Melanie (Mel) is a nurse-practitioner/mid-wife. She is also a widow. She does not want the people she will meet in Virgin River to know that about her. She does not want to see pity in anyone’s eyes. The wound is still very raw, but she believes she can overcome it in this new and different place.

Mel has answered an ad that would bring her to a small mountain town. It sounds ideal. The pictures she is sent are lovely. Unfortunately, it is nothing like what she has been told and obviously ...

Melanie (Mel) is a nurse-practitioner/mid-wife. She is also a widow. She does not want the people she will meet in Virgin River to know that about her. She does not want to see pity in anyone’s eyes. The wound is still very raw, but she believes she can overcome it in this new and different place.

Mel has answered an ad that would bring her to a small mountain town. It sounds ideal. The pictures she is sent are lovely. Unfortunately, it is nothing like what she has been told and obviously pictures can lie.

After finding that the ideal little cabin she has been promised is terrible. There is a bird nest in the oven and dirt everywhere else. And that does not count the fact the porch collapsed and dropped Mel in a giant mud puddle.

Mel goes into a bar/cafe to have something to eat.

Behind the bar, is Jack. He takes one look at her and falls in lust.

Jack is the heart of the small town. He does many things to help his neighbors. He provides free meals to people who serve the town. He makes sure to fill the needs of people. Jack is a Marine vet and he has no doubt that “leave no man behind” is the only way to live your life.

This is a story of learning to not make snap judgments. And it is about the practice of learning to love your neighbors. It is also a story of healing which comes from doing good in the world.

At first sight, Mel believed that this place was not for her. But, she loves her work and babies keep popping up to fill her heart with joy. The doctor she has been hired to help is not even a little bit welcoming, but he knows his stuff.
Everyone else she meets makes her feel welcome in this tiny town.

Mel gets to see the people as they are and it is different from her work in L A, and that is not a bad thing. Learning to have an open mind is not hard for Mel. She carries her broken heart inside her, but she got into healing because she loves her fellow man.

Jack plans a campaign to capture Mel. As he works his magic, he gets to know her and he finds she is a wonderful woman. They have many qualities in common. They are both brave, intelligent, funny and protective of their hearts. Both of them are powerful people who do good for others.

The secondary characters are terrific. They are complete people and each of them are part of the texture of this book. The plot has a few slow spots, but generally things move quickly and the reader is brought along to the next event.

There are a few villains in this place. Some of the villains can be charming and some of them are really scary. The book was written a while ago and a few of the situations would be different today.

Ms Carr has created an ideal place to visit and maybe even live.

This is the first book in a very long series. I have read a couple of the books out of order and I would recommend trying to read things in order. But, the stories are so well done that being out of order did not spoil anything for me.

I had watched the tv series and wanted to read the book. Although the book has many differences than the tv show it was great! Can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I had watched the tv series and wanted to read the book. Although the book has many differences than the tv show it was great! Can't wait to read the next book in this series.

This is a great series. Though not my very favorite, I would have given a 4.5 if able. I love mystery thrillers (law enforcement based) and romance (especially historical) but not sleezy sexy harlequin type and rarely silly novels (cozy mystery, chic lit, ya). This series is a long series and I'm only 2 books into it but it's fairly good. It's not "I couldn't put the book down" wonderful but the characters have some depth to them and lead you to want to know more about them. No one so far has...

This is a great series. Though not my very favorite, I would have given a 4.5 if able. I love mystery thrillers (law enforcement based) and romance (especially historical) but not sleezy sexy harlequin type and rarely silly novels (cozy mystery, chic lit, ya). This series is a long series and I'm only 2 books into it but it's fairly good. It's not "I couldn't put the book down" wonderful but the characters have some depth to them and lead you to want to know more about them. No one so far has been so stupid I cheer for the man to meet someone else. If you are looking for a lot of sex, this is not the series for you. If you like super dramatic, soap opera series, where everyone has this huge skeleton in the closet, this is not the series for you. Mel (heroine) starts off slow. She's driving in her BMW and the first 2 chapters are nearly exclusively filled with brand names and her BMW. She's from LA. Her husband has died in a shooting. She is leaving a super busy hospital to take a job somewhere else, far far away, in the middle of nowhere. One of the negative reviews mentioned that the reader is an observer as opposed to hearing words from Mel's point of view and that it felt dated. I agree with that. I happened to like that we saw the town as it really was as opposed to some rich doctor's wife from LA saw the town. It made me not hate her and therefore as she grew, she was more likable. I do agree that Mel is not likable at the beginning but as I said, she's from LA. The small town was a bit like going back to the wilderness days. Hunt it for food. Chop wood for heat. One doctor in town, one bar, no stop lights. As a girl from the Appalachians, I appreciated the simplicity. Each book is going into a character's life. You don't get all the info up front, which I like. As for the first book in the series, neither Jack or Mel amazes me as a character but I like them together and I really like the community. Light easy beach read, no big tear jerker, a bit fluff. This is my first book by Robyn Carr and I'll definitely read several more.

Book 8 of 2022 — Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Okay, so I’m obviously late to the “Virgin River” game. I saw there were a couple seasons of this show on Netflix, so I figured I should see what the hype was about. I love babies, so a midwife seemed a good fit for a main character!

Pros: This book hit all the marks for me. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat, it was sexy. What more can you say?
I really enjoyed Mel. I thought she was tragic and strong. Her grief is palpable and...

Book 8 of 2022 — Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Okay, so I’m obviously late to the “Virgin River” game. I saw there were a couple seasons of this show on Netflix, so I figured I should see what the hype was about. I love babies, so a midwife seemed a good fit for a main character!

Pros: This book hit all the marks for me. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat, it was sexy. What more can you say?
I really enjoyed Mel. I thought she was tragic and strong. Her grief is palpable and watching her process and try to heal was cathartic for me.
Taking care of an abandoned baby. Need I say more? My little heart strings were being pulled in every direction as I have a four month old!
I appreciated the details surrounding birth, medicine, babies, etc. I also felt that the descriptions were accurate without being too graphic. This goes for the sexy/romantic scenes, too.
Jack. Sheridan. Woof. I don’t know if I’ve EVER read a sexier male lead. He’s strong but still caring and oh so masculine. I have to say, the picture of him in my head was nothing like the character from the Netflix series. I prefer to build my own fantasies, thankyouverymuch.

Cons: Perhaps not a true con, but I am not sure how the series can continue for 19+ books! There are only 600 people in the town. I’m envisioning Murder, She Wrote and Cabot Cove level of believability.
I have a hard time committing to such a long series, but I can see myself continuing to read the books if I don’t have anything else on my list. I will probably watch the first season of the Netflix and see how they treat the material, knowing it covers book one and two.

A fantastic read. My third 5⭐️ of 2022. Either I’ve read three great books in a row or I need to change my rating system! Go read them and you decide.

5⭐️/5