This was just an okay installment in the Cedar Cove series. I thought that Macomber often glossed over really serious issues with no real communication between couples (Cecilia and Ian; Jon and Maryellen) and that the whole mystery with Bob and Peggy was a big washout. It could only have been one person behind the whole thing so color me unsurprised by the reveal. That said, I did enjoy reading about certain events (the bachelor/dog auction was hilarious) and cracked up at Jack and Olivia having to get used to being a married couple now.

"44 Cranberry Point" takes place a few months after the events in the last book. This book focuses on Bob and Peggy Beldon who live at 44 Cranberry Point. The long married couple are still shaken by the man that came to their Bed and Breakfast and died. Finding out the man's connections to a local man who committed suicide as well as to Bob causes the couple and the local sheriff to think that someone could be out to hurt Bob as well. The Beldons decide to not allow visitors for a few months while hoping the sheriff can figure out what's going on. Per usual Macomber jumps around and catches up with previous couples and also introduces who will be upcoming couples in future books.

So I thought Bob and Peggy's story was kind of far-fetched from the extreme. As I already said above, it could only have been one person, so I was bored waiting for everyone else to catch on.

The story-lines involving Cecilia and Ian was just too much. I get why Ian was scared to have a child. But these never really discuss things, Cecilia just seduces her husband while he gets angry at her for doing so since he feels tricked into having sex with her. Yes that's an actual line in this book. I honestly wish that Macomber had actually allowed the character to be up front about being scared and also maybe saying he was worried about being gone again while his wife was pregnant. Everything is handwaved away a bit too much.

The Jon and Maryellen storyline will never not aggravate me. As readers know, Jon was sent to prison for 7 years due to his parents lying about him in order to protect his younger brother.

Like I don't know what people have heard, but prison is freaking terrible. Also he was innocent! And instead we have Maryellen going behind his back to talk to his parents and how upset they are that their son is bitter and has no forgiveness in his heart. I could not. If I was Jon I would have punted these two fools into the sun.

And then we also jump around to Olivia's mother's new romance, Grace still full of regrets on her romance ending with Cliff, and Olivia and Jack's new marriage. We also get introduced to a woman and man who I am sure are going to be subjects in future books.

The writing was typical Macomber, mostly fade to black for the love scenes. And a lot of talk about love and forgiveness. I wonder now why Macomber doesn't push herself out there into Christian romance more, but I guess the whole having sex before marriage like some of the characters do or did would be frowned upon. 

The flow was actually not that great this time through. I think Macomber was trying to juggle too many things and it showed. It should have really focused more on Peggy and Bob, with maybe some of Olivia and Jack's frustrations at living together. A little of Grace would have been good too, but instead it was jam-packed with people and not enough time to focus on everyone's plots. 

I always love the sound of the town of Cedar Cove. It always sounds lovely and full of good and hard working people. 

The ending of the book leaves things on a cliffhanger though with a private investigator and his wife who just moved to town a few months earlier.

This whole book reads like a manifesto against marriage at one point (Zach and Rosie). We also have Grace Sherman doing something stupid that causes her relationship with Cliff to be in jeopardy. Olivia is still hemming all over Jack, but at least that gets resolved along with Maryellen and Jon. This book doesn't do enough of a good job in my opinion to switch my interest over for the next couple in book #4, "44 Cranberry Point."

"311 Pelican Court" has Olivia come down with another intriguing sentence. She allows Zach and Rosie Cox to get a divorce, but tells them that the kids now own it so they don't have to constantly be moving back and forth between homes. Of course this causes further fights and these two are just the worst after a while. Sorry, Macomber does not have me rooting for these two. Things get wrapped up way too easily in the end.

Olivia kind of annoyed me in this one. She knows her ex wants her back and now she's acting as if she doesn't know what to do. Jack had a lot more patience with the situation than I would have.

Grace and her whole story-line was disappointing. No spoilers, but it won't thrill you.

And now here is the beginning of my Maryellen dislike. I hated the later stories starring her and Jon because I initially disliked how they got together with Maryellen telling a huge lie to Jon. The later books are a doozy though and I wanted to shake her since she acts like forgiveness is just something that should be given out with a side of pancakes.

This one felt overly long. I struggled to get through it. Probably because most of the story was taken up with Rosie and Zach bickering and then their teen daughter acting like a jerk as well.

We get an appearance of Cecilia in this one "16 Lighthouse Road." so that was nice. 

The writing was okay, I just had a hard time with how some of the characters were depicted. It felt a little bit like they all lost their minds.

Things come to a end with a thunk. We do get some happily ever afters, they just don't feel earned I guess. 

I thought about giving this one 4 stars, but the mess with Zack and Rosie made me drop it one. Sorry, bickering couples are not my favorite thing to read about in romance novels. Another reason why I gave this one 3 stars, is that this one reads a bit like filler since you don't find out the resolution with a lot of things in this one until book #3, "311 Pelican Court". 

One thing you can say about these books is that there is not a lack of characters. In "204 Rosewood Lane" we turn to Grace Sherman and her family. Grace's husband Dan has been missing for 6 months and she finally decides to go through with divorcing him. She has her two daughters, Maryellen and Kelly to lean on. Also she has a potential love interest too. 

The good:

I liked seeing Grace become more sure of herself. From what we read about in book number one and here, she hasn't had a happy marriage. She also has managed to not shake the life out of her daughter Kelly who acts like a brat and her histrionics since her father has gone missing made me tired. 

Macomber does a good job with juggling multiple people. Besides Grace, we have her daughter Maryellen as the focus, her relationship with a man named Jon, Olivia, Jack, and Olivia's ex husband Stan, Olivia's daughter Justine and Seth, along with Jack's son Eric, and Rosie and Zach Cox with their two kids. As I said in one of my other reviews, Macomber always introduces the couple who will be the focus in the next book in the preceding one. This time it's going to be Rosie and Zach. Problem was that the whole book felt weighted down with their acrimony. 

Cedar Cove always feels lively and interesting and it feels like a real life place you can visit. 

The bad:

I thought the nonsense between Olivia and Jack dealing with her ex and his son was boring to read about. Just have a conversation and stop playing games. They are both in their early 50s and I didn't have any patience with it at all.

Maryellen and Jon, I could not get over Maryellen and what she decides to keep a secret. Those that know me remember that my two most loathed romance plot lines are love triangles and secret babies. So guess which one this is.

Rosie and Zach, good grief. I didn't know who I wanted to shake more. 

Rosie was acting like a martyr, but Zach acted like a throwback to the 1950s expecting a home cooked meal ready for him every night. Neither one of them really respected the duties the other one had during the day. And neither of them had any sense since they didn't seem to give their two kids chores which would help keep down the animosity about the cleanliness of the house and getting dinner together. 

The book ends pretty abruptly and you have to read the next book to finish up some of the story-lines. 

You will wish for the death of Zack and Rosie Cox. Seriously. Macomber miffs things a bit here IMHO since you are going to be rooting for these two people to stay the hell away from each other. The HEA doesn't work in this one.

We get Grace from "204 Rosewood Lane" making a colossal mistake. And we have Olivia "16 Lighthouse Road" finally realizing what man she wants to be with. 

We get the continuation of Jack and Olivia in this one, but also Grace dealing with the disappearance of her husband, Dan.

Grace's life is turned upside down when she realizes that man she has been married to for 35 years has gone and she thinks to live a life with another woman. 

Grace's daughter Maryellen is trying her best to hide her pregnancy from the man she got pregnant by. And I outright disliked the married couple Zack and Rosie. Every time I came to anything dealing with them I practically booed. Things don't get much better when they become the focus of book #3.