Brief Review: Starry Night by Debbie Macomber

Starry Night by Debbie Macomber, AF, 2013, Playaway digital audio, 5.5hrs, Rating=1
Source: borrowed from library

’Tis the season for romance, second chances, and Christmas cheer with this new novel from Debbie Macomber.
Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.
Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a mega-bestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.
Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.
Filled with all the comforts and joys of Christmastime, Starry Night is a delightful novel of finding happiness in the most surprising places.

The quick romance between Carrie and Finn was unbelievable. I just didn't fall for it so it was a struggle to get through the book. I considered not finishing it but I chugged along hoping something would turn it around. No such luck. The storyline was full of romantic clichés. The setting didn't even feel Chritmassy at all. There was just an overall cheesy feel to the read. Simply too trite for my taste.

Review: The Inn at Rose Harbor

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber, AF, 2012, Playaway digital audio, 9.5hr, Rating=3
Source: library

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.

Yay, I caught a first book from one of Debbie Macomber's book series!  I've seen tons of her books and read a few but never in order, so this new series was a treat to stumble into.  I look forward to the continuing installments to come (next one in August).  Though, I feel kinda silly to be excited about this but I am.  I suppose it's the thought that I'd know the story from the very start and not come into it on the 10th book!

I'm already liking the set up, a bed and breakfast inn.  Just from that, I see many possible adventures that could come from the guests that will be coming in.  But before the guests, we are introduced to Jo Marie, a fairly new widowed woman who takes on a fresh adventure of taking over a B&B and ventures to make it her own, dubbing it The Rose Harbor Inn, after her husband (Rose is her surname).  So we meet a handyman and few other local townees willing to put in their two cents.  Moreover, Jo Marie still "talks" to her husband and convinced that he had sent her first two guests her way (and the dog) because as at it turns out, they had history of tragedy or wounded heart.  So first comes Joshua, who reluctantly came to town to see his ill stepfather and then Abby, a former Cedar Cove resident in town to attend her brother's wedding.  Both back to a town that held terrible memories for them.  Of course, this made for a conversational sit down with Jo Marie because she too had hurts that qualified her to empathize with her guests, right?  Possibly an awkward moment but she was figuring out her place as the inn taker.

Overall, a potentially entertaining series.  This book started a pace that hinted mystery, upcoming romance, and emotional heart tugging moments.

By the way, I understand that Ms Macomber will be toning down the number of characters in this series to avoid potential confusion.  That sounds like a good plan.  I think a small cast would mean a tighter relationship between characters and readers.

Brief Reviews: 92 Pacific Boulevard; Philippine Folklore Stories

92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber, AF, 2009, Playaway digital audio, 10.5hrs., rating=3
Source: library

Dear Reader,
I'm not much of a letter writer. As the sheriff here, I'm used to writing incident reports, not chatty letters. But my daughter, Megan—who'll be making me a grandfather soon—told me I had to do this. So here goes.
I'll tell you straight out that I'd hoped to marry Faith Beckwith (my onetime high school girlfriend) but she ended the relationship last month, even though we're both widowed and available. There were a few misunderstandings between us, some of them inadvertently caused by Megan.
However, I've got plenty to keep me occupied, like the unidentified remains found in a cave outside town. And the fact that my friend Judge Olivia Griffin is fighting cancer. And the break-ins at 204 Rosewood Lane—the house Faith happens to be renting from Grace Harding…
If you want to hear more, come on over to my place or the sheriff 's office—if you can stand the stale coffee!
Troy Davis (Goodreads)

I missed the first eight books to this series so it's no wonder I felt lost!  There were so many characters and lots of things going on that I had a hard time following who's-who and what's-what.  Overall though, it's a good leisure read for those who like community drama stories.

Philippine Folklore Stories, AF, 2004, Kindle ebook, 48p, rating=4
Source: own

Excerpt from one of the stories...

But one day, while they were laughing and singing, the earth suddenly opened and Harisaboqued sprang out before them. They were very much frightened and fled in terror down the mountain side. When they reached the foot and looked back they saw a terrible sight. All the tobacco had disappeared and, instead of the thousands of plants that they had tended so carefully, nothing but the bare mountain could be seen. (Goodreads)

During my early childhood, I grew up hearing many superstitious beliefs and old wives' tales so this read took me back.  A memory trip back to my native country through folklores (11 told here).  I can't say I have heard any of these before but I felt the stories for the entertainment they brought.  One in particular reminded me of what my aunt instructed me to do as we walked through this foresty path (somewhere in the Philippines) during the night.  She told me to say, "Tabi, tabi" so as to say to the ghosts or creatures of the night to stay away from us.  Looking back at it now, I think she may have said that so that I don't go wondering off there at night by myself.  Not like I would anyways.  As a kid, I was a big scaredy cat!

Brief Reviews: The Perfect Christmas; Kat, Incorrigible; What You Have Left

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber, AF, 2009, Playaway audio, 4hrs, rating=2.5

Cassie at 33yo was ready to settle down but where was Mr. Right?  No luck in dating so she turned to a matchmaker for help.  At a whopping fee of $30,000, she was serious and determined to jump the hoops required of her.  Then of course something predictable happens and a different route was taken.

This is a good book if you're in a cheesy mood ... a quick corny predictable read.  I suspect reading this during the holidays would put you in that mood and so this might be more entertaining then.

Kat, Incorrigible by  Stephanie Burgis, YR, 2011, 298p, rating=3

The cover set me up for a cute read and so it was.  Kat indeed had her sassy moments.  This was Anne of Green Gables meets Harry Potter but not near their caliber of greatness.  An entertaining read nonetheless ... whimsical, English, swashbuckling romance, and sisterhood.  Oh, I liked the step-mother's turn of character towards the end.

What You Have Left by Will Allison, AF, 2010, 210p, rating=3

Stumbled into this while on the hunt for the author's other book Long Drive Home.  My library didn't have that book so I picked this one up instead.  ~Pretty crazy cover, huh?  The baby's pretty high up!  When she falls back down she's 30 years older ... the time it took between when Wylie Greer dropped off his 5yo daughter, Holly, at his father-in-law's to when they saw each other again.  In between, there were stories of grief, reflections, racing, love, and understanding.  The dynamics of longing was center.  I found the book most appealing through Lyle's point of view.  This book was an overall good read.

"Hannah's List"

by Debbie Macomber, 2010, 412p, rating=2.5

I was disappointed. I didn't like this book as much as a thought I might. It was a smooth and simple read for a thick book but much of it was predictable and lacked richness. I like a couple of the supporting characters; Ritchie the brother-in-law and Harvey the old man neighbor. I liked Ritchie's enduring family support and Harvey's spunk!

Michael's wife dies of cancer and a year later he reads a letter from Hannah (his wife) that Ritchie (his brother-in-law) kept until this designated time. In the letter Hannah professes her love for her husband and encourages him to move on and even provides a list of women he might try to find companionship with. On the list were: Winter, her cousin; Leanne, her oncology nurse; and Macy, a model that she befriended. Of course initially Michael was against the idea but by Hannah's "ghostly" doings, he was able to meet the women. Each had their own heartaches and he found understanding for the first two women but Macy was definitely his total opposite! What was Hannah thinking, he thought. So lots of getting to know you moments and crazy hangups later, Michael ends up with one of them. I'm sure you guess right!

Oddly enough, all the women gets a happy ending. I like happy endings. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for me this time. Bummer.