Review: Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr

From the back cover: Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way.

"Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.

The opening is most intriguing: Noah Kincaide, a widowed Reverend is patiently waiting for a church but the presbytery just hasn't come up with anything. When Noah sees an abandoned church for sale on E-Bay of all places, he contacts the real estate agent to take a look at the church. After convincing the presbytery that he has inherited enough money to do all the renovations,they approve the purchase and he is on his way to starting a new life in the little town of Virgin River.

When Ellie applies for the job, Noah is very hesitant to hire her as he worries about her appearance. All that makeup, all that curly hair and all that cleavage could be a serious distraction for young Noah. Although she had worked as an exotic dancer and had two children born out of wedlock to two different men, Ellie is totally different than what she appears to be.

Ellie was brought up by her grandmother and learned not to be afraid of hard work and that whining about a bad situation does not make it better; it just makes a person stronger. With a heart as big as all outdoors, her grandma's commonsense and strong work ethic deeply ingrained in her, Ellie proves her worth as she leaves an indelible mark on many of the town inhabitants, especially Noah.

I've only read one other of Carr's books and that was Virgin River Christmas and I really liked it. This latest was just as wonderful; the characters seemed so real to me in their thoughts, actions and very realistic dialogue. They are just everyday people living life to the best of their ability and very easy to relate to. Of course, some parts of it were predictable but the story is so heartwarming and Ellie is one of those characters you just love to root for.

Carr sure knows how to elicit emotions in a reader. I was hesitant to put this one down as I couldn't wait to see how Ellie's custody situation and her relationship with Noah would be resolved.
4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was sent to me by Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc. Thank you so much, Nancy!