THE BEACH AT PAINTER'S COVE by Shelley Noble is a tale about the Whitaker family, of a summer when truths are revealed and feuds are addressed. It all starts with Issy's sister, Vivianne, leaving her children at the Muses by the Sea, the Whitaker family's Connecticut mansion and letting Issy and Vivianne's grandmother, Leo, take care of them. Just as Jillian left Vivianne and Issy with Leo when they were little. But, then Leo is taken ill and is taken to the hospital and Vivianne's children frantically contact their aunt that they hardly know to come because there is no one else to take care of them. And, Issy has to leave work to go home, the first time in a long while and not only deal with her three nieces, but with some troubling news about the Muse.

Well, that's a simplified intro to this book. There are many characters in this book, and it took a while for me to get the hang of whom everyone was. And, trying to explain each and every one would make this review way too long and leave too little left to the actual review. So, I will just say that these different Whitaker women have much to deal with, secrets to share, and decisions to explain. And, as I often think when I read books, a little more conversation and so many problems would be resolved. Personally, I think that the story went on and on a bit. The things I was interested in like Leo and Wes past and all the artists that hang out at the Muse and Fae's, Leo's sister-in-law, story did not get enough space. Instead, all the drama with Issy, Vivianne, Jillian, and Steph get the center space. Which is quite logical since the story is about them, but now and then I felt that it just got a bit too much. Too much drama for my taste. And, of course, I could have lived without the obvious romance that occurred, not once, but twice.

THE BEACH AT PAINTER'S COVE is a book that I think will appeal to people that like to read about family dramas, about generations of women that come together and have to deal with past transgressions and hurt. Personally, I found Fae to be the most interesting character, her sacrifices, and secrets, but I also enjoyed Jillian's involvement in the story. She was a breeze that swept in and got the story going.