Customer Reviews

92 Pacific Boulevard (Wheeler Hardcover)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Picking up a book from the Cedar Cove series is like catching up with old friends that you haven't seen in a while. This particular installment is focused on Sheriff Troy Davis and his on-again/off-again relationship with Faith (his high school sweetheart). We also get to visit with Olivia and Charlotte, find out how Teri is doing with the babies and what is new with James and Christie to name just a few. Not all of the characters from previous books are included, but that makes sense since there are so many that some are just mentioned in passing.

As usual, the read is quick and delightful with the regret being we have to wait until September of 2010 for the next installment ! This series along the Blossom Street series are two of my favorites when looking for warm, comforting books that make you feel better about the world. While not the same as Jan Karon's Mitford series or Philip Gulley's Harmony series, they share some similarities and I always look(ed) forward to what was coming next. My one mistake was that I had assumed the book "A Cedar Cove Christmas" published in October of 2008 was more of a stand-alone book rather than being the continuing story. I obviously missed some things that happened by not reading it and wish I would have. I was saving it for this coming holiday season and I'm looking forward to finding out all the details!

If you haven't read these, the best bet would be to go back to the beginning "16 Lighthouse Road" and go along in order. While enjoyable to just pick this one up and the author does a great job of giving you the information you need to know who people are -- it would be better to have all the history if possible.

A quick warning: One of the older reviews (dated August 27) is very brief but contains a major spoiler with no warning. There is one "mystery" that is introduced at the beginning of the book and the answer isn't revealed until close to the end. This review tells you the answer. It might be best to read that review after you have completed the book yourself.

Just received 92 Pacific Boulevard today....can't put it down....love, love, love the people in Cedar Cove. I've read every book in the series and look forward to the next....highly recommend this really great read !!

Each new Cedar Cove book is like going home to a warm and special place. Debbie Macomber has created the most delightful town based on her own hometown of Port Orchard, Washington. She has peopled it was warm, kind-hearted characters who truly care about each other. She also adds a few aching hearts, errant adult children, and a mystery or two. The result is a comforting book that just makes you feel good about life.

This story focuses on Troy Davis, the town sheriff who lives at 92 Pacific Boulevard. Readers have been following his on-again, off-again relationship with Faith and a resolution is near. Olivia, Grace, and Charlotte, the mainstays of Cedar Cove, are in full force. Olivia is still dealing with her cancer and we see quite clearly the friendship bond between her and Grace as well as how Charlotte deals with her daughter's illness. We also catch up with Terri Polgar who is pregnant with triplets, her sister Christie, Rachel in her new marriage to Bruce and the problems they are having with his daughter Jolene, Gloria Ashton's romance with the handsome clinic doctor, Linc's unusual romance with new character Lori, and bad boy Will Jefferson's courtship of artist Shirley Bliss. A good deal of this book focuses on Mary Jo Wyse from A Cedar Cove Christmas who has caught the attention of Mack McAfee. These two are sharing a duplex at 1022 Evergreen Place, the location for the next installment in the series. A cliff-hanger piques curiosity for this next book which will apparently look back at a World War II romance.

For a warm and comforting read, one that gives you a little mystery, a little romance, and a whole lot of friendship, you need look no further than this wonderful series about Cedar Cove.

I love to read Debbie Macomber's books because I always come away feeling a bit more positive about life and people in general. This book is her latest in the Cedar Cove series. The fictional town of Cedar Cove is based on her own town and at the end of August they hosted Cedar Cove Days and from what I've read it sounds like it was a big success (I did not attend the event).

This series started 9 years ago and she releases a new installment at the end of the summer each year. The number at the beginning of the address tells what book it is (for example 16 Lighthouse Road was first and 92 Pacific Boulevard is ninth). Each address belongs to one character or couple and the main story or mystery will revolve around him, her or them while all the other characters continue to make an appearance and continue forward with their lives. From when the series started a few characters have moved or passed away but most of them are the same although their lives may have changed. This installment deals with Sheriff Troy Davis and Faith Beckwith who was his first love but due to circumstances they ended up happily married to other people. Both are now widowed. A misunderstanding took place in the last book and they are still working through the fall-out plus Troy is trying to solve the case of the 25 year old skeleton found in a cave by two teenagers as well as looking for the person responsible for vandalizing Faith's rental home. Olivia is still fighting cancer and Ben continues to have problems and to be disappointed by his grown son David.

These characters feel like friends. It is a testament to Macomber that they feel like real people, the whole town feels real. There are times when I feel like authors allow their series to go on too long, but that is not the case here. The only issue I have is that since it's been awhile since I read the last books I sometimes forget details. That being said, Macomber does drop hints and have people reminisce about things to catch the reader up on what has changed. This is a great book to curl up and relax with. I didn't want it to end and look forward to late August next year for the next installment.

On a side note, a cookbook was also released in hardcover which I am currently reading (look for a review in the next few days). The cookbook uses the characters from the series.

[...]

I have never read one of her books that I didn't like. I recommend them highly!!!

Troy Davis, Sheriff of Cedar Cove, has plenty on his mind as he investigates the case of skeletal remains found in a cave outside of town. While he is thrilled that his daughter Megan is pregnant, he is saddened by the rift in his relationship with Faith Beckwith and is anxious to repair it. He is worried about Faith's welfare as someone keeps vandalizing her house. He is also worried about his friend Olivia Griffin's battle with breast cancer. Other Cedar Cove residents also have their own issues - newly married Rachel and Bruce are dealing with Bruce's daughter's reaction to their marriage; Mack MacAfee is trying to help Mary Jo Wyse and her baby; Terri Miller Polgar is due to have triplets any day; and her sister Christie Levitt is still angered by the desertion of James Wilbur and refuses to believe he loves her.

"92 Pacific Boulevard" is another nicely done entry in Debbie Macomber's ongoing soap opera like series set in Cedar Cove, Washington. A large portion of the book focuses on Troy Davis as he tries to win back Faith Beckwith and tries to find out who is targeting her house with vandalism. The romance portion is nicely done as Troy and Faith, both of whom have lost their spouses, find another chance at love; however the solution of the vandalism plot is a bit of a letdown. The same can be said for the story of the skeletal remains - it is pretty easy to figure out who knows what happened and the solution is disappointing. Storylines that work much better include Olivia's ongoing struggle with breast cancer; Rachel and Bruce's adjustment to married life; Mack and Mary Jo's burgeoning romance; and the Christie-James romance which is my favorite plot in the book. However, a plot involving Mary Jo's brother Linc comes out of nowhere and is hard to believe.

Debbie Macomber's strength is her storytelling and ability to create characters that readers care about and the charm of the Cedar Cove series is that while some characters' plot lines are sewn up in each book they are still around and readers feel like they are visiting old friends. And Macomber always manages to leave her readers satisfied yet wanting to visit Cedar Cove again - if only to find out what happens next to Mary Jo and Mack, if Will really has changed, and if David Rhodes will continue to disappoint his father.

Well done.

i found the lines individually interesting but they didnt interrelate well enough to make this a cohesive story. and where is the editor? "low gas mileage" is not a good attribute in a used car, low mileage is.

In this book we return to Cedar Cove and pick up where 8 Sandpiper Way (Cedar Cove, Book 8) and A Cedar Cove Christmas left off. Sheriff Troy Davis is lamenting the fact he let his first love go for the second time. Faith Beckwith may still love Troy, but he let her go and she has no intention of giving him another chance.

This is supposed to be a story about Faith and Troy, but it seems that all the other characters from Cedar Cove take over the story. Olivia, Grace, and Charlotte of course play a part in things (what is Cedar Cove without them?). Then there is Christie, Teri Polgar's sister, and her somewhat relationship with James Wilbur. Oh, and of course Teri and Bobby. Then there are Bruce and Rachel, newly married and dealing with his daughter, Jolene. Mack and Mary Jo have a HUGE storyline and setup the next book (1022 Evergreen). It seemed to me that this book was more about the next book than this one itself. I almost got lost with all the storylines and there was very little resolution. Usual for the "continuing saga of Cedar Cove," but this seemed excessive.

I also found that Macomber seemed to peddle her A Cedar Cove Cookbook a bit in the book. It was repeatedly mentioned that Charlotte gathered recipes for Justine's new tea room. Plus, when she bakes something, it almost felt like a recipe. Did it really help the plot to know that Charlotte knitted for 45 minutes while waiting for something in the oven? I didn't feel that it did.

Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment. Troy and Faith barely had a story here and the ones that were front and center were left hanging. So, here's to waiting for the next book in the series.

I have come to realize that I don't really like Debbie Macomber's books.

1. There's too many characters, and though they all intermingle eventually, you just can't keep track of all of them and their relations.
2. I can never feel for any of the characters. There's nothing there but how they handle situations. No feelings, no thinking things through. No emotions. I don't know what to think of any of them.
3. They're just plain boring. That's the only way to say it. The plots start off okay, but they just float away to other things that are of no importance that are distracting.
4. The romance is so vague. It's hardly there. No sensuousness, no passion, no nothing. It's just flat.

And why are the characters always, like, in their fifties?

The Cedar Cove books were my introduction to Debbie Macomber. I read the first seven in rapid succession, and then began playing the waiting game as there is a good year between books. As with 8 Sandpiper Way (Cedar Cove, Book 8), there is not enough on the primary couple. Although we are privy to all of their missteps, we are told, rather than shown, the resolution.

Equally problematic is the equal story time given to several other couples. Yes, this is a small town and yes, it is a close knit community. That is wonderful, and definitely part of the draw of the books. Since this seems to be the way the series is moving, each installment simply needs to be longer. I don't have the first few books with me, but if I may hazard a guess, I would say they were the same length as the latest two. Unlike the more recent books, however, they primarily dealt with one couple.

Ostensibly, this is a book about the resident(s) of 92 Pacific Boulevard. What isn't said is that this is also a book about a skeleton, Olivia, the mayor, Rachel, Mary Jo and Mack, Terri and Bobby, Christie, etc. Yes, I enjoyed getting caught up on events in their lives; it is unfortunate that it was at Troy and Faith's expense. Finally, although the primary conflict was resolved, there were various storylines left dangling.

If you're already reading this series, check this book out from your library. If you're not, wait until it is finished.