Review: 16 Lighthouse Road

Title: 16 Lighthouse Road
Author: Debbie Macomber
Pages: 368
Challenges: None
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Dear Reader,

You don't know me yet, but in a few hours that's going to change. I'm inviting you to my town of Cedar Cove because I want you to meet my family, friends and neighbors. Come hear their stories--maybe even their secrets!

My secrets are pretty open. My marriage failed years ago, and I have a rather...difficult relationship with my daughter. Then there's my mother, Charlotte, who has plenty of opinions and is always willing to share them.

I'm a family court judge and she likes to drop in on my courtroom. Recently I was hearing a divorce petition. In Charlotte's view, Cecilia and Ian Randall hadn't tried hard enough to make their marriage work--and I agreed. I rendered my judgment: Divorce Denied.

You wouldn't believe the reaction! Thanks to an article by Jack Griffin, the editor of our local paper (a man I wouldn't mind seeing more of!), everyone's talking.

Cedar Cove--people love it and sometimes they leave it, but they never forget it!

Olivia Lockhart

This was my second attempt at a Debbie Macomber novel, and I'm glad to say I enjoyed it more than the first attempt.  While her style of writing is still growing on me, I think I'll be continuing to check out the Cedar Cove books.

The one thing I liked most about this book was the entwining stories, and how they were all interconnected in some small way.  It was like reading about a soap opera but without the sex and smut.  This was a good, wholesome read. 

Macomber has a way of writing that really is quite enjoyable.  It's a slower pace, and there's not a lot of action.  Her writing is based on feeling, and for me, the feeling in this book totally hit home.  I connected with a lot of the characters and I'm curious to see how their stories continue in later books.  It's kind of nice not to have an open and shut case!

My favorite characters in this first book were Cecelia and Ian.  I don't know if its because they were closest to me in age, or because I'm pregnant, but something about their story kept me turning the pages, willing myself to read faster so I could know what happened to them.  They were such a troubled, young couple, and Macomber did a great job expressing both their characters.  I really enjoyed them!

I'm going to continue to borrow these through the library for now, as I'm not 100% hooked yet.  I still have a few issues, but not like I did with the newer series.  I also have the first book in the Blossom Street series downstairs on one of the shelves.  Has anyone read that series and is it similar to the Cedar Cove books?