed in the distance for basically no reason.

I felt nothing for the characters, as they seemed like cardboard cut-outs. The reunion at the end was so rushed and random I had to roll my eyes.

2 Estrellitas. Lo siento por la Roberts, pero éste inicio de serie no me ha convencido. La historia está bien. Me gusta que el matrimonio Quinn acogiera a unos niños perdidos de pasado oscuro y tal, y me gusta cómo lo ha creado Nora Roberts. Pero lo que no me ha gustado han sido los protagonistas, sobre todo Cam, y el romance.

Ray y Stella Quinn acogieron a Cameron cuando apenas tenía trece años. Un muchacho que había huido de su casa donde su padre alcohólico le pegaba. Cameron había sobrevivido en las calles, y su objetivo era robar el coche de los Quinn hasta que éste matrimonio lo cazó e hizo algo mejor con él. Ray y Stella eran buenas personas, con un corazón enorme; pero no tenían hijos propios. Ellos vieron en Cam a alguien fuerte que necesitaba una segunda oportunidad, y aunque no fue fácil con su carácter, lo acogieron y lo criaron como a un hijo. Y tiempo después llegaron a la familia Ethan y Phillip.

Han pasado casi veinte años y Cameron se ha convertido en piloto de carreras de coches, de barcos, etc. En cualquier cosa que tenga velocidad, y aunque no tiene un contrato estable ni un trabajo fijo, gana mucho dinero y vive prácticamente en Europa. Pero esa vida de lujo y desenfreno está a punto de acabar.

Una noche recibe una llamada de uno de sus hermanos, le dicen que su padre ha tenido un accidente y está mortalmente herido. Así que Cam vuelve a la casa familiar para ver morir a su padre y encontrarse con algo más. Hace años Ray enviudó, pero algo le hizo acoger a otro chaval perdido de pasado turbio, Seth, un niño de diez años que se parece muy sospechosamente a él.

Una vez los tres Quinn reunidos, harán todo lo posible por volver a ser una familia y acoger a Seth y criarlo como uno de ellos. Pero no es fácil, pues los tres deberán enfrentarse a muchos problemas. Primero la sospecha de suicidio de su padre, sus problemas con el seguro de vida respecto a ello, los murmullos y rumores del pueblo, y por último, la visita de una asistenta social, Anna Spinelli, dispuesta a desentrañar si los tres adultos y solteros hermanos Quinn son aptos para adoptar y criar a un menor. Y el menor es tan complicado como lo fueron ellos.

Entre Cam y Anna la atracción es inmediata, pero mientras que sí he visto genuino interés por parte de Anna, por Cam no lo he visto. He tenido todo el rato la sospecha de que Cam la utilizaba para camelársela y así conseguir la custodia de Seth. Siendo sincera, es la actitud de macho alfa egocéntrico y farrullero de Cameron lo que no me ha gustado. Cam es un hombre pagado de sí mismo. No he visto en éste libro que trate bien a las mujeres, ni al niño, ni a sus hermanos. Sólo pensaba en solucionar la custodia de Seth para desaparecer y volver a sus carreras por todo el globo.

Sí, incluso en el final del libro cuando parece que se redime, no me lo he creído y no me ha convencido.

Vuelvo a repetir, el libro está bien, pero comparado con otros de la Roberts me ha parecido soso. El planteamiento de la serie es bueno, y porque conseguí los cuatro libros de segunda mano, voy a leerlos todos. La pena es que éste principio de serie no me ha parecido muy prometedor.

Me da rabia porque quería que me gustara y además el libro, y en general la serie, tienen un ránking espectacular de puntuación en Goodreads, pero al leerlo me he llevado un chasco y he visto que no es para mí.

De todas formas continuaré en breve con los hermanos Quinn, pues Ethan y Phillip sí me han gustado, desde luego mucho más que Cameron, y admito que he acabado sintiendo debilidad por Seth.

„Wzburzone fale” to pełna intensywnych uczuć opowieść o sile rodzinnych więzi, o oddaniu, miłości braterskiej, która może nie rodzi się z krwi, ale z poczucia odpowiedzialności i wspólnego marzenia. Marzenia o rodzinie, o cieple i bliskości. To miłość niedoskonała, ale satysfakcjonująca, którą kolejne kryzysy umacniają i cementują na długie lata. Nie dziwię się wcale, że Nora Roberts jest tak poczytną autorką, tak docenianą przez czytelników – to literatura lekka, przyjemna, a jednocześnie mówiąca o tym, co najważniejsze w życiu każdego człowieka. Z przyjemnością sięgnę po kolejne tomy Sagi rodu Quinnów.

Re-Read.

Thank God I now have ebook copies of this series. More handy for rereads.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nora Roberts is not my first favorite author but the badass characters in this series of her were definitely the first I've ever read. This made me realize that THIS is my thing. Not the sappy romance novels or the totally erotic ones.

Cameron Quinn was my first badass encounter. At first, I didn't understand him. He made an impression on me as rude, selfish and blithe sonofabitch. But eventually, I flushed those impressions down the drain. He's just a lost-in-his-own-way family-oriented type of person.

Ethan Quinn, on the other hand, was a mysterious one. He harbors in his past which led him to believe he shouldn't have a family of his own.

Opposite to Ethan is Phillip Quinn. He blabbers like a girl in tantrums. Chick-speak is his way of communicating his emotions. He's a neat freak and stylish on-hand.

Lastly, Seth Quinn - the reason why these brothers alter their lives to form a solid foundation amidst adversity.

Ms. Roberts captured my heart in this compelling story of brotherhood with past life chaos, present struggles, devotion to their adoptive parents and love from the women who keep them in check with reality. After reading this series, I can vouch this is a must-read because it opens us to the harsh realities of life but it also makes us believe that alongside, life has its way to keep us holding on.

*Review without spoilers*

“Don’t mix up who I am and what I am,” she told him quietly. “You have to be honest with me, or the rest of it means nothing.”

He was on his knees on the platform as he spoke, using his hands to show her. And still leaving her in the dark.
But it didn’t matter whether she understood the technique he described or not. She understood him. He might not realize it yet, but he had fallen in love with this place, and with the work he would do here.

This was at least my fourth read and I still absolutely LOVE this book.

The Chesapeake Bay saga is one of the best series written by Nora Roberts and is definitely one of my favorite. Each book has one love story but the general arc of the series revolve around ten years old Seth and the Quinn brothers relationship.

Three men, three brothers, three reactions. Phillip’s polished welcome, Ethan’s vaguely embarrassed nod, and Cam’s irritated scowl.
And there was no doubt each and every one of them looked outrageously male and appealing in sweat and tool belts.

“Makes sense”, Phillip agreed and, feeling better, he grinned at Cam. “You’re Mommy.”
“f*ck you.”
“That’s no way for Mommy to talk.”

Cameron Quinn is a successful champion boats racer, basking in the afterglow of his last win when he is called home to his dying father’s bed. Once there, dying Ray Quinn asks him and his two brothers to take care of Seth, the last damaged boy he was in the process of adopting.

“I’m counting on each of you. Ethan takes things as they come and makes the best of them. Phillip wraps his mind around details and ties them up. You push at everything until it works your way. The boy needs all three of you. Seth’s what’s important. You’re all what’s important.”

Once, all of them also were abused and troubled young boys, then Stella and Ray Quinn stepped into their lives and claimed them as their own. Not only they gave them a safe arbor but love, a family and, most of all, a life.

Cam is a rough-edged adrenaline addict, always on the go and even if it costs him immensely he’s determined to hold the promise he gave his father and give Seth a home. But quickly they realize that keeping Seth's guardianship is not the only battle they have to fight.

“I’m selfish, impatient. I go for the thrills because that’s what suits me. Paying your debts doesn’t have anything to do with having a good heart. I’m a son of a bitch, and I like it that way.”

Seth broke my heart but it was so beautiful to see him opens up to his new guardians/brothers and I loved his relationship with Cam.

“The kid's driving me bat-sh*t," Cam complained as he stalked into the kitchen. "You can't say boo to him without him squaring up for a fight."
"Mm-hmm."
"Argumentative, smart-mouthed, troublemaker."
"Must be like looking in a mirror."
"Like hell."
"Don't know what I was thinking of. You're such a peaceable soul.”

“You don’t want to get in the habit of overusing the word “f*ck” as an adjective. You’ll miss the vast variety of its uses.”

Then there is Anna. She’s the social worker in charge of Seth's pending adoption. After Ray’s death she goes to meet with the Quinn brothers to evaluate the situation. She is a no-bullsh*t but warm, loving and passionate woman who takes her job seriously.

“You said you survived, Anna, but you didn’t. You triumphed. Everything about you is a testament to courage and strength.”

He could have denied it, could have taken the I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about approach and done an expert job of it. But her eyes had the same effect on him as they’d had on Seth. They wouldn’t let his tongue wrap itself around a decent lie.

Their relationship was hot and fun and the scene where they declared their love to each other one of the best and funiest ever :D

Phillip could only close his eyes. “For God’s sake, you’re hitting on the social worker.”
“She’s hitting on me, too.” Cam flashed a grin. “I like it.”

Sometimes, she thought, you had to go with your instincts, with your cravings. At that moment hers, all of hers, centered on him.

The wanting was huge, ruthlessly keen, recklessly primitive. And for now, for both of them, it was all that mattered.

Cameron Quinn. *sigh* It's not that he's not handsome, exciting and sexy but he can be a bit dense when it comes to love.
He has lived the last ten years racing boats and sleeping with beautiful women. Then the father who took him out of the gutter, adopted him and gave him a family, dies suddenly.
Cam rushes home to find his father was in the process of adopting another troubled boy. Now Cam and his two brothers have to raise Seth.
Along the way he meets the pretty case worker in charge of the guardianship of Seth. Their romance is one of those where they plan on a short, steamy affair which leads to a lot of missteps.
Unfortunately this is another romance where I would have kicked the hot guy to the curb no matter how much he groveled.
Get this, Anna comes over to their house and makes an amazing dinner. While she is cleaning the kitchen the man who she has been sleeping with gets a phone call from a hot Italian woman "Sophia of the curvy body and bedroom eyes" He also remembers she "was a hot, sleek bullet in bed." While he is talking to her about meeting up again when he gets back to Rome, Anna IS RIGHT THERE!! He can't figure out why she's so angry. Good Lord, I can feel my anger rising just thinking about it! 😡!
Anyway, she gets past it since she figures their affair will be ending soon and he's hot. He apologizes and is basically clueless.
When he finally realizes he's in love and grovels sufficiently, their HEA is beautiful. 😊