"Their mother was being far too congenial. In fact, she was ruining everything. Bailey had hoped it would be just the four of them. If her parents could be together, remember Christmases past and enjoy each other's company, then maybe they'd finally figure things out...."
-Beth and Sophie's musings, from the novel
This was the last of the three short Christmas novels I picked up at the library a couple of weeks ago. To my knowledge I have never read anything by this author but I have seen a few Christmas movies based on her writing on the Hallmark channel. Many of her stories are set in fictional Cedar Cove, Washington state, I believe. In a letter to the reader, Macomber says this is the last of the Cedar Cove series. (c2011)
There are SO many characters in this novel, you feel like you know a little about everyone in town by the end. The author even includes 2 1/2 pages of "who's who" in Cedar Cove at the beginning, a good thing for those of us new to the series.
The plot might remind you of "The Parent Trap" as 2 sisters connive to get their divorced parents together again at Christmas. Beth Morehouse, divorced from Kent, owns a Christmas tree farm and is an animal rescuer and dog trainer. She has recently been given 10 lab-mix puppies to find homes for and I'll be doggoned (pun intended) if she doesn't manage to do it during the course of the book! In the process, the reader meets many of the townspeople who just happen to be in the market for a puppy.
I enjoyed the fact that the Morehouse family loved the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life." That same movie was mentioned in one or both of the other two Christmas novels I read. My husband and I had seen the movie and a stage play recently so it was interestingly coincidental.
From what I have experienced of Macomber's stories, they all have happy endings. This one is no different. That makes for a pretty predictable plot. With the romance involved, it is what my husband would call "chick lit." I found it very light reading, a little sappy and not terribly memorable. But I will rate it a 3 since it was quick and pleasant holiday fare. The book jacket says "What would the holidays be without a new Christmas story from Debbie Macomber?" What, indeed!
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