The Chesapeake Bride

The Chesapeake Bride by Mariah Stewart (Book 11 of The Chesapeake Diaries)   384 pages

This small town series continues with the second book to focus on Cannonball Island, just across the bridge from the main town.  The history of the island adds to the plot.  The story is that the people who settled Cannonball Island were people who supported the British in the Revolutionary War.  They were exiled there after the British lost.  The island is small and doesn’t have a lot of resources, so those who dug in and made a go of it were a hardy lot.  Now, there are only a few families still living on the island.  Cassidy is an architect whose father purchased a number of the abandoned old-style houses.  His plan was to tear them down and replace them with modern vacation homes.  She convinces him to try a different approach that keeps some of the unique features of the island homes, but her plan is threatened by the discovery of a sunken ship in the area where they plan to place a small boat dock.  Owen is the grandson of Ruby, a spry but elderly descendant of some of the original settlers.  He is working with the salvage company as a diver.  Their story weaves into some of the previous stories in the series as well as the history of the area.  Very enjoyable!