Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all…
Reverend Noah Kincaid moved to Virgin River to reopen an abandoned church he bought on eBay. Like Noah, the place is a little empty inside, but all it may need is some loving care…
The young widower arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and build a place of worship and welcome, but he needs some help. And the Lord works in mysterious ways.
With her tight shirts and short skirts, pastor’s assistant is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. The former exotic dancer needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. And Noah can’t help but admire her spunk and motherly determination.
Noah and Ellie are an unlikely team to revitalize a church, much less build a future. The couple has so many differences, but in Virgin River anything is possible, and happiness is never out of the question.
Don't miss Robyn Carr's next uplifting novel, The Friendship Club, where four women come together at a tumultuous time in their lives, forging an unbreakable bond that will leave them all forever changed—available January 2024!
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/.
One of the best in the series yet. And surprisingly, this one could be read as a stand-alone as there were no story arc's playing out in this book. Best yet, we get plenty of time with Noah and Ellie. I think they got 80% of the book. I also have to give this book credit for one of my favorite marriage proposals. Lets just say funny and touching!
Forbidden Falls is a wonderful romantic story of a young single paster in a new town who finds love with a woman from the other side of the tracks (so to speak.) Ellie, a former dancer at a strip club, needs respectable work in order to beat a custody battle over her two young children. She applies for the position of paster's assistant in Virgin River at a church under renovation. Despite first appearances, Ellie turns out to be a great assistant for Noah, who comes to depend and care for her deeply.
There is a secondary story that plays out with a past hero/heroine duo. Paul and Vanessa has a heart-tugging change of events brought into their lives. You don't need to read their story to understand what is happening in this book. However, you may want to go backwards before going any further forward in the series as most books do have a story arc -- and there are still several unresolved that I believe will play heavily into the next couple of books.
Wow oh wow and *sniff* *sniff*...what an excellent edition to the Virgin River series! I know my little review will not do this book justice, but I'm going to try. This book was probably my favorite one since Shelby and Luke's story (Temptation Ridge), and coincidentally, one of the subplots revolves around a big event in their lives. Have your kleenex handy, because this is one big emotional read.
The main focus of this story is about handsome, widowed, 35-year-old Presbyterian minister Noah Kincaid who buys (on EBay) the dilapidated old church next door to Jack's Bar and with a small inheritance from his late mother, sets out to renovate it and set up his first ever ministry in Virgin River. But before he tackles that big project he needs to hire a "pastor's assistant"--someone who can not only handle the future secretarial work, but someone who can also help him with the renovation of the old church. He's imagining some solid, older woman for the job--he never expects to hire a young (25), beautiful, sassy, irreverant single mother fighting to regain custody of her two young children, but that's what he gets when he hires Ellie Baldwin.
Ellie's a former exotic dancer with a colorful and somewhat tragic past, complete with a mother who abandoned her, a boyfriend who died in a traffic accident, another who was arrested and is in prison, and a recent ex who is a controlling, manipulative, private school principal who somehow got custody of her two kids when they divorced. Ellie's a hard working young woman with a positive attitude and a deep love for her children, and yes, she may have made a few bad choices in her life, but she's determined to rectify things and regain custody of her children. Having a 'respectable' job would be a good start--after all, what could be more respectable than working for a minister?
When Ellie comes to the job interview with her hair piled high, wearing too much makeup and revealing clothes that flaunt her cleavage (think Julia Roberts as 'Erin Brockovich'), despite being attracted to her, Noah just knows hiring her would be a bad idea--she does not look like a "pastor's assistant". So he puts her off, telling her "I'll be in touch", but Ellie knows a rejection when she hears one. Later they meet again in Jack's Bar, and when Ellie gets a chance to explain why and how badly she needs the job, soft-hearted Noah decides to give her a break.
The rest of their story centers around getting the church ready for Noah's first service, Noah practicing his minister duties outside the church setting, getting Ellie some help within the Virgin River community so she has a place to live and a plan to get her kids back, and the friendship that develops between Noah and Ellie that soon blooms into a full out, passionate love.
While this book is mainly Noah and Ellie's love story, like every Virgin River story there are a few subplots...
*Luke and Shelby finally set the date
*Noah adopts a dog who also has a connection to Virgin River
*Ellie meets a 'motherly' friend with a troubled marriage
*A peripheral character tragically dies
*Paul brings home a 'big surprise' for Vanni that tests their marriage (have the kleenex handy for this subplot)
All these subplots tie into Noah and Ellie's story, as either Noah or Ellie interact with each of these characters as either friends or to give counsel.
Almost every previous character from the Virgin River series makes at least a token appearance (or gets a mention) in this book--Mel and Jack, Preacher and Paige, Brie (who offers Ellie legal advice) and Mike, 'Shady' Brady, Walt and Muriel, Paul and Vanni, Rick and Liz, Nate and Annie...but still no Marcie and Ian (what are they doing in that cabin?)
I absolutely adored Noah and Ellie as a couple. The first 100 pages or so was told with only Noah's POV, and the reader gets to hear all his thoughts and how he got to this point in his life... his strained relationship with his televangelist father, his conflicted feelings about becoming a minister, his great love for his first wife, and how much he wants and needs a special woman in his life again. And when he meets Ellie, the reader sees how Noah is physically attracted to her, and how he soon starts to admire and respect her and how much he's grown to depend on her. And then when their friendship turns to desire in Noah, I was dying to know how Ellie felt--I wanted to hear her POV. Thankfully, around page 124, we finally get to hear what Ellie thinks of Noah--and for me, this is where the book took off and became un-put-down-able. Ellie's description of Noah: ...he had waves of testosterone rolling off him. There was that build, for one thing--powerful. And that thick hair that fell over his collar, itching for her to run her fingers through it, and the burning blue eyes, the hands...Oh God, his hands! When she got up close, and if he had his sleeves rolled up, she noticed a map of tiny white scars that marred the backs of his hands and forearms.... and...He was very attractive, the preacher man. Six feet, ink-black hair with a lock that fell over his brow sometimes. Expressive dark brows over the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. And lips that just screamed Come to Papa. Then there was that smile. Or, all those smiles--the one that indulged, the one that mocked, the one that burst out of him before he could stop it. He couldn't hide the fact that for a devout sort of guy there was some bad boy in him that he was barely keeping under control. His smile came with dimples that almost brought her to her knees. Six feet of delicious man with strong shoulders, long legs and big, hard hands. *sigh*
What about the love scenes? Oh my oh my...Well, Ellie and Noah's relationship starts out as one of 'friendship'. Each is aware that in order for Ellie to win custody of her kids, everything must appear very 'proper' and they can't really push any boundaries, even though they're both very attracted to each other. So they joke and kid around a lot, with Ellie constantly calling Noah names like "Your Holiness" or "Your Reverence", and they treat each other like good friends. But you can feel the sexual tension building hotter and hotter, and the more they get involved in each other's lives, the more their feelings get involved, until finally (around page 250) it all explodes, and Noah has one of the hottest little speeches right before he and Ellie make love for the first time...whew, have a cold drink handy! Hot!
The story comes to a head when Ellie faces down her ex, goes to court to win back her kids, the whole town comes together for the first service in the new church, and Ellie and Noah decide if they have a future together. Everything gets wrapped up nice and tidy, but darn, I sure wished there was an epilogue--I wasn't quite ready for it to end!
Fans of the series, have a box of tissues ready. There are some verry emotional moments in this one, and I swear I would have read this one a whole lot faster if I didn't have to constantly wipe my eyes. If you like reading romances about couples who are a perfect fit and are just meant to be, you'll love this one. You'll be rooting hard for Ellie and Noah, hoping that all their dreams come true for both of them. What a beautiful, romantic read. 5 big stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sitting down with a Virgin River novel is like eating your mom’s or grandma’s home cooking.....just pure comfort food for the soul!
I’m a huge fan of this series, but I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t too keen on a story with a minister for a romantic hero. I was worried that Carr might lean too heavily on the religious element...ala Catherine Anderson, which isn’t really my preference when reading romance books. Well, I’m happy to say that Carr blew me away yet again with this sweet, touching, romantic tale of a widowed pastor and a single mother ex-stripper, both of whom defy assumptions and stereotypes, who develop a deep bond of friendship that turns to passion, and of course, leads to love.
Fancy me super surprised by the fact that I found minister Noah Kincaid such an incredibly tenderhearted, yet sexy as all get out, romantic hero! Ellie Baldwin is a spirited, funny, glass-half-full heroine who maintains an affectionate, generous, positive, and upbeat attitude, despite having a painful past and a hard life filled with bitter disappointments. I loved their witty, sarcastic, spicy banter, and when they finally took things to a “romantic” level?!...Yowza!
It’s an emotionally moving read and another wonderful addition to the extraordinary Virgin River series! 5 stars!
FORBIDDEN FALLS is book 8 in the Virgin River series.
Noah Kincaid has just arrived in Virgin River after he purchased a run down church on Ebay. Virgin River is in need of a pastor and Noah is in need of a congregation. He decides to buy the church, fix it up, and help the good people in this small California town. But first he needs an assistant so he places an ad in the paper. This is how he meets Ellie, a single mom of two small children who basically comes from the other side of the tracks. She is filled with sass, isn't one to hold back on saying what she wants to, and is exactly what Noah needs although he doesn't know it yet. Ellie is a former stripper at a respectable club who needs a stable job to regain custody of her kids. That story in itself will blow you away.
Also dealing with some life changing issues are Paul and Vanni. Paul's ex girlfriend, a woman he only dated a few times, has passed away and has left custody of her small daughter, Hannah to Paul. He is not the father but cannot walk away from Hannah so he brings her home and totally blindsides Vanni with the news. Vanni is torn with this because she has a hard time accepting the fact that Paul wants to raise his ex girlfriends child. What happens if she can't bond with Hannah? Will she ever be able to let go of the jealousy that she has for this child's mother? FORBIDDEN FALLS had me up late reading, worried about what was going to happen to all of these wonderful people.
Every time I read a story from the Virgin River series I want to kick myself for not reading it sooner. FORBIDDEN FALLS is exactly why I love Robyn Carr. It's no secret that she has been a fovorite author of mine for many years. This story is filled with twists and turns that kept me flipping the pages like a crazy woman. The characters are not perfect, always flawed and you wont be able to help yourself from falling in love with them all. If Virgin River were a real town, I would have packed my bags years ago and moved there. All of its residents feel like old friends to me and it's always great to catch up with them with each book in the series. The only thing I can't understand is why this series was never turned in to movies or a television series. It would be perfect. I'm so excited to continue reading The Virgin River series.
Fantastic! Wasn't sure how the author was going to mix a widowed pastor and an exotic dancer--with two kids--with this series, but she did it. In typical Virgin River style, previous characters popped in and out or were mentioned and briefly updated. Even the puppies from the anthology "That Holiday Feeling" that included Virgin River, #8, "Under the Christmas Tree" had a nice--surprising--update. :-)
Forbidden Falls starts about 7 months after the previous story, in July and only lasts to October, but an awful lot got packed in those 90 days. What a story. Wonderfully written, nicely woven, heart-wrenching and funny at times. I couldn't put it down.
Noah Kincaid's character was heartthrob worthy. Enjoyed reading his thoughts and watching him come out of his shell to live. Ellie Baldwin needed help and through divine intervention she stumbled into the town of Virgin River where she found the close-knit "family" she longed to have. She was a riot. Enjoyed her humor, dialogue and just the right amount of sassiness to keep Noah on his toes.
The primary focus of this story involved children: wanting-raising-gaining custody-fostering-adopting-conceiving. There was a light Christian element resonating throughout and thoughtful "advice" interjected here and there.
I loved the main couple in this book. They're my favorite in the series.
These books are the perfect "getting into the holiday spirit" type of read. They have a quaint, almost Hallmark-movie type feel to them that leaves me feeling uplifted. That said, I don't think I'd have the patience to read them, as they're not as couple centered as I prefer in my romances. However, I've loved listening to them as I go about my day.
I liked this book a lot, but I'm not quite sure I 5-star-LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT like a few of my GR friends. It was definitely an enjoyable book, though, and a great addition to the Virgin River series.
SERIES NOTE: This book is the 9th story in the Virgin River series. This book could *probably* be read as a standalone without much trouble. The storyline is fairly independent in and of itself and what continuing storylines there are make sense without having read past books. BUT...this is a fantastic series and I'd definitely recommend starting from the beginning and reading them in order.
Summary: Noah Kincaid has recently become an ordained minister and is waiting for the church to give him an assignment when he sees a listing for a church on eBay. He's intrigued and investigates. It isn't long before the church is bought and Noah is moving to Virgin River to help with the extensive renovations that are needed. Noah is ecstatic. Virgin River is exactly his kind of place. He feels right at home.
When he decides to hire a pastor's assistant, Noah meets down on her luck Ellie Baldwin. Ellie desperately needs a respectable job to show a backwards judge she deserves custody of her kids. And a church job fits the bill. Noah is reluctant because Ellie is drop dead sexy and hardly seems like the pastor's assistant type, but her sad eyes convince him to give her a chance. It's the best decision he'll ever make. Ellie works hard and her brash, quirky personality draws Noah like flies on sugar. Soon, he's fully involved in her life, helping her try to get her kids back, and trying to ignore his attraction to her. For her part, Ellie has no desire to get involved with a man again after 3 disastrous relationship, but she can't stay away from Noah. He's everything she ever wanted, and someone she thinks she can never truly have.
While all that is happening, Paul and Vanessa (from past books) must face a serious challenge to their relationship. It will test them in ways they hadn't imagined.
Review: I don't think anyone who has read and enjoyed the Virgin River series could read this book and find it lack in any serious ways. It's very much a classic Virgin River tale, and I would say is a bit more focused on the main romance than some past books (a plus, in my opinion). So if you are a fan of this series, then this is definitely a winner.
Noah and Ellie were fun to read about. They are both kind and generous characters, and I loved the fact that Ellie was more atypical than typical. She was brash, saucy and irreverent, yet at the same time, she had a sweet, sensitive side. Her dedication to her kids and making a decent life for them is heartwarming.
And Noah...well, I had some reservations about him going in to this story because he was a religious figure. I'm not a religious person in any sense and I'm not a fan of religious storylines. So I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to relate to his character. But Carr made more of a man with a deep spiritual side instead of a bible-thumping preacher. I liked that. Plus, he sounded like a hot guy ;) And he and Ellie had some sexy scenes together. They were two characters who really seemed to fit together.
There's a very mild suspense plot to the story - about Ellie's freaky ex-husband and the custody battle - that helps flesh the story out and keep it from being too mundane. I thought Carr took a pretty plain story hook (a custody issue) and made it unique and fitting to the story. It kept me reading to see how things would work out.
One of my favorites parts of this book, though, was how Carr revisited Paul and Vanessa and gave them a serious challenge to get through. Out of everything in the book, I think this sub-story tugged at my heartstrings most. I was totally sucked in to this part of the book and thought Carr wrote it beautifully.
Oh...and I also LOVED how Carr tied a part of this book into the storyline from her novella in That Holiday Feeling. It was a perfect addition to the story.
On top of that, you get to catch up a little with other Virgin River mainstays: Jack, Mel, Preacher, Paige, Dan Brady, Cameron, Walt, Luke, Shelby and others. Always nice to visit with them!
What didn't I like about the book? Hmm...there wasn't really anything I had major problems with. I did feel like Ellie spouted a few too many of her gramma's life sayings. And to be honest, the whole religion thing, even though it was fairly mild in the book, was still a bit of a turn-off for an atheist like me. That's just the way I am.
Maybe the only area where I thought the book could have been written a little better was in the build-up and progression of the relationship between Ellie and Noah. Maybe it's just me, but something about their relationship felt a bit sudden when it moved from employee/employer/friends to romantic interests. Especially from Ellie's end. But that's a minor thing, really, and probably a little nit-picky.
On the whole, though, this was a great book. I love the whole Virgin River series and am so glad it's going to continue on for a while yet.
I had to put Forbidden Falls down yesterday after getting about 160 pages into it by gritting my teeth (I then skimmed the rest). I've enjoyed the previous Virgin River books, except maybe not so much Second Chance Pass. But even that book didn't make me mad! Forbidden Falls is...YUCK! Tired, overused plot with huge holes in it, characters who don't make sense, married couples who keep big secrets or make major life-changing decisions without consulting their spouse, women who are supposedly super into children who can't keep from b*tching about how hard it is to be pregnant or raise children. The series is full of martyr-mothers. Then there was the cliched vindictive judge, the controlling ex-husband, the stripper with the great bod who has a heart of gold and is a great mom, and the horny pastor who rationalizes his actions. Not to mention the author's remarks (through a character) of the questionable motives of prospective adoptive parents. I could go on and on. Yet most people have loved this book! It's getting 4 and 5 stars all over. Go figure!
I approached this book with a little trepidation as I am not religious and was a little concerned about the amount of religion that would be featured with the pastor as the main character, but I need not have worried - there wasn't much more than there usually is in these books, thank goodness!
After having read the last three books in the Virgin River series and being highly disappointed (well Rick's book wasn't a total loss but still not up to par), I was ready and prepared to feel the same about this 1st book in the 3rd trilogy about Virgin River. I was actually pleasantly surprised and read it in one day.
This book could realistically be a standalone or read if you skipped the 2nd trilogy altogether, although a portion of the story would make alot more sense if you HAVE read the 2nd trilogy. As usual, there is one main romance and a secondary romance or romantic entanglement.
The main romance is between Noah Kincaid, newly arrived to Virgin River after having bought a closed up church on Ebay, located in VR. He ends up hiring Ellie Baldwin as his pastors assistant, which in the beginning is more of a clean-up/maid job than actual assistant. Ellie is an exotic dancer (although she never took her clothes off) who has lost custody of her kids to her ex-husband and her kids STEP-father due to her job. At first I thought this plot device would be very see-through and not at all original and to a point it wasn't, but Carr did a good job making it both believable and making the reader want to continue to read. Ellie comes across as a VERY likable woman who grew up without parents and in almost abject poverty. She's made some mistakes but she's never really done anything harmful to anyone or to her kids. Noah, for me, was a little harder to pin down. He's a pastor, but he's a man's man / borderline alpha male.
The secondary romantic entanglement, sadly for me, featured Paul and Vanni. For me, Vanni is the anti-heroine, and she didn't do herself ANY favors in this book. Paul put her in an uncomfortable situation, but I think any woman with a heart or soul would not have acted so selfishly as Vanni did. I kept waiting for Paul to call her on it, but he kept to his previous persona of "whipped" husband and used the avoidance tactic instead of calling her on her behavior. However I will give credit where due - Vanni did pull her head out of her a$$ at the end and did what she should have done from the beginning.
The only thing that kept me from giving this a 5 star review was Vanni being in the book and Noah's odd behavior. He's a pastor with deep religious convictions, yet saw no problem with having premarital sex with Ellie. To me that just doesn't jive.
This is another sappy Virgin River story. Nothing new to the formula. The audio is a great companion while doing mindless errands. It was fun seeing some of the past characters appear and catching up on their lives.
Noah Kincaid buys the old church in Virgin River. He is a Presbyterian minister in search of a congregation and with money from his mother he has decided that Virgin River will suit him just fine. Noah is young, widowed and needs this church as much as the church needs him. He is not afraid of a little hard work, but he desperately needs an assistant.
Alicia Baldwin is in need of a respectable job. What could be more respectable than a "Pastor's Assistant". Since losing her children to a custody dispute due to her job as a dancer in a strip club, Alicia will do whatever it takes to get them back, even getting a more respectable job at half the pay.
But Alicia is not what anyone would consider 'Pastor's Assistant" material. She dresses a tad on the provocative side, her hair is not what you would term conservative, and her body is killer. None of which is lost on Noah, who while a minister is still a red-blooded man. But she is more than willing to do the dirty work it will take to get the church ready to open and Noah comes to admire her dedication to getting her children back and her dedication to him and the church.
One of my favorite books of the series so far. I just loved Ellie. Her character definitely proves that you should never judge a book by its cover. She is such a breath of fresh air and her down home words of wisdom from her "gramma" were pearls. Ellie's unexpected romance with Noah ("his holiness") was so touching. A terrific addition to the series and I look forward to seeing more of their characters as the series moves along.
This book took me by surprise a little, but in a good way. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or what was going on. But Ellie burrows herself into your heart.
Ellie is in the fight of her life keeping getting her children back from her ex-husband who isn’t kind. Circumstances have the children living with him and not with her. She is fighting to change this.
In comes the new pastor of the church he bought on ebay. He is looking for his own congregation. And he comes across this woman who is determined smart and brave. But she is also very tempting.
I love that we still get a little of Jack and Mel, Preacher and Paige. But we do get the wedding of Luke and Shelby! Yay!
We also get Vanny and Paul and wow do they get thrown for a loop in this book! But you are rooting for them and for a little understanding too.
I think the couple I most was rooting for is a couple we only hear about briefly in the other books. Nick who is the town “groper” and his wife Jo. Their relationship is something you root for and you want to succeed.
Over all I enjoyed this book maybe not loved it like the others but it was still a book I couldn’t put down.
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
My goodreads friends wrote very eloquent reviews of this book so I will just write a few thoughts I had about "Forbidden Falls." I wasn't sure I would like this storyline, but I should have known Robyn Carr would not disappoint me. I had to remind myself that these are just characters in a book and not real people! I loved Noah and Ellie and they have now tied for first place with my other favorite characters of Preacher and Paige (I love Mel and Jack too so I guess this will be a three way tie). I also enjoyed the storyline involving Paul and Vanni and the change that happened to their family. It seems like every time I read about Virgin River and I cry a little bit and laugh a lot. This series is so wonderful and I can't recommend it enough. If I could give this book a rating higher than five stars, I would do it!!!
3'5 En realidad. Una novela bastante sencillita y con su punto de tensión. Me ha gustado, pero no he dejado de notar ése parecido que ha podido tener con algunas películas de serie B que te echan en Antena 3 un domingo por la tarde. Una historia interesante, pero sin muchas pretensiones. Creo que el gran eje de todo el libro ha sido el personaje de Ellie y la recuperación de sus hijos. La historia romántica en sí no ha dado mucho de sí, bonita, tierna, pero me ha costado ver a los protagonistas enamorados, ha sido más deseo que amor. Aún así, ha sido una historia que me ha hecho soltar más de una lagrimilla.
Es el primer libro que leo de Robyn Carr, pero tampoco me he perdido demasiado con las parejas secundarias que imagino ya han tenido libro anteriormente. No descarto volver a leer otra historia de ésta autora en el futuro.
Once again Robyn Carr makes me cry. And laugh. It's good.
A widowed pastor and a former stripper restore the old, abandoned church in Virgin River. There's more to it than that, of course, with child custody and self-esteem issues but it has a very sweet romance.
This one was kind of a change-up coming off of Paradise Valley (was that the last one?) which focused pretty strongly on three different romances. This entire story focused mostly on Noah and Ellie. We had a side story about Vanni and Paul where Vanni got to be a little dramatic, as is her wont, but that was nice for a few tears as well.
I liked the previous one more, but this one was a nice, uplifting, and satisfying read.
I should have known better by the title..... but the description about a pastor buying an old church to renovate it was enough to interest me. The fact that this was not like any minister I have known - or would want to know - was not to be seen until part way through the book. At least his assistant didn't present herself as a religous person so she was more likeable and less disappointing. The fact that the minister didn't look or dress like a preacher is no big deal. But that he had such lacking morals was deplorable. What a disappointing read. Otherwise it would have been a good story.
The Virgin River series gets better and better and better. But this book is a standout for me. The characters have great chemisty, but we also get so much from the other characters. And Ellie's ex is just reprehensible. Absolutely warped. (Not to mention the judge that sided with him.)
I love how this community bands together to protect its own. Its wonderful. Also, shouldn't they erect a sign at the city limits warning men about what happens if they threaten women within the confines of this community? It would only be fair.
This was the worst Virgin River book I've read. The MC's drove me crazy, especially Noah. He definitely didn't act like a pastor should act and it annoyed me the way he only took parts of his job seriously. I put it down several times but ultimately pushed through to find out what happened to some of the long time characters through the series. The background story with Vanni and Paul was the only reason I gave 2 stars. Very disappointed in the book.
I was with this book until about the midpoint. I liked the characters but didn't buy the romance. I also agree with other reviews that a pastor should be held to different standards. I did not appreciate all the excuses that allowed them to have extramarital sex. Conversations between pastors about their sex lives and push-up bras. What?? If you want to write sex scenes don't make your hero a pastor (at least he wasn't a priest who took a vow of celibacy).
My least favorite VR book. Had personal problems with the pastor/exotic dancer love story. They were good characters but found holes in Noah being believable as a Christian pastor because many of his comments and beliefs don't match a Christian view point. The standard characters in VR weren't as lovable as previous books either. Must read to continue the series but be prepared.
Si no recuerdo mal, es la primera vez que leo un libro en el que el protagonista es un pastor presbiteriano y ¡que pastor!. Noah es puro fuego, sinceramente no me lo esperaba tan pasional.
Lo que más me ha gustado, a parte del pastor, es Ellie, su fuerza, su positivismo, sus ganas de luchar y su manera de ayudar a la gente desinteresadamente.
Es un libro sencillo, sin muchas complicaciones, pero eso no quiere decir que sea malo, es más lo he devorado en poco más de dos días.
After the big ending to the last book, I was a little jarred coming straight into this one. There was so much going on in the previous book, and then this book kind of forgets all that and goes its own way.
I did enjoy the couple and the storyline sure did get interesting. I just wish we had a little more of the other characters in this one. But I did really like it.
Another great romance in this unstoppable series! I enjoyed Noah & Allie's story, but a couple from a previous story stole the show for me in this one. Paul, Vanni, & little Hannah. Wiping both sad & happy tears! A Must Read!