Title: Temptation Ridge
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #6
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 2nd June 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Mira
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: A man walked past them, glanced at them, smiled slightly and moved on.

Welcome back to VIRGIN RIVER with the books that started it all…

Shelby McIntyre has big plans – plans that include finding Mr. Right. Her dream man will have a clean-shaven jaw, creases in his pants and hopefully an advanced degree. What she gets is rugged Luke Riordan.

At twnety-five, after five years as her mother’s caregiver, it’s time for Shelby to experience freedom and adventure. Time for travel, college and romance. But when she visits Virgin River, she runs into Luke Riordan, decidedly not whom she has in mind.

A handsome Blackhawk pilot, Luke exited the army after twenty years, four wars and having been shot out of the sky three times. At thirty-eight he’s tough and jaded. His major was in one-night stands, with a minor in commitment avoidance.

Technically, these two are all wrong for one another. But sometimes what you wants and what you need are two different things… two very good things.

Shelby and her somewhat tragic circumstances are first introduced in Second Chance Pass. So when I found out that Temptation Ridge is all about Shelby and her happily ever after… I was really happy. Particularly when she had just recently lost a mother to ALS. THAT hit quite close to home… so I needed there to be a happy, the world doesn’t suck story for Shelby. And, thank goodness… I got it!!!

Luke is that typical trope of bad boy with commitment issues. The one that when the right girl comes along, changes his stripes and they get their happily ever after. It’s not exactly realistic and it’s kind of cliché. But it does work. Particularly when you have a storyline in which the woman is a virgin and he’s about ten years older than her. Yet, it works. And I didn’t find it painful like I do with some cliché tropes… even then, when he’s making mistakes and stupid decisions because he’s decided what is best for Shelby without talking with her… it made me scream moron. Just a little bit.

Having said that, I did love the ending. I loved how Shelby’s strength and power are shown. And that even though her virginity is kind of a big thing to some in the story – it wasn’t really an issue with her. It’s one of the few stories that has an older virgin in which the tale isn’t tedious. She isn’t saving herself, she isn’t treasuring something that really has no meaning. She’s just not had the opportunity. And she doesn’t feel that she needs to “experience the world” before she falls in love. Like I said, seriously not tedious.

This story also has a great romance begin for another of Shelby’s family members. Walt gets to start moving on with his life. I love that this is a series that features a romance, and a sexual relationship between a couple that is in their 50’s and 60’s. It’s a reminder that relationships are constantly evolving. No matter how old a person is. And it helps to build on the ensemble cast of this series – an ensemble which features people of all ages, sizes and walks of life. Which just melted my happy little heart.

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Title: Second Chance Pass
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 23rd – 28th May 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Mira
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And I didn’t call on purpose.

Welcome back to VIRGIN RIVER with the books that started it all…

The community of VIRGIN RIVER saw Vanessa Rutledge through her darkest days – now she’s looking to a bright future.

In the space of a few months Vanessa buried her husband, Matt, and gave birth to their son – breaking her heart while filling it with a whole new kind of love. But the one man she longs to share this love with now acts as if she doesn’t exist.

Paul Haggerty lives by the marine motto: Semper Fi. Ever faithful to his best friend, he’s done right by Matt’s widow as best he can… considering he’s been secretly in love with her for years. Now, just as he’s about to make his move, another woman has staked her claim on him – a claim that will be tough to escape.

With courage, humility and not a little meddling from the good folks of Virgin River, Vanni and Paul might just get a second chance to have the love they both desire and deserve.

It was nice to finally get to read about Vanessa and Paul. The beginnings of their story is told in Whispering Rock and you automatically start hoping that they will end up together… I really wasn’t expecting so many different highs and lows throughout this story though. And I kind of loved it. It was brilliant and made the whole story impossible to put down.

So far throughout the Virgin River series all of the books have been bit of an ensemble story. But, this took that ensemble feeling to a whole new level. I thought that this would be all about Vanni and Paul, but they quickly resolve their issues, and although there are still a few hurdles to overcome, there are so many other characters who take centre stage throughout the storyline. Each chapter almost has its own lead and mini story.

There were a few moments in this novel that made me kind of want to throw the book out the window. Mostly because Vanessa and Paul are as stupidly stubborn as each other. And there were so many moments that I wanted to reach through the pages of this book and smack them both over the head. I mean, gosh, you make mistakes, and then you should be able to fix them. Not have to run around feeling confused and maybe screwing it all up. Luckily, there were only a few of these moments, and then everything worked out well. But wow, were some of them heart stopping.

Second Chance Pass is a fantastic novel. Although it is mostly about Paul and Vanessa, there are so many great characters that continue to make an appearance. Side stories and main stories that are impossible to forget. Stories that make your heart beat faster and hold your breath at times. At others, the side stories just melt your heart and leave you feeling beautifully, ridiculously happy that you had the pleasure of spending a day in the gorgeous town of Virgin River.

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

Title: A Virgin River Christmas
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 19th – 22nd May 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Mira
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “Will you stack it up in the shed out back and put a little on the porch by the mudroom door for me?”

Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all…

Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she wants to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years to love him.

Fellow marine Ian Buchanan dragged Bobby’s shattered body onto a medical transport four years ago, then disappeared once their unit arrived stateside. Since then, Marcie’s letters to Ian have gone unanswered.

Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River and finds a man as wounded emotionally as Bobby was physically. As Marcie pushes her way into his reclusive life, she discovers a sweet soul beneath a rough exterior.

Ian doesn’t know what to make of the determined young widow who forces him to look into his painful past and the uncertain future. But it is a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it’s time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.

Marcie is my favourite, craziest, stubborn woman. She is so fiercely independent and tough, but in this great, feminine way. I also laughed again and again throughout this novel – mostly in the unwise, random instances where she finds herself in pain. Her total acceptance of Ian’s unique ways and gumption in finding him are something seriously to be admired. Something that had me flicking through the pages of this novel super fast.

This Virgin River novel moved a little further away from the first three novels in the series. Where the first three novels are seriously interconnected, there is a loser connection between Marcie and Ian and the rest of the crew. Actually, the only connection is through Marcie just blundering into the picturesque little town. Ian isn’t a part of the same Marine Corps (Troop?), they don’t know the same people and everyone is a little bit isolated. Yet, you feel like at the end of this story, they’ve begun to become a little more ingrained within the town. I hope that they’ll pop up again and again in the next books.

One of my favourite parts of this novel is that it shows a bit of a parallel with Vanessa and Paul’s story, which will be told in full in the next novel, Second Chance Pass. But, we already know of the loss of Vanessa’s husband and her connection to his best friend from Whispering Rock. Marcie and Ian certainly have an easier time of it – Marcie’s husband took a while to be gone and grieved. And Ian and Marcie had barely met. But it was a nice, simple romance that involves two people moving on from the past and embracing someone that they loved.

This was a much simpler romance than the last few Virgin River books. Where many of them are a little intense, filled with some serious heartache and tragedy, this doesn’t really have that. Yes, serious issues are still touched upon. And it’s not all smooth sailing. But it is much smoother and simpler than the first few books. Which I think my poor heart needed that gasp of breath before embarking on the more tumultuous story that I’m sure will take place in Second Chance Pass.

Image source: Amazon

Title: Whispering Rock
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 13th – 18th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Mira
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Get dressed.

Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all…

Virgin River has sheltered more than a few lost souls over the years – and there’s always room for more…

Virgin River became a safe haven for Sacramento prosecutor Brie Sheridan after she nearly lost her life at the hands of a crazed criminal. Though she still has fears she can’t escape, she also has someone who wants to show her just what it means to trust again.

A decorated marine reservist, LAPD officer Mike Valenzuela was badly wounded in the line of duty. Twice divorced, he secretly longs for the kind of commitment and happiness his marine buddies have found – a woman who can tie up his heart forever.

Mike will do anything to help Brie free herself from painful memories. Passionate, strong and gentle, he vows to give back to her what she’s so selflessly given him – her heart, and with it, a new beginning.

It took me a little longer than usual to get into this novel. After all, it does start with rape. And I tend to read the Virgin River series and Contemporary romances for a relaxing happy time. Which made me feel a little less hooked in. But, after I got through those first three horrific chapters, I really sunk into this.

Ever since Brie appears in Shelter Mountain and you found out about her horrid ex-husband, I was quite looking forward to her own happily ever after. Especially since the man she thought loved her not only left her. But left her for her best friend. But I really didn’t expect the beginning that this story had. Not to mention, that there is also a parallel story of date raping young women throughout the town. Two serious trigger points for any woman. But as usual, Carr manages to deal with serious issues like this in a beautiful, respectful manner.

One of my favourite things about Carr’s writing so far is the fact that everyone is so damn interconnected. This does tend to be the case for most romances that I read, but the stories tend to just focus on the couple of the moment, and you don’t get to revisit past favourites quite as much. That’s most certainly not the case though. Each  new couple does have their own journey and in certain aspects take up the centre storyline, but the other couples all help build upon it. They’re continuing adventures are still told, and the beginnings of new adventures and romances are also alluded to. It just makes the entire story feel a lot more relatable and realistic.

Once I got past the first uncomfortable moments of this story, I absolutely adored it. To the point I did what I call my “teenager habits” and stayed up until 1am to finish this book. Mostly I just wanted to find out what was going to happen to the horrible predators in this story. And for Brie and Mike to get their happily ever after. Both were achieved in the end, and the future stories of Rick and Paul are now desperately needed… although I think I have quite a few books to read before I get to that point…

Image source: Booktopia

Title: Shelter Mountain
Author: Robyn Carr
Series: Virgin River #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 19th – 20th February 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Mira
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The kid’s no trouble.

Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all…

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEAR, A WOMAN ARRIVES IN THE SMALL TOWN OF VIRGIN RIVER TRYING TO ESCAPE HER PAST

John “Preacher” Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of the wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain, Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one – the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and to punish whoever did this, but he knows immediately that this is more than just instinct. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man – emotions that he has never allowed himself to feel.

Then Paige’s ex-husband turns up in Virgin River. And if there’s one thing the marines’ motto of Semper Fi – always faithful has taught Preacher, it’s that some thigns are worth fighting for.

I started reading this book practically as soon as it landed on my doorstep. After all, I absolutely devoured Virgin River, so I couldn’t wait to find out about Paige and Preacher. Especially since they do feature in the Netflix show. Which I’m kind of obsessed with. Plus, the idea of a storyline dealing with an abused woman isn’t one that I’ve often had the chance to read. I like the fact that so far in this series, the people have some pretty serious damage in their pasts…

In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have picked this book up when I did. I have a huge to do list, and not much time to complete it. But, I really, really wanted a happy, feel good, easy read. Which is surprising. This story deals with some pretty intense storylines and issues. Yet, the fact that there is a happily ever after for the vast majority of the characters makes it somehow still feel good. I certainly turned the last page with a happy smile on my face… and then drifted off to sleep with lots of happy thoughts in my head.

This is a great slow-burn romance. One of those stories that you know they’ll end up together, but it takes quite a while for that to actually eventuate. It’s nice to read a story in which there isn’t any insta-love. Rather, it’s the kind that is slowly built around trust and communication. The fact that it also is built up around her child and the falling in love doesn’t just involve the woman… the creation of a family in a beautiful, open little town. It’s really a sweet tale.

I love that although the second book in the Virgin River series is about Paige and Preacher, it isn’t really all that focused on them. Yes, they’re still the centre of the storyline, but Jack and Mel still feature quite heavily in their new lies together. As do Rick and Liz, another couple who have faced challenges in the first book. I’ve never read a romance series which reflects so strongly on a past couple, normally they just make a cameo. And, since I really wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to any of the past couples, it was really nice. Now I’m going to buy more of these books… and the Grace Valley ones too, since they’re often mentioned throughout these two books.

Image source: HarperCollins Australia