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    The Long Way Home
    The Long Way Home
    The Long Way Home
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Long Way Home

    Written by Mariah Stewart

    Narrated by Xe Sands

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    As the only child of a wealthy investment manager, Ellie Chapman has never known anything besides a life of perfect privilege. But her years of good fortune come to an abrupt end when her father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from innocent investors in a massive Ponzi scheme. And just like that, Ellie loses everything: money, job, home-even her fiance, who's jailed as her father's partner in crime. With no job prospects on the horizon, no cash, and her family name in tatters, Ellie has only one place to go.Sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland, is hardly where Ellie intends to stay, however. Keeping her identity a secret, she plans to sell the house her late mother left her in the small town and use the proceeds to move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ticket to a new beginning is in dire need of a laundry list of pricey improvements, many of which she'll have to do herself. And until the house on Bay View Road is fit to be sold, the sole place Ellie will be traveling is the hardware store. But as the many charms of St. Dennis-not to mention Cameron O'Connor, the handsome local contractor who has secrets of his own-begin to work their magic, what begins as a lesson in do-it-yourself renovations might just end up as Ellie's very own rejuvenation.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 25, 2013
    ISBN9781452679167
    The Long Way Home
    Author

    Mariah Stewart

    Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of numerous novels and several novellas and short stories. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and two rambunctious rescue dogs amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she savors country life and tends her gardens while she works on her next novel. Visit her website at MariahStewart.com, like her on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuthorMariahStewart, and follow her on Instagram @Mariah_Stewart_Books.

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    Reviews for The Long Way Home

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Mariah Stewart is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books in The Chesapeake Diaries series. I can tell you that if you’ve never read her before, you’re missing out. You don’t have to read the first book or any of the other books in the series to understand the characters in this book. In addition to being a contemporary romance author, Ms. Stewart is also a romantic suspense novelist. She manages to add a little unexpected shock to the backgrounds of her characters. This statement is no less true for the main characters in The Long Way Home.The Long Way Home focuses on Cameron O’Connor, a local boy turned construction company owner and Ellis (Ellie) Ryder Chapman, a woman who has lost everything and has a heritage she doesn't know about.Cameron has lived in St. Dennis pretty much his entire life. His life’s dream is to one day purchase and own the house at 1 Bay View Road. For Cameron, this house holds precious memories of good times he had as a child, when everything else around him was dark and chaotic. Ellis has come to St. Dennis, the last place she ever thought she’d go, because she has no choice. Ellis’s one and only job has been heading the public relations department for her father’s company. The same company which no longer exists, since her father, Clifford Chapman, and ex-fiance, Henry stole money from the people who invested with the company and were sent to prison. Since everything Ellis owned was obtained with money from the investment company, the Feds have taken EVERYTHING. Ellis has lost her father, fiance, home, car, jewelry and money.Because of her father's scheme, Ellis has also lost the people she thought were her friends, all except for one, Carly Summit. When Ellis arrives in St. Dennis, she decides to say her name is Ellie Ryder and that she purchased the house from the Lynley Sebastian estate. Lynley Sebastian was actually her mother, who grew up in St. Dennis and left Ellis the house and it's contents in her will. The catch being that Ellis has to live in the house and can not sell the house or its contents for six months.Cameron is sent to make sure Ellie is okay and help her see what repairs she needs to do to the old and long vacant house. As part of their repair agreement, Ellie offers to let Cameron have first dibs on the house when she's ready to sell it. As time goes by, Cameron becomes torn as to what is more important to him. The house with it's cherished memories or the woman he realizes he's falling for.The Long Way Home is full of surprises. When Ellie first arrived in St. Dennis, she had no desire to meet and get to know the people there. However, with St. Dennis being the small, friendly town it is, she didn't really have a choice. It seems some of the elders in town knew exactly who Ellie really was, the minute they laid eyes on her. Cameron himself figured out who she was. It isn't until a new arrival comes to town that Ellie has the strength and courage to own up to who she really is.I like to call Mariah's books sweet romances, because the language is clean and intimate moments are mentioned but the details are left out. As always with the books in this series, you get a happy ending, with a little drama and discovery thrown it. The Long Way Home is about discovering your past and the legacy you come from. It's about forgiving yourself and knowing that you aren't responsible for the actions of others. It's about discovering that if you just give people a chance, you will allow yourself to finally find your true home.Source: EdelweissReviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews
    • 4/5
      Mariah Stewart is a new author for me and 'The Long Way Home' is 6th in the Chesapeake Diaries series. I normally don't read series out of order; but I received this book from librarything for review and didn't have time to go back and read all 5 previous books. 'The Long Way Home' can easily be read as a stand alone book. Ms Stewart was able to balance all the characters perfectly.... just enough focus on the supporting characters to introduce them without overwhelming the reader with too many details or too many characters. I didn't have any trouble keeping the supporting characters straight even though I had not read the other books. The wonderful small town setting and characters make you wish you could escape to a place just like St. Dennis, Maryland! The plot may be a bit predictable; but that didn't bother me at all. I really enjoyed reading Ellie's story.... she was a spunky character that was not spoiled by her privileged upbringing or hardened by her tough life experiences. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and escaping back to St. Dennis to experience life with the other characters!
    • 3/5
      I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program. It's a quick read, but I found it to be extremely predictable...I basically had the ending figured out less than 1/4 way into the book. That being said, it was enjoyable even if there wasn't much substance to it. What I didn't realize is that it's part of a series, which now that I know that makes much more sense as I had trouble with keeping track of all the minor characters.
    • 4/5
      "The Long Way Home" will lead a young woman to a new identity and a change in lifestyle that she never anticipated. Mariah Stewart brings readers back to the cozy community of St. Dennis, MD, with the sixth entry in "The Chesapeake Diaries" series. Ellis Chapman led a life of privilege, traveling abroad in her youth with her father while her mother chose quiet retreats in St. Dennis. When Ellis was old enough, she became a part of the family business, working in public relations to create the ideal image for her father's investment firm. When it becomes apparent that her father was working to create an image of his own, and when his true face is revealed as that of a cheating schemer who fleeced many investors out of their life's savings, then the Chapman name is forever disgraced. Everything that was connected to her father was confiscated by the government, leaving her without money, the home she has known, personal possessions, a car, or a job. She even lost her fiance, who turned out to be her father's partner in deception. What she has left turns out to be what her mother, Lynley, owned outright, bought with the money from Lynley's own career as a successful model. A home in St. Dennis, along with some savings are her mother's legacy to Ellis. Changing her name to Ellie Ryder to escape the judgmental eyes of the world, and borrowing a car from a friend, Ellis begins the next chapter in her life. St. Dennis is lovely, quaint, and welcoming, but all small towns have local intrigue. Ellie must stay in the home for six months, and she is not allowed to sell anything from the home during that time. Handsome "handyman" Cam O'Connor is the contractor who will help Ellie get the house in shape to be sold. Cam has a secret of his own--he has long wanted to own the house he is now bringing back to life. Ellie finds much more than she ever expected in St. Dennis, and when even more of her father's lies come to light, she must make some difficult decisions about not only her future, but the future of the sister she never knew she had. Can "Ellie" reveal herself to be "Ellis" and find happiness with Cam in St. Dennis? Has she found a real home at last? Mariah Stewart offers a touching romance, filled with new beginnings and touching base with old friends from previous entries in the series. Review Copy Gratis Library Thing
    • 4/5
      Another lovely story about hope and faith, about love and finding home. This is an enjoyable tale about a woman, Ellie Ryder, that finds herself lost and without a way to gather herself and think about what to do now that her father is in jail for embezzlement. By inheriting a house in St. Dennis, where she learns the truth about her mother, Ellie tries to fix the house in order to sell it but she doesn't count with the hot handyman. Cameron has taken care of the house and wants to buy it but as soon as he sees Ellie, everything change and now he wants the house and the woman...Once in a while is very nice to read a light romance, where all the characters have normal problems that are easily fixed and where everybody knows and likes everyone. I really liked this series and can't wait for the next book and return to the lovely town of St. Dennis and its people.
    • 5/5
      The Long Way Home The Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah StewartEllis Chapman now as Ellie Ryder has arrived and met with the lawyers. Her relative has left a house to her with 5 bedrooms and she's to fix it up and sell it and leave after she waits 6 months, according to the will. Her father and fiance has swindled money out of a lot of people and that's why she uses a different name because she wants others to like her for herself. She slowly becomes familiar with the town, the people and the happenings.Best part is now that she's settling in she has time to walk on the beach and I love how it's described. For the first time a year ago we traveled to that area of the East Coast and plan to do it again.Carmeron O'Connor is the local handyman who had befriended the previous owner and had tended to the garden, lawn, and anything she needed fixed in the house. He was quite upset to learn he wasn't going to be the one to bid on it to buy it, maybe in 6 months time the lawyer told him. He would help Ellie with the repairs. The local women in the shops hope to have her meet with them daily.Loved learning new things, especially about the migrating birds and what certain kind eat for seed.Love the tales of the pirates and the mystery of who the real painter in the artwork really is... Cam is falling for her, the other females have told he says she's hot.She is able to talk to her best friend Carly on any number of subjects that arise. She's put in a lot of elbow grease to clean up the place so it'll be sellable.Love hearing of all the treasures she is finding and about her relatives...After he tells her of his past she almost wants to tell him of hers but the lawyer calls and opens a whole new set of conflict...Family events and the holiday bring them all closer with lots more surprises and I love that there is more in this series. Love the setting.
    • 4/5
      Another great installment of Mariah Stewart's Chesapeake Diaries series, The Long Way Home, features Ellie Chapman, daughter of a Ponzi Scheme swindler of millions, and former fiance of his accomplice. Her dad and former boyfriend are in prison, Ellie has been ostracized by most of her friends despite her innocence, and her trappings of wealth have been confiscated by the government. She flees to St. Dennis, Maryland, where she has inherited a run-down home from her former supermodel mother. There, Ellie finds a rich maternal family history of which she was unaware and new beginnings, with a few surprises along the way.
    • 4/5
      The Long Way Home takes place in the the small town of St. Dennis, Maryland, where Ellie Chapman has inherited a house from her mother. The will stipulates that Ellie must live in the house for at least six months before she can sell it. Ellie has just been betrayed by her father and her fiance who have been convicted of swindling a lot of money from their investors. Because she worked for the same company, most of her assets have been taken away from her as well. With little money and no where else to live, Ellie reluctantly decides to stay in St. Dennis. As Ellie becomes acquainted with the town's residents, she learns to trust again. She also falls in love with Cameron O'Connor, a local with close ties to her mother's family.I really enjoyed this story. The plot developed at a consistent pace and wrapped up nicely at the end. It felt like a treasure hunt as Ellie discovered various things all over her mother's house. The town's residents are tightly knit and very welcoming. I look forward to reading their stories in the other books of this series. If you like Robyn Carr's Virgin River series because of the recurring characters you will enjoy this series as well.
    • 4/5
      In the last several years, my interest in romance novels has drifted away with a few favorite authors being the exception. Mariah Stewart is one of those exceptions. The Long Way home is the 6th book in the Chesapeake Diaries series but the books do not have to be read in order as they directly focus on the couple at the heart of each story. Ellie moves to St. Dennis after her world falls apart. She inherits a house from her mother and in her quest to fix it up and sells it, she falls in love with the town, the house, and her history. Not to mention the very sexy contractor that seems to hang around. It's a very solid story and I look forward to reading more in the series.
    • 3/5
      My rating: 3 of 5 starsThe Long Way Home: The Chesapeake Diaries is the 6th in the Chesapeake Diaries series. This book was released in Janurary 2013. This a women's fiction/contemporary romance novel and can be read as a stand alone. Ellie's father and former fiance have been imprisoned for defrauding countless people out of their life savings and retirements. Now Ellie is forced to deal with the fall out. She lived in the lap of luxury all her life, but now the SEC has taken everything she ever owned and all her friends turned their backs on her except for Carly. So, now Ellie has come to claim an old house in St. Dennis that belonged to her great aunt Lilly and Ellie has inherited from her mother. The will states Ellie must live in the house for six months before she can sell the house and it's contents. So, Ellie moves in and starts to work fixing up the house so she can sell it as soon as the six months is up. Cameron has lived in St. Dennis all his life. He had a special bond with Lilly and always planned on owning her house one day. So, for the last twelve years he has taken care of the property. Now he finds out the house had been purchased and he's furious. But, when he learns of the circumstances he visits Ellie and works out a deal that when she gets ready to sell, it will be to him. In the meantime, Cameron has agreed to help Ellie fix the place up. Ellie keeps her identity secret from the people in St. Dennis for fear of being judged for her father's crimes. But, Cameron knows that something isn't right about Ellie. The facts just don't add up. So, he sets out to discover what secrets she keeps. As Cameron and Ellie work on the house, Ellie begins to feel a bond with her great aunt and her mother that she had never had the chance to feel before. She also starts to feel a bond with Cameron. This is a story about fresh starts, growing up emotionally , healing and forgiveness. Cameron has had a very hard time himself and understands that Ellie needs time to deal with her pain. The kind folks in St. Dennis embrace Ellie despite her father's sins and her lack of faith in humanity. There is a slight paranormal story going on in the background. The story is slow moving and and it drags in some places. There just wasn't all that much happening. There was a big plot twist that took place toward the last part of the book, but that still didn't get the story rolling along any faster. The romance was about a 2.5 on the steam level and pretty slow moving. I did like the ultimate conclusion. Family, love, healing, and the peace the characters finally get leaves us with a postive feeling. I would recommend this book for those that like women's fiction with a mature romance and a fair amount of drama. Overall I would grade this one with a C. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC
    • 4/5
      I was excited to get a copy of Mariah Stewart's new book The Long Way Home through the Early Reviewers program. I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed the newest installment. You would not have to have read the previous books to enjoy The Long Way Home, although it is nice to know the back stories of the other characters revisited in the book. The romance moves a little fast, but I enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters. I will recommend this book to others who enjoy romance stories such as this one. I will also look forward to future titles by Mariah Stewart.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book I have read by this author and I loved it. You don't have to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. The characters are wonderful and are easy to relate to. I read this book in one day and highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      Great story about the healing power of love and friendship. Ellis arrived in St. Dennis filled with shame and hurt but soon found a new life to ease all the pain. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      When her father is convicted for swindling billions of dollars in a large Ponzi scheme, Ellie Chapman finds she too has lost everything including her job. However, Ellie learns that she has inherited a house left by her mother's estate which was in her mother's family before the swindle. So Ellie goes to St. Dennis, MD to prepare the house for sale after the six months she is required to live in it. She goes under an assumed name desperately wanting to separate herself from the cloud of her father's crimes. And while there she seeks the advice from a contractor, Cameron O'Connor. And Ellie begins to feel she has found a home.This was the 6th book in The Chesapeake Diaries series. And I was as charmed with it as with the 5th volume which I have read previously. I enjoy the friendliness of the town's residents and feel like I'm visiting old friends. And the budding romance has a sweetness about it that is endearing. After finishing this book, I went to the library to look up the first in the series and will continue my stay in St. Dennis.
    • 4/5
      I have read all the books in the Chesapeake Diary Series and again this one takes place in St. Dennis. My favorite character is Grace who is an older woman who knows everyone and gives you an overview of all the happenings.

      Ellis Chapman (daughter of a wealthy man who is now in jail for a Ponzi scheme and she has lost everything). She returns to St. Dennis as she inherits an old home from her grandmother-– broke she has to live in the house for six months before she can sell according to the will. She wants to escape and changes her name. She falls in love with the carpenter (a guy who grew up in the house with a past as well). During the course of the book she makes friends, gets a dog, and inherits a step sister to raise who she knew nothing about. She also finds out about the history of her family and their artistic talents while she is busy remodeling. Not a page turner – but a light read.

      I purchased the audio and the narrator did an excellent job with the voice over and the author did a great job with the descriptions within this small quaint town.
    • 4/5
      I love this series! All the characters feel like old friends at this point. In each new book, Stewart introduces a new character who has just arrived in the little town of St. Dennis on the Chesapeake and becomes integrated with the wonderful folks who already call St. Dennis home.In The Long Way Home, Ellie Ryder has come to St. Dennis to sell her mother's house. Sounds simple? Not quite. Ellie is only using part of her name and does not want to get too involved with anyone, just put in her 6 months living in the house (as her mother's will decreed) sell it and be gone. . . . but life interferes and Ellie finds herself longing to just put down roots and accept all that she finds in St. Dennis.A delightful love story along with family issues makes for great reading. If you haven't read any of the preceding books, I would recommend you start with the first in the series.
    • 4/5
      from the romance bookbox; a cozy town type of series, and although this book was in the middle of the series, it still read well. Ellie inherits her late mother's house on the Bay in Maryland. Her father and ex-fiance went to jail over a Ponzi scheme, and she has nothing - no job, no car, no prospects. So she moves into St. Dennis, where, according to Mom's will, she needs to stay for 6 months before she can cash in the house. But the hunky contractor catches her eye, they she finds out she has a half-sister who needs a place to live....and maybe St. Dennis is really a place to land permanently.
    • 3/5
      Ellis (Ellie) Ryder Chapman has had an incredibly bad year, filled with shocks and disappointments caused by her father and former fiancé’s criminal behaviors. Although Ellie was cleared by the government of any wrong doing, it isn't possible to be the child of the next Bernie Madoff and come off unscathed. Ellie has lost her job, her home, most of her possessions as well as most of her friends. The one true friend Ellie has had throughout the problems over the past has been her longtime friend, Carly Sutton. Carly gave her a place to live after the government evicted her from her home. She even lent Ellie a car so she could have transportation while she was in Maryland. Because she worked in her father's firm, no one is willing to hire her and the only thing she has left is a house in a small town in Maryland that she's inherited from her mother. Of course that comes with some strings . . . she has to keep the property for six months before she can sell. At this point in her life, Ellie can't argue or find fault with this stipulation as it gives her some place to live and call home. To protect what little bit of dignity she has left, she decides to live in St. Dennis as Ellie Ryder rather than Ellis Chapman even though she has been advised to allow the people of the town to embrace her and her family ties to the town.Upon arriving in St. Dennis and the house, Ellie has vague memories of the house but she doesn't ever remember traveling to Maryland. Fortunately this house gives her a chance to start over again and the first thing she has to do is fix the house up if she plans to sell it after six months. What Ellie had not planned on was making friends, feeling a connection with St. Dennis or the house, or being attracted to a contractor, but all of these happen in a very short period of time. Cameron is not just a contractor but becomes a friend and offers all sorts of friendly advice on the repairs and upgrades to the house. As Ellie settles in, she learns more about her mother, great-aunt and other ancestors that were tied to the house and St. Dennis. Before she knows it is the end of November and Thanksgiving and she's begun to feel like she fits in with the town and she's more than comfortable with her burgeoning relationship with Cameron. And then the other shoe drops. She receives a phone call that she needs to take custody of her half-sister.The Long Way Home is the sixth book in the Chesapeake Diaries series by Mariah Stewart. Each couple featured in this series has something to overcome or prove, at least to themselves, and this book was no different. Both Cameron and Ellie have to overcome their pasts and realize that it is possible to move on and not be judged by the mistakes made by their parents. Ellie is at a point in her life where she has to discover who she truly is since so much of her past was wrapped up with her father, his business, and wealth. She also discovers that in addition to being greedy and stealing millions, if not billions, from unsuspecting investors, he also cheated on her mother and has another child. Ellie knows what it is like to be branded because of her father's criminal activities and how it feels to have nowhere to go so she accepts custody of her thirteen-year-old half-sister, Gabrielle. This family addition actually helps to further steady Ellie and she becomes to realize that St. Dennis doesn't just feel like home, it is home. Ms. Stewart has provided another happy-ever-after romance with The Long Way Home. I found The Long Way Home to be a quick read that pulled me in from the first few pages. If you enjoy happy-ever-after romance then you don't want to miss The Long Way Home.
    • 4/5
      I had previously read Mariah Stewarts suspense novels and enjoyed them. While this was not my typical genre, I really enjoyed The Long Way home. I found the characters to be well developed and I cared about what was happening. While this was somewhat of a live story, there were wonderful elements of friendship, forgiveness and redemption. The story moved at a nice pace and I was completely engrossed making this an extremely quick read. Reader received a complimentary copy from the publisher through the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program.
    • 4/5
      Ellie's father's and fiance's convictions of swindling thousands of dollars in an investment scheme have left Elllie with little to call her own. She has lost her job, apartment, car, and jewelry, but she has inherited her late mother's house in Maryland. Unfortunately, it needs a lot of work which she cannot afford. As Ellie begins a new life in St. Dennis, she also learns to allow others into her life again. Cameron O'Connor, a local contractor, lends her a hand, and their friendship begins to grow. Their biggest obstacle as their feeling deepen is that Ellie plans to sell the house as soon as she is able to begin a new life without the stigma of her father's conviction hanging over her. I enjoyed this fun,easy, and somewhat predictable read even though I have not read the earlier series entries.
    • 4/5
      Ellie Chapman retreats to the house her mother left her in St Dennis after her father's fraud comes to light and her life comes crashing down around her. Gunshy from the publicity and the desertion of almost all of her friends, she hides her identity from almost everyone. The house needs a lot of rehab before she can sell it, and the very attractive handyman/contractor wants to buy it--and to romance her. But living incognito in a small, friendly town is not easy for a basically honest person like Ellie.Another light, enjoyable entry in the series.