Originally Published: 12-05-2019
The Gansett Island Series by Marie Force is a wonderfully written contemporary romance with a lot of heart and soul of the people of the small island of Gansett.
This series is about family and the ups and downs that a huge family can go thru. This family starts with Big Mac and Linda McCarthy and their five adult kids. Each book is about the romance of each of the kids as they find love and decide to settle down and have a family.
But what you’ll find in this series is that each book is not solely about just one couple, it’s about the family as a whole. Each story, each couple’s story is carried forward in each book. So as we learn about each new couple, we also get to know how the previous ones are doing and where they are at.
You also need to know that each book has several sexy details with several scenes not only about the main characters for that book, but also about others as well. And yes, they are detailed. The family is an open and loving family that share many aspects of their lives and the troubles that we all share.
What you can expect is to get know a loving and wonderful family and fall in love with each and every one of them as you read this whole series.
If you head on over to Marie Force’s site, you’ll find a family tree to help you put all the characters together and keep them apart!!! I like it when an author does this for us!!
Gansett Island Series Box Set Books 1 – 16
You’ll find the first 16 books boxed up for us to enjoy!! This helps to be able to read the series in order.
Fun huh!!
You can still enjoy each book on its own as well. But, I found that this series is best read from beginning as their stories continue in each book. So if you start in, say book 10, you won’t know what’s happening prior to that.
So here’s the order for this series.
Please note that I did not do individual book pages for this series as I read the first 18 books in 2weeks! To write a different book page for each would’ve taken too much time for me!!
Please enjoy this series as I did immensely!!
Gansett Island Boxset Books 1-3
Book 1, Maid for Love, brings us Mac and Maddie’s story.
Mac McCarthy (this is Mac jr) didn’t think he’s ever come back to Gansett Island. But when he literally runs into Maddie Chester, he knows that his world is about to change.
Book 2, Fool for Love, tells us about Joe and Janey’s story. Joe has loved Janey for forever, but she didn’t know it, until she comes crawling to his arms. Joe is best friends with Mac and Janey is the youngest McCarthy.
Book 3, Ready for Love, tells us Luke’s and Sydney’s story. Luke Harris has loved Sydney since they were kids. But it’s only after a tragic tragedy that they decide to give love a second chance. Luke came from a single parent family and when Big Mac offered him a job, he also offered him a family!!
Maid for Love
Fool for Love
Ready for Love
Gansett Island Boxset Books 4 – 6
Books 4-6 can be found in a handy box set to be read and enjoyed together!
Book 4, Falling for Love, is about where we find out about Grant and Stephanie. Grant McCarthy is the screenwriter and has come back to Gansett to see if he can win his love back. It takes a drunken night to open his eyes to the possibilities that there could be another!!
Stephanie runs the marina restaurant for the McCarthy’s and has a serious crush on Big Mac! So she’s skeptical about getting involved with anyone especially with what she has to deal with.
But it only takes one phone call with a few strategic people that make her life different.
Book 5, Hoping for Love, brings us Grace’s and Evan’s story. Evan McCarthy is musician in the making and loves to play any instrument with his best friend Owen Lawry. But stage fright keeps him from fulfilling his dream.
But when he sees Grace crying in the back corner of the bar where he’s playing, he knows that he can’t just leave her alone. He comes to her rescue in more ways than one!!
Book 6, Season for Love, is about Owen Lawry and Laura McCarthy. Laura comes to Gansett Island every summer to hang her with cousins. So when she’s given the opportunity to renovate the Sand and Surf Hotel, she jumps at the chance. She’s hoping that not only will this time be the time that she will heal from a broken heart, but also heal from her broken marriage.
Owen decides to stay and help her and love blossoms between them along with other things!!
Falling for Love
Hoping for Love
Season for Love
Gansett Island Boxset Books 7 – 9
Marie Force has put books 7-9 into a box set!!
Book 7, Longing for Love, brings us Tiffany Sturgil’s and Blaine Taylor’s story. Tiffany is Maddie’s sister and Blaine is the chief of police on the little island of Gansett. So he knows everyone!!
By this book, Tiffany has been badly dumped by her lawyer husband and is still reeling from it. Blaine has had one encounter with Tiffany that has left them hot and bothered.
But Tiffany needs to be on her own first. But the store that she wants to open up just might the end to everything. And it causes a lot of conflict.
This book has several sexy scenes that you have to watch out for!!
Book 8, Waiting for Love, brings us back to Adam McCarthy and Abby Callahan. Now Abby used to date Grant before he got together with Stephanie. So there’s a lot of history there.
But these two get together because they both are grieving and that grief connects them in ways that Abby couldn’t find with Grant. Adam also is determined to save Abby from herself!
Book 9, Time for Love, tells David Lawrence’s and Daisy Babson’s story. David is the resident doctor for the island and Daisy is coming out of a terrible relationship. David also used to date Janey McCarthy. So there’s a ton of history that we get to know.
As David and Daisy come together, we also get to see how David saves not himself but also the people on the island. As the only doctor, he’s the one that’s called to come when things go bad. And by this time, Janey has gone into labor, had serious complications with her baby and her life, and it’s only with David’s help that she’s still here.
Longing for Love
Waiting for Love
Time for Love
So by the time you get to this point, book 9, in the series, you’ve become embroiled in the lives and the loves of the McCarthy’s and the many friends that they have.
Marie Force has written a marvelously wonderful story of family and community for us to enjoy. Each story is well-written and poignant and entertaining and addicting that you have to keep reading until you’ve read all the books in the whole series. I know I did!!
Gansett Island Boxset Books 10-12
Marie Force takes books 10-12 and puts them into a box set!! You can find these box sets available on Amazon.
Book 10, Meant for Love, brings us new characters. Jenny Wilks comes to Gansett to nurse her broken heart by staying at the town’s lighthouse.
Alex Martinez is back helping his brother Paul in their family’s landscaping business.
He’s also helping him with their mother as she descends into dementia, a disease that’s robbing all of them of their sanity.
As the summer heat is scorching Gansett Island, the heat between Alex and Jenny heats up as well. They find comfort in each other as they navigate the past to find comfort in the future.
Book 10.5, Chance for Love is a novella. This is a very short story that adds a couple of new characters to Gansett Island. If you remember Dr David, he rents an upstairs apartment from a billionaire by the name of Jared James.
Jared has come to his mansion house to nurse his broken heart after his girlfriend turned him down. It’s only with the chance meeting that David sees Lizzie Sutter crying by the side of the road that Jared gets his second chance.
Book 11, Gansett After Dark, is a bit different of a story. As we’ve gone thru the stories we’ve gotten to know all of the characters. And this is where Owen and Laura’s story plays out even more. Owen came from a very sad and difficult background. And in this story, Owen and his mother take his father to court for the abuse that they suffered at his hand.
This particular story is moving and poignant and almost difficult to read. But the love that we see between Owen and Laura is strong and amazing.
Book 12, Kisses After Dark, is about Shane McCarthy and Katie Lawry. She’s sister to Owen and he’s brother to Laura!!
Shane saves Katie from drowning and that gives them an immediate bond! Katie is leery of men and life. Shane doesn’t know if he wants to try again. Together they find peace and the love that they have both have been searching for!!
Meant for Love
Chance for Love
Gansett After Dark
Kisses After Dark
Gansett Island Boxset Books 13 – 16
Book 13, Love After Dark, is Paul and Hope’s story. Paul Martinez is Alex’s brother and Hope is the live-in nurse that they hired to take care of their mother as her dementia has worsened.
In this story, we finally get Hope’s backstory so then we know where she’s come from and what she’s been dealing with.
But then we also get to know Paul a bit more. We also see how everyone is doing and what’s happening with some of the characters.
Book 14, Celebration After Dark, is a novella even though it’s not classified as one. This one is a fun celebration story where we find out how Big Mac and Linda got together.
This fun reminiscing type of story has Linda and Mac think back to where they came from and the love that brought them together.
Book 15, Desire After Dark, has more characters added to the Island. Because Jenny married Alex, she convinced her sister-friend Erin to come to live in the lighthouse.
Slim is the helicopter pilot that is the emergency pilot that takes people to and from the island.
After Slim rescues Erin from a flat tire, he knows that his life is about to change!! It takes a while, but they figure it out!!
Book 16, Light After Dark, is about Mallory and Quinn. Mallory is the unknown daughter to Big Mac. Quinn is Jared James big brother.
Mallory was born to a previous relationship before Mac married Linda. When she comes to Gansett Island she doesn’t expect anything from Big Mac, certainly not to be included in the family.
But she is and she comes to love each of them. So by this book, she finds that things with Quinn just might be what she’s looking for as well.
Love After Dark
Celebrations After Dark
Desire After Dark
Light After Dark
Books 17 – 21
The stories do continue even though they are no longer in a full box set!!
Gansett Island Episode 1: Victoria and Shannon
Book 17, Gansett Island Episode1: Victoria and Shannon is about Victoria Stevens and Shannon O’Grady.
Victoria is the nurse midwife that has been working with Dr David since the beginning. She’s best friends with him and shares way too much with him.
Shannon is cousins with Seamus O’Grady, the guy that Joe got to help with the ferry business when Janey went back to school!!
This is a short story, even a novella, about Vic and Shannon. They have a tenuous relationship that is going nowhere. This story is them figuring it out. Them coming to terms with the fact that they love each other and that they need to be able to share their past in order to have a future.
Gansett Island Episode 2: Kevin and Chelsea
Book 18, Gansett Island Episode 2: Kevin and Chelsea is about Kevin McCarthy and Chelsea Rose.
Kevin is brothers to Big Mac. Chelsea is the sexy bartender that works for Big Mac!!
This is also a short story.
Kevin has come to Gansett Island because his marriage of 31yrs has fallen apart. As a therapist, he’s come to the island to lick his wounds and find comfort with his brothers and his boys and the many nieces and nephews that are around.
Even though Chelsea is more than 10yrs his junior, he finds himself falling for her and finding peace and happiness.
A Gansett Island Christmas
A Gansett Island Christmas is a novella that fits right after Episodes 1 and 2!!
And you can guess, it’s all about Christmas.
There’s a blizzard that hits the small island of Gansett. And all of the island’s residents are stuck at home due to said blizzard. And they’re all bummed!! It’s actually kinda funny how they all are bummed.
So Ned, best friend to Big Mac, land baron to the island, newly married to Francine, and island taxi, takes it upon himself to get the family together.
He finds a sleigh, and then gathers all of the clan up and takes them up to the White House, Big Mac’s and Linda’s house and they have a huge sleep over for Christmas.
So the whole story is about them coming together and celebrating Christmas together. Mac and Maddie with their kids, Thomas, Hailey and baby Mac. Evan and Grace. Adam and Abby. Grant and Stephanie. Mallory and Quinn. Joe and Janey with PJ and baby Viv. Tiffany and Blaine with Ashleigh and baby Adeline.
Mine After Dark
Book 19, Mine After Dark, is about Riley and Nikki. Riley is one of Kevin’s boys. Nikki is on the island to help her sister find peace after being tortured by the internet!
Nikki leaves with her sister, leaving Riley bereft! He’s mopey and annoying (to his brother) until Nikki comes back to the island.
He randomly stops by to say hi and it’s the beginning of a fast and frenzy romance.
The spend the winter getting to know each other and renovating Nikki’s family home. Just what Riley wanted after renovating all day long!!
Now this story just continues the whole story of all the books. Picks up right after book 18 with Kevin and Chelsea.
We also find out things about each of the characters that have come before. This series is very connected and continues in each book!
Yes, Riley and Nikki commit to a relationship, so when his brother, Finn tells him he’s found someone, Riley actually listens.
Yours After Dark
Book 20, Yours After Dark, is about Finn and Chloe. Finn is brothers to Riley and Kevin’s other boy!!
Finn takes one look at Chloe and falls hard! Yes, a love at first sight story!!
Finn is just working with his brother and the fam to rebuild the new marina that they are working on.
But he needs to get a hair cut and when he sees Chloe, he’s sunk!
Chloe owns and operates the small hair salon on the island. She came to Gansett to be her own boss and to make a life for herself.
And like any true romance, they both have issues and they come up in the storyline. Chloe has physical issues that cause her to be cautious and stand-offish. He’s got a crazy ex that plays a part of plot and makes things interesting.
And this story also carries on the lives of all the others in the McCarthy family. By this time, his dad is getting married and having a baby with Chelsea.
And you find out about other characters as well. Not just these ones.
Leaving it open for more in the series!
Trouble After Dark
Book 21, Trouble after Dark, is about Deacon Taylor and Julia Lawry. Deacon is brother to Blaine, the police chief. And Julia is sister to Owen and Katie.
