ARC Review: Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Book: REDWOOD BEND
Author: ROBYN CARR
Genre: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Published: February 2012, MIRA (HARLEQUIN)

Series: Virgin River #18
Source: Little Bird Publicity, no other compensation given for an honest review

Katie Malone and her twin boys’ trip along the beautiful mountain roads to Virgin River is stopped short by a tire as flat as her failed romance. To make matters worse, the rain has set in, the boys are hungry and Katie doesn’t have the first clue about putting on a spare. As she stands at the side of the road pondering her next move, she hears a distinct rumble. The sight of the sexy, leather-clad bikers who pull up beside her puts her imagination into overdrive.

Dylan Childress and his buddies are on the motorcycle trip of a lifetime. But the site of a woman in distress stops them in their tracks. And while the guys are checking out her car, she and Dylan are checking out one another.

In one brief moment, the world tilts on its axis and any previous plans Katie and Dylan might have had for their futures are left at the side of the road.

My Review:
I was really happy to return to Virgin River, after my first foray there with HIDDEN SUMMIT last month. One of the reasons that I liked both books, and have made it my mission to read more Robyn Carr, is the realness of the dialog and characters. Even for contemporary romance, I find that Carr writes as realistically as possible, including male and female point-of-view.

In REDWOOD BEND, the sister to Conner Danson, mentioned in HIDDEN SUMMIT, gets her turn at the spotlight. Conner no longer has to testify against the man he saw murder someone, Katie can now leave her temporary protected location, and without a permanent plan in place, she heads to Virgin River with her twin boys. As with Conner, she meets her match almost immediately as the novel opens. The instant attraction, or at least notice, is definitely present.

But, it's what Carr does with the rest of the book that makes it an enjoyable and rich read. None of her Virgin River couples come to love easily. In fact, there is much that the characters do and get involved in that does not necessarily revolve around romance. Dylan is trying to figure out what his next business move will be, while pondering a return to Hollywood, and Katie wants to find a place where she can raise her twin boys.

The fact that there is more to her book than just a sexual attraction between her characters is actually very attractive to me. I like that Katie is a mature character with her own mind and two children that don't always make it easy for Dylan. I like that Dylan has to make his own decisions about issues in his life and the two don't just fall into insta-love and miraculously all problems are solved.

The plot and the romance in REDWOOD BEND develop organically over the course of the book. Though Dylan and Katie have to be separated at one point, it reads like a normal relationship where two people have different goals and have to find their way through, then back to each other. Ultimately, a happy ending is reached. Carr's an author that I can count on to deliver a nuanced and engrossing contemporary novel and her VIRGIN RIVER series is one to read.


4/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars) Highly Recommend

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Available formats: Print (Mass Market Paperback), NookBook, Kindle