Customer Reviews

1225 Christmas Tree Lane (Cedar Cove)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As someone who has been following this series beginning back in 2001, it was with mixed feelings that I picked up this last book. I wanted to read the book but felt saddened that the series was coming to an end. I think Ms. Macomber made a wise decision to bring it to closure since a couple of the more recent books haven't been the same quality of the earlier ones, but it still brought up feelings of melancholy since I have spent many hours enjoying her books, particularly this series. I found it fitting that the last book is a Christmas book since I believe that is an area where this author shines. It just isn't the holiday season without a heartwarming Christmas tale (particularly "Mrs. Miracle" - if you haven't read it, you really should).

Beth Morehouse is the character around which this novel is built, and we get to know her a bit better as she faces a hectic holiday season at her Christmas tree farm. As always, there are lots of things going on in her life, not just the busy business. Her college-age daughters are scheming to reunite her and her ex-husband by inviting him to Cedar Cove for Christmas, a pile of puppies has also been deposited with her that require time and effort at finding them all homes, and she is wondering if her relationship with the local vet has romantic promise.

This final novel has a slightly different feel since not only are we following Beth's story, Ms. Macomber is trying to bring many of the stories from many years to closure. There may be characters I missed, but it seems to me that every main character we have been introduced to over the past ten years is at least mentioned or has their storyline referenced. As a result, there is a lot of "stuff" going on and, at times, the narrative seems rushed but I still have to say she did a great job in writing this final book. I don't believe the intended audience is a new reader to the series, but rather a long-time fan who wants resolution. There are an even larger number of tidy endings this time out, but I think that is totally appropriate. Who wants to be left hanging after following the series for years? I think long-time fans will be pleased, but I would definitely not recommend this book as a stand-alone Christmas novel - the reader has to have the history of the characters to appreciate this final narrative.

Bottom line: Debbie Macomber ended an entertaining series in the most satisfactory way possible and with her usual grace. As a reader, I would like to say "Thank You" to her for providing hours of enjoyment to me and other readers. It has been a pleasure!

"1225 Christmas Tree Lane" is the final book in Debbie Macomber's long-running Cedar Cove series. Each book is named for a different home in the fictional town of Cedar Cove, Washington and focuses on its residents. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane is the address of a Christmas tree farm owned by Beth Morehouse. In addition to running the tree farm, Beth is also fostering rescue dogs. Christmas is almost here and Beth is juggling the tree farm business, finding homes for ten lively puppies, and making plans for her daughters coming home for Christmas. She is surprised and more than a little pleased to learn her ex-husband, Kent, will be accompanying the girls. Could Kent be interested in a reconciliation? Beth is a relatively new character in the series and this installment focuses on her story. It becomes a comedy of errors when her daughters Bailey and Sophie are determined to reunite her with Kent, no matter what it takes.

While the focus of the book is on Beth and Kent, as is fitting for the finale of a long running series, we get to catch up with other characters we have grown to love throughout the prior eleven books. The characters are all making plans for the holidays and reminiscing about events that have happened in their lives. It is great that we get to see so many old favorites, but we are only given a glimpse into what's going on with most of these characters. We get small vignettes, but not a lot of action or details. Much of the book reads more like an expanded epilogue than a typical Cedar Cove story.

Even though I would have liked so see more of a storyline for some of my favorite characters, there are so many characters, I understand the author had to set limits on how much could be told about any given character. It is nice to see what is going on with some many of the past characters, and it's enjoyable to relive some of the memorable moments of prior books through the characters' "memories" of past events. Characters such as Ian and Cecelia Randall are now a happy couple with two children, but had once requested a divorce from family court judge Olivia Griffin in one of the first books in the series. The state of Rachel and Bruce Peyton's marriage was left in the air in the series' prior book, 1105 Yakima Street (Cedar Cove), but we get to see the conclusion of this storyline and others in the finale. We get to spend one last holiday with favorites such as Bobby and Teri Polgar, Rosie and Zach Cox, Mack, Mary Jo, and Noelle McAfee, Charlotte and Ben Rhodes, and of course best friends Olivia Lockhart Griffin and Grace Sherman Harding. While not perfect, the author cleverly weaves in news about most of the major characters in the series.

I have rated "1225 Christmas Tree Lane" a "4", but it's not a book for someone who has not read at least a few of the prior books in the series. As a stand-alone book, it would rate lower, but it's not meant to be read on its own. If the book catches your eye, put it aside until you have had a chance to check out earlier books in the series. However, be sure to come back, and soon you'll be calling the residents of Cedar Cove, "friends. " One of the Cedar Cove residents says it best:

"This is a romantic town...It was the kind of town anyone would love to call home."

This sums up the Cedar Cove series perfectly. While many characters go through heartache and experience tragedies in their lives, love overcomes all things. I don't think it can be considered a spoiler to say the human characters, as well as the puppies, get their happy endings. For long-time followers of the series, this final Cedar Cove book is an early Christmas present from Ms. Macomber.

This review was originally written for The Season E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Author takes way too long reviewing what has already happened in the previous books in this series. Since most readers will have read these already, it is a waste of time. Also, there is no suspense or drama, everybody is happy, and it is very obvious what will happen in the end. Don't waste your time reading this one, author should have ended series before this book!

Generally speaking I look forward to Macomber's Christmas tales. They are a pleasant escape from my everyday life and are interesting looks into other people's lives. I have to say that I have not read any of the other books in this particular series. Maybe that is why I could not connect with this particular Christmas tale nor the characters (I did not know enough about their background). I'm not sure because I look at some of the other reviews and wonder if this volume was simply a little bit less interesting. I have to say that I just found this story a bit boring. It did not seem to have any "pizazz" to the writing and I had trouble keeping up with the characters (but again, that is probably my fault for not reading the other stories in the series).

I liked the idea of the dogs/puppies being given away for Christmas and really, the puppies on the cover of the book sold me on reading this novel. As cute as the dogs are, they really took a back seat to the characters but somehow, the daughter's planning to get their mom and dad together for Christmas, the dad's female "friend" that really turned out to be a friend and nothing else, the way the mom just dropped her vet boyfriend and him already having another woman in the wings, just seemed too contrived to me. Oh well, I have to agree with one of the other reviewers, it obviously is sort of a sad way to end a series especially with all the good things said about the other books in the series.

I love Debbie Macomber books and was counting the days for this book to come out. I was not disappointed in the book but am disappointed that the Cedar Cove series is done. I just couldn't put the books down. The stories are great and you get caught up in all the characters and their lives. I also loved the Blossom Street series. I get so excited and want to read more but then I hate for them to end. So great!

Three years ago in California, Beth and Kent Morehouse divorced. She and their two daughters Bailey and Sophie move to Cedar Cove on Puget Sound. Beth owns the Cedar Cove Christmas Tree Farm and rescues animals. Currently she needs to find a home for ten stranded puppies left by her door.

Bailey and Sophie return from college for the holidays. Neither understands why their parents split up, but each hopes to pull off a miracle of bringing them back together though their mom is seeing veterinarian Ted Reynolds. Kent arrives to spend time with his daughters but to their disappointment he brings towering Danielle Martin with him. Before the girls are out of the first inning, the game looks lost.

Fans of the Cedar Cove community series will enjoy the engaging twelfth entry; as besides the Morehouse matchmaking, there are several subplots involving other residents. Newcomers will be lost as much of the cast has a history in previous novels (see 1105 Yakima Street and 1022 Evergreen Place). Still Debbie Macomber provides a sweet Yuletide tale.

Harriet Klausner

I have long been a fan of Debbie MaComber books....her early books were always a good read,I am saddened that this is the end of the Cedar Cove books, one of my favorite series..although it seemed this series was dying a slow death, Why she spends so much time telling readers who was who and what had happened and what brought them to Cedar Cove,For new readers I understand, but she could have listed this in front pages, who was related to who, who was married and so on, It does seem she has gotten tired of this series and is rushing to end it..Last Book Yakima place? was not a good read..She had some good Characters omitted,Humor was gone, So many ongoing stories and she is going to finish them in this book?, probably using old information as filler?....I am disappointed, This is a Kindle Edition book, and too expensive..I'll pass, I hope she continues with her other series books, but am seeing the same trend, Authors forget what made them famous in first place,

I'm glad I read the reviews, although I wish I'd read them before I bought the book. Now at least I understand that the book's structure is supposed to give closure to previous loose ends in the series because the series is ending. However, it reads like a collection of cover blurbs. The "main" story doesn't take up much of the book, and the rest of it is just a summary of what's happened in previous books, with nothing to tie them all together except the town they're set in. I saw some suggestions that this book was not intended for new readers, that it was aimed at those who are familiar with the series. As someone who has read many of the previous books, I can't say that it was aimed at me, either. I was looking for a story. I think Ms. Macomber should have stopped one book earlier.

A long time in the making, Cedar Cove and it's residents are saying good-bye to long time readers. 1225 Christmas Lane is the final chapter in Debbie Macomber's popular series that's filled with love, hope, heart and friendship. With characters that feel like home and romances that build a compelling tension, this is certainly a series many readers will simply want to cozy up with.

I'm no stranger to Debbie Macomber's writing. Having read many of her earlier novels as well as numerous short stories she's written I'm a big fan. Macomber writes in such a way that has you feeling as though you need a nice cup of hot chocolate, a warm blanket and a slightly chilly day to snuggle in for a day of relaxing reading. It's wonderful! Her latest addition is no different. 1225 Christmas Lane was a cozy read perfect for a chilly wintry day, but it may not be perfect for everyone. Unfortunately for me it didn't hold up to my normal expectations I have for a great Macomber novel, but it was still an enjoyable and quick read.

Being that it's the last in the series of twelve books I must say, you need to read the other books in the series before reading this one. There are some series books that you can easily pick up a mid-series read and feel comfortable moving from that point but this isn't one of those. In my case I was given a review copy to read without having read the others in the series. Many times I felt disoriented about where exactly I was in the story and which character was being focused on. Not only that, but quite a bit of the chapters felt choppy. In some cases I felt as though there was simply too much description in relation to the actual dialogue and setting. All of that being said, I still enjoyed the characters and if the time opens up for me I'd like to attempt a read through from the beginning of the series because it's obviously a popular series for a reason.

If you're a Debbie Macomber fan or have read any of her other novels outside of her Cedar Cove series than this is certainly one you should be picking up soon. 1225 Christmas Lane is the final book in that series and it closes years of time spent with a wonderful cast of characters who will quickly begin to feel like family. Though I loved the concept of the potential reuniting of old flames and of course the added benefit of nearly a dozen adorable puppies, this wasn't the right book to start off the series with. Those readers looking for a cozy romantic series filled with characters that will remind you of home should definitely pick up Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cover series, but make sure to begin with the first book in the series, 16 Lighthouse Road, before reading this one. I'm positive you'll enjoy 1225 Christmas Lane all the more for having done so.

My original review was posted at Chick Lit Reviews and News.

I have loved the Cedar Cove series, but I was rather disappointed by this final installment. I appreciate that she "wrapped up" the stories of our favorite characters, but a very large portion of the book was spent recapping what had happened in their lives. I skimmed and skipped a lot. I felt like she was just going through the motions, trying to quickly fill pages.