I had only seen the first season of the Virgin River adaptation on Netflix (and enjoyed it), so I looked forward to reading this continuation of the series.... and holy spoilers, Batman! It is quite a few years in the future, and some of the main characters have had major life changes. This story picks up with a new young woman moving to Virgin River to put her life back together, dealing with some mishaps along the way... Don't worry, though, there is so much exposition, you'll be caught up in no time. I didn't care for the author's writing style, which does not ascribe to the "show, don't tell" philosophy. But as a little escapism in a familiar universe, it was OK.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

Virgin River series is now on Netflix and that is where I was introduced to the characters. Watching the first couple episodes I thought it felt like a Harlequin romance. I found out it is a MIRA published series. I was super excited when I heard that Robyn Carr had a new book out in the Virgin River series. I just love the characters from Virgin River and love how this book can be read as a stand alone or part of the on going story for each character. Kaylee is the main character in this novel. After losing her mother she is trying to finish a novel that is due but can't find the inspiration. A family friend offers her to rent out their summer place in Virgin River. Kaylee feels that it'll be a good change of pace to be able to sit back and write. Kaylee doesn't expect her whole life to change.

This is a sweet romance with loads of fun characters that live in Virgin River. They all welcome Kaylee into their small village. This story also takes place over Thanksgiving and Christmas so if you are looking for a nice holiday read I would recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this book right from the beginning and can't wait to read the other books in the series. I have already picked up a couple of the other books. I give this book a 5 star rating and look forward to reading more by Robyn Carr.

I am a HUGE fan of the virgin river series and binge read all twenty books in less than a month. It was one of the few glorious highlights of 2020. However, I feel that this 21st installment was a bit of a letdown. I still enjoyed it, but it was not as wonderful as the first 20. Perhaps too much time passed between series?

This book is a good feel-good story that I enjoyed. but i admit this book isn't my favorite in the series.

I do still recommend.

Author Robyn Carr takes us back to Virgin River with Kaylee Sloan. For fans of the book/TV series, it is indeed a welcome trip down memory lane! We meet a hoard of characters, some familiar and some not so familiar, but it feels just about right!

The story follows Kaylee Sloan as she decides to move to Virgin River for a few months for a fresh start and some fresh perspective to help with her writing. Dealing with the loss of her mother, she is not just dealing with the loss of a parent, but also her best friend and confidante. This book takes us on a journey of acceptance and togetherness. The people of Virgin River come together to help Kaylee when bad luck strikes just as she reaches the cabin she was renting. It is wonderful to meet many of the characters again and see where they lives are now. A warm welcome, a few kind words and the right kind of support can do wonders to a person grieving and lonely. 

What follows is the usual mix of discovery and romance as Kaylee strives to mend, finish her novel and just feel better. The story is well-written and a simple read. The book can be finished in one sitting depending on the reader's time. A wonderful heart-felt story, this will tug at the reader's heartstrings and take us on an emotional rollercoaster. Once again Robyn Carr brings us happiness and nostalgia all in one neat package!

The story in Return to Virgin River is all about Kaylee Sloan’s, well, return to Virgin River. But Kaylee was never a resident of that much-loved little town. Rather, Kaylee was an occasional visitor during her childhood, and her most recent visit was ten years in the past, during a previous crisis in her life. Because Kaylee has never really been a part of this community when she returns to Virgin River less than a year into her mourning for her beloved mother, she makes an excellent point of view character to introduce new readers (like me) to this well-loved place and series.

As Kaylee is introduced to everyone who has come to, or come back to, live in this lovely little place, we get to meet them for the first time along with her. For readers who have been here before, It’s undoubtedly lovely to catch up with old friends from previous books in the series.

But Kaylee’s advent makes this a great place for new readers to jump in without feeling like they missed the plot. I knew these people had history, as one does whenever one is introduced to new people in real life, but I didn’t feel like I had missed something important to this story by not knowing everyone’s past.

This turned out to be a great way of getting involved in Virgin River, right along with Kaylee.

And for any long-term readers who may have lost track of everyone in the 8 year hiatus since the previous book in the series, My Kind of Christmas, Kaylee’s arrival in town should serve as a great way to get caught back up!

Kaylee returns to Virgin River because she needs a long, quiet, productive getaway. She inherited her mother’s house, and has been living there since her mother’s death. She and her mom were very close, best friends, and Kaylee feels surrounded by her grief in that house – no matter how much she loves it.

Kaylee makes her living as a mid-list author of suspense thrillers, and she has a book on contract that is not merely due but overdue. She hasn’t been able to write since her mother’s diagnosis, but she has to get her own life on track in order to support herself. She has a cushion, but it isn’t infinite.

They seldom are.

So Kaylee returns to Virgin River, the place her mother took her to several times during her childhood, and the place her mother brought her to heal after her divorce. Kaylee comes to Virgin River to be close to her memories of her mother but not so close that she continues to drown in them.

She arrives to find her planned six-month rental house on fire. Literally on fire. She can’t go home because she’s rented out her own house until after New Year’s – and it’s currently AUGUST. She feels both overwhelmed and stuck.

And that’s where her life takes its unexpected turn. As one door closes – or catches fire – another door opens. The door to Landry Moore’s guest house.

As Kaylee’s life opens up and fills up, between her rescue of the orphaned kitten Tux, the abandoned dog Lady and her puppies, and everyone in the welcoming town of Virgin River – especially her handsome landlord – Kaylee discovers that her grief for her mom, while it hasn’t exactly gotten less has become a less all-consuming part of her much-expanded life.

And that those we love never leave us, not even when they’re gone.

Escape Rating A-: There’s definitely a life imitates art imitates life thing going on here. Kaylee is supposed to be writing a suspense novel – which she eventually manages to do. But she also begins a kind of fictionalized journal or a contemporary romance/women’s fiction novel, which is also the category that Return to Virgin River fits into.

Kaylee’s novel-of-her-heart is a story about a woman who comes to a small town for a fresh start after a death in HER family. Her fictional character falls for her equally fictional landlord – except that neither of them actually is. Fictional, that is. Kaylee pours her growing feelings for Landry into her character’s growing feelings for “Landon”. The disguise is adorably cute and rather “paper” thin. But fun and a great way for Kaylee to process both her hope and her grief.

But the course of true love never does run completely smooth, and in this story the waves are provided by Landry’s long-absent wife. Yes wife. He and Laura have lived apart for 10 years of their 11-year marriage, but neither of them ever bothered to file for divorce.

So naturally, just as Landry realizes that he wants a divorce so that he can become more involved with Kaylee, Laura decides that her acting career, the reason for their separation, isn’t going anywhere and that she wants Landry – or at least the security he can provide – back.

I have mixed feelings about this plot thread. Something had to derail what would have otherwise been Landry and Kaylee’s straightforward amble towards domestic bliss. But the Laura angle felt particularly tacked-on. It was so obvious that she only wanted the security, to the point where not even Landry took her “act” all that seriously.

On the surprising but definitely plus side of the reading equation, Return to Virgin River turned out to be an unexpectedly poignant counterpart to yesterday’s book, Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish. Both stories are about mothers and daughters, but Kaylee and her late mother had the kind of mother-daughter relationship that Millicent and Jane had stopped dreaming of long ago. These two stories make a great back-to-back read if you are well-prepared with plenty of tissues.

Closing on a much happier note, I enjoyed my first trip to Virgin River and now that I’ve met everyone, I’ll be back. Whether by starting at the very beginning with the first book in the series, Virgin River, continuing on with the next whenever it comes around, or maybe BOTH!

OMG it was so much fun to go back and visit with some of my favorite characters. I'm always sad when a series comes to an end, but I was thrilled to go back and catch up with friends in Virgin River.

As always, Virgin River helps the characters heal. In this book Kaylee is reeling from the loss of her mother and is struggling to finish a book that is on deadline. She contacts friends and they allow her to go to their vacation home in VR, but when Kaylee arrives, things take a turn for the worse.

Kaylee meets Jack Sheridan and he helps her navigate VR and she ultimately meets and makes friends with the cast of VR and sparks slowly ignite with one of them. Kaylee ends up getting more than she bargained for during her stay in VR.

This is one of my all time favorite series and if it could go on forever, I would be the happiest person, but all good things come to an end and this one was a wonderful ending!

5 stars

Well it’s been a long time between books for the Virgin River series – book #18 was released in 2012. I binged this series big time back then, thanks to Marg @ The Intrepid Reader. Robyn Carr moved onto other series’ but the popularity of Virgin River on Netflix perhaps, means we get to travel back to that small town in California and catch up with some favourites as well as get introduced to some new people.

Kaylee Sloan is heartbroken at the devastating loss of her mother. It’s affected her whole life. Upon her mother’s death she inherited her mother’s house but Kaylee isn’t ready to live in it yet. She’s also behind in finishing her latest book for her publisher so her intention is to escape to a cabin in Virgin River, a place she spent time at growing up. It will give her privacy to grieve and peace and quiet to meet the deadline hanging over her head. Her plan is scuppered though when the cabin is on fire as she arrives. Kaylee’s revised plan is to travel a little further out, but popping into Jack’s Bar & Grill means that Jack is pretty sure he can find her a rental that will suit.

In Virgin River, Kaylee finds more than just a place to hole up away from the world so that she can finish her book. As a writer she also finds herself fictionalising her life, which is a new genre for her, it’s good therapy and after a while, she thinks she might actually have something. She also finds a community – she’s welcomed by Jack and his wife Mel and embraced by the other locals who step in to help her find somewhere to stay, introduce themselves and offer up things they have or make or produce that she may need. Kaylee finds a tiny kitten and rather than surrender it to the vet to go to a shelter, she decides to adopt it. And even though she’s deathly terrified of dogs, she also finds a mother and her puppies in the woods and makes the decision to rescue them as well, with the help of dog trainer and her somewhat casual landlord, Landry. Kaylee and Landry bond during their time of shared proximity, having meals together and sharing tidbits of their lives. Landry has also experienced the grief of losing a parent and he’s further down the road than Kaylee and can offer some insight on the healing and moving forward process. He’s also determined to help Kaylee with her fear of dogs as well and it isn’t long before their friendship is burgeoning into something more.

It was really good to return to Virgin River! And this is a book that makes sure it gives you a glimpse of as many previous couples as possible – if they’re still living there, then chances are they appear in this book at least once, even if it’s just the briefest of mentions! Mel and Jack are prominent of course and Bree, Jack’s sister. There’s also Colin and Jillian, as well as quite a few others. Kaylee really embraces joining the local community, even though her grief is very raw and it’s affecting her day to day life at times. She and her mother were very close, she was an only child (on her mother’s side, her father has married again and has other children from other marriages) and her untimely death has left Kaylee so bereft. Slowly however, Kaylee finds herself learning to cope with her loss, taking comfort in a life that she’s building in Virgin River. She’s not sure if it’s the sort of place she would live permanently but it’s certainly a soothing balm – and the fact that Landry is there definitely doesn’t hurt! I really enjoyed Kaylee and Landry together, they had this laid back, easygoing kind of relationship, there’s not a dramatic conflict or anything. Landry does have a bit of baggage that needs resolving and his situation was a bit unusual but he’s a kind, caring and gentle person. They went well together also – you could see them building something together. They both worked in creative fields and enjoyed a quiet life, meals at home and the like.

There’s something very comforting about returning to a familiar place with familiar people like Virgin River. Everything is still kind of the same – Jack has a bit of grey in his hair but he’s still manning the bar and meddling in things when he can, Preacher is still cooking, Mel is still the most random midwife. I really need to get watching Virgin River on Netflix before season 2 drops and sink back into the world a little more.

8/10

So happy to have returned to the world of Virgin River in this book! Robyn Carr's writing is amazing as always, and I read this so quickly!

I've been reading Robyn Carr's books since the early 2000s and have no plans to quit. But after all this time, she has become a comfort read for me. That's not bad-mouthing the author. I think it just happens with any author you have read for a long time.

As with any author that writes a long-running series, sometimes the premises becomes more far-fetched. I didn't have a problem with the heroine's issue with grief over her mother's death (like some other reviewers). I experienced the same. When the mainstay of your support system is taken away, your world collapses.

My issue is more with the hero and his failed relationship. It's like the premise of the 40-year-old male virgin. Possible, sure - but the norm, not so much. And so all through the book, there was a sense of disbelief.

Added to that, the heroine takes on a new responsibility at the end and the challenges of that are unexplored and glossed over. In addition, a potential conflict (place of residence) magically disappears.

Is this book, just a finishing touch to the series? If not, why wasn't there a second storyline featuring recurring characters? So much more could have been done. But the appearances of the characters was just desert, not part of the meal.

During this pandemic, a nice enough read, but this isn't a book that I would give to introduce a reader to Carr's storying telling.
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free galley in return for an honest review.

I was so excited to see a new addition to the Virgin River series! I recently started reading the series in earnest and I love it! I’ve also watched the Netflix adaptation. When the chance to review Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr presented itself, I jumped on it!

Return to Virgin River harkened back to the book that started it all: Virgin River. Honestly the plot of Return to Virgin River was very similar to Virgin River. It makes for an excellent read for people looking for more of that type of story.

For me personally it was wonderful, familiar, and comfortable. During an uncertain time I really loved the chance to watch two people fall in love. Autumn in a small town was perfect timing!

My heart hurt for Kaylee. I can’t possibly imagine the enormity of losing your mother. The first holidays are always tough. Kaylee is trying to find solace in the mountains.

I also really liked Landry. I did find his circumstances a little difficult to believe but I know that it happens. I felt that Landry balanced Kaylee well. I loved seeing all the familiar faces too! It was like catching up with old friends.

I haven’t read the Virgin River series in its entirety so Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr can stand on its own. I adored it and think it is the perfect autumn read!

While I enjoyed the chance to revisit the little town of Virgin River, I struggled to connect with the main character, Kaylee, and felt there was little-to-no chemistry between her and Landry. In previous installments of the series, there was more friction/heat, but this romance was fairly tame. I realize the larger storyline was Kaylee dealing with the grief over losing her mother, and I felt that was done well. I also liked several other elements of the story, especially the rescuing of animals, and the epilogue was very heartwarming.

Definitely glad I read this recent addition to a beloved series.

The Virgin River series was/is one of my favorite small-town series. I fell in love with the rural town nestled in northern California, among redwoods, waterfalls and good fishing. But most of all, I fell in love with the townsfolk and the people who ended up calling it home.

When the series originally released the holiday season didn’t kick off until I had witnessed the tree lighting between Jack’s and the church. When the series ended, I wept like I had lost an old friend. Then Netflix brought the town to life in their new Virgin River series, and new fans were born.

Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr is the nineteenth book in the series, and it felt like going home. I was overjoyed when I learned of its upcoming release and for me; it felt like coming home. While each book has its own adventures and romance, I recommend reading and meeting the characters in the order of their release.

Kaylee Sloan is headed to Virgin River to stay for the winter. She is recovering from the loss of her mother and has a deadline for her newest suspense novel looming. Thoughts of writing by the fire and enjoying views of the lake soon go up in flames.

A trip to Jack’s will soon set things to rights. He and his wife offer her their guest cabin for a few days while she scouts out new lodgings. Local artist and dog trainer Landry Moore’s provides the perfect place.

The tale that unfolds held all the magic one expects from Carr. I loved the animals, lunches at Jack’s and talks on the front porch.

Landry has suffered his own losses and the two strike up a friendship that slowly simmers. Found pets, abandoned puppies and healing all made for a wonderful tale. He and his dog help Kaylee, only to discover she has unknowingly helped them.

The relationship that develops felt genuine, even as we suffered some disturbances along the ride. I loved the surprises, one in particular, had me weeping one moment and smiling the next.

It was delightful to see beloved characters and catch up on local happenings. Virgin River magic, helpful hands, and townsfolk’s gathering to set the Christmas tree.

Carr touched on healing, friendship, giving and forgiveness. I laughed, wept and became completely swept up in the story.

If you love small-town romance and flawed, good willed characters I hope you’ll take a visit to Virgin River. Thanks for the return visit, Ms. Carr!

Return to Virgin River - I thought we were finished with books in this series and it was with a little bit of  trepidation that I picked up this one to read. Of course I always will want to return to Virgin River. I've loved the previous 18 in the series - but could #19 do justice to the series? Well it's a big YES from this reader.

I loved how Robyn Carr brings Kaylee, newly grieving the loss of her mother to spend some time in Virgin River, and to add to that Kaylee is a writer, struggling to finish a book that is really due in very soon. Very soon she is wrapped up by the arms of this small community, and especially welcomed by an artist/dog trainer when she finds herself without a place to stay.

It's set in the three months leading up to Christmas, and Virgin River does those months really well. If there is going to be only one Christmas book that you read this year, make it this one. It made me sad as some of the characters struggled with loss, but it warmed my heart with the kindness and outreach of so many.

Many of the Virgin River characters make little cameo entrances, especially of course Jack and Mel. It was great to see them all and still all looking out for each other and those who are new as well.

There are animals involved. Be warned - your heart will be captured by them.

A very satisfying, heart warming and wise read. I know it's part of a series, but it would read fine as a standalone.

Super new Virgin River story

I have read all of Robyn Carr's Virgin River novels and the new one fits right in with the rest. It's like revisiting old friends along with being introduced to some likable new friends. Others have described the plot and characters, so I only need to tell you how warm and cozy this novel feels to a socially-isolated voracious reader. Definitely another winner!

I also enjoyed reading Ms Carr's description of spending a day on set for the Netflix Virgin River series. Too bad my internet isn't up to Netflis. Here's hoping that changes soon!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley, with no obligation. This review is entirely my own work and opinion.

Although the Virgin River series is Robyn Carr’s most popular series, Return to Virgin River was my first foray into the series. After enjoying the author’s Sullivan’s Crossing series, along with some of the author’s standalone novels, I was curious about what this one would offer.

Despite this being my first introduction to the series, I managed to understand the story without any prior knowledge of the series. There were a lot of details given to explain characters, which has left me curious about their stories, but it is not necessary to know these details before going in. The story stands alone, although there will be curiosity about the other books.

While I found this to be a quick and easy read, it didn’t quite wow me in the way I had hoped it would. It was enjoyable and I devoured it in a single sitting, but I wanted a bit more tension from the story. It was a very easy read, but the other books I have read from the author have packed more of an emotional punch. It’s possible I would have enjoyed this one more if I already had an investment in the series, but as it was this was enjoyable but not quite everything I had expected.

All in all, this made for easy quick reading and has left me curious about the earlier books in the series.

Terrific book. It has been many years since I last read a Virgin River book, other than <i>My Kind of Christmas</i>. It didn't take me long to slip right back into the comfort of Jack's Bar and the warmth of the town. I loved seeing them take a lost young woman under their wings and help her heal.

Kaylee lost her mother to cancer on Christmas Day the previous year. Since then, she has been drowning in grief, unable even to lose herself in her writing. With her latest book's fast-approaching deadline, Kaylee escapes to Virgin River and the cabin where she and her mom spent some time. She's devastated when she arrives to find the house engulfed in flames. She heads to Jack's to regroup and decide what to do. Jack, who is the town's "Mr. Fixit," immediately offers her a place to stay for a few days, and various other people offer their assistance. But it's local artist Landry who rents her his guest cabin.

Landry is a little bit of a loner. He grew up in Virgin River, left for a while, and returned when city life didn't work out for him. His father's death hit him hard also, and he lost himself in his art as he coped with his grief. In addition to his art, Landry also works as a dog trainer.

I loved watching the relationship between Kaylee and Landry grow. It started slowly, with drinks or coffee on one porch or the other, as they talked about anything and everything. Landry and his dog helped Kaylee overcome her fear of dogs. The more time that they spend together, the more that the sparks between them intensify. I loved seeing how they supported each other's careers and respected the other's need for space. Though they acknowledge their feelings, some obstacles keep them apart. Landry's biggest obstacle came as quite a surprise and was a bit harder to overcome than expected. I loved how they were honest with each other about their needs and that both were willing to compromise to bring them the future they wanted.

There was more going on in Kaylee's life than her growing relationship with Landry. Her main reason for coming to Virgin River was to reclaim her writing mojo. I hurt for her and her fear that it wouldn't happen and loved her determination to keep plugging away. It was interesting to see the effect the people of Virgin River had on her thought processes and the "writing exercise" that became so much more. Kaylee also needed to deal with her grief, and besides her time with Landry, it was a conversation with Mel that put her on the right track: <i>"You know what I learned about grief? It's always there, and it's always at the center of your life, and then one day, you realize with some surprise that you had a fairly good day, and you wonder if grief left. Or if it got smaller. It didn't - - your world got bigger."</i> Something that helped make Kaylee's world a little bigger was her rescue of a tiny kitten, and later a mama dog with puppies. I loved the scenes with them, and with Landry's dog, Otis. As the weeks passed, her world got even bigger as she made friends with Virgin River's people, and she had more good days than bad. I loved how she used her grief to help another and the unexpected twist that help took.

I enjoyed being able to check in with previous Virgin River couples. There were plenty of scenes with Jack and Mel, the ones who started it all. I especially liked that these characters didn't get dropped in willy-nilly, but were logical parts of the plot. It all makes me want to reread the series.

It is hard to top the first few books in the Virgin River series. I fell in love with Mel and Jack, Preacher and Paige, and Brie and Mike and loved it when I could visit Virgin River again through Kaylee's eyes. Kaylee has lost her mom and has a complicated relationship with her dad. She's come to Virgin River to grieve and to hopefully write again. But life is what happens when you are busy making plans!

This is a stand alone book, but readers who are not familiar with the series will be a little lost with all the names and couples that are referenced. I *have* read the whole series and I occasionally had to reference previous books so I could remember who was being talked about. Kaylee's and Landry's story was lovely to read. It was believable and I was pretty surprised by the bump in their road to romance. The only thing that I didn't find to be believable was how fast Kaylee got over her fear of dogs. But that is getting pretty picky. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light read or an escape to the pine scented mountains of Virgin River.

Robyn Carr's Return to Virgin River is everything I hoped for!

The Return to Virgin River is everything I hoped for. There's comfort reading a Virgin River book.
We are introduced to new characters, Kaylee and Landry while still seeing some of our favorites, Jack, Mel and the gang.
In order to enjoy this fully I would recommend reading the others in the series. I'm sure it can be read as a standalone but you miss the back stories of the characters and how they intertwined.

Kaylee reminded me of Mel Sheridan from book 1. She is looking to spend time in Virgin River to get away from her life after her mom's passing. She's struggling with her career and hopes she'll find inspiration. I liked reading the characters thought process in writing especially when it came to her "second book".

Landry knows Kaylee is only costing but that does stop him from wanting more. Unfortunately he doesn't share his feelings and kept what he felt close to his chest.

The couple give into their wants but it wasn't without emotions. It was a wonderful edition to the series.

I was so excited to go back to Virgin River after some time away. We get a little bit of the old gang of Jack, Mel, Preacher, Mike and others. Kaylee is coming to VR to get away and write and Landry is a local artist and took over his family's land. I just loved these two characters they were so relatable, fun, lovable, and the ending will make your heart melt.
I just love Robyn's writing and this story is no different. We get issues/past drama and grief but these two work through it all to get that HEA. VR is a magical place and this book is a perfect setting for Kaylee and Landry to get their new starts. I wish there would be more of this series as I just love it!

Overall, 4 stars and 1 steam