SWEET TOMORROWS

While Mark Taylor is missing in the Middle East, innkeeper Jo Marie Rose takes on a new boarder and a new romance.

The Rose Harbor series (Silver Linings, 2015, etc.) has been building to a happily ever after (or not) for Mark and Jo Marie. In this final installment, Jo Marie must decide if loving a soldier is worth the risk of being widowed a second time when Mark accepts a dangerous mission, and her anguish is heartbreaking. Mark’s rival is a dashing widower named Greg, whose patience and sweetness make him a serious contender for Jo Marie’s heart. “You’re worth it,” he tells her. “If things work out with Mark, I’ll accept that and move on, and if they don’t you need to know I’ll be right here waiting for you.”. Meanwhile, Jo Marie’s boarder, Emily Gaffney, finds her dream home in Cedar Cove after accepting a teaching job, but its current owner, Nick Schwartz, chases her away before she can make an offer. As always, Jo Marie’s guests have packed plenty of baggage: Emily was jilted twice after her exes discovered her painful secret, and tragedy has left Nick with emotional scars, but they are both drawn to the inn and to each other to heal. In this tightly focused narrative, the four main characters have space to sort out their complicated feelings in alternating chapters, and there are juicy updates on previous guests as well.

Macomber fans will leave the Rose Harbor Inn with warm memories of healing, hope, and enduring love.