Second Chance Pass (Virgin River, #5) in Alpha Heroes & Spitfire Heroines

Sep 24, 2008 Auntee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009_reads, made_me_cry, contemporary-romance

Whew! I loved it, just as I knew I would. This latest in the 'Virgin River' series had a lot going on. There were at least three new romances, as well as updates on some longer standing ones, a couple of very touching births, a couple of near tragic deaths of some major characters, a funeral, lots of heartbreak, lots of happiness, a joyous wedding, and even a forrest fire that came close to destroying the town and taking the life of one of it's leading citizens. Something was always happening in Whew! I loved it, just as I knew I would. This latest in the 'Virgin River' series had a lot going on. There were at least three new romances, as well as updates on some longer standing ones, a couple of very touching births, a couple of near tragic deaths of some major characters, a funeral, lots of heartbreak, lots of happiness, a joyous wedding, and even a forrest fire that came close to destroying the town and taking the life of one of it's leading citizens. Something was always happening in tiny Virgin River.

Although this book was mainly about the love between newly widowed Vanessa Rutledge and best friend of her late husband, Paul Haggerty, I think almost equal time was given to well-known characters from the previous books in the series, especially Mel and Jack Sheridan (who was like a superhero in this book). Which was fine with me. I love revisiting the lives of Mel and Jack. I love reading about their inspiring love story, their commitment to one another and their family, and their commitment to the town of Virgin River. I also found Jack's relationship with young Rick, a boy he's mentored for a few years, very touching. We also get a glimpse again into the lives of Preacher and Paige, Mike and Brie, and young Marine Rick and Liz, as well as watch new relationships develop for fellow Marine Joe, Vanessa's father Walt, and her teenage brother Tom. Lots of lovin' goin' on in tiny Virgin River.

I loved the story of newly widowed Vanni, whose husband Matt died tragically in Iraq, and how she was able to stay strong even though she was left with a newborn to raise. Loved the friendship she had with Matt's best friend and former Marine buddy Paul, who had loved her from the minute he first set eyes on her years ago, but was reluctant to fight for her. I did not like how Paul almost blew a chance for happiness with Vanni, and let her almost get stolen away from him by a handsome pediatrician. I was very relieved when he finally got up the gumption (helped along by some advice from his friends) to reveal his long standing feelings for Vanni, and even liked how he went all dominant on her--it was just what the hot-tempered and stubborn Vanni needed. While their love affair was not without a few bumps along the way (including the possibility that he may have fathered a child by another woman) you could feel the love and obvious connection that these two characters had. I especially loved Paul--he was just such an honorable, all-around good guy, and I really wanted him to have a HEA.

As far as the subplots, there was some hot moments for teenage Tom Rutledge and girlfriend Brenda, and I'm sure we'll be reading more about them once Tom graduates from West Point, and moves on to a career in the military. Will these young lovers be able to stay together, even though Tom's military path is sure to keep them apart?

I also loved the plot about Paul's achitect friend Joe. Joe's the last of the Marine buddies who's still single, and he finds his possible soulmate in Virgin River. But after a wildly passionate night together, she disappears, breaking his heart. I was just heartbroken for this guy--he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. But by the end of the book, things look like they finally may be turning around for him, which made me very happy. Hopefully there will be more for him in a future book.

Even Vanessa's father, widowed Army General Walt, finds a surprising new love interest. Although his story is left open-ended, I'm sure his budding romance will appear in a future book.

What more can I say without giving away some spoilers? If you love the Virgin River series you'll adore this book. The characters are beautifully written, you feel like you've known them all your life. The writing is so descriptive, you feel like you can see Jack's Bar right in front of your eyes, down to the mounted trophies on the wall. You know the characters so well, their hurts become your hurts, and bring tears to your eyes. And their joys become your joys, and you'll cry for them as well. There were many times while reading this book that I just had to put it down for a while, because I was tearing up so much. If you haven't read any books in the series, I suppose this book could be read as a stand alone, but please, don't do that to yourself. Start with the first book in the series, Virgin River, you'll want to inhale every factoid about this tiny California town and the awesome men who treat their women like queens, and the brave, spunky women who adore them. Although the heat factor in this book isn't real high in quantity compared to some other books, the few love scenes are hot, and the romance makes up for the rest. I think this is one of the best contemporary romance series out there, and I hope Robyn Carr never stops writing about the men and women of Virgin River. I highly recommend this book and the entire series, and give it a big 5 stars! ...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2008 jenjn79 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-robyn-carr, genre-romance-drama, series-virgin-river, published-2009, 2009, stars-5, info-full, reviewed

I think I said it after reading A Virgin River Christmas, but it still stands true - reading a new Virgin River novel is like coming home to old friends. You get to catch up with all the previous characters, see how they are all doing and what's new in Virgin River. Plus meet new characters. It's just nice to read and Robyn Carr does a great job with the continuity of this series.

In Second Chance Pass readers finally get the resolution to Vanessa and Paul's relationship. Years ago, Paul and his I think I said it after reading A Virgin River Christmas, but it still stands true - reading a new Virgin River novel is like coming home to old friends. You get to catch up with all the previous characters, see how they are all doing and what's new in Virgin River. Plus meet new characters. It's just nice to read and Robyn Carr does a great job with the continuity of this series.

In Second Chance Pass readers finally get the resolution to Vanessa and Paul's relationship. Years ago, Paul and his best friend Matt saw the same woman at the same time. Both wanted her, but it was Matt who took the initiative and eventually married Vanessa. Paul never stopped loving Vanessa, but he would never come between the two. Then Matt was killed while fighting for his country and Paul stayed with Vanessa through it, and the birth of her and Matt's child. Now, Vanessa has realized her feelings for Paul have grown, but she thinks he sees her like a sister. And Paul believes she's not ready for him to reveal his feelings. Things get more complicated when an occasional lover of Paul's tells him she is going to have his baby. So it seems like everything is against them working it out.

And elsewhere in Virgin River, babies are being born, lovers must say goodbye, forest fires threaten. Some people are moving on, others are standing still and others are stuck in the past. There's never a dull moment in Virgin River!

This was such an enjoyable book to read. I loved the characters, the setting, the different storylines. With the exception of one or two small things, I loved every part of this book.

It was great to read Vanessa and Paul getting their happy ending. After everything Vanessa had been through, and Paul's unrequited love, they both deserved a happy future together. I liked the way things developed with them, all the complications. It made the resolution that much sweeter. The outcome of Terrie's pregnancy (the woman Paul slept with) was on the predictable side, but their are only so many ways that can play out. Though it would have added an interesting element to their relationship if it had gone differently.

One of the things I love most about this series, though, is that the prior couples' stories don't end after their book. Some authors who write series seem to forget about the previous H/H once their story is done (like in Brenda Novak's Last Stand trilogy) but Carr keeps them alive and active in every book. They're not just bystanders, but main stage players. In this book, big things happen to Mel and Jack, and you get stuff with Paige and Preacher, and Brie and Mike. It's just really nice to have that continuity, that connection to what's gone on before. It's what makes this series like coming home to old friends.

I also enjoyed the secondary romances in this book, even if none of them were settled when the story ended. There was Tom and Brenda...who I'm guessing will get their story in the third VC trilogy set for next year, and Walt and Muriel, Joe and Nikki, plus a little bit of Ricky and Liz, who will get their story (I assume) in Paradise Valley. Lots of interesting stuff to read in this book! And that's without mentioning the medical emergencies and forest fires that nearly kill main characters!

On the what didn't I like side...well, almost nothing! The one thing thing that I really would have preferred was if the last scene in the book had been with Vanessa and Paul. They were the main H/H of the story, yet for the last chunk of the book, they fell a bit by the wayside. Which, okay, fine. That's Carr's style, but I just think the ending would have been better suited using them instead of Walt and Muriel. Those two ending the book didn't feel right to me. But that's just my opinion.

Other than that, no major complaints for this book. It was a great read. When I first started this series, Carr's style of telling a story annoyed me a little, but it's grown on me and I know what to expect now. So I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you've been reading the VC series, then you MUST read this one! And if you haven't read any of the books, then you should definitely give them a try (especially if you like classic contemporary romance).

NOTE: It's probably important to note that this book isn't exactly a stand-alone. Maybe it could be read alone, but not in my opinion. You really need to read the rest of the series in the correct order to get all the various nuances and relationships. You'd just miss a lot if you jumped in right now. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2009 Shawna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, favorites, hh-widow-or-widower, 2009-reads, best-top-favorites, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, firefighter-paramedic-emt, 5-stars-plus, tearjerker-tugs-at-heartstrings, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta

5+ stars – Contemporary Romance

Second Chance Pass is another bittersweet, heartrending addition to the engaging Virgin River series, with its portrayal of quaint small town community life, soap opera worthy drama, quirky characters, love, and humor.

This one had multiple storylines going on involving all the previous characters, as well as some newly introduced characters. The focus couple, Vanni and Paul, faces some rather tough challenges to find their HEA, including Paul’s reluctance to admit 5+ stars – Contemporary Romance

Second Chance Pass is another bittersweet, heartrending addition to the engaging Virgin River series, with its portrayal of quaint small town community life, soap opera worthy drama, quirky characters, love, and humor.

This one had multiple storylines going on involving all the previous characters, as well as some newly introduced characters. The focus couple, Vanni and Paul, faces some rather tough challenges to find their HEA, including Paul’s reluctance to admit his longstanding love for Vanni, a sexy doctor pursuing Vanni, her temper and stubbornness, their collective guilt over moving on after Matt’s death, and an unplanned pregnancy with one of Paul’s former lovers. They are probably my least favorite couple of the series, but luckily there’s plenty of romance and drama with the other couples to make up for it.

Mel and Jack endure some tough, heartbreaking struggles in this one that had me in tears. Their intense devotion to each other and profound love is the foundation for the entire series, so I was glad their ongoing storyline was a large part of this book. There is also some touching moments between Rick and Jack during Rick’s visit to Virgin River and his subsequent leave for Iraq.

Preacher and Paige are one of my favorite couples, and the scenes involving Preacher’s overprotectiveness of Paige during her pregnancy and delivery were hysterical and sweet. I also enjoyed the budding teen romance between Tom and Brenda, and the part where Tom gets sex advice from his older sister Vanni is soooo funny...and it sure pays off nicely with a big-O for Brenda!

I enjoyed the romance between Paul’s ex-marine buddy Joe and Vanni’s best friend and maid of honor Nikki (even more than the main couple) and hope their relationship gets more development and face time in future books because Joe is a total dreamboat!

There are babies born, near deaths for a couple of the main characters, a deployment to Iraq, and dangerous wildfires that threaten the town...whew...enough drama for a soap opera! But through it all, there’s the romance, humor, love, friendships, and tight community that makes the series so great! Another big 5 stars! ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 Julianna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: desert-island-keepers, contemporary-romance, read-2012

Reviewed for THC Reviews
There is a lot happening in Second Chance Pass, both good and bad, for the residents of Virgin River, both old and new. The population of this little town is beginning to grow not only because more people are finding this little slice of paradise, but also because more babies are either on the way or being born. I'm constantly astounded by how real Virgin River and its residents seem to me. Every time I read one of these book, I wish that it were indeed a real place, so t ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 11, 2009 Romance Novel TV rated it it was amazing

Reviewed by PJ for Romance Novel TV

Carr fans will be thrilled with this emotional return visit to the fictional town of Virgin River, California where life challenges and love triumphs. Second Chance Pass, the fifth book in the Virgin River series, tells the story of Vanni, a young war widow and new mother, and Paul, the best friend of her late husband and the man who has secretly loved her for years. Paul and Vanni are the primary focus of the story but, as with the other books in this series, ...more

Like · see review

Mar 02, 2010 Rochelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2013, small-town, read-2010, contemporary-romance

Read from February 17 to 18, 2013
Still great! I think the different threads this time were a little confusing - an awful lot was going on in one book. Some things I remember, some situations I can't!

Read from March 02 to 04, 2010
Amazing! Carr has several threads in this book, but it has a good pacing and flows. As with all of her Virgin River books, I find the book hard to put down! I connect with the characters like they're real. ...more

1 like · Like · see review