Love Letters (Debbie Macomber) Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

26. Love Letters by Debbie Macomber

Synopsis:
Summer is a busy season at the inn, so proprietor Jo Marie Rose and handyman Mark Taylor have spent a lot of time together keeping the property running. Despite some folks’ good-natured claims to the contrary, Jo Marie insists that Mark is only a friend. However, she seems to be thinking about this particular friend a great deal lately. Jo Marie knows surprisingly little about Mark’s life, due in no small part to his refusal to discuss it. She’s determined to learn more about his past, but first she must face her own - and welcome three visitors who, like her, are setting out on new paths.
Twenty-three-year-old Ellie Reynolds is taking a leap of faith. She’s come to Cedar Cove to meet Tom, a man she’s been corresponding with for months, and with whom she might even be falling in love. Ellie’s overprotective mother disapproves of her trip, but Ellie is determined to spread her wings.
Maggie and Roy Porter are next to arrive at the inn. They are taking their first vacation alone since their children were born. In the wake of past mistakes, they hope to rekindle the spark in their marriage—and to win back each other’s trust. But Maggie must make one last confession that could forever tear them apart.

My Review:

Time keeps rolling by in this third installment of the Rose Harbor series. Jo Marie is going strong with the inn. As much time as Jo Marie and Mark spend together, Jo Marie still isn't ready to admit that she's falling in love with him. Her own back story unfolds even more in this book. She receives a love letter kind of thing from her late husband, but doesn't have the heart to read it because she knows what that will mean: that Paul's really gone. Paul died with three other comrades in the Middle East as they were serving our country not long before Jo Marie buys the inn. Since only three bodies have been found up until this point, she has held hope that maybe he's still alive. When news comes in that all have been found, it gives her a sense of closure and she can finally grieve properly. As Jo Marie gets the courage to read the letter, it's heartbreaking, but also gives her the confidence to let go, that it's okay to love again.

Ellie comes to town to meet the guy she's fallen in love with online. She's not sure exactly what she's getting herself into, but believes that he could be the one. Following behind Ellie is her mother unexpectedly. Her mother is overprotective and doesn't want her to get hurt (like Ellie's dad did to them). Even though Ellie's old enough to make her own decisions and choices, her mom just can't let her go quite yet. As their story comes out through the course of this book, it's good to see and understand where both Ellie and her mom's views come from. As in all cases, they come to a general understanding. The transformation of both ladies is inspiring.

Maggie and Roy come to Cedar Cove for a couple's vacation, getaway type of thing. They haven't had time alone together since they had children. The whole idea of the trip is to fix and work on their marriage. They've lacked in communication in recent years and it's become tense between them. Maggie hasn't forgiven Roy for a past mistake, but she's the one hiding a secret now: a mistake she made to get back at Roy. Throughout the story, they attempt to come full frontal with their past by owning up to their mistakes and figure out ways to move on from that: to trust each other again. They learn that forgiveness isn't always easy, but in order to move on, it can be so powerful. And that compromising is important as well. Time will only tell if their marriage will work out. 

The takeaway here (from Maggie and Roy's story) is that it's important for couples to spend time alone with each other, like going on dates still, even when married, to grow in the relationship. It may be even more important to do this after having children.

Check out my book reviews on the first two books of the rose Harbor series:
The Inn at Rose Harbor
Rose Harbor in Bloom

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥