(Review) Virgin River ★★★★★

Author: Robyn Carr
Genre: Contemporary Romance
386 pages

Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against the backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

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 reenergize 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.

This is #1 in A Virgin River Novel.

First let me say that I have actually read this entire series already.  I started with the Christmas books and loved them so much I ate up this series in less than two weeks!  I love it.  I wish that I could move to Virgin River and hang out at Jack's bar.  I just wish I could live there period.  

This story is about Mel, who is hired as a midwife to work with a cranky doctor.  I loved the doctor.  He was hilarious.  Poor Mel, she takes this job to escape the city and gets stuck with this rundown shack to live in and the doctor doesn't want her.  Then comes Jack, retired marine and bar owner.  They are such an unlikely couple and yet I cheered for them through the whole book.  Just thinking about it makes me want to re-read the book.  Despite the handsome bar owner it takes a lot to keep Mel in Virgin River.

It seems like there is one medical emergency after another that keeps her there long enough for Jack to get her attention.  I don't want to tell the whole story over again but I swear I loved this book.  Jack and Mel are some of my favorite characters in the Virgin River series.  This is the type of book that has made me start to like contemporary romance.

Favorite Quotes:

“I mean, I don’t want to pass judgment—I just wish my husband didn’t shoot deer.”
“Oh, Mel, don’t worry. I’ve been hunting with your husband—the deer are completely safe.”

“He reached out and lightly touched her hair. There’s no way, he thought. I’m sunk. And my heart hasn’t beat the same since she walked into town.”