A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS

Author: Robyn Carr ISBN: 9780778325734 11/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: MIRA

Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. This Christmas she's come to Virgin River to find the man who saved his life and gave her three more years to love him Fellow marine Ian Buchanan dragged Bobby's shattered body onto a medical transport in Fallujah four years ago, then disappeared as soon as their unit arrived Stateside. Since then, Marcie's letters to Ian have gone unanswered. Marcie tracks Ian to the tiny mountain town of Virgin River and finds a man as wounded emotionally as Bobby was physically. But she is not easily scared off. As Marcie pushes her way into his rugged and reclusive life, she discovers a sweet but damaged soul beneath a rough exterior. Ian doesn't know what to make of the determined young widow who forces him to look into the painful past and, what's worse, the uncertain future. But it is, after all, a season of miracles and maybe, just maybe, it's time to banish the ghosts and open his heart.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Robyn Carr weaves a warm tale of love and forgiveness in her newest Virgin River series title, A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS.

Ian Buchanan saved the life of his best friend at war, only to have that marine live in a paralyzed state for the remainder of his days. That, along with pressure from his fiancé and an abysmal rift between him and his father, led Ian to seek refuge in the mountains of California, away from all the mistakes of his past. But one tiny, redheaded spitfire of a woman isn't going to be deterred in finding Ian and finishing her mission before she can move on with her own life. Marcie Sullivan needs to find Ian so she can give him some belongings of her husband's that passed away nearly a year ago. Her search takes her into Virgin River and opens up a world of beautiful, breathtaking scenery and the nicest people she will ever meet. And though Ian wants nothing to do with her, or the past she brings to the present, the spirit of the young woman breaks at his tough resolve until he finds himself being saved by a tiny woman.

A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS takes readers back to the small Californian mountain town that was as much a character as the people in Carr's previous trilogy (VIRGIN RIVER, SHELTER MOUNTAIN, and WHISPERING ROCK). Characters that we have come to love and cherish revisit as Marcie and Ian try to resolve their issues before the Christmas season arrives and Marcie has to return home to her family, which includes a worrisome, protective older sister. Ian, a decorated war veteran who boldly led young men into battle, has become a recluse, living scantily off the mountain and for the most part, keeping to himself. When Marcie arrives on her mission, he tries to scare her away to no avail, and Ian ends up saving her from the frigid cold winter weather. As much as he would like the diminutive redhead out of his life, she falls ill and it is left up to him to nurse her back to health. It is during this time that the two revisit events of the past that led them to where they are today, though that is done carefully, as many of those events led to Ian's hermit nature.

Both Marcie and Ian were such strong, well-developed characters, each with issues that kept them from moving on with their lives. As the two build a friendship and begin to open up to each other, readers see two hurting people begin to heal and forge a bond that is strong and sure. I have read all of the previous Virgin River novels as well as the Grace Valley series, which preceded it. Robyn Carr has a wonderful gift of being able to draw readers into her stories, and build connections between them and the characters that seem larger than life. Luckily, A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS is not the end but rather, a beginning to a new trilogy of books that keep readers revisiting this wonderful place and its true-to-life characters for a long time yet, and I cannot wait! Carr is an autobuy, autoread author for me and her novels are some of the best romances written today. This one is a definite keeper!

Maame Kanbi