Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.
Showing posts with label The Seaside Saga Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Seaside Saga Series. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio (Book Review)


 









The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio
Book 28: The Seaside Saga Series
Publisher: Independent Self-Publishing
Publication Date: September 2, 2026
Format: Paperback - 260 pages
               Audiobook - 8 Hours 32 Minutes
               Kindle - 237 pages 
               Nook: 237 pages
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8181723368
ASIN (Audiobook): B0H6QRMYF9
ASIN (Kindle): B0GYVCC1RJ
BNID: 2940185203835
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series
Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans 
Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3: Beach Blues
Book 4: Beach Breeze
Book 5: The Beach Inn
Book 6: Beach Bliss
Book 7: Castaway Cottage
Book 8: Night Beach
Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow 
Book 10: Every Summer
Book 11: Salt Air Secrets 
Book 12: Stony Point Summer 
Book 13: The Beachgoers 
Book 14: Shore Road 
Book 15: The Wait 
Book 16: The Goodbye 
Book 17: The Barlows 
Book 18: The Visitor 
Book 19: Stairway To The Sea 
Book 20: The Liars 
Book 21: The Mistake 
Book 22: Miss Moonchild Starbeam
Book 23: The Shack 
Book 24: August Dove 
Book 25: Hush 
Book 26: The Diner
Book 27: The Architect 
Book 28: The Novelists 
Book 29: Driftline (Publication Date: March 2, 2027)


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review. 


Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Novelists, Book 28 of The Seaside Saga.

Maris and Neil. To many, they’re known as the novelists of Stony Point. But while Maris is tasked with completing Neil Barlow’s unfinished manuscript, there’s a problem. She’s stymied by the ending. It’s clear her old friend had something in mind—but what? In this New England beach town, Neil’s ghost is ever elusive.

Or is it? Because after a startling confession one evening, Neil unexpectedly returns to Maris—and Jason especially—in an entirely new way. A way that brings a stunning plot twist to Maris and Neil’s manuscript, as well as to Jason Barlow’s life.

And The Seaside Saga continues.



My Book Review:

In The Novelists, the beach friends' story continues where The Architect left off. Author Joanne DeMaio transports the reader back to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut. The story takes place during early November where the readers will catch up with the beach friends' lives.

Just like in the previous installments, The Novelists is an intricate story of interweaving friendships and ever-changing life events. In this twenty-eighth installment in The Seaside Saga Series, the author catches the reader up with the beach friends' daily lives. And The Seaside Saga continues.

The Novelists opens up with Shane still struggling with what direction to take his life and relationship with Celia. Then there is Kyle who has been dealing with the lingering after-effect to the traumatic diner robbery by over-working himself at the diner. Maris is struggling with some of Neil's notes and is trying to finish the last chapters of Driftline before handing off the manuscript to Mitch for editing. Maris also receives a photo from Lauren that has her and Neil sitting on the beach from fifteen years ago, and Jason says it is a picture of the novelists, because that is what they are. Cliff has been dealing with his fifty-year-old secret of being the Little Sailor that caused Mitch's family grief, he considers whether it may be time to come clean about who he was back then to Mitch. Then we have Jason who is the keynote speaker at the annual Architecture Conference, and his moving speech about his brother Neil and dad John leads his friend Ted to give Jason a gift that he had been holding for John, oh what a wonderful but emotional gift it is for Jason ... but the author once again leaves the reader with another cliffhanger ending, we'll have to wait and see how Jason handles the gift in Driftline, the twenty-ninth installment of the series. 

So now that I have whet your interest in the beach friends' latest comings and goings, drive under the railroad trestle and enter the enchanting beach town of Stony Point ... pull up a beach chair ... and visit with the close-knit longtime friends in author Joanne DeMaio's novel, The Novelists.

The Seaside Saga Series is a heartwarming series of stories of friendship, family, painful secrets, lies and regrets, near tragedies, heartbreak, new beginnings and second chances. Author Joanne DeMaio weaves a wonderful tale written in the third person narrative, which is set in the present with flashbacks to the past. The reader is transported to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where they follow along with Celia, Maris, Eva, Matt, Jason, Kyle, Lauren, Nick, Elsa, Cliff, Mitch, and Shane as their lives change like the tide's ebb and flow on their little tranquil coastal town.


RATING: 5 STARS 

     




About The Author




Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. The Novelists is her newest novel. She is currently at work on her next novel. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.
















Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Book Spotlight: The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio

 











The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio
Book 28: The Seaside Saga Series
Publisher: Independent Self-Publishing
Publication Date: September 2, 2026
Format: Paperback - 260 pages
               Audiobook - 8 Hours 32 Minutes
               Kindle - 237 pages 
               Nook: 237 pages
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8181723368
ASIN (Audiobook): B0H6QRMYF9
ASIN (Kindle): B0GYVCC1RJ
BNID: 2940185203835
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series
Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans 
Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3: Beach Blues
Book 4: Beach Breeze
Book 5: The Beach Inn
Book 6: Beach Bliss
Book 7: Castaway Cottage
Book 8: Night Beach
Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow 
Book 10: Every Summer
Book 11: Salt Air Secrets 
Book 12: Stony Point Summer 
Book 13: The Beachgoers 
Book 14: Shore Road 
Book 15: The Wait 
Book 16: The Goodbye 
Book 17: The Barlows 
Book 18: The Visitor 
Book 19: Stairway To The Sea 
Book 20: The Liars 
Book 21: The Mistake 
Book 22: Miss Moonchild Starbeam
Book 23: The Shack 
Book 24: August Dove 
Book 25: Hush 
Book 26: The Diner
Book 27: The Architect 
Book 28: The Novelists 
Book 29: Driftline (Publication Date: March 2, 2027)


Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Novelists, Book 28 of The Seaside Saga.

Maris and Neil. To many, they’re known as the novelists of Stony Point. But while Maris is tasked with completing Neil Barlow’s unfinished manuscript, there’s a problem. She’s stymied by the ending. It’s clear her old friend had something in mind—but what? In this New England beach town, Neil’s ghost is ever elusive.

Or is it? Because after a startling confession one evening, Neil unexpectedly returns to Maris—and Jason especially—in an entirely new way. A way that brings a stunning plot twist to Maris and Neil’s manuscript, as well as to Jason Barlow’s life.

And The Seaside Saga continues.




About The Author




Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. The Novelists is her newest novel. She is currently at work on her next novel. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.















Sunday, June 7, 2026

The Architect by Joanne DeMaio (Book Review)

 














The Architect by Joanne DeMaio
Book 27: The Seaside Saga Series
Publisher: Independent Self-Publishing
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
Format: Paperback - 244 pages
               Audiobook - 6 Hours 24 Minutes
               Kindle - 207 pages / 2.3 MB
               Nook: 207 pages
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8248241422
ASIN (Audiobook): B0GQWJN9KC
ASIN (Kindle): B0GL9H46Z3
BNID: 2940185231074
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series
Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans 
Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3: Beach Blues
Book 4: Beach Breeze
Book 5: The Beach Inn
Book 6: Beach Bliss
Book 7: Castaway Cottage
Book 8: Night Beach
Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow 
Book 10: Every Summer
Book 11: Salt Air Secrets 
Book 12: Stony Point Summer 
Book 13: The Beachgoers 
Book 14: Shore Road 
Book 15: The Wait 
Book 16: The Goodbye 
Book 17: The Barlows 
Book 18: The Visitor 
Book 19: Stairway To The Sea 
Book 20: The Liars 
Book 21: The Mistake 
Book 22: Miss Moonchild Starbeam
Book 23: The Shack 
Book 24: August Dove 
Book 25: Hush 
Book 26: The Diner
Book 27: The Architect 
Book 28: The Novelists (Publication Date: September 2, 2026)


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review. 



Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Architect, Book 27 of The Seaside Saga.

As a noted coastal architect, Jason Barlow designs homes that evoke the sea. Gabled, shingle-style New England cottages are his forte. Cottages that beautifully weather in the salt air. Cottages with grand porches; and rounded turrets; and fortress-like stonework speaking of the land, as well as his father’s legacy. Cottages with floor-to-ceiling windows bringing in the sea, the sky, that his brother so loved. But it’s not only incredible homes Jason builds and restores—it’s relationships and friendships and histories, all set against the backdrop of a beach that’s defined him.

After his very life is threatened, however, Jason Barlow shares a simple request with those to whom he’s closest. A request that has an old friend turn to The Architect now more than ever.

And The Seaside Saga continues.


My Book Review:

In The Architect, the beach friends' story continues where The Diner left off. Author Joanne DeMaio transports the reader back to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut. The story takes place during late October where the readers will catch up with the beach friends' lives.

Just like in the previous installments, The Architect is an intricate story of interweaving friendships and ever-changing life events. In this twenty-seventh installment in The Seaside Saga Series, the author features Jason's lingering reaction to the traumatic diner robbery, while also continuing to focus on Celia and Shane's relationship. And The Seaside Saga continues.

The Architect opens up with Shane telling Jason and Kyle some big news, and his spontaneous big news also surprises all of the beach friends, especially Celia. Then there is Jason who has a lingering reaction to the traumatic diner robbery, and he feels so grateful for his family and friends that he and Maris hold a thank you dinner with a Halloween theme. When the guests gather around Jason, the message he gives them is to live with purpose, which inspires everyone to embrace life more fully. As Jason struggled with the aftermath of the incident, I thought it was very sobering, but I loved Jason's message to everyone because it really puts life into perspective, and I too felt inspired by it.

I loved how this installment also continued to focus on Celia and Shane's relationship. As Shane's big news surprises everyone especially Celia, it changes the meaning of their long-distance relationship. While Shane flip flops if he made a rash decision or the right one, it is put to the test when Elsa and Cliff take a road trip to visit Shane in Maine. The visit was going well until Elsa confronts Shane about Celia, and he's left panicking about how the relationship will weather this storm, especially when Elsa tells him not to tell Celia about their conversation. Shane calls Jason and begs him to come up with a plan for him to save his relationship, that he's desperate and since Jason is an architect who draws up plans that can help him fix it ... but the author once again leaves the reader with another cliffhanger ending, we'll have to wait and see what Jason's plan is, and can Shane fix everything in The Novelists, the twenty-eighth installment of the series. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I loved a segment of the story where Jason and Shane film an abandoned property that features a historical architectural seaside mansion that was used as the old Seaside Sanatorium in Waterford, CT, that once housed children who had tuberculosis in the 1930s.The seaside property was used to cure the children with extensive exposure to the sea air and sunlight. "The sea air cures what ails you." I was so fascinated by this segment of the story that I googled it and was amazed at the beauty of the hospital. The Seaside Sanatorium is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. I loved that I learned something new, and Jason and Shane's filming definitely piqued my curiosity to research the abandoned property. 

So now that I have whet your interest in the beach friends' latest comings and goings, drive under the railroad trestle and enter the enchanting beach town of Stony Point ... pull up a beach chair ... and visit with the close-knit longtime friends in author Joanne DeMaio's novel, The Architect.

The Seaside Saga Series is a heartwarming series of stories of friendship, family, painful secrets, lies and regrets, near tragedies, heartbreak, new beginnings and second chances. Author Joanne DeMaio weaves a wonderful tale written in the third person narrative, which is set in the present with flashbacks to the past. The reader is transported to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where they follow along with Celia, Maris, Eva, Matt, Jason, Kyle, Lauren, Nick, Elsa, Cliff, Mitch, and Shane as their lives change like the tide's ebb and flow on their little tranquil coastal town.


RATING: 5 STARS 

     




About The Author




Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. The Architect is her newest novel. She is currently at work on her next novel. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.











Saturday, June 6, 2026

Book Spotlight: The Architect by Joanne DeMaio

 














The Architect by Joanne DeMaio
Book 27: The Seaside Saga Series
Publisher: Independent Self-Publishing
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
Format: Paperback - 244 pages
               Audiobook - 6 Hours 24 Minutes
               Kindle - 207 pages / 2.3 MB
               Nook: 207 pages
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8248241422
ASIN (Audiobook): B0GQWJN9KC
ASIN (Kindle): B0GL9H46Z3
BNID: 2940185231074
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series
Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans 
Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3: Beach Blues
Book 4: Beach Breeze
Book 5: The Beach Inn
Book 6: Beach Bliss
Book 7: Castaway Cottage
Book 8: Night Beach
Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow 
Book 10: Every Summer
Book 11: Salt Air Secrets 
Book 12: Stony Point Summer 
Book 13: The Beachgoers 
Book 14: Shore Road 
Book 15: The Wait 
Book 16: The Goodbye 
Book 17: The Barlows 
Book 18: The Visitor 
Book 19: Stairway To The Sea 
Book 20: The Liars 
Book 21: The Mistake 
Book 22: Miss Moonchild Starbeam
Book 23: The Shack 
Book 24: August Dove 
Book 25: Hush 
Book 26: The Diner
Book 27: The Architect 
Book 28: The Novelists (Publication Date: September 2, 2026)


Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Architect, Book 27 of The Seaside Saga.

As a noted coastal architect, Jason Barlow designs homes that evoke the sea. Gabled, shingle-style New England cottages are his forte. Cottages that beautifully weather in the salt air. Cottages with grand porches; and rounded turrets; and fortress-like stonework speaking of the land, as well as his father’s legacy. Cottages with floor-to-ceiling windows bringing in the sea, the sky, that his brother so loved. But it’s not only incredible homes Jason builds and restores—it’s relationships and friendships and histories, all set against the backdrop of a beach that’s defined him.

After his very life is threatened, however, Jason Barlow shares a simple request with those to whom he’s closest. A request that has an old friend turn to The Architect now more than ever.

And The Seaside Saga continues.





About The Author




Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. The Architect is her newest novel. She is currently at work on her next novel. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.