1225 Christmas Lane by Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 27th September 2011
Rating: 3/5
Source: Received from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. Thank you!
Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | BookDepository
Publishers Summary:

The people of Cedar Cove know how to celebrate Christmas. Like Grace and Olivia and everyone else, Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. Her small Christmas-tree farm is prospering, her daughters and her dogs are happy and well, and her new relationship with local vet Ted Reynolds is showing plenty of romantic promise.

But…someone recently left a basket filled with puppies on her doorstep, puppies she’s determined to place in good homes. That’s complication number one. And number two is that her daughters Bailey and Sophie have invited their dad, Beth’s ex-husband, Kent, to Cedar Cove for Christmas. The girls have visions of a mom-and-dad reunion dancing in their heads.

As always in life—and in Cedar Cove—there are surprises, too. More than one family’s going to have a puppy under the tree. More than one scheme will go awry. And more than one romance will have a happy ending!

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.