VIRGIN RIVER

Author: Robin Carr ISBN: 0778324907 4/2007 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: MIRA

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to re-energize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she’s made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans...and a former marine cements them into place. Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

VIRGIN RIVER by Robyn Carr is the type of book that turns an ordinary reader into a fan. It is a compelling, interesting novel with characters so richly developed they leap from the pages. This tale of transformation was told so well that I felt every emotion, from despair to happiness.

Ms. Carr writes about a newly widowed woman with compassion, sensitivity and honesty. Melinda Monroe escapes her old lifestyle in favor of a slower pace in a tiny town where no one knows her. She figures she'll be able to put her recent heartache behind her, or at least be able to lick her wounds in private. Her move to Virgin River is an act of self-preservation—a fleeing, if you will. What Melinda doesn't plan on, though, is liking the small town and its people. She also doesn't expect to meet a man there, one who's had his own share of heartaches.

VIRGIN RIVER is a story that shows that sometimes what one least expects is what one needs the most. It is a wonderful book—one that quickly turned me from casual reader to ardent fan!

Kay James