Sunrise Point

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr

4.5 stars

Back Cover:
Former marine Tom Cavanaugh’s come home to Virgin River, ready to take over his family’s apple orchard and settle down. He knows just what the perfect woman will be like: sweet, decent, maybe a little naive. The marrying kind.
Nothing like Nora Crane. So why can’t he keep his eyes off the striking single mother?
Nora may not have a formal education, but she graduated with honors from the school of hard knocks. She’s been through tough times and she’ll do whatever it takes to support her family, including helping with harvest time at the Cavanaugh’s orchard. She’s always kept a single-minded focus on staying afloat...but suddenly her thoughts keep drifting back to rugged, opinionated Tom Cavanaugh.
Both Nora and Tom have their own ideas of what family means. But they’re about to prove each other completely wrong...

My Thoughts:
I've just read 3 Virgin River books in a row and this was my favorite of the three.  At first, I couldn't get why Tom was so uptight about Nora's past and current situation.  At the end he says something to his grandmother where he thinks she will have a hard time with his ending up with a single mom.  There was only one "love scene" in the story and I felt like, it wasn't even necessary.  It was good and all, but not necessary.  Anyway, the story goes along and we see a real progression of the relationship.  The secondary characters were fleshed out and good.  I was certain that the Coop story was going to reveal him as Denny's Dad.  However, that didn't happen.  He must have a story coming up somehow, because that's how things kinda work.  Also, if he doesn't have a story coming up soon, then we meet him for no reason. 

Chesapeake Blue

by Nora Roberts (#4 in the Quinn Series)

Title with a Color (for ROR Winter Reading Challenge)

Rate 4.5 stars

Back Cover:

Seth Quinn is finally home!

After a harrowing boyhood with a drug-addicted mother, he'd been taken in by the Quinn family, growing up with three older brothers who'd watched over him with love.

Now a grown man returning from Europe a successful painter, settling down in Marylands eastern shore surrounded again by Cam, Ethan and Phillip, their wives and children, all the blessed chaos of the extended Quinn clan. Finally, he's back in the little blue and white house, where there is always a boat on the dock, a rocker on the porch and a dog in the yard.

Still alot has changed around St. Chris while he's been gone and the most intriguing one is the presence of Drusilla Whitcomb Banks. A city girl who has opened a florist shop in this seaside town, she craves independance and the challenge of establishing herself without the influence of her wealthy connections. In Seth, she sees another kind of challange, a challenge she can't resist.

But storms are brewing that put their relationship to the test. Dru's past has made her sensitive to deception and slow to trust. And Seth's past has made him a target of blackmail-as a secret he has kept hidden for years threatens to explode, destroying his new life and his new love...

My Thoughts:

This is the final chapter in the Quinn Legacy, (although, this reader would love to continue to hear about those Quinn's,) Seth has made a name for himself in Europe as an artist, and his mother in continuing her blackmail. Money, plain and simple is what she wants from him. He is now somewhat of a celebrity (in the fine art circles). Drusilla (Dru) has left her wealthy and influential family back in DC to start a life on her own in St. Chris. After a painful betrayal by her fiance, Dru finds the family style community a fresh breath from the circles of DC. She does find it difficult to fit in, in this laid back community, but tries. Seth is instantly attracted and she to him. I mean, who wouldn't be, he's a Quinn people!!!!

I've read this several time (maybe 4) and each time is different. This time for some reason, I had a better connection with Dru. And--And for some reason I'd always pictured her as having medium blond hair, (not exactly fair, but not brown either...) As it turns out our Dru has very dark (almost black) hair cut in a short almost severe fashion. Quel Exotique!!!! And that really gave me a cool new point of view. I love it when that happens. After 3-4 readings, you start to skim to your favorite parts, but for some reason I really connected. So for me, this book gets better with age. Yay!!!