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Cedar Key #4

Postcards From Cedar Key

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A story of old wounds healed and bright new beginnings set in the Sunshine State from “a southern Debbie Macomber, but with a flair all her own” (Karin Gillsepie, author of Divinely Yours).

Everyone has been eagerly awaiting the opening of Cedar Key’s newest shop, Berkley’s Chocolates & Gems. For Berkley Whitmore, moving to the peaceful Florida island is more than a business opportunity. Beneath the bright purple streak in her dark hair lies a woman struggling with self-doubt. In Cedar Key, Berkley hopes to uncover the secrets that rippled through her mother’s life, and in time, perhaps fill the gaps in her own.

Berkley’s mouthwatering truffles and quirky charm soon draw a wide circle of friends—including the knitting enthusiasts who purchase yarn spun from her two alpacas. To her surprise, Berkley also attracts the admiration of Saxton Tate III, an English mystery author. And with the help of an old-timer local, she begins to piece together the truth about her mother and estranged father. Understanding the past brings a glimpse of what her future could be—if she accepts the love borne on the soft island breeze, and the happiness she’s been seeking for so long . . .

Praise for the Cedar Key series

“You’ll fall instantly in love with Cedar Key and this homespun knitting community, crafted with expert hands.” —Lori Wilde, New York Times–bestselling author

“DuLong brings us a heartwarming story with genuine characters. . . . Tender and poignant, perfect for those who love knitting as well as the bonds between women.” —RT Book Reviews

“Poignant, absorbing, humorous . . . A debut that tugs at the heart.” —Sophia Nash, award-winning author of Whispering in French

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

152 people are currently reading
746 people want to read

About the author

Terri DuLong

29 books227 followers
NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of the Cedar Key Series. Debut novel, Lost Souls of the Witches' Castle, was released by a small press in 2002. Based on the mental facility north of Boston where I did my Psychiatric RN training, it weaves the story of a love both past and present. Since the press closed, Lost Souls is no longer in print, but is now available in eBook on both Kindle and Nook.
Daughters of the Mill is a prequel to Lost Souls and focuses on the Mill girls in Lowell, Massachusetts and the lack of women's rights in that era. Also now available in Kindle and Nook.

On Feb. 26, 2008 I signed a two-book contract with Kensington Publishing in NYC. My first novel, SPINNING FORWARD, also women's fiction, was released October 27, 2009. CASTING ABOUT, book 2 in the Cedar Key Series was released Oct. 26, 2010, along with my Christmas novella, A CEDAR KEY CHRISTMAS, in the anthology, HOLIDAY MAGIC, with Fern Michaels headlining.

Book 3, SUNRISE ON CEDAR KEY hit bookshelves October 2011 and Book 4, POSTCARDS FROM CEDAR KEY, was released October 30, 2012. Book 5, SECRETS ON CEDAR KEY will be released Nov. 26, 2013 and book 6 in 2014.

I'm originally from the Boston area, but have resided in Florida for 26 years. Eight years ago we relocated to Cedar Key (the setting for my novels) off the west coast.

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5 stars
295 (31%)
4 stars
336 (35%)
3 stars
244 (25%)
2 stars
52 (5%)
1 star
13 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
Profile Image for Carol.
398 reviews9 followers
December 11, 2015
What can I say...I am a sap for these books! I am beginning to feel like the characters are real friends that I know. I think it can be compared to getting caught up in a series on television, only you have to wait a year for the next installment!
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,219 reviews206 followers
July 31, 2012
Postcards From Cedar Key by Terri DuLong
Wanted to read this book as I've been following the series and know there are many things I like about it. To me a good book is one that takes me places and I learn something new. This book has done that and so much more.
The knitting - there can never be enough books about knitting. Also the mystery and just the island living how everybody helps one another out when needed.
There is so much I love about this book: chocolates, knitting, crystals, soft shell crabs, fall foliage, spinning yarn, hurricane, charity community service, Pages and Paws program, mystery of the plant in the chocolate, Jordan Marsh Muffins and all the food.
Berkley Whitmore has postcards from her mom to her grandmother from the summer of 1972 when she had come to the island-Berkley as a 5year old stayed with her grandmother.
Now that she's cleaned out the house up north and has arrived at Cedar Key with postcards they do hold a clue as to what happened that summer and she starts asking around.
Neither would talk about that time and she feels she's missed a very important part of her life. Then again maybe some things in the past are better left alone....
Berkley Whitmore runs the chocolate shop:she has seashore themed chocolates and spins/sells her own spun yarn from her own alpacas at the local knitting store.
She also has invited her aunt-her mom's sister to come visit as she might have some photos or more clues.
One customer, a male, Saxton that comes in daily is becoming friendly and they share a meal once a week and with others take a cruise on the water. He has issues also as he's not seen his daughter in 20+ years now and after talking to Berkley is considering contacting her.
There are others who capture the storyline moving it along at just the right speed, never dull or boring. Even though there are a lot of characters in the book they do each play a small part in the whole scheme of things but it's not overpowering enough to take you away from the main plot. I love catching up to date with the others in the community and what everyone is doing to help others and the community out.
Such a relaxing book, hearing about the locals and how they clash and sometimes get along well.
Some parts of this book had me laughing out loud-this I do very rarely, and at times I sped up my reading to solve a mystery, and at other times my hands were clenched in annoyance as I've been through some of the scenes in real life.
Love how at the end everything comes full circle and how life continues on.

Profile Image for Melody.
219 reviews2 followers
May 14, 2018
I enjoyed the mystery in this story. Although these books are simple human interest stories (and not "Wow" books), if you love Cedar Key, the stories and settings will surely speak to you. If you have never been there, these books will make you want to go.
117 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2018
I have been to Cedar Key a few times, and love the place, so this was fun to read. The story was interesting, but the transitions from one scene to the next were hard to follow. I prefer at least a small separation between scenes. All in all, an enjoyable book.
Profile Image for Sylvia Maccarrone.
21 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2018
Wish people in life were like the people in this book, so nice and helpful!
Profile Image for Kaye.
543 reviews
November 1, 2012
It's always a treat to read Terri DuLong's latest book from Cedar Key, Florida. This year was no different. It's like visiting with long time friends and catching up with what has been going on in this wonderful and caring community.

In Terri's last book we briefly met Berkley Whitmore as she considered opening a chocolate shop on the island. Now, she has moved there, opened her shop and is settling in nicely to the rhythmn of island life.

But Berkley has not just come here from New England for warm weather and business purposes. She has a personal mission to fulfill. Forty years ago, her late mother came to Cedar Key leaving 5 year old Berkley with her grandmother. No explanation was ever given from grandmother or mother. Berkley always felt as if her mother had deserted her and all these years it has weighed heavily on her heart and mind.

After her mother passed away, Berkley found some old postcards that her mother had sent to her grandmother from Cedar Key. The messages were short and not too informative. Berkley hopes that someone from the island will remember her mom and give her some insight as to what really happened. Although it takes a while, Berkley manages to find someone who does remember her mother and is shocked when she finds out the truth. Although her journey is an emotional one, it does end rather happily.

In every one of Terri's books, she involves a women's issue in the plot; this time it was domestic violence. What I really enjoy about this series, aside from the engaging plot lines, is the feeling of belonging to a caring community, the power of family, love, friendships and strong women. I've read every one in the series and enjoyed them all. Each book can be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading from the beginning. You'll be glad you did. The wonderful inhabitants of Cedar Key will become your friends. 4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by the author, Terri DuLong, in exchange for my honest opinion.
490 reviews10 followers
October 30, 2012
Best-Kept Secret

Terri DuLong returns with book five of her Cedar Key series: “Postcards from Cedar Key”, which will by far be one of your favorites! Postcards, is a true work of Women’s Fiction that transports you directly to this small close-knit island community where the residents look after each other while welcoming strangers seeking sanctuary. A story filled with heartfelt emotion that holds you captive while slowly revealing a woman’s struggling journey to salvation, providing the truth behind often-asked questions, met with no answers. Where a chance discovery will finally provide the clues that will bring to light the reasons for choices so long ago made and the secret strength required in choosing to leave when at last achieving newly found salvation. Upon our return to the West Florida island of Cedar Key, we once again visit with the characters as warm and inviting as a hand-knit scarf, which wraps itself around the heart of all who venture there. Berkley Whitmore is a woman who believes everything has its place. Organized to the level that may be prescribed as obsessive, she lived a very quiet life in Salem Massachusetts immersed in the family chocolate shop once owned by her grandmother and mother. The shop, along with the homemade chocolates they sold, also offered crystals and gems along with Berkley’s homespun yarns harvested from her two alpacas. Berkley has always been her own woman, something she attributes perchance to the circumstances surrounding her name, her once shoulder-length hair (which she herself cut), carries a purple streak she feels suits her. The recent passing of her mother has delayed Berkley’s arrival to Cedar Key where she has chosen on her previous visit to set up shop on the tropical island, which somehow feels like home. However, Berkley has another reason for being on Cedar Key; she will stop at nothing in her quest for the answers to questions from her childhood kept hidden from her by a long ago secret.
Profile Image for Leah.
1,977 reviews
September 10, 2016
This book was all right. Overall, I liked the characters, and the island setting was delightful. That was what I liked best about this book. The food and knitting were nice, too. I enjoyed the Christmas chapters. This book was mostly a romance, though. The mystery was a minor part of the plot, which was disappointing. Also, I didn't like the way that part of the story played out. There was no reason for her to not know about what happened to her mother a lot sooner.
Profile Image for Nicole.
111 reviews
November 25, 2012
This is the first book from Terri DuLong that I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm going to go back and read all the other books in the Cedar Key series.

I've driven past the exit for Cedar Key probably fifty times during the past ten years or so. After reading this book, I finally want to get off at the exit and go visit the key.
Profile Image for Wendy.
369 reviews9 followers
December 3, 2012
This is a great series, set in a fabulous locale. The book can certainly stand on it's own, but the real fun is in seeing life unfold for the wide cast of charactets.
Profile Image for Desiree.
398 reviews6 followers
October 8, 2012
A lovely story with a twist of mystery and a bit of sweet slightly old fashion romance. It didn't hurt that there was talk of knitting in it as well!
Profile Image for Peggy.
113 reviews
November 13, 2012
Another good book by Terri DuLong! I really enjoy reading her books. It makes me want to go to Cedar Key, FL.
528 reviews3 followers
November 20, 2012
Ongoing series focusing on a close knit Florida community. Berkely settles into Cedar Key looking for some answerws about her mother. Genuine characters enjoying the closeness of a small community.
Profile Image for Susannah Carleton.
Author 7 books30 followers
May 12, 2018
I liked this book. It was a great addition to the series, with its intriguing heroine, who had a personal mystery to solve. I'm looking forward to reading the next book by Ms. DuLong.
Profile Image for Christy.
36 reviews
December 1, 2012
I loved this book. It was an easy read but really just a feel good chic lit book. I'll definitely look for more of her books.
Profile Image for Nikki.
1,426 reviews12 followers
January 19, 2023
This is the 4th book in the wonderful, hard to put down series set in Cedar Key, a small island off of Florida. I've really got into this series, from practically the first chapter of the first book. If you like Debbie Macomber books, then you'll love these.

This book centers around Berkeley who relocates to Cedar Key from Salem after losing her Mum. She runs a chocolate shop (the chocolate is said to hold magical qualities) and also spins wool and dyes the yarn, from her Alpacas who are kept on a farm in Georgia. She moved to Cedar Key after discovering postcards from her Mum to her Grandmother, from a time when she was only a few years old. Her Mum spent a Summer in Cedar Key and Berkeley stayed with her Grandmother, around 35 years before. She wants to find someone who may remember her Mum.

It's a story of love, of discovering secrets and of change. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Whilst each book is a standalone story, the books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series.
Profile Image for Pam.
655 reviews20 followers
August 16, 2017
Another sweet and easy reader in the Cedar Key series. Love the characters and small town coastal feel... which is what keeps me coming back for more. Berkley is an amiable and unique protagonist, which only added to the overall enjoyment of the story.

****~*~*MY OWN NOTES, SPOILERS*~*~****

Berkeley comes to CK after finding postcards left behind by her deceased mother. Turns out her momma daughter refuge in CK to take a breather after B's father (abuser) died in a police shoot out. B had always been told he died in Vietnam. B's mom had fallen in love
With CK local Doyle, but chose protecting B over her love for Doyle.
Meanwhile B falls in love with local author Saxton Tate III, and finds friendship amongst the knitters of the town.
805 reviews8 followers
May 12, 2018
OK, so I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the mystery part of this book, but felt like the main character didn't really put a whole lot of effort into solving it, even though she said it was the whole purpose of moving there. I always thought I liked books that were heavily dialogue, but may need to rethink that. Maybe it was the style of writing I didn't care for that much. I got tired of things always turning out wonderful, the dinners were always great, clothes looked great, etc. couldn't we have things more like normal where dinners are burnt, and things aren't so rosy. I admit I skimmed through the last part of the book just looking to solve the mystery of her mother. Then I quit reading.
Profile Image for Ann Boytim.
2,002 reviews5 followers
September 9, 2018
4th book in Cedar Key series. Everyone on Cedar Key is awaiting the opening of the newest island shop - Berkley's Chocolate & Gems. Berkley Whitmore has moved to this peaceful island in hopes of finding some answers after her mother passed away. Berkley's mother and grandmother passed on the tradition of hand made chocolates. Berkley is happy with her new venture and brings many customers into her shop. Berkleys other hobby is spinning yarn from her two alpacas and makes friends with other store owners who own the knitting shop. To Berkleys surprise she meets an admirer, this man is a writer of English mystery novels. Berkley does find some answers to her mother's past.
Profile Image for Jen Peach.
19 reviews
July 10, 2019
This book was terrible, and I don't understand the high rating. The characters are one-dimensional and interchangeable (old happy helpful lady or young happy helpful lady). There is no depth and there really isn't a conflict despite the 'mystery' regarding the main character's mother. The writing is poor. A better editor was required. How did they not catch the use of the word 'great' eight times on one page? Even Word documents have a thesaurus function. This book was uninspired and a waste of time; however, I would recommend it to readers who have no interest in realism or quality writing and only want a falsely idealistic view of a small beach community.
Profile Image for Susan Sarabasha.
378 reviews6 followers
August 6, 2025
When I read/saw in the first book in this series, Spinning Forward, several errors about spinning, I figured the author would learn more about the craft and correct her errors. Alas and Alack! I was reading this book, which is #4 in the series and the same errors are repeated. One does not spin a skein of yarn. One spins a bobbin of yarn which becomes one ply. Then the spinner spins one or two more bobbins.
After that the spinner works those full bobbins together to form a 2 or 3 ply yarn. The yarn is then rinsed and hung and eventually wound into a skein. This is not a fast process as the author might have you believe.
Profile Image for Carol.
748 reviews14 followers
April 1, 2019
Pleasant but lightweight. Berkley's move to Cedar Key, store opening, new friends and new romance all flow much too smoothly for real life - it's too much of a fairy tale. The only bump in her life is the mystery involving her mother, and parts of that were a little hard to swallow. I read some of the earlier Cedar Key books years ago and only vaguely remember the characters and story lines from those. I might have related more to this book if I had stronger memories of the previous books.
Profile Image for Emily Higgins.
1,927 reviews6 followers
September 10, 2019
After her mother’s death, Berkeley Whitmore moved from Salem, MA to Cedar Key, FL. She opens a chocolate shop and joins a knitting group. The motivation for the move was postcards her mother had sent Berkeley’s grandmother 40 years ago from Cedar Key. Berkeley had always wondered where her mother had gone that summer and why her mother did not take Berkeley with her. Now that her mother is gone, Berkeley is determined to find answers to these questions.
3,351 reviews22 followers
August 13, 2021
Berkley moves to Cedar Key to solve a mystery. Forty years earlier her mother, Jeannette, spent a summer there, at the same time that Berkley and her grandmother suddenly moved from Maine to Massachusetts. Why did Jeannette keep it a secret until she died and Berkley found the postcards she had sent home? As well as discovering the answers to her quest, Berkley also finds a new home, new friends, and romance. A moving comfort read. Recommended.
652 reviews11 followers
April 20, 2022
This book was ok, but I couldn't relate to the main character very well, especially with her New Age beliefs. She seemed very slow in doing anything to try to find out why her mother had come to Cedar Key, which is why she moved there. So not much really happens for quite awhile, although she does fall in love and it is a sweet romance. I did like the sense of community in Cedar Keys and how the people cared for each other.
Profile Image for Kim.
98 reviews3 followers
July 25, 2023
This story is cute and sweet. A good story to read when you don't want to think too hard, a good-fuzzy-feeling type of book. Nothing bad happens to anyone, everyone is lovey-dovey. No antagonist beyond the past, and that still isn't major. "Why didn't my mom tell me everything before she died? Why do I not have answers to all of my questions?" Go talking to people, no idea why they are hiding information from the main character beyond "your mom told me not to tell you until you were ready".
Profile Image for Jessica Mathes.
6 reviews
June 7, 2021
Overall an okay book an easy read no very difficult vocabulary. However a lot of things are revealed at the end of the book that would have made the rest of the book much more interesting have they been utilized. Not to mention the amount of things that were brought up as plot points and never followed through with.
Profile Image for Dorina.
559 reviews3 followers
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September 3, 2022
Such a lovely read. I enjoyed reading this story about Berkley Whitmore. Her quest to find out more about her mother leads her to Cedar Key, where she opens a chocolate shop. She finds friends at the local yarn shop. These help her learn more about her mother. Having read a earlier book from the series, it was fun revisiting the town. An enjoyable story and a quick read.
1,525 reviews2 followers
September 14, 2023
Berkley Whitmore is trying to find out more about her mother and the only clue she has are a few postcards from Cedar Key. The author made the story come to life in the pages of this book. Loved the story and the people portrayed in Cedar Key and others that Berkley met on her journey to come to know her deceased mother better. A very good read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews

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