Wednesday, January 6, 2010

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!

9 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! You read it already!!! I'll be back in a couple of days to read your review. Starting it tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds interesting. One of my goals is to read the forst Virgin River books and see how I like it ! First time to your website and really enjoy it. RSS feeding you !!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like such a sweet story. Thanks for your review.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. It sounds lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You reviews are always enjoyable to read as you are so real in them...I mean you tell it like it is and so I trust what you say. I also have read one of Carr's books and she does a nice job for a good read.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds fun and I like books about everyday life and people!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ok, I'm back :D Finished reading it tonight and was not disappointed. I totally agree with your review, Kaye. I've enjoyed this series from the first book. Ellie cracked me up and do you think maybe Noah's mentor might stick around VR a bit longer? I think Robyn Carr could write this series for years to come. Love the small town and all the characters.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well I have this one but after reading Mary's thoughts on it today I decided to start at the beginning of the series so it'll be a while before I get to it but I can't wait.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've enjoyed this author too but it's been awhile. I need to get back to her. This sounds like a good series to pick up with. You know how to pick 'em Kaye!

    Boy, I really need to get out more. I'm cooped up in my house in this cold weather and cooped up in my own blog (although it certainly doesn't show!). I haven't been very sociable lately and need to visit, visit, visit! And this is my favorite place!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.