Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr

Moonlight Road, the final installment in Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, gives us the story of Erin Foley and Aiden Riordan and the complication of the return of Annalee Riordan, the woman Aiden believed was his ex-wife--emphasis on "ex."

From the publisher (via bn.com)
With her beloved younger siblings settled and happy, Erin Foley has empty nest syndrome. At age thirty-five.  So she's hitting the pause button on her life and holing up in a secluded (but totally upgraded—she's not into roughing it) cabin near Virgin River. Erin is planning on getting to know herself…not the shaggy-haired mountain man she meets.  In fact, beneath his faded fatigues and bushy beard, Aiden Riordan is a doctor, recharging for a summer after leaving the navy. He's intrigued by the pretty, slightly snooty refugee from the rat race—her meditating and journaling are definitely keeping him at arm's length. He'd love to get closer…if his scruffy exterior and crazy ex-wife don't hold him back.  But maybe it's something in the water—unlikely romances seem to take root in Virgin River…helped along by some well-intentioned meddling, of course.

Moonlight Road was the August selection for the Barnes & Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers and has all the usual Virgin River characters--more babies are born, and there's more on the original perfect couple, Jack and Mel.  As readers, we may have dallied too long and will be somewhat happy to see the "Leaving Virgin River" in our rearview mirror.  But, then there's those two last Riordan brothers....

Rating:  3.5/5 (Romance Scale)

Dedication:  For Tonie Crandall, because the world would be a dimmer place without all the love you have in your heart.  Thank you for being even more than a friend--thank you for being a sister.

First Line:  In the two weeks Aiden Riordan had been in Virgin River, he'd hiked over a hundred miles and grown himself a pretty hefty dark red beard.

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr was the June selection for the Barnes & Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers group.

Product Description (via amazon)
Four years ago, Air Force sweethearts Franci Duncan and Sean Riordan reached an impasse. She wanted marriage and a family. He didn't. But a chance meeting proves that the bitter breakup hasn't cooled their sizzling chemistry.  Sean has settled down in spite of himself—he's not the cocky young fighter pilot he was when Franci left, and he wants them to try again. After all, they have a history…but that's not all they share.  Franci's secret reason for walking away when Sean refused to commit is now three and a half: a redheaded cherub named Rosie who shares her daddy's emerald-green eyes. Sean is stunned—and furious with Franci for the deception.  News travels fast in Virgin River, and soon the whole town is taking sides. Rebuilding their trust could take a small miracle—and the kind of love that can move mountains.

Passages
Nothing flagged.

Interesting that while the reading group generally liked this latest installment in Carr's Virgin River series, we really tore the book apart and spent well over an hour hashing through the details--attention usually reserved for books we DON'T like!  The book is 373 pages long; however, Sean and Franci's story is pretty well tied down and resolved on page 283.  So why the need for almost another 100 pages?  We felt information on the other characters of Virgin River was somewhat lacking in Forbidden Falls; however, Angel's Peak was more about catching up on everyone with Sean and Franci's story thrown in for good measure.

Moonlight Road, the August group selection, will be our final visit to Virgin River.  We're all ready to pack up and hit the road for another town and new loves and lovers.

Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)

Dedication:  For Beki Keene, who remembers every detail.  Thank you for your lovely, committed, local friendship.  I treasure every e-mail and visit.

First line:  Once the sun sent down in Virgin River there wasn't a whole lot of entertainment for Sean Riordan, unless he wanted to sit by the fire at his brother Luke's house.

Ain't Too Proud To Beg by Susan Donovan

Ain't Too Proud To Beg by Susan Donovan was the May selection for the Barnes & Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers group. 

From Publishers Weekly
Donovan whips up a fine frappé of romantic comedy and suspense. Josie Sheehan, obituary feature writer, joins her dog-walking friends in a vow to give up on men. After a drunken motorcycle crash left Rick Rousseau nearly crippled and his date comatose, he swore repentant celibacy. Of course, the two can't resist each other, and their first date is laugh-out-loud hilarious, but when Rick's old girlfriend slips from coma to coffin, drama ensues. Donovan creates delightful characters in Josie and Rick and a fine supporting cast in the dog-walkers and Rick's rehab buddy. Even the villain is a sympathetic character, though the end of his plot is cut disappointingly short. Excessive gushing over the trappings of Rick's wealthy lifestyle is the novel's only flaw.

Passages
On the joy of dogs
Just then the front door opened and Genghis charged through, the leash gripped in his teeth as he raced down the hallway, his wiry fur blowing back enough to expose a pair of eyes wild with the joy of living.

On the proper presentation of tea
"Umm, Gloria?"  Josie took a deep breath.  "Have you done this sort of thing before?"  The woman's eyes brightened with a devilish gleam.  "Do you mean have I ever been forced to drink off-brand tea in a cheap Styrofoam cup?"

Well, not to contradict Publishers Weekly, but the group found a few more flaws than the excessive gushing about Rick's wealthy lifestyle.  Mainly, we felt none of the secondary characters (Josie's circle of friends) were all that well developed and were surprised to see that this book was the first in a series.  The concensus was that Genghis, the Labradoodle, was one of the best things about the book.

Rating:  2.5/5 (Romance Scale)

Dedication:  This book is dedicated to my dear friend, Arleen, with appreciation for the thousands of miles weve trekked with our dogs, our double strollers, or dogs and double strollers.  Frische Luft, baby!

Epigraph:  The more I see of man, the more I like dogs.  --Madame de Stael

The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas

The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas

April selection for Barnes and Noble Romance Readers group.

The tall, dark hero pictured on the cover coupled with the "She's always been his destiny" snippet led me to think this would be just another toss-away romance. To my surprise, there was a good deal of story to read about a hero and heroine with background and character depth. A good secondary character story added to the enjoyment of this book.

Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)

Update:  The B&N Group met last night (April 5) to discuss The Lone Texan which received a unanimous thumbs up.  Everyone enjoyed the secondary character story and felt that there was a lot to the story--a nice change from 250+ pages of will-they/won't-they get together (even though the happily ever after is a given in the romance genre).

Forbidden Falls by Robin Carr

Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr

February selection for B&N Romance Readers Group. The group felt this was the weakest in the Virgin River series to date. There was a lot of discussion about expectations when the main character (hero) is a minister.

For me, the main characters plot seemed a little too
perfect and not enough of the original VR residents to keep me updated; however, the Paul/Vanni subplot kept me turning the pages.

Rating: 3/5 (Romance Scale)

The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens

The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens

The Untamed Bride was the January selection for our B&N Romance Readers group and got a thumbs up from all members. Both hero and heroine were believable characters, and the plot could easily have been an NCIS episode 1820's style. Book 2 of the Black Cobra Quartet has been selected as the March read for the group when we will find out if the series holds up or falls into the different characters/same story category.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Romance Scale)