Review: Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr

Mira

April 2012

Format: Paperback, 378 pages

First line: There was a small note on the bulletin board at the Virgin River Presbyterian Church.

From the back cover: Tom Cavanaugh may think he wants a traditional woman, but in Virgin River, the greatest tradition is falling in love unexpectedly. 

Former marine Tom Cavanaugh has 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 finished college, 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 Cavanaughs’ 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 think this may be my favorite Virgin River novel so far…I loved Nora and Tom’s story! I was so excited to see that Nora was getting her own story – she is an incredible character with so much history that just begged telling.

Both characters have made brief appearances in some of the previous books, but Sunrise Point is ultimately their story.  We first met Nora in Bring Me Home for Christmas as the young lady with a 1-month old
who was left abandoned in a rundown home with no windows, refrigeration,
food…etc. She made another appearance in Hidden Summit as a neighbor
to Leslie, where we got to see that she is doing much better, making
friends, but still struggling to make ends meet. Tom makes a brief appearance in Redwood Bend when the issue of the mama bear and her cubs becomes a major problem – a problem that carries over to this story.

Desperate
for money and willing to work hard, Nora applies for a backbreaking job
of picking apples at Tom Cavanaugh’s orchard, but what she ends up with
is a life changing experience of friendship, family, safety, comfort
and love like she has never known. But these good things don’t come
quickly. While Tom is drawn to Nora, he is not interested in a woman
with so much baggage. Two kids and an ex-boyfriend doing time in prison? Definitely not his cup of tea. He thinks he needs someone more polished and without any baggage – someone like Darla, the beautiful widow of a former military man he served with. The only problem is that Darla is nothing more than a spoiled witch.

Watching Tom and Nora find their way was touching at times, but also quite humorous, especially when Tom’s grandmother Maxie starts adding her two cents to the situation. She was a great character – sassy, strong-minded, and just a hoot when she was with her gal pals. She was clearly not afraid to let Tom know who she wanted Tom to end up with. I hope that we see her again in future books!

I’ve said this before in other Virgin River book reviews, but I just have to say it again…I love this series and I love the town of Virgin River. It seems like the perfect place to settle down – a place where people are always willing to help each other out. 

Do you have a favorite fictional setting that you wish you could either visit or live?

(I got this book from PaperbackSwap.)

Books in this series:

1. Virgin River                                   11.1   Sheltering Hearts
2. Shelter Mountain                         12.  Midnight Confessions
3. Whispering Rock                          13.  Promise Canyon
4. A Virgin River Christmas          14.  Wild Man Creek
5. Second Chance Pass                    15.  Harvest Moon
6. Temptation Ridge                        16.  Bring Me Home for Christmas
7. Paradise Valley                             17.  Hidden Summit     
8. Under the Christmas Tree        18.  Redwood Bend
9. Forbidden Falls                            19.  Sunrise Point
10. Angel’s Peak                                   20.  My Kind of Christmas 
11. Moonlight Road