2 Bloggers 1 Series - A Virgin River Christmas

 

So at least Stormi and I are still finding joy in the Virgin River series.  We've skipped around here and there to add some other series reads in but we always seem to come back to this one.  Since #4 has a Christmas theme, we thought it would be perfect for July.  So read on to see how much I loved this one and then hop over to Stormi's  at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! to see what she thought as well.

TITLE:  A Virgin River Christmas (Virgin River #4)

AUTHOR: Robyn Carr

PUBLISHER: MIRA

PUBLISHING DATE: October 28, 2008

PAGES: 320

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: 

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.

MY THOUGHTS: Just when I thought I couldn't enjoy this series even more, along comes another installment with some new characters as well as some of our favorites.  It's Christmastime in Virgin River and Mel and Paige are busy decorating a town tree in honor of the people who have been in the armed services.  Marcie has recently lost her husband and seeking some closure, she ends up on Virgin River searching for the man who saved his life.  She finally locates Ian who is living on a remote mountain all alone.  Marcie forces herself upon him looking for some answers and we end up with a sort of a hate to love trope.

Marcie was so diligent and feisty that I liked her right from the start.  And Ian?  He stars off as a grumpy old bear, hair and all, and ends up being more of a teddy bear.  I had so much fun with their interaction and Marcie adjusting to Ian's rustic way of life.  And it nice seeing Ian come out of his cave.  

This installment was a tad shorter than the previous ones so I read it extremely quickly.  It was just enough Christmas to not be annoying (at least for a July read).  It was nice to see some new people introduced but still have some of the same old favorites.  My only complaint is that there just wasn't enough Preacher but that's okay, season 3 has started on Netflix so I'm happy. 

And just a side note, the Netflix show while similar is also really different and much more drama-filled so I'm finding it actually like two separate entities.  Double the fun!

RATING: 5 PAWS