Beach Blues
Beach Blues by Joanne DeMaio
Print and e-book, 376 pages
Published: May 17, 2016
Celia Gray finds herself house-sitting a silver-shingled cottage at Stony Point. She arrives with her guitar, a few staging jobs ... and a bit of summertime sadness. That is, until an unforgettable group of beach friends draws her in like a breath of salt air.
Sal DeLuca heard the words in a dream: Take me to the sea. So after a decade of demanding work, he takes his first vacation in years. Trading in his suit and tie for blue jeans and boat shoes, Sal unexpectedly arrives at his mother's shabby inn on the Connecticut shore, winding his way into the lives and hearts of the close-knit beach community.
When Stony Point's two wash-ashores, Sal and Celia, meet, some say it's a match made in beach-heaven. And so begins a sweet seaside summer ... forging friendships, adventures and new love. But all is not at ease in the gentle sea breeze as a dark secret turns the tide for the Stony Point crew.
Beach Blues is a novel bringing you right to its secluded fishing shack and weathered boardwalk, to its wooden rowboat and lantern-lit porches. A novel that welcomes you, as much as it may break your heart.
My thoughts about Beach Blues ~~
First line—'If a little beach cottage could look forlorn, this one does.'
Beach Blues took me back to that wonderful place called Stony Point. All the people I met before are there and it's like we get to spend another summer together, at the beach. Each one of Joanne's stories introduces new characters and we watch how their lives become intertwined with the 'regulars'. It was wonderful to hang out with all the residents of this quaint little town again and to catch up with them and their lives. It's always like visiting old friends.
In this story, we are introduced to Celia and Sal. They are both broken and looking to make some changes in their lives. I especially loved Sal. What I loved about him was that he seemed to have a healing quality about him. He was such a wise man and he made people around him take a closer look at themselves and the situation they were in and to look past it in order to move forward. He was good for Celia and for so many of the people in Stony Point.
I always try to look for the part of the book that clues me into the meaning of the title. I loved all the references to 'beach blues' in this book. There are so many things that those two words represent throughout the book and I loved how Joanne was able to make it all fit together.
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. Beach Blues is her seventh novel. Currently at work on her next book, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.
To learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com.
