Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all… Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a 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 … 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 former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.
Look for What We Find by Robyn Carr, a powerful story of healing, new beginnings and one woman’s journey to finding the happiness she’s long been missing. Order your copy todaymore
I loved this entire series.
Written Feb. 19, 2015 from Good Reads
Looks like I’ve found a new series, Again!
4/8/2021 – Loved this series, teared up when it ended and will read the whole series over again!
I am not much of a TV watcher, but occasionally I will decide to try out a show on Netflix, which is how I came across Virgin River. I certainly didn’t love it, but it was something mindless to do for a few days while I wasn’t feeling so great. Because I am much more interested in books than TV, I was interested when I learned it was based on a book series and bought the ebook of the first in the series, Virgin River.
Yikes.
First, I am glad I had credits and didn’t actually pay for this book. Second, the writing was, to me, a perfect example of why some people refuse to read anything tagged as a “romance” novel. The writing was atrocious. The characters had no depth. The conversations were ridiculous. Who talks like this in the modern world that the novel is supposedly set in? I could not believe how gross some of the lines where, like Rick saying it “wasn’t statutory until he was 18,” with a shrug. The way Jack spoke to Mel when he wanted more than she was willing to give, as she grieved for her dead husband and prior life made me roll my eyes, and also made me grimace. The way these guys speak at some points bordered on predatory.
I went back to check. This is exactly what Rick says: “Yeah,” he said. Then, “By the way, it’s not statutory unless I’m over eighteen.”
A couple gems from Jack, speaking to Mel, whom he is supposedly head over heels in love with:
“Come on. Haven’t I been perfect? Haven’t I followed all your rules? How can you be so selfish? There’s no one around—they’re busy drinking.”
“Kiss me,” he begged. “Come on. Gimme a little taste.”
I kept thinking, WHAT AM I READING? HOW DOES THIS BOOK HAVE SUCH A HIGH RATING ON GOODREADS? WHO FINDS THIS BELIEVABLE, INTERESTING, ROMANTIC?
I am 100% not a fan of traditional romance novels of the bodice ripper style. This wasn’t that trashy in terms of sex scenes, but it was absolutely that trashy in terms of everything else. I would not recommend this book to anyone I actually like.
I watched the Netflix series first and decided to check out the book. I thought the book was well-written, and I liked the plot better than the movie, which didn’t follow the book exactly. I enjoyed the author’s unique style of writing and the characters were believable, especially Mel who is a nurse. I liked the friendship to lovers relationship between Mel and Jack. Overall, a good book.
If a book is by Robyn Carr, you have to read it!
Robyn never disappoints!
Having seen Virgin River on Netflix and enjoyed it, I thought I should read the books. I enjoyed Virgin River, Book 1, very much. The tv show had the same characters but the book had different story lines. I really loved the book — easy to read, great characters, and good storylines. I’ll be reading more in the Virgin River series, plus other books by Robyn Carr. I found her writing very easy to read.
Loved this book and the rest of the series. Her characters draw you in and keep you coming back to the next book in the series.
Virgin River is not my favorite Robyn Carr novel, but the world-building is exceptional, and the characters are the stuff that Netflix #1 shows are made of.
This sprawling saga about a tiny town in the mountains of northern California has all the elements that make great stories addictive. There is drama, humor, romance, suspense, family, friends, and tropes galore. But it also has a world where everyone is accepted for who they are, women are strong and save themselves, and relationships are complex and evolving.
If you loved the Netflix rendition of Virgin River, be forewarned that the storyline of the book is different, but the basics–appealing characters, strong world-building, and a brisk pace that keeps you engaged–are very much the same. And both versions of Virgin River provide a world where happy endings are always required, which is a great relief in a time when we all know real life happy endings are few and far between.
Starts out ok but quickly drops down into too vivid sex scenes.
Audiobook Review:
This was a great start to what I hope will be a good, long series. I decided to give this book a try after seeing that it was a Netflix series. But since I personally think that the book always does it better, I decided to at least check out this first book before diving into the TV show. I’m so happy that I did. I thought this was a really good, emotional, well paced book. I liked the character development and the small town feel. I also loved the narrator. She did a fantastic job and I would love to hear more of her in future.
Interesting to understand the challenging situations facing a practitioner in a rural setting
If you need an escape, escape to Virgin River both in this story and on Netflix. Warning- they are similar but different. Both enjoyable. Easy reading. Show has a little more drama. Both good
The Netflix series is so much better.
I have read almost the whole series on Virgin River. Loved this series so much. They felt like family. I highly recommend this whole series. One of my favorite authors
Soap opera!
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
One of the Best Books I’ve ever read. Robynn Carr never disapoints. Love all her books
I was quickly drawn to the characters and fell in love with them. I wanted to go to Virgin River and meet everyone and become a part of the community. I was left wanting more in this series
Wonderful story that started a great series of books