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Virgin River #16

by Robyn Carr, Renée Olsthoorn (Translator)

Wat Katie Malone betreft, is het tijd voor een frisse start. Na een akelige periode, waarin zij en haar twee zoontjes gevaar liepen door de rechtszaak van haar broer, is het niet langer nodig om teruggetrokken te leven in Vermont. Ze kunnen terug naar Californië! En dus pakken zij en haar jongens hun spullen en vertrekken ze richting Virgin River.

Uiteindelijk verloopt hun reis niet zonder problemen, want ze komt - midden in de bergen, en natuurlijk in de stromende regen - met een platte band stil te staan. Gelukkig arriveert er hulp in de vorm van een groepje bikers. Wanneer een van hen zijn helm afzet en ze in een paar prachtige helblauwe ogen kijkt, is ze even verward. Is dat niet Dylan Childress, een acteur die vooral bekendstaat als Hollywoods bad boy? Hij ziet er lekker uit, maar hij lijkt haar totaal ongeschikt voor de nieuwe start die ze in gedachten heeft.

Dylan is onder de indruk van Katie. Toch weet hij meteen dat hij nooit iets met haar zal beginnen. Ze heeft twee zoontjes, en een gezin is nu eenmaal niet aan hem besteed, dat zit niet in zijn DNA. Nee, hij zal Virgin River verlaten zoals hij gekomen is - als vrijgezel.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Ebooks

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2012

About the author

Robyn Carr is a RITA® Award-winning, eleven-time #1 New York Times bestselling author of over sixty novels, including the critically acclaimed Virgin River series and Sullivan's Crossing series. Robyn's new women's fiction novel, THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB, will be released in January 2024. The new hit Sullivan's Crossing TV series (season 1) inspired by Robyn's book series was released in the USA in the fall of 2023! Plus, season 5 of the worldwide fan-favorite Virgin River TV Series is now streaming on Netflix (July 2023) with two holiday episodes coming November 30, 2023. Both TV series have been renewed for another season!
Robyn is a recipient of the Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2016, and in 2017, VIRGIN RIVER was named one of the HarperCollins 200 Iconic Books of the past 200 years. Robyn currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit Robyn Carr's website at https://www.robyncarr.com/.

Reviews

[Floripiquita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 raspadito. Nunca me ha llamado mucho la atención esta autora, de la que mi madre tiene algunos libros, uno de ellos éste. Las sinopsis de sus novelas hablan de historias bonitas que transcurren en pueblitos americanos situados en paisajes de postal donde todo el mundo se conoce y se ayuda. Y eso es esta historia: entretenida sin pasarse, rosa pero no ñoña, donde casi no hay conflicto y en la que todo transcurre como una de esas pelis románticas de sábado por la tarde. No es mala, pero tampoco nada memorable. Simplemente mñe (como dicen las haggards).
#RetoRita2 #RitaCarr

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it’s always good to go back to Virgin River, this time I left a little disappointed. I was looking forward to this book, and while it started out well enough, it took an odd turn about halfway through.

Katie is Conner’s younger sister from Hidden Summit. She is a widow, with twin boys, and lost her husband to the war before her children were born. I was anxious to see this brave woman, with such a tragic past find true love once again. As she's making her way to reunite with her brother Conner and his girlfriend Leslie, she has some car trouble and a group of men motoring their way to Virgin River stop to give her a hand. That’s where she first sees Dylan Childress, former childhood star turned pilot and entrepreneur, on a ride with some of his buddies. There connection is instantaneous and they meet up again once their paths cross in Virgin River. He was always up front with her about his life, what he’s looking for, and where life was taking him. Very shortly it seems, he going back to Hollywood, financial issues are forcing him to seek work there. Although it’s not what he wants to do, he feels responsible for the well-being of his employees and their families.

Dylan is a sweetheart and did nothing but cater to Katie and treat her with the utmost respect. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for her. Wow the bitch-o-meter went full tilt to the right when things didn’t go her way, even though Dylan delayed leaving and offered her every opportunity to stay in touch. Nothing she said made any sense from there on out and I felt like she was talking in circles. Katie kept reiterating that she was a “mother first” and no one would get between her and her kids. I think Robyn Carr was trying to use the “bear” situation to mirror Katie’s attitude, but it only made her come off like a…well like…a BITCH! She was supposed to be sassy, but…um…I didn’t see it that way. Dylan stayed true to character, and I adored him. They both end up having a life-changing wakeup call and decide to give it a go.

The book wasn’t all bad and most of it was classic VR! We got to see some of our favorites, Jack being the one that made the biggest appearance and of course there was some suspense that brings the town together. I’ve really missed Mel though, and I wish the RC would bring her into the storyline in the future. She is after all the one that started it when she met Jack. They are the heart of the town. This book was a little steamier than some of the other books in the series, but it worked, because when Katie and Dylan connected on that level you could certainly feel the desire they had for each other. I also felt that the ending didn’t really ring true and Katie had another personality change when once again she was “nice”.

If you’re a fan of the series, and believe me I am, then give it a try. You might feel differently than me, but I would not count this one in as one of the better books in the Virgin River saga.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ½ stars – Contemporary Romance

I’ve got to be honest. I love this longstanding series and it’s one of my favorites; but this installment was rather bland and a little boring. Dylan acted somewhat immature and self-indulgent and the romance between him and Katie didn’t feel very genuine to me. It’s probably my least favorite of the series. I hope Sunrise Point gets things back on track.

[Auntee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Malone and her 5 year old twin boys move back to California from Vermont after being in the witness protection program. After a failed romance with a pediatric dentist that was heading nowhere, young widow Katie decides to move to Virgin River to be near her brother Connor (Hidden Summit), who has always been a strong male influence for her boys. After being without a man for five years, Katie's ready to move on and find the kind of passion that once existed with her husband, and a father for her boys. But is former Hollywood child actor and current flight instructor/charter airline owner/ Montana resident Dylan Childress the man for her, even though he claims he's not the marrying kind?

Not my favorite of this long series, but fans of Robyn Carr should have no problems with it. Not many appearances by the VR characters (except for old standby Jack), which was kind of unusual; RC focuses mostly on the main characters, and characters Connor and Leslie from the previous book.

Full review closer to release date...

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley...

[Alicia (is beyond tired of your *ish) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Single parent romance novels:


I am exactly like J.D. I get all puppy-dog excited when I find one and run to it with optimism and longing and it deftly cuts me down. I am disappointed far more often reading these than I come out liking the story.

So why do I read them time and time again? Because it's my weakness, okay! My name is Alicia and I love single dad/single guy falling in love with a single woman/single mom stories and I can't help it. So, I will continue to read them hoping beyond hope that the next one I pick up will be the cute, non-rage inducing story I always want them to be.

I got suckered into Redwood Bend not just for the single mother with five-year-old boys, but because the hero was an actor considering a return to Hollywood. Well, crap. That makes two tropes I love. Maybe I deserved to get hit with every clichéd plot device and predictable element under the romance novel sun.

I was extremely disappointed with the quality of writing. It was so juvenile I truly felt like I was reading YA. Especially with the word choices in both dialogue and exposition. It seemed to me it was written in a conversational style that just didn't work with the ages of the characters and for the presumable age of the intended audience. There were exclamation! points! everywhere! Why are they so excited all the time? Too many sentences began with a superfluous "and" that would just drive me crazy.

“Do you still miss him sometimes?” Dylan asked.
And she decided on honesty.

"She can’t see the mother, but I guaran-damn-tee you she’s nearby. Real nearby.”
And Dylan shot for the door.

This appeared a lot and some of them were worse than the examples I gave. It made my teeth grind. There was something very off in the dialogue. It is probably something only I noticed and it is really hard to pinpoint. The best way I can describe it is that the characters started off having a coherent conversation with each other and then suddenly one would say something somewhat random and the conversation split. They'd still be talking to each other but sounded like they were having two different conversations.

The two leads, Dylan and Katie, were in their thirties and yet I felt like I was reading about a couple of 16-year-olds. Sometimes their personalities would show this, but a lot of it was also in the things they said.

"I just Frenched a movie star."

"Okay, the bottom line here is— he’s ready Freddy and I am not a one-night stand."

“The second I saw him I couldn’t breathe for a minute, like a full minute. Then when I saw him at Jack’s it made me feel all tickly inside, but it was just one of those things. Seeing a cute, sexy guy and thinking, wow."

"All he had here was the most awesome woman he’d ever met..."

"He blamed Katie Malone’s boobs, large, luminous eyes and easy laughter. The boobs weren’t extraordinary. In fact they were kind of small, but they certainly spoke to him."

I mean . . . really?

The story was bland and predictable. Nothing close to what it could have been. I would have anticipated predictable if this were just a standalone book, but with seventeen books in front of it I was hoping there would be a stronger story backing up this installment. That may be my fault. I should know by now to keep my expectations low. In this story Dylan Childress is a former child star of a TV sitcom (think Jonathan Taylor Thomas of Home Improvement fame – seriously, the description of him in the book totally made me think of JTT, but as a Hollywood "bad boy"). He's a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy. Not in the horrendous-dick sort of way but in the severe-childhood-family-issues way. So he doesn't form lasting relationships and he never dates mothers. Until, of course, he meets Katie Malone and her twins on the side of the road one night. Oh, you think I mean her twin boys in the backseat of her car? No, her wet t-shirt ensconced breasts. Though he did like the kids, too. He was only on a quick vacation in Virgin River as he lives in Montana. But after he meets Katie he prolongs what was to be four days into four weeks.

For the most part their getting together was fairly cute. They had several dates before physical action, which is something I love. The audience actually gets to read about them getting to know each other, which is another thing I love. Dylan was upfront with Katie from the beginning. Told her about his usual "no dating single moms" rule and why he had it in the first place – his messed up childhood. Her response to the baring of his soul? “You call this a date?” Nice. (Almost equally annoying to me was later on when she tells him about her late husband and he responds with, “Let’s warm up the omelet.”) Dylan also told her about his aviation business back in Montana and that he would have to leave soon because he had to ensure that his staff would have jobs and he may have to do something he really doesn't want to do to make sure he can keep the business afloat.

It's when the inevitable comes that this book takes a nose dive that almost had me flouncing. Spoilers ahead because I can't rage properly and not give the story away. But I'm sure you've already figured out the entire plot. It's not that hard. Dylan leaves and decides they should make a clean break. Katie agrees, had decided in the beginning to have this as a fling, and pushes him away. At first she understands but because she, of course, fell in love with him she gets sad and irrational. She starts off saying that he's never going to be an ordinary guy doing ordinary work. Uh, what? He had been out of show business for twenty years! He's a pilot in Montana! Of course, she sees him in tabloids upon his return to L.A., the worst of which is him hugging a co-star he hadn't seen in 20 years, and surmises he's gone back to his "old ways" within forty-eight hours. Keep in mind there were no promises made before he left. They agreed to split amicably.

Then she really gets pissed off and starts hating him. She acts like he used her, and lied to her, and abandoned her all on purpose. Like he promised her forever and then skipped out of town without a word. Even though he made sure to explain everything fully, she agreed with him, and he made sure to say goodbye to her. I wanted to reach into the book and bitchslap the hell out of her. She was an utter freaking moron from almost the moment he left.


Guess what? I bet you can't guess. Actually, I'm poor and that's a sucker bet because obviously you can guess what happens. Of course – OF FREAKING COURSE (and if you're wondering why I've said "of course" about twenty times in this review, it's because it was that damn banal) – doh, PREGGERS! Why wouldn't she get pregnant? Why would this not take such a typical turn? Will she tell Dylan? Nope. Why would he have a right to know about his child? And everyone around her only cares about her telling him so he can write her a check, not because he should know about his kid. This news sets off her over-protective brother, Connor, who has already been raging about Dylan being the scum of the earth right along side his idiot sister. So now he's out for blood and acting like Dylan knocked her up, found out, and ran like the wind. Because that makes a lot of fucking sense. I promise you that I'm taking a lot of the absolute stupid out of everything these characters said and did (I should have written this days ago when my rage was still fresh, my status updates give an idea of what I was feeling).

I didn't want Dylan to come back. He didn't deserve to be saddled with a moron and her moron family (except the kids, who were cool) who'd treat him like crap when he didn't earn it. But, this is a romance novel, so he must return. But not before having to deal with his scummy, using, chemically dependent extended family who only got in touch with him for what he might be able to do for them. He had to change his phone number and specifically called Katie to give her his new number and tell her that he missed her. Twice. Her response: 'uh huh, that's nice, gotta go.' He reached out to her and she still acted like he's the devil that ran away.

He goes back to Virgin River because he can't stand not being with Katie. He's willing to do whatever he needs to do to figure out a way to be with her, even though his life is in Montana and he could be working in L.A. for awhile. What greets him when he gets back? Katie treating him like womanizer scum and her unhinged brother immediately throwing fists at him.

"And you abandoned her,” Conner ground out between clenched teeth. “Left her pregnant and alone!”

Really? I didn't know a man could do that when he didn't know about the pregnancy. Way to forget your ESP on that shit, Dylan!


Dylan immediately starts groveling to Katie like he did something wrong and she was, in any way, misled or lied to and didn't make the conscious choice to enter into a fling with him. She acts like a fucking martyr. Like he should have to earn her forgiveness. She dismissed the residual issues he had from his childhood like they were absolutely nothing, using his honesty with her against him. Yes, they were an emotional crutch for him, but the pain of it was real.

She acted like he should have said "screw it" to his business and everyone relying on him for their livelihoods to stay with her (both of them without work and raising two kids). It doesn't matter to her that he kept in touch with her and told her he missed her, doesn't matter that he came back, doesn't matter that he didn't leave her for his sake but to save other people's jobs. She continued to push him away and act like a victim while refusing to tell him him about the baby – she was trying to push him out of town first.
Why in the hell would he even want to be with such a callous, self-involved bitch? Yet he kept going on about how she was the best woman he'd ever known (next to his grandmother, which is the only blood family member he claimed). In the end Dylan's tenacity and her brother's crazy backed Katie into a corner and she had to tell him. Afterward, she stopped fighting him and her feelings for him and they began a real relationship. Meanwhile, I just wanted her to get eaten by the bear they had talked about the entire book.

The book got tolerable again at this point and my rage subsided, but the predictability did not. There is one thing that kind of saved this a little in the end for me. Anyone reading the book had to know it was coming from the moment Katie and the twins moved into their cottage, but it didn't play out perfectly. One of the twins runs off into the woods and gets lost. Then DYLAN GETS MAULED BY A BEAR! That was amazing! Yes, it was only one swipe, but she fucked his back up. Apparently, bear maulings are freaking awesome.

Katie agreeing to move to Montana within hours of being there for a visit was really silly, especially after she lamented in the beginning of the book about how the boys needed stability because of the turmoil of the last year and she wanted to keep them rooted in one place. That said, I really appreciated that Dylan didn't have to give up everything for Katie. I was afraid he would considering how entitled she felt about everything regarding him.

The story could have stood more Dylan bonding with the boys, but their scenes together were rather cute. I especially liked when he could finally tell them apart. It just wasn't enough to make up for the lackluster writing, predictable story, and rage inducing heroine. This was the first Robyn Carr novel I've read, and I can't say that I'm all too inclined to pick up another one. If this were a debut I would consider giving her a chance down the road, but this is the seventeenth installment of this series. I don't think there's much of a chance of a change in her writing style to something I'd enjoy. I was going to rate this 1.5, but the bear made it a solid 2.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite in this series, but I did enjoy it. In this book we meet two new characters in Virgin River. Katie Malone is sister to Conner, hero of Hidden Summit, and a mother of twin 5-year old boys. Dylan Childress is a struggling pilot/business man from Montana just driving through on his Harley Davidson with several buddies. We do see some of the regulars around town, but not so much beyond Jack and Paul.

After Dylan spots Katie on the side of the road and helps her with a flat tire, they meet up again later in town. It doesn’t take long for their physical attraction to heat up, and they start up a no-strings-attached relationship. Dylan makes arrangements to stay in town longer, thus allowing him more time with Katie. We soon learn that Dylan was once a child star from a semi-famous family, but who hasn’t acted in over twenty years. So as a means to fund his dying business, he agrees to film a movie for some big bucks.

While I loved seeing the regulars again in Virgin River, and enjoyed a side story about bears, I had some real issues with the storyline between the H/h in this book. Unfortunately, much of it didn’t come off as overly believable for me. Dylan being able to get back into Hollywood after such a long hiatus, and apparently zero acting practice for twenty years was a huge stretch. He made it sound as if he was doing Hollywood a favor too. When a top producer calls him a ‘natural’ I had to laugh, because how would he even know?? And then there was the issue with his business in Montana. Why would anyone want to infuse a business with more capital if the business model itself was failing? He came across as a person with little business sense, and the fact he was gone from his business for several months proved that too me. Yes, we are told that he has a trusted business partner back in Montana running the show, but I saw that as a cop out. If your business is truly dying, you don’t take extended vacations, hand the business over to number-2 in charge, and then hope for the best.

Katie was also an interesting character. She plans to rent Jack’s old cabin in the woods for a few months until she can figure out her life, but besides enrolling her kids in day care (even though she isn’t working) she spends her days either relaxing or hanging with Dylan. No job hunting, career training, volunteer work…etc. She doesn’t seem too worried about money or figuring out her life, but we know she’s not rich by any means. And for a person who claims to be so independent, she relies heavily on her brother to make decisions and help with her kids.

Then there were some issues with the story itself, which were more ‘nit picks’ then actual flaws. Still, they threw me out of the story all the same. For example, in the beginning of the book Katie arranged to have her SUV ‘sent’ to Sacramento California from Florida, where she planned to pick it up again in a few days after a short vacation at Disney World with the kids. Now unless she is super f’n rich and can hire massive air cargo shipment at the last minute, there is no way her SUV will travel the 3,000 miles from Florida to California in only a few days. A truck company will take weeks, if not a few months, and a hired driver would need at least a week as well.

Dylan was my least favorite hero in this entire series so far, and Katie is just average. I didn’t buy their romance, I felt too much of it was a stretch to believe, but I did like the decisions they made in the end. The story did wrap up nicely and believable given their circumstances. I think you will be able to guess the ending pretty easily, and if you’re like me you will agree it makes the most sense for their story.

So am I done with the Virgin River series? Not a chance! Despite not loving this one, I hope this series never ends.

[Obsidian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of my least favorite books in the series. A male and female lead that were lame together and a male lead that sucked. I think Carr was going for a reformed rake story-line taking place in contemporary times, but honestly it didn’t work. And I loathe contemporary romances where the male lead is all I am only here to get laid and am not interested in a relationship and the woman is maybe I can change him. Stop it!

I wish an author would have the woman saying okay I can do that, and having her go merrily on her way after the hook-up. Have that guy chase after her and have her honestly not be interested and not acting as if she is not interested in order to get him to be interested. Did you all follow that?

Dylan sucks. I think that if Katie had been single with no kids I wouldn’t have cared. But she did have kids and I think that it was in Jerry Maguire that Cuba Gooding Jr. said to Tom Cruise’s character, you do not mess with single mothers unless you plan on being there. And I kind of want to know what Katie is thinking since she doesn’t seem smart at all.

Katie has left behind what she thought was a promising relationship with a dentist (poor dentists, the romance world hates you all) and takes her two twin boys to be with her brother Conner for the summer. Katie is also a widow (Virgin River, you strike again) and you would think she would be cautious about introducing her kids to men unless she’s dating them. I try not to get judgey with fictional characters too much (total lie, I am super judgey, I love books but certain things drive me up the wall while reading) but I honestly wanted to tell Katie to find a vibrator and just leave Dylan alone.

Dylan’s plot was laughably bad. He is a former child actor who is trying to keep his flight business in Montana afloat. It’s not doing well so he goes back to acting. After like a 10 year or 20 year break. I can’t even remember because I just rolled my eyes. He’s terrible towards his mother and half brother and sister because he sees them as only being there to just suck him dry and use him to get their own careers back on the track. Besides a few paragraphs here and there that was all you get there dealing with them.

Dylan sticks around Virgin River a bit (even though his business is failing) to get laid. Seriously. He decides he is attracted to Katie though he is not interested in a relationship and based on his dialogue cannot really stand her kids.

I know there were other people in this book, I just can’t recall them besides Conner and Leslie from the last book. Most of this book really dealt with Katie weeping over Dylan and trying not to show him she missed him and then a curveball is thrown in that had me vibrating with the urge to dropkick my Kindle. I did not do that since I had a brand new Kindle Fire HD for Christmas from my brothers, and I don’t treat gifts from family like soccer balls. Back to the book, it was a terrible idea to introduce, and I think the only reason why was in order to have this couple be together because even Carr I felt like was not too enthused about them.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars


I love the Montana house + land around it. Perfect spot for a family. Their window view must be amazing

[jenjn79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Yet another wonderful addition to a series that is one of my favorite romance series ever.

Series Note:
This is the 18th book in the Virgin River series. I won't say you have to read the series in order to read this book, but it is a wonderful series and I think there are definite benefits of reading it in order. However, this book can stand on it's own pretty well, probably.

Summary:
Katie Malone is traveling across country to stay in Virgin River, where her brother has settled, after a romance didn't work out and realizing her twin 5 year olds need some stability. She's hoping for some down time in Virgin River before deciding what the next step in her life should be. A flat tire just outside down leads to some unexpected consequences in her life when a mysterious biker happens by and helps her out.

A former child-star, Dylan Childress is on a motorcycle tour of the Virgin River area with some friends before he gets back down to work trying to figure out how to save his aviation business. When he meets intriguing Katie Malone on the road, he's mystified by her. She's everything he's ever wanted but told himself he couldn't have. Neither are looking for a relationship, but one finds them. Working it out isn't easy, though, as both are at a crossroads in their lives and trying to find a way to be together won't be easy.

Review:
What is it about this series that is so enchanting and engaging? From the first book I've been hooked and I keep coming back for more. I haven't loved every book in the series, but even the ones that aren't my favorites are a pleasure to read. Maybe it's the continuity of the books...it's the best series I've ever read when it comes to keeping characters, setting, and romances going from book to book. Maybe it's the wonderful setting, or the fantastic characters, or the simplicity and realism of true romance and life issues. Or I guess it's a combination of all that. Whatever it is, Robyn Carr has created such a wonderful set of books with this series.

I really enjoyed this book. I can't say it's one of my top favorites, but it's definitely one of the more enjoyable ones. I loved both the main characters. Katie Malone is a spunky, widowed mother of twin 5 year-olds and Dylan Childress is a former bad boy child star who turned his life around and is now a quite reclusive owner of an aviation business. Both were a pleasure to read about.

The romance is sweetly done. I read a review that felt the romance wasn't developed enough, that the two fell in love too quickly and too simply. I couldn't disagree more. I thought the development of the romance was wonderfully done. Maybe it didn't take very long (a month of so) but I had no issues with the development. I could feel the chemistry between the two. And RC did a great job of portraying their inner conflict over getting involved. Especially with Dylan and his struggle to put his inner demons to rest and to allow himself to fall in love and hope for a future with Katie. I found Dylan to be a rather intriguing guy and I loved his storyline. Would he go back to movies? Would he save his business? Would he move to VR to be with Katie? Would he get eaten by a bear ;) It was great stuff. And I was really rooting for these two and just want to keep reading about them and how it would all work out.

Maybe the storyline isn't wildly original and maybe the tone is similar to a lot of the other VR books, but again, I didn't mind. Robyn Carr is such a wonderful storyteller that every book, no matter how different or similar to other books in the series, is a joy to read. You just get sucked into the story she is telling about Katie and Dylan, the town of Virgin River, and all the other people involved.

Plus, you can't get through a VR book without getting to read about a lot of the past characters. This book didn't involve them quite as much as some past books - the focus in this one was pretty centered around Dylan and Katie - but you get a nice dose of Jack, Connor, Leslie, Luke...some cameos from Preacher, Paige, Paul, Nora, some others, and an introduction the hero of the next book, Tom.

And like I've said in other reviews, every time I read a new Virgin River book it's like coming home because Robyn Carr has created such a heart-warming, vivid, wonderful place in Virgin River, California. I look forward to the next installment.

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redwood Bend es el libro numero 16 de la saga Virgin River creada por Robyn Carr y tiene como protagonistas a Katie ( hermana de Conner, protagonista del libro anterior ) y Dylan, un nuevo personaje.
Despues de haber leido tantos libros de esta serie me es dificil escribir una reseña, no solo porque no quiero dar ningun spoiler sino tambien porque las historias se parecen tanto que es complicado decir algo que no haya dicho en las otras reseñas.
Redwood Bend sigue la misma linea que las novelas anteriores : es rapida de leer, con una trama agil y entretenida, obviamente no sera del gusto de todos pero si quieres una lectura romantica ( y bastante rosa ) es muy buena opcion, reconozco que quizas no sea muy imparcial con esta clase de libros, ya que me gustan mucho, no solo por la parte romantica sino tambien por la buena relacion que tieen todos los personajes y la maravillosa forma de describir de la autora, casi consigue transportarte a Virgin River.

3 Estrellas!

[Catherine Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful read. Katie is a strong and likable woman--a good mother, a widow who overcame not only sadness but also being relocated away from her only family. Dylan leaps off the page, a realistic, well-drawn character. Kudos to Ms. Carr. I highly recommend this book!

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook: Narrator - Therese Plummer

After sixteen books in this series, performed by this exceptional narrator, I’m not sure there’s anything I can say that I haven’t at least tried to say. Considering the fact I’m not a writer, I think I do pretty well just getting something down about the way a book makes me feel, I am nowhere near capable of describing the sheer perfection Ms. Plummer does on every single one of these books. It’s pure delight listening to her and I’m a fan for life!




I loved Katie and Dylan together as everything between them was open and honest. Neither had to wonder or question what the other wanted or expected. Although their wants did eventually change, there was no real relationship drama. They definitely had to work through what was keeping them from being on the same page at the same time, but that was enough angst for me.

Katie’s twin boys added so much heart and soul to this story and Ms. Plummer’s performance of them had my eyes swimming at times. I enjoyed how this couple managed to work together to find answers that they could both live with.





I especially enjoyed this book as it focused singularly on Katie and Dylan with the Virgin River cast of characters as supporting cast when needed. Many of the earlier books are like two books in one and that method tended to annoy me.

Dual POV
Safe no ow/om drama although h sees a pic of H with ow and thinks the wrong thing but once she confronts him with it he’s able to explain; H is not a player
Triggers no apparent triggers

[Pam Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Redwood Bend Stars

Well for some reason I got the middle to end of book first then beginning to middle.

So since I know how it all ends because I read from Middle to end I choose not to read the beginning.

And that’s totally fine, this story was how I had hoped Katie’s journey would good from meeting her in the book prier.

I loved that she moved to be with her brother and his lady. And she has the support because twin boys can’t be easy to raise.

I loved the whole dynamic and now I know why it felt like I was missing all the good parts, haha

Overall even from reading from the middle to the end I loved it.

Narration is AMAZING!

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Virgin River is such a fantastic, low-angst romance series. It reminds me of comfort food - goes down easy & leaves you feeling good! Redwood Bend is another great addition. Highly recommended!

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Redwood Bend is a solid entry in the Virgin River series. It is not the best in the series, but it has all the ingredients that make these books comforting, enjoyable and perfect to help you relax. When I started Redwood Bend I had gone through some hard days at work and this story was the perfect escape.

Redwood Bend revisits the story of Katie, Conner’s sister. We first saw Conner and Kate in Hidden Summit. Katie makes the move to Virgin River with her young twin boys and stays at the magical A-Frame cabin in the clearing, the very same cabin that Mel stayed at back in book 1. We get some of Preacher’s cooking, some of Jack’s bartender jokes, lots of Conner and Leslie and a good amount of build-up and angst involving the focus couple - -Dylan and Katie.

Dylan is a former childhood and teenage TV and movie star. But former is they key, he lives a very different lifestyle but his past haunts him (after all he is a hero in a Virgin River book!). Katie is trying to move on in her life, get past losing her husband and raise her sons. Dylan and Katie’s lives collide and the result is some great heat, a cute romance and some very touchy scenes.

So while this is not the best Virgin River book I have read, it is still entertaining, fun and moves the story arc along. Fans will enjoy definitely enjoy it. It can also be read as a standalone, Robyn Carr catches readers up with detailed recaps.

I do have a few complaints. I know the set up for these stories is simple and maybe that is the point for these comfort reads. But sometimes, it does get old: two individuals with difficult pasts, the road into Virgin River is fraught with danger so accidents and flat tires happen, Preacher cooks up good food for strangers, Jack is wise and knows a couple will hook up before they do, there more than likely is an unplanned pregnancy, groups of men enjoy fishing and hunting bonding trips, the wise family friend counsels the heroine on her choices and missteps, and no matter what curve balls are thrown the heroine she always always smiles.

Another complaint, at the beginning of the story I was not sure which male character was going to be the hero of the story and who was doing the talking - -Walt or Dylan. Maybe it was because I had a review copy and this was later fixed.

But the predictability of these books plays into the comfort. We may know the set-up, we may know the resolution, but there is something so realistic about the struggles the couples in this series go through. The setting is perfect, the characters are often close to perfect, but the road to the relationship is not perfect. Of course we know the couple will get there and that is what makes reading these books as comforting as hot chocolate on a cold and stormy night.

I do recommend this book for fans of the series, fans of lite make-over stories, fans of small town romance and fans of contemporary romance. And I look forward to the next Virgin River story which will be out in just a few months!

I was provided a copy of from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Brie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

Warning: the review contains a spoiler, it’s hidden, but I'm making sure you know about it now in case you prefer to skip the review.

One of my favorite books by Robyn Carr is A Summer in Sonoma. It’s one of her standalone books and if you haven’t read it you should because it’s wonderful. When I found out that Walt, the hero of that book, had a cameo in this book (he also makes a cameo in the previous book, Hidden Summit) I was a happy camper.

Katie Malone is a single mother of 5-year-old twins. Her husband died in war when she was pregnant and she’s been alone ever since. Months ago, tragedy struck again when her brother became the main witness of a murder and had to go into hiding. That ended up well with him moving to a small town called Virgin River and finding love, but Katie’s life was a bit of a mess. When she finally allowed herself to date and maybe find love, the guy she was dating turned out to be gay. Now she’s trying to start again but first she’s taking her boys for a little road trip and to visit their uncle.


Halfway through Virgin River, and in the middle of a storm, she has a flat tire. A motorcycle gang, or at least what she first thinks is one, stops to help her. One of the bikers is Dylan Childress, famous actor and former teenage heartthrob. He’s been out of the spotlight for a while now but she recognizes him immediately. They are both staying in Virgin River for a short time and since they feel strongly attracted to each other they decide to have a fling, a very hot and heavy fling. He is very clear about the nature of their relationship because he is weary of commitment and also because he thinks himself incapable of love due to his dysfunctional family and difficult past. Also, his business is struggling and he doesn’t have the time or the resources to be in a committed relationship. So things go well until Katie begins to fall for him and he has to leave to real life with a business nearing bankruptcy and his draining and annoying family. Will they be able to make it work? They have a difficult road ahead of them and life has a couple of surprises in store.

Redwood Bend is the 18th book in the Virgin River series, the 18th! At this point in any other series I would be ready to quit, but Ms. Carr has managed to keep it fresh by adding new characters that in no way relate to the original books, thus infusing it with new blood, and making it possible for new readers to jump right in without having to go back and read the rest of the book. I think reading the previous book helps, but these new trilogies stand alone quite well and everyone should be able to enjoy them.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the hero, it’s one of the best she’s written, I think his life experiences clearly shaped the man he was today and it was obvious that he was a responsible, honest and hardworking guy. Yes, he suffers from the same commitment phobia that ails most romance heroes, but he makes up for it by being so mature in the other aspects of his life. His business is hurting, victim of the economy, and Ms. Carr doesn’t sugarcoat it. There are no miraculous cures for this and he is thinking about sacrifice and how to deal with the hard times throughout the whole book.

The heroine was a good person, a devoted mother but not a perfect one. Her kids were a handful and she was able to acknowledge that, as much as she loved them, they could be too much to handle at times. That’s pretty much the only thing I liked about her, though, and she is the reason why I have mixed feelings about the book. I’m tired of heroines embarking on relationships they can’t handle. Why have a no-strings-attached affair with someone who’s leaving in days, when all you want is a husband!? Two answers to that: 1. You don’t know yourself well enough to know what you want, and are unable to make intelligent decisions; or 2. You’re an idiot. Actually, there’s a third answer that applies to this heroine, 3. No self-awareness whatsoever and complete idiocy. But wait, this isn’t the most infuriating thing about her, nope, up until that point I was happy enough to let this pass, however, when I got to the next part I was ready to DNF the book. This is a spoiler so look away if you don’t want to know: she gets pregnant (surprise!) and she doesn’t tell the hero. He leaves before she finds out, because that was his plan all along, he was temporarily in Virgin River, he had to go back home -hence the no-strings-attached sex with the expiration date-. She knew it and still was hurt when he left, she felt abandoned, and when she finds about the pregnancy she decides to not tell him. Why? Go read the “idiot” part I mentioned before to get the answer. This is the same woman who lost his husband before he got to know his sons, the same woman who wishes her sons had a father. But now that she actually has a baby daddy, she won’t tell him?! Book meet wall. He wasn’t a bad guy, she had no excuse not to tell him. Maybe he didn’t want a baby, but at least give him the news so he can decide for himself if he wants to be a dad or not. This angered me so much that afterwards the book was lost to me.

So there you have it. Loved the hero, loved revisiting the town, hated the heroine. The only reason I’m giving the book a 2.5 is because the hero was awesome. If you’re a fan of the series this is a must read, I know I would read it even after knowing that I wouldn't like the heroine. If you’re not a fan of the series and want to give it a try, this is not the right book to start with.

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

[Beanbag Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid addition to my favorite literary soap opera.

Dylan and Katie click immediately. They have decent chemistry and sparks do fly. He doesn't want a relationship because his family's emotional commitment history is hellish and he thinks he's pretty much illiterate in that area. Katie doesn't mean to get involved with someone who says they're not interested in more than a fling, but she can't help herself.

It's a pretty good story. Subtle, calm, romantic. My biggest problem came in the middle when I hated Katie for a stretch. She was planning to do something repugnant while sitting on a fairly unearned high horse and I was pretty annoyed for a bit. But then things calmly came around to happy again. It's a genuine comfort read.

I was glad to see Hollywood portrayed a little more realistically. Authors always get it wrong. Nobody really wants to write about what it's really like, I suppose, so you get Carr's Murial St. Clair and McNaught's Zach Benedict. It's far uglier than those characters' stories portray, particularly where kids are concerned, and this one comes a lot closer without distractingly pounding the reader on the head.

I also thought Carr did a good job of portraying the despair and hardship of a small business owner in the current economic climate. Very well done on that score. Not as didactic as Carr can pull out for a story line like that, so I definitely appreciated it.

All in all it's a good one.

[Splage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loves this series!! I am not a huge series person especially one that really makes you commit like VR. I tend to to stick with favorite authors more than series; books that come in groups and can be read as stand-alones in case I skip one so it isn't hard to catch up. This is book 18 and I still completely love it. Some are better than others, all are good to great though and I hope they never end. I feel I living in VR when I read them and these are my neighbors. Who doesn't want to be surrounded by good wholesome, incredible looking alpha studs who take care of their women and cherish their families! If you want a top notch feel good series that stirs up tons of emotion this is the one I would recommend.

Redwood Bend was another wonderful book. Actually I liked it better than the past 4 or 5, although as I said all have been good. This centers around Katie, a widowed mother with 5 year old rambunctious twins. Katie was introduced in book 17, Hidden Summit, as Conner's sister. She moves to VR to be with her brother and to give her sons a positive male influence. Her husband was killed in Afghanistan, a green beret and decorated hero. He was a real hard act to follow, I don't think that Dylan, the hero, completely did the job, but I fell in love with him anyway. Dylan was a child actor that got messed up in Hollywood at a young age and was rescued by his grandmother who straightened him out. Carr did a great job of portraying what I feel is the scene many of these actors come from... think Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears here. Dylan was lucky to come out alive.

Katie's gets a flat tire in the pouring rain on the winding roads on her way to VR. She is a self efficient strong mother, knows her way around "man jobs" (at least MY man's jobs) because her father raised her brother and her the same. So she is out there attempting to change the tire when a group of motorcycle men come upon her. She recognizes Dylan immediately even though it is twenty years later from his heart throb status. She was a crazy fan of his at 12, but she doesn't lead on that she recognizes him for quite a long time. What I loved about Katie was that her kids were always first, but she wasn't afraid of experiencing life and future relationships or their failures. I loved Dylan when the relationship begins. He thinks in his mind that he could never have a true love or family because of where he comes from and the examples he saw in his own dysfunctional family. He was a heartbreaker and at times I had trouble forgiving him for what he put Katie and her boys through, but I loved the emotions it brought out in me.

One thing I am missing in the past several books of the series is the secondary love story Carr many times interweaves. Sometimes there are almost as many pages dedicated to the supporting romance as the main one. I especially love the younger secondary romances such as Ricky Sudder and Tommy Booth. Even though they are high schoolers, Carr doesn’t shy away from letting them be intimate and dealing with real mature issues. I am hoping that Brenda and Tommy eventually have their own story, like Ricky and Lizzie did.

[Anne OK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always look forward to returning to Virgin River to catch up with all the previous characters we've come to know and love. Good to see the return of Tom Cavanaugh. I’m so happy that his book is next and I love knowing who’ll be wandering into his apple orchard in the next installment, “Sunrise Point,” to bring him his happily-ever-after.

The set up for “Redwood Bend” was good. There was a good solid story to be told. And just let me say, I had already guessed why Keith, the pediatric dentist, withheld all those kisses from Katie in "Hidden Summit."

I really liked Dylan’s character and was captivated by his history. In the beginning I thought Katie was going to be a very likable character as well. However, she came off less than the strong woman I first saw her as. In the end, she reclaimed my respect and I think she made the right decision even though she and Dylan and their crew won't be adding to VR’s population.

Although a bit disappointing, any revisit to Virgin River still provides a decent Saturday afternoon read. I’m looking forward to another visit back to the little town of Virgin River next month.

[Britainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love Robyn Carr! Love her emotional writing and her character's heart! This book was fantastic and I never wanted it to end.

Katie and her 5 year old twin boys move cross country from Vermont to Virgin River, California to spend more time with Katie's brother, Conner. You might remember him from Hidden Summit (VR #17). Well, things go as well as any romance novel enthusiast can expect. A flat tire and rescue from a hot, Hollywood bad boy. Thanks have a nice life and everyone moves on. Or do they? Of course not!

Dylan Childress has changed his life dramatically from his bad boy Hollywood days. He owns an air charter business almost in the toilet and is out on a motorcycle ride with his pals. He happens on a mom and her kids and his life changes forever.

Of course a Happily Ever After is in the works, but with sweet five-year old boys and even a bear attack. Who can ask for more? A definite must read of 2012!

Thank you NetGalley.com for providing me with this ebook!

[MELISSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series, really good narration and HEA stories that feel like real life. This book is no exception in the series of Virgin River as another couple meet and struggle and learn about each other while all around them the Virgin River characters interact warmly and sincerely as is their norm. Listening to this is like visiting a really dear, good friend.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about family and love. I'm really enjoying the Virgin River series!
I listened to this book on audio.
The characters were lovely.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Redwood Bend, we get to know Katie Malone and her twins better. In the last novel, Hidden Summit we met and fell in love with her brother Conner. After the danger has passed, she decides to bring her boys to Virgin River to be closer to their uncle Conner. Katie is an Army widow, and a recent encounter with her boss, has made her step back and reevaluate her non-existent love life. I loved this novel and feel in love with the characters and a new place called Payne, Montana.

On the way up the winding hills of California to Virgin River, Katie gets a flat tire. She’s more than capable of changing it, but the lug nuts won’t come loose. Her five foot, athletic frame just isn’t power enough to handle the torque tightened lugs. To make matters worse, she is at a dangerous curve and it’s raining. As she struggles with what to do, she hears the roar of engines and turns to see a biker gang heading her way. Their leader, Walt, quickly takes control of the situation and asks Dylan to lighten the load before they jack it up. When Dylan takes off his helmet, Katie loses her breathe. It’s him, Dylan Childress the childhood movie star who she crushed on as a teen and he is gorgeous. Dylan takes a long look at her, and she suddenly becomes aware of the wet view her t-shirt is giving her. He takes off his jacket and covers her up…the story that unfolds is delicious. The heat between Dylan and Katie was incredible and watching them figure things out kept me turning the pages late into the night.

I loved the character of Katie. She is tough, a great Mom and able to handle just about anything. She has great insight and despite her best intentions she falls for Dylan. Dylan, has had a troubled life and had never been in a committed relationship, in fact he is pretty sure his DNA prevents him from long term commitments. He’s come a long way from his Hollywood bad boy days but can he commit? Dylan is a pilot and owns an airport and ranch in Payne, Montana. Due to the economy his business is in trouble. His best friend and father of five needs an income and Dylan would do just about anything to keep his business afloat; even return to Hollywood to do a movie; a place he swore never to return to.

I always enjoy my visits to Virgin River and recommend Redwood Bend to fans of small town contemporary romances. Each of the Virgin River series novels can easily be read as a standalone. I am secretly hoping that Robyn Carr writes a new series about Payne, Montana. Carr has such a gift for bringing characters and plots to her novels that bring you hours of enjoyable reading and draw you back again and again.

I want to thank netGalley and Harlequin publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. It was such a thrill getting one of my favorite must read series in advance. Thank you!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review posted on Guilty Pleasurest

RECOMMENDED READ

I was SO glad to be back in Virgin River! I did have to stop reading other stories and catch up because I was behind a few books. Being immersed in Virgin River and being with my old friends again was wonderful.

Redwood Bend is the story of Kaite and Dylan. I love Katie and Dylan and of course I want to be BFF's with Katie and all the girls in Virgin River. Katie has 5 year old twin boys and lost her husband Charlie in war. Her brother Conner has always been close, so Katie is heading to Virgin River from Vermont to be closer to Conner and his new love Leslie. Dylan is a former child star who was taken away from Hollywood by his grandmother Adele (LOVE her and Randy!) to live in Montana, even though Adele is a movie star as well.

Katie and Dylan meet when he and his friends who are on a bike ride stop to help with a flat tire, and for Katie seeing Dylan that first time was all it took. I loved watching the relationship between Katie and Dylan grow. Dylan feels like he is not long term material because of his parents many marriages and relationships. He is so wonderful with Katie and her boys but it takes a lot of ups and downs for him realize he is worth the happines he finds with Katie and the boys. I enjoyed the back and forth between these two. Katie makes Dylan work for it! Katie is a strong women, like all of the Virgin River women, even after all she has been through. I love that she always puts her boys first and does things on her own. She can even change the oil in her SUV! I loved the relationship between her and her brother Conner. Even when Conner is a bit over protective she loves him anyway and tells him to butt out.

Another great story from Robyn Carr. I know somewhere out there is a real Virgin River and I want to vist, but until then I will just have to read these wonderful stories. I did miss some of my old friends. This book is really based around Katie and Dylan and I liked that, but did miss the second story we are used to in older Virgin River books, but I was not disappointed in the story. Once again I laughed out loud and cried a little. I am always so amazed how I just fall in love with these stories. Robyn Carr pulls you in and you just do not want it to end! I am looking forward to Nora and Tom's story next

[SBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, this one was great. The Virgin River books now keep a hint of the past without being buried in it. I’m always wary of a bunch of brand new characters turning up in an established series and taking over, but this one worked perfectly for me. It was funny and touching and so satisfying in the slightly surprising end.

Dylan Childress – our hero here – is a washed up child star, who is very happy to be out of the business, even if his family still surround him, trying to cling to the remnants of his fame. Katie Malone – the sister of the hero from Hidden Summit – has had a bad five years after the death of her Green Beret husband. She’s been raising their twin boys on her own, and is currently not only without work but also without any idea where to set up house.

This is a story that thrives or fails based on whose hands it’s in, and fortunately Robyn Carr is an excellent writer. I was entertained from start to finish, running the range of emotions.

Yet again Walt Arneson from A Summer in Sonoma makes an appearance, and boy do I ever love reading about such a wonderful past hero living out the happy ending that we were left with in that book.

If you’re a stickler for Virgin River’s good old days, you may be a little disappointed that Mel is not given a chance to take over the story – but that was a major plus for me. The series has to continue to evolve, and if this instalment is anything to go by, this is a series evolving in the best direction.

[Pikolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buenoo, pues es que, siendo una historia de Virgin River, ya imaginaba que el que me gustara estaba garantizado, y así ha sido.
Me encanta esta serie/saga. Son tan fresquitas y con unos paisajes tan impresionantes y deseables, que es como si estuvieras allí según lees.
En esta historia me han gustado mucho los protagonistas, me han gustado mucho los gemelos y me ha encantado volver a saber de Jack por ejemplo, que creo que es el gran prota de toda la serie.
Lectura amena, facilita, interesante, y con mucha amistad y sobre todo amor.
Recomendable 100%

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites in this great series!

[Nath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 (C+)

Wow, book #18!! Hard to believe it's been almost 5 years since I picked up Virgin River on a whim!! Even after so many books, I find Virgin River and Jack's Bar to be warm places - almost idyllic - that I'd love to visit :) Guess Ms Carr has been doing a good job :) While the place has not lost its charms, the books themselves have been a bit like a roller coaster with ups and downs. They are definitively some that stand out, like Wild Man Creek, which is why I keep reading the series. I was hoping Redwood Bend would be one, especially since it got positive feedback... unfortunately, it wasn't. Before I launch myself into this review, I'd like to mention that I did not read Hidden Summit, the previous book in the series. However, I don't think I missed any vital information and it didn't impact my enjoyment of Redwood Bend. All right, here we go :)

For me, the strength of Redwood Bend was the setting and the characters. There's a reason why readers keep reading the Virgin River series. Obviously, the writing is good :) But the real reason is the setting, the place itself: Virgin River. It's the rustic and isolated feeling Virgin River gives off, the warmth and helpfulness of its inhabitants. It's a quiet and charming place to be, a bit too true to believe and perfect for fiction :) Yes, the conditions are harder... but the concerns and priorities are different and so is the lifestyle than in big cities. You can do more with less. And there's a sense a community in Virgin River that is so strong - the kind that you used to find in all neighborhoods and that is slowly fading away in suburbs and big cities. It's nice to revisit such a place in Redwood Bend :) It was warming to see Katie and her two boys be welcomed in Virgin River and how easily they settled in. It was also great to revisit some of the characters such as Jack and Preacher. Jack is definitively the core of the community, not just because of his bar, but his personality... so it's not a surprise to see him again. As for the rest of the cast, I think Ms Carr did a good job at balancing their apparitions so the spotlight was not taken away from Katie and Dylan.

As I mentioned, the other strong aspect of this book for me was the characters, i.e. Katie and Dylan. Katie is a widow raising two 5 years old twin boys. I loved how her maternal side came through in Redwood Bend. She's really what I imagine a mother of two active young boys to be. A Buddha with multiple hands, preventing her sons' action to get out of hand and creating full-blown chaos :) But even SuperMom needs a break from time to time... Katie simply felt real and that was nice. As for Dylan, I admire him for the man he has become... especially since he did not have a great start. As a very popular teen actor, Dylan was spoiled, basically a brat, who got into drugs and alcohol. Luckily for him, his grandmother got him in hands and straighten him out and he made it. I liked how loyal he was to his employees, accepting to do something he didn't love anymore - acting - to keep his business afloat. I think he was a very nice and good man.

My issue with this book is I felt Katie and Dylan had no chemistry together. They're attracted to each other and then, Dylan finds himself hanging around Virgin River longer to be close to Katie and they have a fling. That part was kind of cute, but I needed more. What held them together, what made this romance work besides physical attraction? There wasn't really a connection between them, so I wouldn't be able to answer... Okay, I could, but aside from the surprise result. Sure, they were both nice people... but what else? They simply didn't seem to fit each other. Katie was SuperMom and Dylan was the ex-heartthrob who didn't believe he'll ever have a family, given the example his parents set out and his estranged relationships with all relatives except his grandmother. I mean, technically, in real life, these people would never have started a fling. Also, I was quite disappointed that there was no bonding between Dylan and the twins :( That's one thing I always enjoy in books with small children, their interactions between the H/H. In this case, it was awkward. Yes, the twins got attached to Dylan eventually, but we don't see how this attachment is formed... and I suspect it is more due to proximity and time, than actual feeling ^_^; Also, I felt there was no trust between Katie and Dylan. It seems to me Katie was too quick to believe the worst out of Dylan, all the stories written in the gossip magazines. She didn't even give him the benefit of doubt. I felt that given the amount of time she spent with him and their intimate relationship, she would know him better and have more confidence in herself and more faith in Dylan.

Another issue I had with Redwood Bend was the event that happened at the end of the book with one of the twins. Yes, Ms Carr foreshadowed it... but I felt it was a tad far-fetched. I don't get why the boy would suddenly have an inclination to go into the forest ^_^; I seemed out of character for me and I guess it was there to add some drama, but I think the story could have done without it.

Despite all the issues, I did like how the romance was resolved and the ending of the book :) I thought it was nicely done and I liked how Dylan didn't give up his home. Oh and I have to say, one of my favorite part of the book was when Dylan's grandmother came to visit! I thought it was sweet she was looking out for Dylan... Plus, I liked how she was an acquaintance of Muriel. The world is indeed small LOL.

All in all, Ms Carr delivers another nice installment in the series. While it didn't wow me, it was nice and cozy. Fans of the series will most probably enjoy it :)

[KathyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series, unfortunately this one fell short for me. It had so many things I normally like, in the end I just didn't connect with the main characters. I normally enjoy all of the side stories and the extended Virgin River community, catching up with old favorites is part of the charm. I didn't feel the same connection with this one, something was missing.

Overall it was just okay. I won't be re-reading but I'm still planning on finishing the series. Hopefully the next one will be better.

3.25 Stars

[Maida · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Instalust but also slow burn into love. I liked that Dylan was very upfront about his temporary stay in Virgin River yet he kept postponing his departure because of Katie. I like that he was great with her kids. Overall, I like him better than Katie. She was okay at the start but she did a little bit of deception and distrusted Dylan because of tabloid rumors. He worked harder in the relationship than she did.