SILVER LININGS – Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Inn Series, Book 4
Ballantine Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-39179-4
August 2015
Women's Fiction

Cedar Cove, Washington – Present Day

The story so far:  Jo Marie Rose left her lucrative banking job in Seattle following the death of her husband, Paul, in Afghanistan.  Now, she owns The Rose Harbor Inn in Cedar Cove. Jo Marie is in love with this small town, and she is quite sure that her cozy bed and breakfast establishment will provide a place of refuge and healing for everyone who stays.

Jo Marie's newest guests are Kellie Crenshaw (everyone calls her Coco) and Katie Gilroy.  They both grew up in Cedar Cove, have since moved to Seattle, and are back in town to attend their ten year high school reunion.  They each have an agenda of sorts in attending the reunion.  For Coco, it's all about getting revenge on former high school flame, Ryan Temple.  She plans to give Ryan a big piece of her mind in front of everyone, let them all know how he humiliated her back in high school, and in turn, humiliate him.  Now, a professional football star, Ryan is still handsome, and Coco can see that he thinks he has the world by the hand.

Katie Gilroy has her own reasons for seeking out James Harper.  She walked away from him in the middle of their romance, right after he asked her to marry him.  Now, she needs to explain why she left.  Katie has spent years trying to contact and connect with James, but he's let it be known that he wants nothing more to do with her.

Meanwhile, Jo Marie is worried about her friend and handyman, Mark Taylor.  Jo Marie recently decided she is ready to move on after her husband's death.  She confided in Mark, and in a rush of emotion, he declared that he loved her too, then he informed her he planned to leave Cedar Cove.  How can he do that?  Now that she's fallen in love with him, and he with her, why is he running away?

The fourth novel in The Rose Harbor Inn Series , SILVER LININGS is a wonderful story of lessons learned and forgiveness.  We learn more about Mark in this novel while we follow Jo Marie's fruitless attempts to learn of his past.  Mark has always been a closed book.  He keeps to himself, does not talk about himself, and to Jo Marie, he is a complete mystery, and she's devastated when he leaves.

With lots of dynamic characters and heartfelt emotion, SILVER LININGS brings us back once again into the lives of the residents of Cedar Cove and the guests who are currently visiting the Rose Harbor Inn.  This wonderful story follows the first three novels in the series:  THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR (September 2012), ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM (August 2013), and LOVE LETTERS (August 2014).

SILVER LININGS stands very well on its own, but you will want to read the entire collection for some serious feel-good moments!  These treasured stories are all about special people and will definitely warm a place in your heart.

Diana Risso