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Oct 15, 2010

Pamela rated it:

I flipping loved this book.

It's my first Robyn Carr book. I've read a lot of good things about her here on Goodreads and also on Amazon, and I ordered several of her books this spring, hoping to get some time to read them.

Recently widowed Melinda Monroe, a certified nurse midwife, decides that to move beyond her grief she must start her life again. She sells almost everything she owns and moves to Virgin River, a tiny town in the middle of the California forest. At first it s More...

22 comments like (28 people liked it)

May 03, 2008

Isis FG rated it:

It took me a while to get into this book. I think I was about halfway through before I started to really get into the story. That's probably partially because just before that I'd been reading a Lora Leigh book (so completely different) and also because the vibe of Virgin River is rather different than your typical romance novel.

This book is about people and life, the vagaries of small-town living, growing and healing, and, of course, love. Like the town it's set in, the pace of t More...

9 comments like (10 people liked it)

Apr 17, 2009

Corrine rated it:

Full Disclosure:This book features one of my least favorite tropes, the still grieving widow(er) who is consumed with guilt at find new love. Of course, this did skew my reaction to this book.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book when it wasn't weighed down by Mel's grief and guilt. Honestly, Jack made this book for me, although half the time, I just felt sorry for him. But he's a great male protagonist: patient, protective, caring, and he has a past that rounds his character out.
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8 comments like (10 people liked it)

May 30, 2009

Shawna rated it:

5+ stars – Contemporary Romance

There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about this sweet, delightful, feel-good contemporary romance and for very good reason, and now I’m finally glad that I get what all the fuss is about.

Virgin River is a heartwarming story about a young, grieving widow whose spirit is rejuvenated and soul revived by working as a nurse and midwife in a quaint little country town called Virgin River, with quirky, friendly, salt-of-the-earth people s More...

16 comments like (22 people liked it)

Dec 10, 2011

FlibBityFLooB rated it:

Re-read 2011 - it was interesting to go back to the beginning of Virgin River again after reading a dozen others further along in the series. I still love the audiobook narrator, and I still found Mel (the heroine) to be way too weepy. In short - Mel = melodramatic.

Original review July 2010: 3.5/5 stars. This book was a mixed bag for me, mostly because I found the heroine to be exhausting. She had so much emotional baggage that it tired me out listening to the book on audiobook More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 19, 2008

Holly rated it:

Melinda Monroe is tired of the heartache, tired of the sympathy, and most of all, tired of living in a home where memories of her once happy future constantly assail her. All but dead inside with grief over the death of her husband, Mel discovers a job opportunity in the charming and idyllic town of Virgin River, up in the untouched splendor of Northern California. Although her sister pleads with her that running away to some mountain region backwater will not solve her problems, Mel packs up he More...

4 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 24, 2008

Kerry rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2008

Christel rated it:

At first this book started slow for me, but it got better till I could not put it down. I really enjoy the way she writes and I am hoping that all the other ones in this series are just as good. I really enjoyed the way she developed the characters and added supporting ones also.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 02, 2008

Sayuri_x rated it:

Virgin River is the story of midwife, Melinda Monroe, who, after her husband’s sudden and violent death, moves to the back country village of Virgin River. Hoping to find some peace and find her life again, she sells everything and moves sight unseen. Suffice to say, when she arrives in the sleepy little burg it’s not all ‘Stars Hollow’ like she imagined, more like ‘Deliverance.’ The rent-free cabin that was part of her salary is inhabitable and the Doctor she is there to help, doesn’t want her More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2008

Christa rated it:

I loved this book. The sense of community and small town America was really appealing to me and left me feeling nostalgic for the small towns in which I have lived. The characters were enjoyable, especially the hero, Jack - he was so patient and willing to take care of everyone while also being very masculine and appealing. I liked the heroine also, and enjoyed watching not only her relationship with Jack develop, but also the one with the crusty town doctor. I am getting ready to read the n More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 10, 2011

Kathrynn rated it:

Originally read this book in 2007 and had it marked as one of my favorites!

Re-read this story July 2011 and though I still enjoyed it, I found Mel's character got on my nerves this time around. Loved Jack! His warmth carried throughout the book.

Still a nicely written story and I love how the author weaves a tale, incorporating other small stories into one.

I'm not changing my initial rating of 5 stars from 2007, but if I were to rate this from my 2011 r More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 28, 2008

Pygmy rated it:

A generic "strong" female with "heart-shaped lips" and a fabulous figure + generic whitebread cleft-chin He-Man gentleman (even when hooking up!) with a soft spot for babies + a po-dunk town where nothing happens == boring book!

These people have no personality. Where's the humor? If not that, where's the intellectual intelligence? Or if not that, where's the sarcasm, the quirky attitudes, or some kind of color?? Or even if the characters were supposed to be ridicu More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 26, 2008

Eastofoz rated it:

Hokey Americana. Never seen so many pregnant women in such a small area.

6 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 27, 2010

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 05, 2011

Nim rated it:

This is really not the type of book I would pick off the shelf let alone read. Not only is it not a genre I read, but the story itself contained lots of elements I am just not interested in. However, the consistent good reviews gave me doubts and when it started to rain and I felt myself wanting a cozy book to curl up with, I reached for Virgin River and took the plunge.

I'm glad I gave this book the chance. It was purely a comfort read and though I wasn't blown away, I did enjoy readin More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2011

Sally rated it:

Thank goodness this was cheap. It's like Twilight for adults with baby driven wish fulfillment fantasies.

I found the characters likeable and empathetic, unfortunately too much so. The plot was lame, the premise of why the protagonist stayed on in the town totally unbelievable, the dialogue simplistic and the whole book consistently told what was going on rather than showing us. All conflict was resolved within a few paragraphs, if not sentences, and I was accurately predicting the progress of More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 19, 2011

Michelle rated it:

After sitting on my shelf for over a year I finally picked up Virgin River and it was a very enjoyable read. I totally fell in love with Jack and Mel. Being a city girl, Mel moved to Virgin River hoping to start a new life and mend her aching heart of the memories of her late husbands death. What she finds is a gentle and patient man who falls in love with her even if he has to take second place in her heart. How romantic is that?

Jack was so sweet and did not force Mel into anything More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2010

Brandy Ahviel ~(charmdmom) rated it:

I have to say that I loved this book. At first I was not sure how I was going to like it, but in the end it turned out really well. Some of the characters I just could not relate too. However as the story progressed I became familiar with who they were and I actually could visualize these people in a small town. I loved how the HEA turned out. It is a story about forgiving, acceptance and love. Which all three are important in dealing with yourself as well as with other in your life

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2011

Erika rated it:

3.5/5. I love Jack.
I liked Melinda, and I felt for her.
She had one TSTL moment, and I wanted to slap her, but other than that she was a good lead, and the growth and grief were well done.

I loved the cast of characters, especially Preacher and Doc.

I didn't love the Sex between Lizzie and crap I forgot his name. The 16 year old on the verge of manhood. With Lizzie. Who was 14. 14! ICk. Didn't like to read it. Didn't. Nope. Yuck.

I get this was More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2011

TJ rated it:

There is nothing particularly wrong with this book (although I thought the storyline that included sex between a 16 and a 14 year old was borderline offensive and really icked me out). The story itself is fine, I liked it. There just wasn't anything particularly great about the book, nothing that would make me keep reading, make me sigh or choose to come back for more.

Because the premise is promising, however, I will try the next in the series.

23 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 03, 2008

Brenda (b) rated it:

I enjoyed this first of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series. The characters were great and they felt like people I'd want for friends. Mel found love and the ability to return to life in Virgin River. Jack was a wonderful guy and he deserved the love he found with Mel. I'm looking forward to getting the next book too.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 23, 2009

Sherry rated it:

A moving romance that has the main character, Melinda Monroe dealing with the moving forward aspect after the death of a beloved spouse. Intent on making a clean break from the environment that had been fueling her grief, she comes to Virgin River; a small rural community that is completely opposite of her LA home. Melinda believes that living in the country with pleasant “country folk” with soothing scenic views and a slow and steady lifestyle that she will begin to heal.
She a More...

0 comments like

Jan 18, 2012

KatiD rated it:

I know, I know, I've done enough. But I finished a book today that made me heave "the sigh." You know the one. You close the book, you rub your hand caressingly over the cover, and in your head you whisper "I'm telling everyone I know about this book." OK, maybe I'm the only one who does this.

Anyway, my good friend Colleen Gleason has been talking about Robyn Carr all year. Every time I see someone ask her about what author she's reading that she really likes, she r More...

0 comments like

Dec 11, 2011

Maggie rated it:

This is my third Robyn Carr (of course I'm an idiot and am reading them out of order--but somehow, I don't get confused), and I have the same problem with this one as I have with the other two. Robyn Carr needs to stop telling me that these people are falling in love and needs to start showing me it instead. She has some cute scenes between Jack and Mel, but, again, just like in her other two stories, there's a paragraph that's suddenly like, "Jack was in love with Mel." Which, okay. S More...

0 comments like

Feb 23, 2011

Mistress ~ ♠ Mistral's Kiss ♠ ~ rated it:

I love this small town setting to bits and I'm going to continue reading the series for this alone The romance on the other hand while sweet, dragged for me, and all the conflicts-that-really-weren't didn't thrill either. Also the heroine never really choose the Jack. He was willing to bend over backwards no matter how far or for how long, and she never evolved to the point were she could openly accept and return his love. Yup, they end up together... but only out of circumstance; and cheesy let More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2011

Suzanne rated it:

After reading three Virgin River books, I decided to start at the beginning with the first in Robyn Carr’s amazing series about the fictional Humboldt County California town and its people.

Virgin River is the story of Jack Sheridan, a retired Marine veteran and confirmed bachelor who runs a bar in the tiny hamlet of Virgin River and Melanie Monroe, a nurse practitioner/midwife who is escaping the stress of an LA emergency room and a devastating personal tragedy. Entering the rugged for More...

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Jan 25, 2011

Heather rated it:

A fun story of a young widow who decides she needs to break away from her life working in a busy LA hospital and takes a job in the mountains in a tiny little town. The only thing is the job and perks she was promised turn out not to be quite as represented. The doctor she's supposed to work for as a practical nurse/midwife doesn't want any help, the cabin she's been provided rent free is falling apart, and she decides the whole thing was a huge mistake. When a newborn baby is left on the doctor More...

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Dec 28, 2010

Pam rated it:

AUTHOR: CARR, Robyn
TITLE: Virgin River
DATE READ: 12/27/10
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Romance/2007/Mira/386 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1 Virgin River
TIME/PLACE: 2000's, Northern CA
CHARACTERS: Mel Monroe/Nurse Practitioner & Midwife; Jack/Former Marine, owner of local bar/restaurant
FIRST LINES:Mel squinted into the rain and darkness, creeping along the narrow, twisting, muddy, tree-enshrouded road and for the hundredth time thought, am More...

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Sep 25, 2010

Jane rated it:

Pleasant storytelling. I liked various parts, but it didn’t have enough of the emotions I like.

My preferred emotions include excitement, passion, surprise, and humor. The emotions this book elicits are grief, sadness, comfort, warmth, pleasant romantic feelings, friendship feelings, and some oohs and aahs when babies are born. It feels more like a human relationships story than a romance novel, but there is a strong romance. There is a lot of time spent on various characters in t More...

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Aug 01, 2010

Ruth rated it:

Part of being a book blogger is reading other book blogs. On other blogs I've read about the Virgin River books by Robyn Carr and I've been wanting to try them. I haven't seen them at my library, so this weekend I stopped at the used paperback store, and sure enough they had a big selection. One of them I grabbed was the first in the series, Virgin River. It is a contemporary romance set in a very small California town which is in the hills far away from everything. Melinda is a recent wido More...

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