Virgin River by Rabyn Carr

Virgin River takes place in Northern California, near Humboldt. Mel decides to move to Virgin River to be their nurse. She wants to get away from Los Angeles, after her husband is shot in a robbery. All the hopes she has of a Serene little town are dashed when she arrives to find the cabin she's supposed to arrive in Filthy dirty and a porch that is collapsing. She is ready to leave town, and actually on her way out of town, when they find a little baby on the Doorstep. She decides to stay in Virgin River to take care of the little baby, but only for a few days. As a midwife, she can't bring her self to turn her back on a baby. A few days turns into a few weeks, as more people start coming to her for help. She meets Jack Sheridan and soon they fall in love. She has a hard time, though, letting go of her past and her husband. So, it takes her a little time to admit her feelings for Jack and realize that it's ok to move on. At the end of the book, she gets pregnant with Jack's child, and they plan to marry.

My Thoughts.....

Wow, I can honestly say that when I first started reading this book, I wasn't so sure I'd like it. I was losing interest, but after putting it down and picking it back up a little while later, I COULD NOT put this book down. This kept my attention up until the very end. This book was recommended to me by one of my online book groups, and I'm so glad I took their advice. I think the thing that caught my attention originally, was that someone said this series reminded them of Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, which I absolutely love. I can't wait to read the next two books in this series, Shelter Mountain and Whispering Rock. I plan to start Shelter Mountain tomorrow! And I'm very excited for the Christmas book to come out later this year.

I think it was pretty obvious from the start that IF Mel decided to stay, she'd end up with Jack. I wasn't expecting her to get pregnant so soon, though. However, it was a nice change from the usual storyline where the guy proposes and then they get married, and THEN they have a baby soon after. I was also suprised to find out who Chloe's real mother was. I thought it might be Cheryl, but then again I wasn't so sure. I loved the small town feel of the community. Where everyone knows everyone and they all care about each other. I don't think there are enough communities like that anymore.

I know there are other thoughts I had about this story, but I can't think of them right now. All I can say is that there wasn't a single person aside from Calvin, and the dude in the black range rover" that I didn't like. I can't wait to see them again in the next book. And most of all, I can't wait to hear about Mel and Jack's wedding and their new baby. I also found mention of John and Susan and June and Jim....I loved them and definitely hope to hear more about them in the Grace Valley Series.

I finished Virgin River on 4/9/08