Review: The Inn at Rose Harbor

Title:  The Inn at Rose Harbor
Author: Debbie Macomber
Listening Time: 9 hours and 34 minutes
Rating: 3/5
Challenges: None

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.

I don't really know how I felt about this one.  I have heard such wonderful, wonderful things about Debbie Macomber, and thought I'd really, really enjoy this one, and I actually left it feeling a little ho-hum.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  It just wasn't a totally memorable story for me.

I did really enjoy the town of Cedar Cove.  But I didn't like a lot of the main characters in this book.  I just couldn't completely connect with them, and it made getting into the story more difficult.  Plus, sometimes, I just found the story to be...dragging.  It was slow moving and didn't have a lot of action to move it along at a quicker pace.  It did get to be a bit better towards the end, and I found myself quite enjoying the last two and a half hours or so of the story.

There was also an element of this story that I just found to be a bit...odd.  It struck me as out of place, and I look for it to continue to play a part in this series as it continues.  It might have just been me, and other readers may not have thought it to be out of place, but I did.  I don't want to give away what it is though, because I don't want to spoil it for others who want to read this one.

I'm not going to give up on Debbie Macomber just yet though.  While this story may not have been my total cup of tea, I already borrowed 16 Lighthouse Road from the library.  This story takes place in Cedar Cove, and I'm hoping that I'll enjoy the characters more.  I also have The Shop on Blossom Street somewhere on my own personal bookcases, and I'm going to give that one a try also.  I don't think it was the author, but the book that didn't fit.