Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Christmas in Cedar Cove-Debbie Macomber

Christmas in Cedar Cove
Debbie Macomber
Mira, Oct 26 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780778328223

“5-B Poppy Lane". In Cedar Cove, Washington, anti-war protester Ruth Shelton has been exchanging letters and email with USMC Sergeant Paul Gordon. However, he is coming home from Afghanistan on leave and wants to meet her in person. She has doubts because of his occupation. Adding a new prologue and epilogue to frame 5-B Poppy Lane (originally part of the Hearts Divided anthology), this is a terrific Washington State novella starring a heroic Marine and a realistic woman with doubts about a relationship with a soldier.

“A Cedar Cove Christmas”. On Christmas Eve, pregnant Mary Jo Wyse comes to Cedar Cove, Washington seeking the father of her unborn David Rhodes. There are no commercial accommodations available in town, but Grace and Cliff Harding allow Mary Jo to sleep in the loft of their stable. When Mary Jo goes into labor, paramedic Mack McAfee attends to her. The three Wyse men, (bumbling brothers Linc, Mel and Ned) arrive to help their sister. Meanwhile Mary Jo has decided that instead of confronting David, who she has not found, she would prefer to be held by kindhearted Mack. However she doubts even this nice EMT would want to get involved with a woman who has just given birth. A Cedar Cove Christmas is an amusing and angst account of the Christmas saga with Puget Sound serving as the locale instead of Bethlehem; as a stable is a stable when it comes to hospitality for a pregnant woman. The cast is solid but it is the visitor Mary Jo who provides the anxiety, focus and equilibrium to a very Merry Christmas romp.

Harriet Klausner

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