Shelter Mountain

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, 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.

Shelter Mountain
4 Stars

John "Preacher" Middleton, Virgin River's resident gentle giant, is renowned for his calm manner and shy demeanor. So when Paige Lassiter and her young son arrive in town, obviously on the run from an abuser, everyone is surprised when the sparks fly between them. But Paige's troubled past soon arrives to threaten the little family's quiet happiness and they will have to decide if what they have is worth fighting for.

A lovely follow-up to the first installment.

While John and Paige's slow burn romance takes up the lion's share of the book, there are also updates on both Mel and Rick's relationship as well as Liz and Rick's.

John and Paige are a charming couple and they have a sweet and unassuming connection as show more opposed to Mel and Jack's explosive chemistry. John's interactions with Paige's adorable son are delightful and highlight just how gentle and caring this huge hero can be. Paige is a likable heroine and it took real courage for her to leave her monster of a husband. That said, she is still too mild and meek for my tastes.

The continuation of Mel and Jack's story is a real treat, especially the funny little twist at the end. Liz and Rick's ongoing drama is not as appealing mainly due to the fact that their feelings for one another are mainly based on sex and any real emotion feels forced. Moreover, Liz's tendency to cry at the drop of a hat becomes annoying as she is whining and wailing for most of the book. These two really need to grow up.

Overall, an enjoyable sequel and I look forward to the next book as the introduction to Mike and Bree's story is intriguing. show less

SHELTER MOUNTAIN is the second book in the Virgin River series, and it is just as wonderful as the first. I loved getting to know the real Preacher as he helps a young mother on the run from her abusive husband. Paige and Preacher's relationship develops slowly and realistically given their delicate situation. My heart went out to Paige as she fought to save herself and her son from a monster. Luckily she had Preacher and the rest of Virgin River to offer support and protection.

At first glance, Preacher may not seem like your typical romance hero, but it doesn't take long to fall in love with him. He's a huge ex-marine, bald, with dark bushy eyebrows. Along with his intimidating appearance, he's also very quiet, so getting close to him show more isn't easy. But when he does let someone in, he's the most loyal, protective and kind man on the planet. *swoon*

SHELTER MOUNTAIN also continues the Mel/Jack and Liz/Rick story lines from the first book. I enjoyed revisiting those characters and sharing their joys and heartbreaks - very emotional stuff. 5-stars! show less

This ended up being one of my favorite reads for the Virgin River series. We have a nice long burn of a romance novel and though some of the secondary plots were too much (and there were a lot of them it felt like in this one) if you look at just the main couple (Preacher and Paige) then the book gets high marks. Unfortunately we get everyone, and I do mean everyone in this book and I think 3 or maybe 4 B plots so the whole book just kind of feels scattered in parts. And this also started my long slow dislike for Jack Sheridan (Virgin River #1). This was the beginning of his whole I am just going to tell people like it is and everyone else telling him to shut up (or really just his wife though Preacher does with fits).

Paige Lassiter is show more on the run with her 3 year old son Christopher. After suffering another beating at the hands of her husband she's finally willing to run, hide, and change their names to get away from him. Getting lost she ends up stopping in Virgin River and meets the cook at the local bar, John "Preacher" Middleton. Of course Preacher looks scary, but inside he's a shy guy who can tell that something has Paige scared and decides he will do what he can to keep her and her son safe.

The majority of the book is Paige and Christopher slowly opening up to Preacher. Though I do say that Christopher warms up to the gentle giant faster than Paige. And Paige rightfully has a ton of issues to work through in this book. I do applaud Carr for not rushing this romance. I would have been so upset if she had. Being in an abusive marriage for years has Paige rightfully leery of men, especially big ones like Preacher. However, these two quickly understand each other and she realizes that Preacher is going to do whatever he can to keep her and Christopher safe if she stays in Virgin River. I am surprised that Carr took on a topic like this one in a contemporary romance. I think most authors would steer clear of it since I don't know if they could right a romance featuring that as one of the plots. Heck, I still remember to this day the romance book I read where the heroine after running from her abusive husband, gets stranded, gets picked up by the hero, and they are both off and having sex with each other an hour after meeting each other. I DNFed that book so hard I left marks on it.

I liked Paige a lot. We see her slowly grow and change once she realizes that she can start a new life in Virgin River. And we get to see Preacher becoming more vocal and not just Jack Sheridan's shadow. Did I already say that Jack stuck his nose in and Preacher gave him a black eye for the trouble? Yeah he did. I was happy about that.


We have secondary characters from the first book still brought up in this one. We get more about Rick Sudder and Liz Anderson and boy oh boy that whole storyline is just. Ugh. Reading about how she was a 14 year old girl on the make for a guy was off-putting as anything in the last book. In this one we have Liz pregnant and the two of them thinking they can raise the kid (on what mind you) together and Rick being angry that everyone was talking abortion and adoption. Once again I applaud Carr for actually having that brought up by the adults in this book because I think a lot of people would have steered clear of it.

We also get updates with Jack and Mel and they have their first child together. I did forget to mention in the last book that I hated the whole thing with Mel being infertile, but Jack and his super sperm somehow got past her infertility and she got pregnant. Once again, Jack was better than Mel's dead husband. Poor dead husband.

We also get re-looks at Mike Valenzuela and Brie Sheridan.

There really felt like a cast of thousands in this book. And some parts of it read a bit too Lifetime for me, but all in all I did love it a lot. Probably because at one point I was hoping a tornado would touch down on Virgin River so I could see if Jack would somehow lasso the thing and tame it. Okay I am being a total jerk right now but I can't help it.

The writing was once again very detailed. Virgin River comes alive though it feels like the only places anyone goes are the medical clinic, Jack and Mel's cabin, the bar, and shopping for supplies.

The flow was a struggle in this one. I kept wanting to get back to Paige's story. However, it was very realistic to show how long it takes most domestic violence cases to settle. If everything had been wrapped up in a week I would have been really irritated.

The ending was done better in this one with things wrapped up quite nicely I thought. show less

I think perhaps it had been so long between my reading of Virgin River and picking up the second book of the series, Shelter Mountain, that I had forgotten how Robyn Carr's storytelling in some ways resembles women's fiction a bit more than romance. The Virgin River series has more of an ensemble cast, and the author takes frequent jaunts away from the “main” hero and heroine to explore those character's stories. While I do enjoy strong secondary characters, the pages and pages Ms. Carr devotes to them with Preacher and Paige either out of sight or in the background made me feel like they were being a little shortchanged. Overall, I would estimate that approximately one third, if not more of the book, is devoted to the other show more characters which left me with very mixed feelings. All their stories were interesting and added to the broader sense of community in Virgin River, but I couldn't help being a little frustrated knowing that during those times, the author could have been heightening the intimacy between Preacher and Paige by showing more of their interactions and/or deepening Paige's characterization. Still, in spite of my discontent over not seeing more of Preacher and Paige, I couldn't quite come to begrudge the other characters their moments in the limelight as their stories were pretty moving as well. These scenes also helped to build the overall series story arc which I admit does draw me in with its small-town warmth. I guess I'll just have to hope to see more of Preacher and Paige in the future books of the series, much like I got with Jack and Mel (Virgin River) in Shelter Mountain.

I totally fell for Preacher when he was just a secondary character in Virgin River, and was very much looking forward to reading his story. I tend to tire of the womanizing heroes who often populate romance novels, so an inexperienced guy like Preacher who's even rather uncomfortable and lacking confidence around women was a breath of fresh air. I thought it was very sweet that he was a little afraid of making love to Paige, but his sensitive side ended up making him a wonderful lover. It was great that Preacher had a good upbringing which left him with a solid foundation to help someone like Paige through her trauma. Even though he hadn't spent much time around women and kids, he was a real gentleman who just instinctively knew what to do and how to behave. He was very gentle, loving and patient right from the start not only with Paige, but also with her son, Christopher, who had never really known the love of a father. I even liked that he wasn't a gorgeous man and in fact, was used to his looks scaring people, but underneath it all he was just a great big teddy bear. Not only that but he was a fabulous cook too, a very unusual profession for a romance hero. I wish Jack's Bar really existed just so that I could go try Preacher's cooking. Yum!;-) The only thing that I found slightly questionable about his characterization was that for being such a shy, quiet guy who barely strung two words together in Virgin River, he seemed to turn rather talkative all of a sudden which just didn't seem to fit. Otherwise, I absolutely loved this guy.

Paige is a stereotypical battered wife. She was raised in a family with a verbally abusive father, passive mother, and bullying brother. Her upbringing likely subconsciously played a role in her marrying an abusive man who nearly beat her to death, and threatened her life, leaving her on the run. She accidentally ends up in the little town of Virgin River where everyone helps anyone in need, and of course it is there that she finds healing for not only her battered body, but her spirit as well. Preacher's gentle ways and the kindness of all the other town's people assist her in regaining her confidence to fight back against her husband. She is also a great, caring mother to Christopher. Unfortunately, this is about as far as Paige's characterization went, and I couldn't help feeling that she was somewhat underdeveloped. I really liked her, but I just didn't feel like I got to know her very well.

As I mentioned earlier, the Virgin River series has more of a community of characters, so there were supporting players aplenty. Jack and Mel are back, enjoying their newlywed status and awaiting the birth of their first child while getting in on all the other action in the story. Rick and Liz's (Paradise Valley) story continues to build, and I have to say that I couldn't have been prouder of Rick for being so responsible. Many grown men in his situation couldn't have handled what he did, and he really stepped up to the plate. Jack and Preacher have obviously been great role models for him. Liz was showing a lot more maturity too. I'll miss Rick while he's away in the Marines, as I doubt we'll see much of him for a while unless it's just a quick visit. Jack and Preacher's Marine buddy, Mike, and Jack's sister, Brie, both experience life-altering events. Mike's ends up being the catalyst for bringing him to Virgin River permanently, and making him rethink the way he's been living his life. Although Brie has just come for visits so far, I'm sure she'll be back soon and possibly in danger. This pair become the hero and heroine of the next book, Whispering Rock. Even Dan, the illegal grower, who “kidnapped” Mel to deliver a baby in Virgin River popped up a couple of times. I think there is more to him than meets the eye, and it looks like he may be sharing Paradise Valley with Rick and Liz.

While I love the guys of Virgin River, I have to say that sometimes they feel just a little off to me, perhaps a little too dichotomous. They are certainly manly men, ex-Marines and other “tough guys” with masculine pursuits such as hunting, fishing, sometimes drinking too much and occasional womanizing (single guys only of course). They're also quick to arm themselves to protect the ones they love and/or take out the bad guys, but once in a while they do things that seem pretty feminine to me. When a group of guys gets together and starts talking about the ins and outs of pregnancy, or a couple of the men pair off and one begins to share his woes while the other one dispenses touchy-feely advice, it just seems rather strange to me. Not to mention, the way pretty much all of them just go ga-ga over a pregnant woman. I love a romance hero who can be macho while also being brought to his knees by his unexpected love for a woman, and I can definitely appreciate a hero who adores his wife (especially when pregnant), but there's just something about these guys that feels a little unbalanced to me. I guess I can't complain too much though, because they are a great group of men even if they are a wee bit strange sometimes. Maybe it's just all that pure mountain air bringing out their feminine sides.;-)

One other thing about Robyn Carr, and the series in general, that gives me mixed feelings is that I don't really seem to connect with her writing style in the same deep, passionate way that many other fans do. She can certainly tell an appealing story, populated with likable characters, but I've found that she isn't a particularly detail-oriented writer, unless of course it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. Don't get me wrong. I love those things, but sometimes you can have a little too much of a good thing and not enough other ingredients. When reading her books, I tend to miss all the little things such as gestures and facial expressions which I've found can bring a lot of warmth to the dialog. She also doesn't tell much about how the characters are feeling and what is motivating them to take certain actions, nor does she express tactile sensations they might be sensing. In a story like Shelter Mountain that is supposed to really tug at the heartstrings, the little things like these can make all the difference in whether I'm able to deeply connect with the characters. It took me a while to figure out, but I came to the realization that the reason for these things being missing in Ms. Carr's stories is that she has an unusual writing style where she tends to narrate from her own point of view rather than getting inside the characters heads. It's almost like she's the proverbial fly on the wall in Virgin River telling the reader what she's seeing rather then telling it from the characters' points-of-view, which can be a little frustrating for me as a reader.

Even though there are a few things about the Virgin River series that have kept it from being the fabulous reads I was expecting, I still like it well enough that I'll definitely continue. In spite of not connecting with the characters in quite the way I would prefer, I still feel like I'm becoming invested in their lives and want to know what happens next. It's almost like a small-town soap opera that can be rather addicting. I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for Mike and Brie, and hoping to see more of my favorite characters. It should be an interesting journey, and as long as the books remain at least as appealing as they have been so far, I'll probably be in it for the long haul. I'll just have to remember to prepare myself next time for Robyn Carr's different writing style and the possibility of not seeing as much of the “main” hero and heroine as I might like. show less

Con estas series generalmente los segundos libros nunca están a la misma altura del primero, pero en esta ocasión no me ha defraudado.

Tal como el primer libro, este libro tiene una historia sencilla pero entrañable, si bien hay sus dramas, que por cierto me han parecido muy bien manejados, nada exagerados ni tampoco con resoluciones de un párrafo, creo que se tocan temas importantes y por mucho que este libro sea sencillo, estos temas no han sido minimizados de ninguna manera.

Paige y Predicador hacen una pareja tiernisima, me ha encantado, sin embargo la historia de Rick y Liz… bueno no me ha gustado, no digo que no sea realista porque si que lo es, pero vamos que no me gusta la pareja y la situación planteada por muy realista show more que sea, pues bueno, me ha dejado con mal sabor de boca, en fin que no todo puede ser miel sobre hojuelas.

Voy a seguir con la serie, porque como digo, me esta gustando no solo el estilo de la autora, sino que me es imposible no haberme enamorado de cada personaje que vamos conociendo. show less

Shelter Moutain
Robyn Carr
★☆★☆★

This is the story of Preacher (John) and Paige. It is a pretty emotional story I cried a few times. In this novel we also have a side story with Rick and Liz and we get more of Jack and Mel!

My favorite thing about Robyn Carr is she takes real life scary issues (drugs, abuse, murder,war, just to name some) ans brings them to light in these novels. so you get real men and women going through real everday issues and still manage to have a good romance in it all :)

This particular novel is about a woman who was severly abused by her husband. She goes on the run with her child, took a wrong turn and ended up in Virgin River with preacher as her guardian angel.

I love the hero and heroine. Both were so show more humble and so sweet. Gosh Preacher is just every womans dream. I loved him. He was caring and very sensitive. he brought tears to my eyes with his tenderness.

In thos novel we see other issues such as loss (not giving to much away) and I think Carr made this work not too many people have the balls to kill off someone in their book.
There was the issue with Paiges husband and his addiction to Meth.
We also see a little bullying in Paiges family.
And you have a teen pregnancy
I enjoyed reading thos novel and bringing awareness to these everyday issues while still having a happy ending.

I will continue this series through. I have already grown to love the town. show less