Because Sometimes I Just Need a Little Romance (Book Review)

"....loving someone left her heart open and vulnerable to hurt and to so much more, including love and joy." ~ Love Letters

With beach season coming up, now is the perfect time to gather a list of light reads for fun in the sun. I'll admit I am not a huge romance novel fan, but every once in a while, even I like to pick one up. When I do, I go straight for Debbie Macomber.  Macomber has published countless books, several making it onto the New York Time's Best Seller list - eight of them hitting number one! Some of her novels have also been made into television movies and a series for the Hallmark Channel.

Although Love Letters is part of a series, I did not read the previous novels and really don't think you need to.  The story is set in Cedar Cove, a quaint, waterfront town in Washington State - an unassuming romantic setting if ever there was one.

The story centers around Jo Marie, a war widow and owner of the Rose Harbor Inn, and her guests - each with their own need for the "healing power" of the inn. Honestly, while Love Letters is filled with different story lines and several characters, this novel was a bit flat.  I found it sappy and predictable and out of all the characters, there were only two I liked, handyman Mark, and Maggie, one of the guests.  Despite this, the ending still made me curious enough to check out the next one in the series, which says a lot about Macomber's skill as a writer.

Human relationships are complicated, and often painful.  Macomber is a master at giving her readers a reason to believe in them again.

"The longer one drags it [emotional baggage] around, the heavier it seems." ~ Tom, Love Letters

Previous novels by Macomber I've read and would recommend to other fans of romance novels are Starry Night, Angels at the Table, and A Turn in the Road, all of which I liked better than Love Letters.

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