Macomber (Love Letters, 2016) concludes her popular Rose Harbor series. Jo Marie Rose received only a postcard in the nine months since Mark Taylor returned to Iraq, so she forces herself to date again after meeting Greg at a party. Emily Gaffney moves into the inn as a boarder for the summer and tries to find a home in Cedar Cove. When she does, the recalcitrant owner does not want to give it up. They resist romance but are thrown together often in the small town. Jo Marie grows closer to Greg but is torn when Mark returns home, gravely ill. Emily watches the inn while Jo Marie visits him daily. Mark feels compelled to finish his mission in Iraq, and Jo Marie wants him to choose between his work and her. Series readers will enjoy the scenes with past guests, and Macomber provides plenty of realistic doubt and conflict while still sending the characters toward a satisfying conclusion to this series. Macomber readers may also enjoy Beverly Jenkins' Blessings novels.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2016 Booklist

Macomber's consummate writing craft shines in this conclusion to the Rose Harbor series (after Silver Linings), set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Jo Marie, the innkeeper at the Rose Harbor Inn, resumes dating after her boyfriend, Mark, disappears in Iraq. When he resurfaces nine months later, she is torn between his eagerness to get married and the temptation of a new relationship with Greg, who promises no heartaches. Emily, one of Jo Marie's boarders, plans to start afresh in Cedar Grove with no regrets about the past, but the only house she is interested in buying belongs to brooding Nick, who has no intent of selling. Both Jo Marie and Emily love damaged men, which add layers of complexity to this powerful romance. Nick pursues Emily even though she repeatedly asks him to leave her alone, narrowly avoiding looking like a stalker. Jo Marie's agonizing choice between Mark and Greg is intensely personal and completely relatable (though Greg is never fully developed as a character). This isn't a fluffy romance in which the hero swoops in and saves the day; in fact, Emily saves Nick from his crippling guilt and Jo Marie guides Mark into making a difficult decision. Macomber will leave readers confident that they can find peace and healing when they learn to trust in love. Agent: Theresa Park, Park Literary & Media. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Mark Taylor made Jo Marie Rose promise to move on if he did not come back from his personal mission of righting a past wrong, and she is making that happen. She meets Greg and begins a relationship that quickly deepens. Thinking she can finally move forward, Jo Marie is shocked to learn that Mark is still alive and has been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Determined to be by his side every minute, she leaves the inn in the capable hands of her summer boarder Emily -Gaffney. Emily is starting over in a new town with no reminders of the love she left behind. Jogging one morning she meets -Elvis, a beautiful German shepherd that belongs to Nick Schwartz. With his own demons to tame, Nick is the last person Emily should be interested in. The healing spirit of the Rose Harbor Inn begins to take hold, bringing Emily and Nick as well as Jo Marie and Mark's stories full circle. VERDICT Fans will enjoy this final installment of the "Rose Harbor" series (after Silver Linings) as they see Jo Marie's story finally come to an end. [See Prepub Alert, 2/21/16.]-Jane Blue, Andrews P.L., NC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.