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Inner Harbor (Quinn Brothers of Chesapeake Bay #3)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 14,894 ratings · 255 reviews

Third in the sweeping Chesapeake quartet, about three brothers who come together in a time of need. They honored their father's wish to raise young Seth as their own. And with all of the brothers home again, the Quinn family has never been so strong. But in the months to come, their strength is tested--once again.

Phillip Quinn has done everything to make his life seem perf...more

Mass Market Paperback, 324 pages

Published January 1st 1999 by Jove (first published December 1st 1998)

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Jul 28, 2008 Isis FG rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance readers / Nora Roberts fans

Recommended to Isis FG by: continuation of a series / favorite author

Shelves: author-nora-roberts, favs-reread, genre-romance-drama, reviewed, stars-4

Of the 4 Chesapeake Bay / Quinn books, this one is my least favorite. Not because it's a bad book. It's really not. But just because of a matter of personal tastes.

Inner Harbor features Phillip Quinn, the 3rd troubled boy taken in by Stella and Ray Quinn when he was a teenager. Before they'd rescued him in, he'd been a street thug who ended up with bullets in his chest in a drive-by shooting. But Ray and Stella changed his life, gave him a future. When Ray died and Seth became partially his resp...more Of the 4 Chesapeake Bay / Quinn books, this one is my least favorite. Not because it's a bad book. It's really not. But just because of a matter of personal tastes.

Inner Harbor features Phillip Quinn, the 3rd troubled boy taken in by Stella and Ray Quinn when he was a teenager. Before they'd rescued him in, he'd been a street thug who ended up with bullets in his chest in a drive-by shooting. But Ray and Stella changed his life, gave him a future. When Ray died and Seth became partially his responsibility, Phillip's world was turned completely upside down. Part of him resented Seth for causing so many changes, but his duty to his family, and his love for them, keeps him doing what he knows he should do. And when Sybill arrives on the scene, things get even more confusing.

Of the three original Quinn brothers, Phillip is my least favorite. This is where the thing about personal tastes comes in. Phillip just wasn't my type of hero. Despite how he spent his early years and that he's still got a rough edge, Phillip is now the type who wears fancy clothes and shoes, has a wine collection, and has an elegant apartment. I just don't care for the spit & polish, suit-wearing CEO types. So I had a hard time engaging with Phillip throughout the story. Plus, he kind of annoyed me at times because even though he loved his family and would do anything for them, he was always grumbling about helping with the boat building business or doing errands and chores. He was the only one of the three who never really seemed to settle into the changes that Seth brought about. Which made him seem a little bit less than they were.

I also found Sybill irritating at times. She analyzed EVERYTHING and I wanted to tell her to shut up more than once. Essentially, I liked her, but I can't say she is a favorite character of mine.

If it hadn't been for the continuing story of Seth and the overall tale of the Quinn brothers, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this book nearly as much. But I did really love Seth's progressing story. This book brings in a number of new developments that really enhance the story. And it's just really touching to see Seth become so comfortable in his surroundings, to grow to trust his new family. He's a character that just really sticks with you.

Overall, reading about the Quinn family is such a treat. Nora Roberts takes 2 do-gooders and a bunch of misfits and turns them into the poster-children for great families. It's a wonderful dynamic to read about how 3 lost boys lives were changed and improved by the luck of fate. How they developed a bond that surpasses familial-blood and lasts through their entire lives. And then to read about them finding their soulmates...it's sigh-worthy. They're a very memorable group of characters.

For those of you who love reading about classic romance, and about families, then you should read this set of books.(less)

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Aug 15, 2008 Brenda (b) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, romance, 1-print-books, 2-2008-read

Oh it's wonderful. I loved this one too. These are not 3 cookie cutter stories where everything is the same in all the books. Each has it's own way of telling the story even though they all focus on the theme of family. Each brother gives up something from his lifestyle to find that connection with family and Seth. And they all find that they're happier because of it. IMO, it's a good conclusion to the mystery of Seth's parentage and the resolution of his guardianship. I enjoyed the romance betw...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Jana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

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 a...more 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 fucked 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.(less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Mónica Silva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Neste livro seguimos a perspetiva de Phillip, um dos jovens problemáticos adotados por Ray e Stella Quinn. Agora adulto, é um homem bem sucedido, carismático, moderno, pragmático e algo resmungão. Confesso que nos volumes anteriores considerava esta personagem demasiado fútil e superficial mas não podia estar mais errada! Por detrás desta máscara de requinte, encontra-se um homem gentil, meigo, com uma capacidade surpreendente para perdoar...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Book Binge Blog rated it 4 of 5 stars

Inner Harbor is Phillip Quinn's book and in this book, we find a whole bunch of things out. This story ties everything up from the previous two books and it answers a lot of questions we had from reading the other stories. Questions we had about Ray's ties to Seth and what happened there. It also brought up a whole set of new problems with the arrival of a stranger in town who claims to be in town to do some research for a book. The research is actually a problem to the Quinns and the tenuous ho...more Inner Harbor is Phillip Quinn's book and in this book, we find a whole bunch of things out. This story ties everything up from the previous two books and it answers a lot of questions we had from reading the other stories. Questions we had about Ray's ties to Seth and what happened there. It also brought up a whole set of new problems with the arrival of a stranger in town who claims to be in town to do some research for a book. The research is actually a problem to the Quinns and the tenuous hold they have on little Seth.

Phillip Quinn is the brains of the brothers. He's got a big city job and he lives the big city life. He loves his life in Baltimore. Even though he loves his family, he does what he can for them but still maintains his life in the city. Phillip is close with his brothers and has grown to love the new addition to the Quinn family. When Dr. Sybil Griffin shows up in town and throws all of their security up in the air, it wasn't easy for me to not like her.

Actually, Sybil did a great deal to piss me off. So when her identity is made known, she's already close to Phillip and Phillip is up in arms about it. That's not what pissed me off, what pissed me off was for someone as smart as Sybil was, she thought that Seth should be with his mother. After everything that Sybil went through with Gloria and everything that Seth went through when he was with Gloria, she still thought that Gloria was a good choice for Seth.

WTF?

I mean, I get that she didn't see the way that Seth was when he first came to town and she wasn't around to see how messed up he was and everything but still, she knew what kind of person Gloria was and for her to think that Seth was better off with her instead of these random strangers made me want to smack her around. Of the three books so far, this book was my least favorite. That's not to say that this book was bad, it's good but it wasn't my favorite. Sybil had a lot of making up to do for me to be okay with her pairing with Phillip and eventually, she got there but through a whole chunk of the book, I wanted to smack her around. See how she liked it.

What I really like about Nora Roberts writing (especially in her trilogies) is that there are always multiple stories being told and she spends good pages tying everything together. I loved the way that she brought all of the loose ends together and I really liked the way that there was no leaf left unturned. Everything comes together nicely and my love for the Quinn brothers was only strengthened in this book. Nora Roberts writes really good trilogies and this is one of my favorites.

Phillip and Sybil's story came full circle and I was happy with the way that their happy ending came about, it got my emotions up and running but it didn't leave me hanging so by the end of the book, I was a happy camper.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Rowena.(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Estara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read, ebook, read-in-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Inner Harbor

Starts dramatically with the hero dying at 13 in the ER of a Pittsburgh hospital due to a gang shooting.

Phillip may be the most suave Quinn, but it also seems as if he is the one who most hides behind the persona he has worked on. He's very, very cautious about whom he trusts and also was the one boy who had been a career criminal already and had sold himself to make ends meet. So it took Stella and Ray Quinn a lot longer to make him see their commitment and the love that was waiting...more Inner Harbor

Starts dramatically with the hero dying at 13 in the ER of a Pittsburgh hospital due to a gang shooting.

Phillip may be the most suave Quinn, but it also seems as if he is the one who most hides behind the persona he has worked on. He's very, very cautious about whom he trusts and also was the one boy who had been a career criminal already and had sold himself to make ends meet. So it took Stella and Ray Quinn a lot longer to make him see their commitment and the love that was waiting for him, if he could keep from self-destructing.

Having been a grifter and conman, as well as a thief, Phillip has a good eye for people usually, and when an attractive woman happens to pass by the Quinn boatyard he strikes up an easy flirtation, hoping for some action between the sheets as he hasn't had time for this in months in his ad agency work in Baltimore, now he has to help out back home.

The problem is that the classy lady didn't do the tourist thing but came on purpose. She's a best-selling author of a book on urban communities and their behaviours (think Kate Fox's Watching the English), true enough, but she's also the sister of Seth Quinn's biological mother who has been repeatedly lied to by her sister and asked for money, allegedly for the purpose of talking abducted Seth back from the Quinns.

Having been the target of her sister's hate again and again, having loved Seth as a four-year-old until her sister had taken him and her money and run, Sybill isn't as naive as she was, but she still thinks if she doesn't let on about her relationship she'll get to see more of the truth and whether Seth is better with the Quinns than without.

Seth's background is finally cleared up, but the beauty of the story lies in Sybill's seduction out of her shell, being able to forgive herself for having stopped thinking of Seth after that last devastating blow her sister dealt her in decades of abusing her; forgive herself for realising that her parents never loved her and nothing she could have done would change that, because they're basically too selfish; learn to appreciate that with this handicap she still has a core of integrity and love to give (four-year-old Seth was basically the first person who ever loved her for herself).

And the second most fun bit is Phillip really losing his cool and suave personality in this relationship and being a strong shoulder, but also a nagger and a seducer and stumbling into love and getting angry at Sybill for that (makes him human, just like his constant griping while basically fulfilling all the needs his brother and the family has of him).(less)

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Jun 23, 2011 Ning rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, kindle, contemporary

ปริศนาทุกอย่าง ถูกไขกระจ่างแล้ว ..

เป็นเล่มเฉลยปมต่าง ๆ ที่ได้ผูกเอาไว้ที่เล่ม 1 ค่ะ
ค่อนข้างผิดหวังเล็กน้อย กับการแก้ปมต่าง ๆ ที่สร้างไว้
แต่พอรับได้ ..

บทสรุปตัวร้าย .. ง่ายไปหน่อย ไม่ค่อยสะใจ

ในส่วนเรื่องราวของครอบครัว .. ยังคงซึ้งกินใจ ปน ขำ ๆ บางครั้งอยู่
แต่ในส่วนของความรัก .. ไม่อินเลยค่ะ อ่าน ๆ แล้วจิตหลุดบ่อยมาก ..
ข้อมูลนอกเรื่องเยอะเกินไป

แต่ก็อ่าน ๆ ไปเพลิน ๆ ค่ะ
ถ้าเริ่มอ่านแล้วก็ต้องจบล่ะนะ

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Sep 04, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contempry-romance-with-some-fantasy

As a stand-alone book, it was lacking, but it was good because it finished unresolved issues from the first two books.

THE SERIES:
The Chesapeake Bay series includes four books which tell a continuing story about a family. Ray and Stella Quinn adopt three troubled boys who came from abusive homes. In the first three books the boys are about 30 years old. They left home, have good jobs and are single. Stella died several years earlier. In the beginning of the first book Ray took in another boy, 10-...more As a stand-alone book, it was lacking, but it was good because it finished unresolved issues from the first two books.

THE SERIES:
The Chesapeake Bay series includes four books which tell a continuing story about a family. Ray and Stella Quinn adopt three troubled boys who came from abusive homes. In the first three books the boys are about 30 years old. They left home, have good jobs and are single. Stella died several years earlier. In the beginning of the first book Ray took in another boy, 10-year-old Seth, who was abused by his mother Gloria. Gloria offered to give legal guardianship to Ray in return for a large sum of money. Before anything was official, Ray died in a car accident. Shortly before he died, he asked his three sons to move back home to take care of Seth. All three men promised they would. They decide to start a boat building business. In the first three books each of the three men meets and falls in love with a woman. The fourth book tells the story of Seth, who is grown, returns home and falls in love. The best parts of the first three books are watching the developing relationships among Seth and the three men and seeing Seth blossom. Each book has a minor amount of fantasy due to some conversations with a ghost. The four books, main characters, and my ratings are:
Sea Swept (Cameron and Anna) 4 stars
Rising Tides (Ethan and Grace) 3 stars
Inner Harbor (Phillip and Sybill) 3 stars
Chesapeake Blue (Seth and Dru) 2.5 stars

STORY BRIEF (Inner Harbor, Book 3):
Phillip’s mother was a stripper and prostitute. Phillip survived by stealing, using drugs and sometimes selling himself. At age 13, he was shot in gang crossfire and nearly died. Ray and Stella discovered him in the hospital and took him home. Due to their love and environment, he changed and thrived. He is now a successful advertising executive in Baltimore. He dresses well, drinks fine wines and eats healthy. During his three-day weekends, he handles administrative details, legal issues and paperwork for the brothers’ boat building business, as well as some of the sweaty carpentry work.

Dr. Sybill Griffin has made a career out of the study of urban life and has published two books. She has degrees in anthropology, sociology and psychology. She comes to Chesapeake Bay to observe and study small town life for her next book. However, the reader soon learns that she chose Chesapeake Bay because of Seth. She purposely meets the brothers and finds that Phillip is attracted to her. She begins a relationship with him in order to be closer to and learn about Seth. Gloria (Seth’s mother) returns to the area. Gloria has a bigger role in this book than in the previous two books.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This was ok, but I couldn’t get into the characters. They were good as supporting characters in the Seth story and for the series, but the story about their relationship wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. They each were wounded in the past in different ways. Now they are smooth and polished. I didn’t see how they grew to love each other. They were sort of thrown together, and then they have sex because they are physically attracted to each other. The value of this book is learning about Gloria and seeing some of her actions. It finishes some of the unresolved issues from the first two books. So it’s worthwhile in that way.

DATA:
Story length: 238 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 7. Setting: current day Chesapeake Bay area and Baltimore, Maryland. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary romance with fantasy.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books, see my 4.5 star review of "Angels Fall" posted on 6-30-08.(less)

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Jul 04, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Inner Harbor. Nora Roberts. 1999. Jove. 324 pages. ISBN 0515124214.

Inner Harbor is the third book in the Quinn Brothers series by Nora Roberts. Although the romance novel is considered part of a series, it's written to function as a stand-alone if you're not familiar with the other Quinn Brothers books.

Phillip Quinn is one out of three adopted brothers taken in by loving foster parents after experiencing a rough childhood on urban streets. Now a mature, successful and wealthy adult, Phillip help...more Inner Harbor. Nora Roberts. 1999. Jove. 324 pages. ISBN 0515124214.

Inner Harbor is the third book in the Quinn Brothers series by Nora Roberts. Although the romance novel is considered part of a series, it's written to function as a stand-alone if you're not familiar with the other Quinn Brothers books.

Phillip Quinn is one out of three adopted brothers taken in by loving foster parents after experiencing a rough childhood on urban streets. Now a mature, successful and wealthy adult, Phillip helps raise his foster father's rumored-biological son Seth with his brothers. With Phillip being the last Quinn brother without his own happy-ending marriage, Inner Harbor details the romance between him and Sybill Griffin, a mysterious woman who suddenly appears in town with ties to Seth.

Inner Harbor contains the same formula present in Nora Roberts' other series from this time period in the mid- to late-1990s. Every book begins by detailing how successful the main characters are after dealing with certain life hardships. They encounter love at first sight with someone in a quaint town, go on dates, and then experience some type of drama and minor tragedy that tears them apart for a chapter or two. The ending is butterflies and rainbows when they get married or get pregnant or both.

The pros to Nora Roberts' romance novels is that as a reader, you ALWAYS know what you're getting! If you need something easy and less intense to take your mind off things, OR if you need something motivating in the romance department, Nora Roberts is perfect!

The cons are that the novels are all slight variations of each other and are too predictable. The characters rarely seem to be average either; we are always treated to their success stories of being incredibly rich, good-looking and holding several degrees from several elite colleges.

Given the love scenes are quite silly and the dramatics are pretty over-the-top, the novels are entertaining in the way some of us watch Young and the Restless when we need a laugh and pick-me-up; both will never fail at being corny.

The other books in this Quinn Brothers series are Sea Swept, Rising Tides, and after Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Blue.

For more book reviews, visit http://dreamworldbooks.com.
(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 QiJia 치쟈 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, owned, nora-roberts

I love this family theme series!
It's a touching, heart warming and loving series <3
yes some might say it's cliche but I love Roberts' story telling
I was pulled from the beginning of the series from Sea Swept
The 3 lost troubled boys found home and love and are wonderfully raised by Ray and Stella Quinn
It's interesting to see how Cam, Ethan and Phillip interact since I don't have no brothers, I have two more younger sisters instead (still love them even though they're annoying and irritating,b...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Marianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: given-away-on-bookmooch

Inner Harbour is the third of the Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts. Phillip, the third Quinn brother to be taken in by Stella and Ray, has come about as far as possible from the teenage thief who did drugs and prostituted himself: he’s now an urbanite, a respected executive in a Baltimore advertising firm. But he’s spending his weekends in the village of St Christopher on the promise to look out for the latest Quinn, Seth DeLauter as well as helping out in the new boat building business, Bo...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nora-roberts-re-reads, romance

I didn't find this book quite as gripping as the first two, so I started to give it four stars. Then I realized my reasons were invalid. Phillip and Sybill come from vastly different beginnings but they are both similar in that they are survivors. They did not always make the honorable or "right" choice, but they got through tough times and were the better for it. I didn't like that they made some bad choices and that they were not totally victims, but, in real life, they are much more recogniza...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, favorites, good-time-laughs, series, swoon

I need to give this one a five purely because I need to express just how much I loved it, and how much it rounded out the first two stories into a perfect trilogy. (I know there' s fourth, but it's years down the road, and I'm talking purely about the drama of the first three.)

ohmygah. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It had everything I yearned and pulled for in the first two. I expected to hate Sybill. I expected to see the drama of her pretending to be someone she wasn't in order to get cl...more I need to give this one a five purely because I need to express just how much I loved it, and how much it rounded out the first two stories into a perfect trilogy. (I know there' s fourth, but it's years down the road, and I'm talking purely about the drama of the first three.)

ohmygah. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It had everything I yearned and pulled for in the first two. I expected to hate Sybill. I expected to see the drama of her pretending to be someone she wasn't in order to get closer to the Quinns be dragged out. I was expecting the entire drama of the story to fall on the reveal of Who Sybill is, and let me tell you, I hate that more than secret babies. I really do. When a story starts out with the woman pretending to be Someone Not Involved With Drama in order to get closer to Dude With Secret, I cringe. Because I know what's coming. They're going to fall, he's going to let her in, the guilt is going to eat at her, then right when she's gonna admit to him The Truth he's going to find it out from another source and lash out, she's gonna cry, and then something is going to bring them back together. Bada Bing. But...no. Not here. They got that out of the way early and dealt with it in an interesting keep the pages turning kind of way which set the scene for a Real Story with heavy, interesting, textured emotions that were written beautifully.

There was something about the falling apart of Phillip. The way he found himself unable to walk away from Sybill. They had the most chemistry of the three relationships, and that is totally unexpected when you look at the couples. Cam and Anna are super, ridiculously sexy, but it was almost too shiny and logical. Ethan and Grace had that been in love forever angst but when they finally got together it got very mushy. And here you've got the bookish urbanites who keep reminding us how big city they are.
Please. Bo-ring.
But, another pleasant surprise on that front. These two were breaking each other down in the most interesting and romantic ways. I loved watching this shy, observant, socially awkward woman tug at Phillip's carefully guarded emotions without even trying. She wasn't seducing, she was just falling in a really emotionally satisfying way. But most of all, what got to me, was how he finally accepted Seth. This boy who was still ready to run. The scene on his birthday? Watching these men come together with all their foul language and thrown punches? I'm so in love. Just so maddeningly in love. But yeah, that moment on his birthday, he thing with the boat...it felt like something broke inside of me for this kid, and I finally felt connected to all these characters in a very real way, which made an ending that wrapped everything up that much sweeter.

I've read a few now, but this was the book where I truly and totally fell in love with Nora Roberts. (less)

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May 03, 2010 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, romance

This was my second favorite of the Quinn Brothers novels (Ethan’s being my favorite). Nora Robert’s best skill is creating characters and complex family units that feel real, and this series is no exception. I liked this more in-depth look at Philip, and I also liked his romantic interest, Sybil, even if she is a bit cold and shut down for most of the book. Nora also does a great job pulling us into the setting, giving us a more clinical look at small-town life through the eyes Sybil, an outside...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Lydia Perversius rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chesapeake-bay-saga

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Quinns don't walk away from a fight. Until they win it." - Cameron Quinn

Another story came to its end. I have to say I'm glad to see this one over, though. Not in a sense where I just wanted it to be over already, but in the one where it was nice to see Gloria DeLauter be put in her place face-to-face. God bless Sybill's hand!

The third troubled boy to be taken in by the Quinns, Phillip, was the sly and most cunning of the three brothers - and the looker, as it seems. It wasn't just the charm of...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Books are my Pyrocant rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Phillip. Flirty, well dressed, nutritionally conscious, handsome advertising exec. That's all we really knew prior to the third novel. I really wasn't sure I cared too much about him as these are surface traits that really don't mean much. Imo, Roberts did a beautiful job developing his character in the third installment, his relationship to his brothers including Seth and his love interest Sybil. I found there was much more to discover about Phillip and I ended up falling in love with him. I en...more

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Jul 26, 2010 adventurat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, 2010, fiction, romance

I was right in my supposition that the mystery that started in Sea Swept and continued in Rising Tides would be resolved in this, the last book in the original trilogy. And it was very well done.

This is the story of Philip, the last (before Seth) adopted Quinn brother, and Dr. Sybill Griffin, who [SLIGHT SPOILER!:] is revealed as Seth's aunt, the sister of his mother Gloria. And it's a terrific story, not just the romance, but the family dynamic, and the solving of the mystery and the resolutio...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/07/...

O terceiro rapaz resgatado por Stella e Ray, Phillip, acabou por se tornar num homem bem sucedido e de gostos refinados, nada que recorde o pequeno criminoso do passado que consumia drogas, prostituía-se para as poder comprar e que acabou por ser alvejado e ir parar ao hospital.

Apesar de por esta altura já estar mais do que afeiçoada aos Quinn e de achar a história muito interessante, não consegui no entanto simpatizar com Sybil, a cara metade de P...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Arttemizza rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blogroling, leituras-2013

A escrita? Sem nada especial a apontar, continua a ser simples e permite uma leitura fluida.

O enredo? Este é o livro em que mais coisas se descobrem, em que conhecemos o passado de Seth, o motivo pelo qual o velho Ray o quis adoptar, é portanto, o livro de todas as revelações.
Continuo a adorar o toque da magia sobrenatural. O fantasma do Ray dá um toque de humor à trama e os encontros deste com os Phillip são bastante hilariantes.

As personagens? O bom desta saga é que todas as personagens têm pe...more

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Jan 23, 2012 The Itzel Library rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, couples, romance, series, 2012, trilogies, fantasy, fiction, adult, adult-fiction, women, men-and-women, paranormal, mistery, chick-lit

Sybill llega buscando a los Quinn para conocerlos mejor, ellos desde luego no deben enterarse de su verdadero propósito: acercarse a Seth. Llevaba todo planeado, tenía la certeza de que podría mantener la objetividad y resolver el problema sin contratiempos salvo que no contó con el factor sorpresa: Phillip.

Phillip fue un adolescente problemático hasta el día que se enamoró de Ray y Stella Quinn, sus padres adoptivos. Después de su muerte, se convierte, junto con Cam & Ethan en los responsa...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Jaime Atkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

This was the conclusion to the Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts. From the middle to the end, I was intrigued, but the beginning fell flat compared to the others. I had a hard time getting to know and like Sybill, but as I learned more about her, I liked her enough. Phillip had not been a large part of the other books and I was glad to get to see a bigger picture of him. He is the reason I kept reading. Even though I had a hard time getting into the story, I believe that is exactly the way...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Verda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book without reading the first 2 of the trilogy. I didn't even know it was part of a trilogy until I had finished it. Despite that fact, I truly enjoyed it, and this shows how Nora Roberts can weave excellent stories.

To be honest, I didn't pick it from the book store. It was during the time when I simply read junior novels, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. A friend got it for me one day since she wasn't interested in reading it. Free books? Yes, please.

The sexual part was truly new to me...more

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May 19, 2011 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, I waded my way through the annoying characters of the last two books just to get to this one. It was well worth it. Philip Quinn was always my favourite from the beginning. I loved how his character was delved into. His darker dangerous side was totally appealing and really well written!

Furthermore, Sybill was a very likable character and I enjoyed the romance between her and Philip. The rounding up of Seth's storyline was well done although not if you hate sugary sweet endings!

The...more

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May 24, 2013 Kiki KiAri HMS rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Chesapeake Bay Series revolve around the Quinn Brothers; three troubled boys who were saved by a couple. Ray and Stella Quinn, who couldn't have their own. Three boys who shared dark pasts were brought into a new environment that's filled with warmth. A new member of this family was brought into the mix shortly before Ray Quinn's death.

Inner Harbor answered every questions arose when you read the previous two books. This time, the third bad boy took the main hero part. Phillip Quinn was the soph...more Chesapeake Bay Series revolve around the Quinn Brothers; three troubled boys who were saved by a couple. Ray and Stella Quinn, who couldn't have their own. Three boys who shared dark pasts were brought into a new environment that's filled with warmth. A new member of this family was brought into the mix shortly before Ray Quinn's death.

Inner Harbor answered every questions arose when you read the previous two books. This time, the third bad boy took the main hero part. Phillip Quinn was the sophisticated one of the whole bunch; he's the kind of guy who appreciate quality of a 3-piece suit, good wine and he's the only one who actually have a job outside of the newly formed boat-building business of the Quinn brothers.

Dr. Sybill Griffin was a well-known sociologist and had written books on Urban Life (which Phillip actually read). She resided in St. Chris to study the life pattern of a rural area... and she also had another agenda: to "spy" on Seth Quinn. I found it hard to keep up with this woman's train of thoughts... as I'm the kind that doesn't care much about all these scientific facts. I did find one scene funny in regards to this; the part where she "hired" Seth to help her with her project. I found myself laughing when the people approached Seth stopped to see what he was looking at before actually asking him.

Sybill found herself mesmerized by the Quinn; their way of life was way different than the one she was used to. They're loud, swore a lot, rough, but she could still see the love they have for one another. I do love the interactions between all the Quinns, plus the wives and baby Aubrey. They just fit!

I love the way Phillip courted Sybill. It was smooth... Apparently, he's the first person who can make her mind stop working. The funny part was when she tried to think while he was seducing her.

I love the development of Sybill's character. She was polite and well-mannered at first... towards the end, she still all those but she loosen up a bit. I didn't think that foul words would come out of that mouth of hers. The part when she protected Seth from Gloria was probably the part that I read so many times over the year. The awe Seth was feeling made me teary for some reason. Also the part when Seth had the glimpse of his past with Sybill when he was four was heart-wrenching.

If you read the first and second installment, you will surely enjoy reading this one. Every answer to the question arose is in this book, the main question would be: Who was Seth to Ray?

Everything about this novel is great. A highly recommended!

Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents the final novel in the captivating trilogy of three brothers who have come together in a time of need. They honored their father's wish to raise young Seth as their own. And with all of the brothers home again, the Quinn family has never been so strong. But in the months to come, their strength is tested -- once again...

Phillip Quinn had done everything to make his life seem perfect. With his career on the fast track and a condo overlooking the Inner Harbor, his life on the street was firmly in the past. But one look at Seth and he's reminded of the boy he once was...Phillip has intended to fulfill his father's dying request and considered Seth to be a duty. He never expected he would grow to love Seth, and soon his promise to his father became more than just obligation.

Seth's future as a Quinn seems assured -- until a stranger arrives in town. She claims to be researching St. Christopher's for her new book, but the true objects of study are the Quinns. Her cool reserve intrigues Phillip. He is determined to uncover her motives, but she is holding a secret that has the power to threaten the life the brothers have made for Seth. A secret that could tear the family apart... forever...(less)

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May 06, 2010 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

He had yellow eyes. Yellow eyes!!! Oh wait that's Scut Farkas in a Christmas Story. Still it was nice to get away from all of the blue eyes.

Nice setting, interesting people, family lifestyle is very appealing as is the fall in love romance.

I liked Phillip and Sybil. My kind of people I guess.
This one had a little more story and study of people's emotions and motivations. Less gratuitous sex. Although having Phillip try all that stuff on the first date was a real turn off. It made Phillip look...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Shanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was my least fave, and I guess it's cause the main character was also my least fave in the series. So we get to know Phillip Quinn, he is the sucessful business man, who just wants to get back to his life in Baltimore, and he prolly had the hardest time of the three older quinns giving up his life to fulfill a promise made to their dying father. So the story comes full circle, Seth's mother is revealed to be Ray's daughter from a previous relationship, and Philips falls for the sassy y...more

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Nov 28, 2008 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-fiction, romance

How could I skip a trilogy (which eventually became 4 books quite logically) set in my home state of Maryland? (It's Roberts' home as well). But what I really liked about this series was putting the primary focus on the men. Yes, the heroines get plenty of page time but it's about the brothers and as such, everything starts from their perspective -- a rarity in the romance genre. Even better, Roberts pulls it off, creating a believable male perspective, not men acting like women or doing and say...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-series, borrowed, contemporary-series

I liked this a lot.

I think that some of Sybil's actions at the beginning were very, unethical - that's not the word. Sybil behaved in a manner that she knew deep down, was wrong. And you could tell that the way she justified it to herself.

Phillip is a slick, sophisticated guy and in Sea Swept and Rising Tides, he kind of annoyed me a little. But in this book you really see below the surface and he's still slick and sophisticated, but that's not all he is. He's loyal and even if he grumbles, you...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Ines Norton rated it 4 of 5 stars

É o livro que mais gostei até agora desta saga, e eu tenho um gosto estranho por livros que me emocionem e este consegui-o, por isso recomendo, e espero conseguir arranjar o Azul da Baía para saber porque é que o Seth regressa a casa 18 anos com o olhar emsombrado...

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this book is the one I liked best from this saga, and I have a thing with books that emotionate me and thius one did that, so I recomend this as an interesting read, and I hope I can find the 4th book in the library from where...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

I enjoyed reading it but I think mostly because of the continuing story of Seth and the overall Quinn family. I didn´t particularly like either Phillip or Sybil. Both of them were just a bit too much in their heads for my taste. But they suited each other.
And I do have a problem that Ms Roberts is skimming through the grisly parts of Philips background. Philip needed a bit more depth an to know more about his childhood before he met the Quinns would have helped.

The same goes for Sybil. I neede...more

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About Nora Roberts

aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sopho...more aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to a local public school, where she met Ronald Aufdem-Brinke, her future first husband.

In Augusy 17, 1968, as soon as she had graduated from High School, Eleanor married, against her parents' wishes. The marriage settled in Keedysville, Maryland. Her husband worked at his father's sheet-metal business before joining her parents in their lighting company. While, she worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn't spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After their sons, Dan and Jason, were born she stayed home. Calling this her "Earth Mother" years, she spent much of her time doing crafts, including ceramics and sewing her children's clothes. The marriage ended separating, and they obtained the divorce in January 1985.

In February 1979, a blizzard in forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981 as Nora Roberts, a shortened form of her birth name Eleanor Marie Robertson, because she assumed that all authors had pen names.

Eleanor wrote under the pseudonym Jill March a story for a magazine titled "Melodies of Love".

Eleanor met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Her husband owns and operates a bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland called "Turn the Page Books". Since that time, they've expanded their home, traveled the world.

In 1992, she decided adopted other pseudonym so to publish a futuristic-suspense novels, she first decided to use the pseudonym D.J. MacGregor, but she discovered that this pseudonym was used by another author. In 1995, her first "In Death" serial novel was published under the pseudonym J.D. Robb, the initials "J.D." were taken from her sons, Jason and Dan, while "Robb" is a shortened form of Roberts.

Eleanor has also been known as Sara Hardesty, because when the "Born In" series was released in U.K. it carried that name instead of Nora Roberts. She has since changed publishers.

Eleanor has been plagiarized by another best-selling romance writer, Janet Dailey. The practice came to light after a reader read Nora Roberts' "Sweet Revenge" and Janet Dailey's "Notorious" back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the Internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Eleanor sued Janet Daily. In 1997, Janet, admitted to repeatedly plagiarizing from Nora Roberts' work, and that both "Aspen Gold" and "Notorious" lifted heavily from Nora Roberts's work. Both of those novels were pulled from print after Janet's admission. She acknowledged the plagiarism and blamed it on a psychological disorder. In a settlement, Janet paid Eleanor an undisclosed sum, which Eleanor donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.

A founding member of the Romance Writers of America (R.W.A.), she was the first inductee in the organization's Hall of Fame. She also is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the (less)

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Trivia About Inner Harbor

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Quotes from Inner Harbor

“Up to this point your life has pretty much sucked. You’re not responsible for that. But you are responsible for what happens from here on.” — 15 people liked it

“Phillip look into Ray's eyes. He saw compassion and hope. And he saw himself mirrored back, bleeding in a dirty gutter on a street where life was worth less than a dime bag.
Sick, tired, petrified, Phillip dropped his head into his hands.
"What's the point?"
"You're the point, son." Ray ran his hand over Phillip's hair. "You're the point.” — 6 people liked it

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Inner Harbor (Quinn Brothers of Chesapeake Bay #3)

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