Robyn Carr

Bigotry And COVID Mar Otherwise Strong Family Drama. On its whole, this is a mostly solid family drama about a mom and two of her three children dealing with a tragedy and trying to move on with their lives in the wake of it.

However, it does have significant problems, problems I've yet to see any of the other 44 Goodreads reviews in existence at the time of this writing address.

The first is the near-constant references to the insanities of 2020-2022, mostly as a way to ground the story in show more a sense of time and place. But here's the thing: I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT COVID. PERIOD. And thus a star was deducted for this. Maybe you, the reader of my review, are less adamant about this or maybe you even appreciate such references. Good for you, you'll enjoy those parts of this text. But for those who feel as I do on the matter, know that it happens here.

The second major issue is the portrayal and handling of the Autistic third child. To say that this is a highly bigoted view along the lines constantly spewed by the Autistic hate group Autism Speaks is still being a bit too polite, to this Autistic's mind. This character is every tired and worn out Autistic stereotype rolled into one, and while the family claims to love her, they also drug her into oblivion so that Carr can write her out of the back half of the book. Indeed, if an author treated pretty well any demographic other than the neurodiverse/ Autistics like this in a book, that author would likely go viral for social media cancelling them - and yet something tells me most will be silent about or even praise Carr's reprehensible treatment of this character. That it publishes just days after World Autism Acceptance Day and during World Autism Acceptance Month is a slap in the face to Autistics from the publisher, but perhaps they were not aware of just how offensive this characterization truly is and were not aware of April being so designated.

The third issue, a throwaway line that further reveals Carr's political leanings, is a reference to a school shooting where the shooter got "automatic weapons" from his dad's garage. In California. In the 2000s. BULLCRAP! For one, while *some* automatic weapons *are* legal, the manner in which they are legal is INCREDIBLY expensive to obtain and subjects one to an entire alphabet soup of agencies - both Federal and State, particularly in California - knowing exactly where and how you store such weapons. Further, in the *extremely* rare case of Columbine/ Parkland style attacks as is described in this part of the text, such truly automatic weapons are virtually *never* used. But someone who only follows certain paranoid propagandists on this matter would have no clue about these facts, and Carr reveals herself to be just such a person in this instance. However, this did *not* result in a third star deduction as this was more of a one-off throwaway backstory line and not a pervasive element within the book as the first two issues were.

Ultimately, this is one of those books where your mileage may vary quite a bit. If you don't mind references to COVID in your fiction and if you agree with Carr's views on Autism and guns, you likely will enjoy this book quite a bit. And to be clear, other than these issues - which were *not* on every page - the story itself really is quite good. But if you feel as I do on these issues... still read the book. It really is that well written, mostly. Just know there is going to be some infuriating moments. Recommended. show less

I was really hoping to love this Preacher/Paige book but wow did I not. I did love Preacher and Paige as characters, but the storyline itself was problematic for me. The sequence of events with Wes seemed completely unrealistic - attacking his wife and another woman in broad daylight on a street full of witnesses didn't fit with a history of behind closed doors abuse. However, my bigger issue is with the ongoing treatment of pregnancy and pregnant women in this book. Between teen pregnancy, show more miscarriages, and the birth stories - it seems women in these stories have no higher function than to be fecund. I think this book marks the end of my visit to Virgin River; I'll stick to the TV show for my guilty pleasure. show less

Robyn Carr writes with such passion & emotion that you can’t help but be drawn deeply into her stories. From the very beginning, my emotions were tied to Lauren & her thoughts & feelings. How does someone stay in a marriage filled with verbal & emotional abuse? Why do they think kids are oblivious to it? What does an abuser do when his favorite target is taken away? This story explores these questions & answers. It delves into the patterns & arrogance of the abuser & how it can make the show more strongest person feel week & needy.

Robyn Carr not only shows the reader the typical story of the husband abusing the younger wife but the second storyline follows Beau & his angry, unhappy, absent wife. Beau is farther along in his thought pattern & divorce than Lauren but is totally unprepared for the depths his wife takes to hold on to him. She’s the one that has left time & again for a break & another man but she expects him to stay put & always let her back in. Ms. Carr has written another deeply emotional story that will affect all readers in some way. show less

I came to this a Virgin River virgin... but I will probably be reading ALL the books.

Conner Danson is a decent guy who had the bad luck to be the only witness to a murder, and worse luck that the murderer has enough connections to burn down the family hardware store and threaten his life and that of his sister. Leslie Petruso is divorced from a narcissistic personality who won't leave her alone to lick her wounds, but insists she MUST still want to be besties with him and his new, pregnant show more wife (after long refusing her requests to start a family together). Both Conner and Leslie come to fictional Virgin River, set in Humboldt county California, with romance as the last thing on their minds.

I enjoyed so many things about this book. Both characters are in their thirties, and are not rushing the romance, nor denying the attraction they have for each other. When they do get into bed, condoms are a given, and the sex is hot, but the book is not all about the sex, but a gradually increasing LIKING/falling in love with one another, and a showcasing, however idealized, of small-town life. Although there is the angle that Conner's life is (theoretically) in danger, this is NOT a romantic suspense; the pace is slow, and the ending doesn't come with the hero shooting it out with the bad guy.

I also immediately related to Leslie because I have my own annoying ex in Grants Pass, Oregon, which I found amusing. If you like your romance slowly simmered rather than insta-love, you'll appreciate this book and series. show less