Virgin River

Midwife Melinda Monroe has come to Virgin River to try and recover from the senseless murder of her husband.  The change from the city certainly comes as a huge surprise and if that isn’t enough, she finds herself hopelessly drawn to retired Marine. Jack Sheridan.  Although Mel finds that Jack awakens part of her that she thought was gone forever, she’s conflicted by the feeling that she’s being unfaithful to the husband she adored.  When circumstances force Jack and Mel into a marriage, can she overcome her feelings and give her heart to Jack completely?

When I was at RT I returned to my room one night and found Virgin River in a gift bag with a cookie on my bed.  I was startled to say the least.  With everything going on I ate the cookie and put Virgin River into my carry on luggage with a thought that maybe I’d read it on the plane.  While in flight I found myself totally absorbed in Mel and Jack and I couldn’t get enough of Virgin River.  As soon as I returned home, I immediately put the two next books in this trilogy on pre-order, I had to have them as soon as possible!

Shelter Mountain

John Middleton, also called Preacher by his friends, has worked with his friend, Jack, in Virgin River since he retired from the Marines.  He’s closing the bar one rainy night when Paige Lassiter and her three year old son come in.  It quickly becomes apparent to Preacher by the bruises that Paige is trying to hide, that she is on the run and he and his friends in Virgin River rally around Paige and her son determined to protect her.  Paige thought she’d never feel safe again after the hell her husband put her through.  Everyone in Virgin River has gone out of their way to make her and her son at home; especially Preacher.  She’s never met a man like him before and little by little she allows herself to open up and begin a romantic relationship with him.  Preacher never really saw himself as a family man, but Paige and her son have him thinking differently than he ever has before.  However, when Paige’s ex-husband shows up, can Preacher and the residents of Virgin River protect Paige from a madman?

The second book of the Virgin River Trilogy was just as wonderful as the first.  Preacher and Paige seized my heart from the first chapter.  I practically stayed up the entire night to finishing reading Shelter Mountain because I just couldn’t quit until I turned the last page.

Whispering Rock

After being severely injured in the line of duty, LAPD officer and Marine reservist Mike Valenzuela found himself in Virgin River and somehow agreeing to be the town’s first police officer.  Brie Sheridan’s brother, Jack, has made his home in Virgin River along with his wife Mel so it’s no surprise that Mike and Brie find themselves spending time together.  Brie’s husband devastated her when he left her for her best friend; she’d never had any warning that anything was wrong.  It’s not until Brie is the victim of a savage assault that Mike and Brie truly become close.  Brie realizes that Mike is everything she needs.  Mike knows that he’s struck out at love before but he knows that Brie is the woman he should have waited for.  Now they have to get through the assault trial along with the sudden reappearance of Brie’s ex-husband.

Whispering Rock could not have been a better ending to the Virgin River Trilogy!  Mike and Brie were both characters who intrigued me in earlier books and Whispering Rock couldn’t have satisfied my longing for their story more!

In all honestly I could not do a review on just one of these books!  It’s not often that I find a series where all of the books are equally as good but The Virgin River Trilogy is a stellar example of what a trilogy should be.  In this case I can’t recommend highly enough that readers pick up all three books at once.  You most certainly will not be disappointed!!