THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR – Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Inn Series , Book 1
Ballantine
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-52892-6
e-ISBN: 978-0-345-53511-5
August 2012
Women's Fiction

Cedar Cove, Washington – Present Day

Jo Marie Rose left her lucrative job at a bank in Seattle, determined to change her life and all that has come before. Now, as she explores her new home in the town of Cedar Cove, a bed and breakfast she has renamed The Rose Harbor Inn, she's happy with her decision. Her husband, Paul Rose, was her great love and her entire life. But their new-found happiness ended when Paul was killed somewhere in Afghanistan just eight months after they married. Desperate for purpose in her life after losing Paul, Jo Marie bought the Rose Harbor Inn. Even though Jo Marie knows she's coping with his loss and the throes of grief, she believes that Paul has appeared to her in dreams. Paul's vision led her to buy the inn, and she believes that her new home will become a place of healing and love for all who stay there. Jo Marie will make it happen.

Joshua Weaver is Jo Marie's first guest. Back in Cedar Cove after a frantic call from his ex-neighbor, social worker Michelle Nelson, Josh is here to help his dying stepfather, or wait for his imminent death, whichever comes first. Josh isn't cold-hearted, but he doesn't have much love for Richard Lambert. Even so, the bitter old man is dying, and Josh has come home to claim his mother's possessions. Just days short of his high-school graduation, Richard kicked Josh out of the house for stealing. His mother had died by then after a long illness, and Richard had no love or tolerance for his stepson. Josh knows it was his stepbrother Dylan who must have taken Richard's money, but Josh left Richard's house with only the clothes on his back. Now, he just wants to claim what rightfully belongs to his mother, her cameo and his high school letterman jacket. As soon as Richard is dead, he'll see to the man's final affairs and leave this town far behind forever.

Abby Kincaid is back in her hometown of Cedar Cove for her brother Roger's wedding. She left town years ago, right after her best friend's death, and moved as far away from Washington State as she could get, all the way to Florida. Abby was barely eighteen, but she had to escape the guilt and repercussions that came after the car she was driving crashed one snowy night, killing her best friend, Angela White. It seemed back then as if the entire town of Cedar Cove blamed Abby for Angela's death. Her parents and Angela's parents used to be best friends, but her dad suddenly retired and they moved, too, far away to Arizona. Even her parents couldn't cope with the shame Abby caused. So, instead of staying at the same hotel as her family, Abby books a room at the Rose Harbor Inn. The sooner the wedding is over the better, then she can hightail it back to the East Coast to lick her wounds.

Mark Taylor is the local handyman whom Jo Marie calls for help. Another Cedar Cove resident, Peggy Beldon, who owns a bed and breakfast at Cranberry Point called the Thyme and Tide, referred her to Mark. Peggy and her friends, Judge Olivia Griffin and Grace Harding, swear that this Mark Taylor is a genius. But Mark Taylor is a mystery in Jo Marie's eyes. Quiet and sullen, he barely speaks to Jo Marie, although he does offer her some wonderful solutions for her new home and the new rose garden she's planning. Should she reach out to him and try for friendship? He certainly seems to like her cookies...

Welcome to THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR! Jo Marie is the new proprietor, and she welcomes visitors to Cedar Cove to stay with her in a place where the warmth of home, good food, and friendship abound. For those who are familiar with Ms. Macomber's Cedar Cove Series , this is like returning home after a long day at work. This new series of books (unofficially titled by me as The Rose Harbor Series) is still set in the town of Cedar Cove, but the stories will focus around the guests who are staying at THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR, as they come and go. As we revisit with familiar characters from time to time, Jo Marie will welcome new faces and explore new stories in each subsequent book. Please refer to Ms. Macomber's website, www.debbiemacomber.com for the full story!

In the mean time, THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR brings us delightful new characters and stories of healing and redemption. Joshua Weaver is running from old memories of an unhappy childhood and returning to Cedar Cove only to do his duty; Abby Kincaid, running from ghosts in her past, returns unwillingly after many years away. And Jo Marie Rose finds a new challenge in handyman Mark Taylor; then gets talked into adopting a stray named Rover. You will love this story! Inside, there are lots of surprises, a little romance, and Ms. Macomber's trademark warmth and laughter.

THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR is a wonderful beginning to a new and delightful series!

Diana Risso