The Inn at Rose Harbor

The Inn at Rose Harbor

Debbie Macomber

Genre: Women's Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads):  From #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes a heartwarming new series based in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove, where a charming cast of characters finds love, forgiveness, and renewal behind the doors of the cozy Rose Harbor Inn.

Jo Marie Rose first arrives in Cedar Cove seeking a sense of peace and a fresh start. Coping with the death of her husband, she purchases a local bed-and-breakfast—the newly christened Rose Harbor Inn—ready to begin her life anew. Yet the inn holds more surprises than Jo Marie can imagine.

Her first guest is Joshua Weaver, who has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, and Joshua has little hope that they can reconcile their differences. But a long-lost acquaintance from Joshua’s high school days proves to him that forgiveness is never out of reach and love can bloom even where it’s least expected.  

The other guest is Abby Kincaid, who has returned to Cedar Cove to attend her brother’s wedding. Back for the first time in twenty years, she almost wishes she hadn’t come, the picturesque town harboring painful memories from her past. And while Abby reconnects with family and old friends, she realizes she can only move on if she truly allows herself to let go.

A touching novel of life’s grand possibilities and the heart’s ability to heal, The Inn at Rose Harbor is a welcome introduction to an unforgettable set of friends.

Review: This is a typical Debbie Macomber book - a gentle little story about family dynamics that is easy to read and has a happy ending.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for that kind of a book, and Debbie Macomber usually satisfies.  This book, however, left me feeling a little disgruntled.  I understand the desire to bring back characters from her Cedar Cove stories; I've read some of those books, and wouldn't mind an update on what the characters are doing now.  But so many of them made appearances in slightly awkward ways, and I found it hard to believe that friendships would develop so quickly between those old Cedar Cove friends and a new-to-town stranger.  But most importantly, the two guests experience dramatic changes in their viewpoints on life over a single long weekend, and I found the timeframe completely unrealistic.  Since the point of this new series is to see how guests change during short stays at a bed and breakfast, I would expect that all future books in this series would have the same problem.  It just doesn't work for me.

Rating: 2 stars