Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #18)
Contemporary Romance
February 28, 2012
Mira

Reviewed by Helyce

Katie Malone has been in a witness protection program for several months now. Forced to leave her home in the dead of night with her five year old twin sons was one of the most difficult things she’d had to do. Leaving her brother Connor, was the other. The only man in her life, following the death of her marine husband before her boys were even born, Connor had been her friend, her rock, her shoulder to cry on, and the best uncle her boys could ask for. But when Connor witnesses a murder behind his hardware store, and goes to the police with the identity of the murderer, all hell breaks loose. First, their hardware store is burnt to the ground, then Connor is threatened, and then there really was no choice. He had to get Katie and the boys to safety, even if it meant leaving him behind.

Now, with the horrific trial behind them, Katie longs to move on with her life. She had thought she might stay in Vermont. She had a good job, made some friends and had been dating a man for a while. With her boys going into kindergarten soon, she knew that they needed stability. But she missed her home and her boys missed their uncle Connor, so the decision to head back to the west coast was one she easily made. She decides to head to Virgin River, where Connor had settled following the trial to spend part of the summer with him before looking for a permanent home, job and school.

Dylan Childress is on a motorcycle road trip from Montana with some good friends, heading into Virgin River for more riding, fishing and general R&R. His small aviation business is in trouble and he’s worried about letting his business partner and best friend down. He’s dealing with a lot, and he’s hoping to use this time to make a difficult decision. In order to save his business he’s considering doing something he swore he’d never do again. As he and his friends come around a bend they happen upon a big SUV, pulled over to the side with a flat tire. It’s pouring rain, and he sees a very petite woman attempting to change the tire. He and the guys pull over of course, and get the tire changed, sending Katie on her way. Katie certainly noticed Dylan. Handsome, tall, lean, with beautiful blue eyes, she thought he belonged on a runway, modeling, not riding along on a motorcycle. But men and dating were just not on her to do list at the moment. She had priorities. Two very big ones! But fate has a way of disrupting the best laid plans, and Katie’s chance meeting with Dylan was no exception.

I always look forward to heading back to Virgin River, and this book was no exception. Katie Malone is a wonderful strong character. She had to be; losing her husband before her boys were even born was hard. But with Connor’s help and support she’d gotten through that terrible time. Her time in Vermont just made her stronger. As she didn’t have Connor nearby, she had only herself to rely on and she realized that she could do anything she set her mind to. But she knows she needs a plan, and she’s hoping to use her time in Virgin River to do just that.

When Katie and Dylan meet up again at Jack’s bar, there is a definite attraction, but Katie knows that Dylan is just on vacation and Dylan is certainly not looking for any sort of relationship. Sex, absolutely, but Dylan senses that Katie is not a one night stand kind of girl. Katie, however, starts to rethink this as she gets to know Dylan better and starts spending more time with him. She decides that maybe it’d be okay to explore a sex only relationship with Dylan. She hadn’t been with anyone since her husband, and she just knew that sex with Dylan would be worth it.

I really enjoyed the way Dylan’s character grew in this book. When we learn about his childhood it’s amazing that he turned out as well as he did. Watching him fall in love with Katie was such fun. As his week in Virgin River turns from one, to two and then three we know full well that Dylan has fallen in love with Katie and her boys long before he even begins to admit it to himself. Katie, too, falls hard, but she never says a thing, knowing that as soon as Dylan hears from his friend about a possible job, Dylan will be off, doing what he needs to do to save his company. She keeps telling herself that she’s okay with it, but we know she isn’t.

When Dylan does leave, we see Katie fall into a bit of depression and this part was a bit frustrating for me. Of course, all stories need some sort of conflict and this was no different except that I was able to figure out where the author was going and I wasn’t happy with that path. It certainly did not ruin the book for me, but it’s kind of over used and it was very predictable here.

I adored Dylan’s grandmother. She took Dylan out of a situation when he was just 15 years old. She moved them to a small ranch in Montana when neither of them knew anything about ranching, hoping to teach him the value of hard work and not having everything handed to you on a silver spoon. These were tough lessons, but clearly the reason Dylan turned out to be man he was. When she arrives out of the blue in Virgin River, we are treated to some fun and humorous scenes and it is clear how much she loves Dylan.

As always, I loved the interaction with characters from previous books. It’s like coming home and having a mini reunion as you get little updates on what these characters are doing. At the same time, we meet a few new people who I’m sure will be featured in a Virgin River book to come.

Rating: B

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