Summer Series Rec - Virgin River

So I finished my first series of the summer and I have to say, this was a good one. On a whim I checked out the Robyn Carr series- Virgin River- and fell in love. Read the review because to be clear- this is my definition of a fun, summer read. If you're looking for something gritty, new, fresh or risque, this isn't it. This is a book about a place, and people you want to meet, hang out with, and share a beer with in the local hangout. Here's my review of

Virgin River

Virgin River by Robyn Carr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Definitely 3.5 STARS!

The Virgin River series is what I would call a great, light summer read. If you're like me and want to get caught up in a series for the summer, one that won't keep you up at night or stick you in the middle of messy love triangles, this was a fun one to spend time in. Is it cutting edge new, angsty to the point you can't breathe writing? No. It's calm, it's fun, it will make you smile and swoon and want to pack up your car and drive to Virgin River and check out Jack's restaurant or Doc's office and cross paths with the rest of the gang you grow to love over the course of this series.

Virgin River is about a woman, Melinda, who leave the hustle and bustle of her big city life in the ER after her husband's death and in a desperate attempt to wipe the slate clean and start over, she takes a job offer from an ancient busy-body named Hope McCrea in the tiny town of Virgin River to work as a nurse midwife. When she arrives, things aren't exactly what they seemed. From the nearly falling down house that looks nothing like the picture promised, to the cantankerous town doctor who had no idea he was 'in need of help' and disliked her right away. Ready to bolt before she even unpacks, she wanders into Jack Sheridan's bar/restaurant and her future changes.

What I liked: The cast of characters. From Preacher - who isn't a even preacher, to Mel, Jack, Rick, Doc Mullins the grumpiest guy you ever want to play a game of gin with, To characters that come in later books like Paige, Brie, Walt and Muriel. The list goes on, each tugging at your heart in a different way.

*This part contains tiny spoilers*
What I didn't like: everyone in the town is fertile- hyper fertile. Men look at a woman, and she's pregnant against all odds, one their first try, condoms break and the like. BUT again- think light, summer read at the pool... and that's not a terrible thing ;) The series goes long, over 15 books. The last ones feel like random people thrown into a town you love because she's married off all the 'regulars' if you will.

I liked this series, loved Robyn Carr's easy writing style. Think low stress, low angst, lotsa hunky men (who mostly happen to be ex-military types) and a series full of HEAs then this is the series for you. I adore Jack and Mel and their story starts in Virgin River, but with each book in the series, they make an appearance and their story continues to grow. I laughed, I cried, I want to go to Virgin River... I hope you do to.

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Shadow and Bone

The drought is over!!

The last few books I've read have left me feeling like they were okay, nothing to write home about. This book - Shadow and Bone - was a complete page turner that I found myself thinking about all night and desperately waiting for the next book to come out. It was a dark, exciting, adventure I think many people will be talking about.

Here's my review of:

Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let's say 4.5 stars really...

Shadow and Bone I have to say pulled me in from the very beginning. Leigh Bardugo created a unique world that kept me turning the pages. Before I knew it, hours had passed.

Two orphans, Alina and Mal grow up together and are the best of friends- the only things they have in the world. As they grow up, Alina's feelings grow into more, but she never tells Mal. He's the outgoing one, people are drawn to him and she is more of the loner, the outsider who doesn't quite fit in, but Mal doesn't seem to mind. They stay close to one another even as they become part of the Second Army where she works as a map maker and he is a soldier/tracker.

Their regiment is assigned to cross the Shadow Fold which is described as "a swath of nearly impenetrable darkness that grew with every passing year and crawled with horrors." Volcra are the terrifying creatures that inhabit the Fold, waiting to kill. Knowing the dangers, their regiment is ready to cross the Fold in order to get to the port city on the other side. It's during that crossing that they are attacked by volcra and Alina has her world turned upside down and she becomes pulled into the world of the Grisha and the Darkling.

Shadow and Bone is dark and chilling fantasy book. Alina is taken on a roller coaster of a ride and you are right along side of her. There were times in the book where I found myself just as shocked as Alina by something that happened because of Leigh Bardugo's writing. All of the characters jump off the page and keep you guessing about their intentions toward Alina. I loved Genya and the Darkling too.

The biggest drawback to this book- it's a trilogy, and this is book one. Now I have to wait (impatiently for sure) for the next one to come out. Here's to hoping Leigh writes fast ;)


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What I liked about this book: The characters- she wrote a rich cast of personalities. Some were good and some were bad, but all left you wanting to know more about them. I almost read the whole book in one sitting, it was that good and for me- a self admitted skimmer- I read every word. And this will make sense after you read the book but - I love the color black.

What I didn't like about this book: There were a lot of 'terms' that were unique to her world and it took a while to straighten out in my mind what things like a corporalki, etherealki and materialki and verious others were and how they were different. But they were labels given to groups of people and the story usually showed you what they were if the word was confusing.


This was a great book, I highly, highly suggest this one!

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Summer Series

This summer, I want to start reviewing different series of books. I think there's something that so many of us go through that we don't often talk about. Have you ever read a book, loved it and wanted to read the next one in the series, and the next and the next? You fall in love with the characters and keep reading. At some point however, in most series you end up being disappointed somewhere along the line. It's impossible to write a series that's 10 or 20+ books long and have each one be a home run. Knowing that, I always wonder why do authors keep a series going past it's expiration date? Are there series that go the distance? Should there be a series longer than a trilogy?

I'm going to review a number of series in the romance and YA genres that I have read, and reread in many cases. Some of what's to come is:

Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole 
Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward
Dark- Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Wilderness Series by Sara Donati
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn
Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon 
And many more.....


Check back soon for my first series review - The Immortals after Dark

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