Helpful Score: 8
Virgin River still going strong, Wild Man Creek did not disappoint. Virgin River is my favorite series, I recommend it to everyone and now half my neighborhood is reading it. Even though it just rolls along, nothing too crazy, it captures me every time. I found myself just opening Wild Man Creek and in no time I was half way through it, it was that smooth. Colin and Jillian's story was sweet and mature, no major conflicts, but not boring. My only conflicting thought was that Colin in WMC was not the same character as described in the previous books before the accident. I liked this one better, more mellow and lovable. I need to find this hidden commune of Virgin River men!
Nina S. (morebooks2read) -
Helpful Score: 5
No matter how many books I have on my TBR shelves, once any book from Robyn Carr comes in the mail everything comes to halt! Never can I let a book from this author sits too long, wished she can write a little faster...
This book really touch my heart for the simple fact that both H/H have different dreams but was still able to make it work. And its so fun to see a woman in the corporate world achieve so much and once backstabbed and defitted by her boyfriend still have the courage and determination to try something as simple as a hobby that turned to career of heart(wished I can do that). Once again, thumbs up for Robyn Carr for the best book ever!!!
This book really touch my heart for the simple fact that both H/H have different dreams but was still able to make it work. And its so fun to see a woman in the corporate world achieve so much and once backstabbed and defitted by her boyfriend still have the courage and determination to try something as simple as a hobby that turned to career of heart(wished I can do that). Once again, thumbs up for Robyn Carr for the best book ever!!!
Helpful Score: 2
Robyn Carr doesn't let you down - each book of the Virgin River series is even better than the last.
I definitely give Wild Man Creek 5 stars. A story of 2 people who have each gone thru horrific experiences in very different ways. In Virgin River, they each reach back into their past to find something that gives them peace & turns into a simpler way to make a living. For her it is love of gardening & for him it is a
love of painting wildlife. Each new Virgin River book is like catching up with old friends.
love of painting wildlife. Each new Virgin River book is like catching up with old friends.
Helpful Score: 1
This twelfth book in Robyn Carr's Virgin River series is my first experience with Carr's books, and despite the wild popularity of the series, I had some issues with this one in both style and content. While the plot was okay conceptually, the narrative had some problems. There was a lot of repetition and readers are told again and again about things ranging from Jill's experience with gardening as a child, to Colin's plans when he leaves, to Jill's plans with the high-end veggies, and more. And when the narrative isn't bogged down with repetition, it's overburdened by excessive exclamation. None of the characters seemed to say or think things, they say! or think! them, as if everyone was either perpetually cheery or consistently emphatic. Not only did that get old quickly for me as a reader, but it stripped away much of the emotional range that rounds out characters, making them seem rather two dimensional and superficial. And exclamations were especially off-putting in Colin's dialogue. That's probably a personal preference, though. I like my big broody men to be big and broody, and the exclamations just seem too darn chippy.
Beyond that, I had a lot of trouble liking either of the main characters. Within pages I knew I was going to have trouble with Jill, not for getting taken in by the jerkwad boyfriend, but for calling him again and again when she learns of his duplicity. The lack of common sense and appalling disregard for dignity really bothered me. I had higher hopes for a woman of obvious intelligence and competence. Thankfully, she improved, but the improvements lead to other issues I'll mention later.
There was also little to recommend Colin as a romantic lead. I found him arrogant, self involved, and abrasive when he dealt with his brother (not that I liked Luke either for how he treated Colin), and so very shallow in all other areas. His constant assertions about getting back to flying didn't make him seem dedicated to me, they made him seem oblivious and ungrateful for his many gifts. And I'm sorry, but when he was thinking about his sexual past I actually shuddered when I read this:
~*~*~
"He had never had a shortage of female company, that's for sure. One of his favorite things was to wash lipstick off his favorite organ in the morning-after shower..."
~*~*~
Seriously? This is the character that is the romantic lead in this contemporary romance? A guy who plans to leave - and reiterates those plans again and again throughout the book - and who not only thinks with his joystick, but devotes favorite pastimes to it? There just wasn't much that could be done after that to redeem his character for me. Not that much was tried. And that leads me to another bone of contention.
There was no growth in the characters and no conflict in the story to spur that growth - either internal emotional conflict or external plot-based conflict. In fact, beyond the issues that drove them to Virgin Creek to begin with, absolutely everything goes exactly their way. Jill decides to start gardening professionally and everything falls into place beautifully. She's rich, and a hard worker, but come on - the lack of any obstacles was boring. And where was the angst over the past? It seemed like once she got to Virgin River and dug around in the dirt a bit she was completely unaffected by what had happened to her.
Then there's Colin. He was horribly scarred physically and almost died in a helicopter crash, was a drug addict for all of a month (uh...yeah) and did time for buying on the street...but he didn't have so much as a single moment of emotional trauma to get over before he got groiny with a woman who might be put off by the scars or his history...and didn't so much as a flinch before he flew again? Really? And he's such a good artist that the first art gallery he goes to agrees to sell his work and he makes over a thousand dollars right away.
Maybe I'm jaded...no, wait, I know I'm jaded, but still...the absolute lack of conflict for the main characters made them and their relationship hard to believe and impossible to relate to. The only significant conflict between them at all ended up being the inevitable parting at the end of the summer, and that wasn't enough for me to hold my attention through the book.
There was one source of conflict in the book (besides Colin leaving), but as it turns out, it didn't involve the main characters at all. There was a subplot with a couple of secondary characters that added a bit of complexity to the plot, but it also served to highlight a tendency for characters to overreact in sometimes sweeping overemotional ways that weren't very appealing. Denny, the young man involved, became a completely different character than he'd been portrayed to that point and I just found it to be a bit too much to be believed.
Without a doubt, the second half of the book was better for me than the first. There was still a lot of exclamation in the narrative, and the story bounced along on the no-personal-struggle highway, but there were some highlights that were nice. I did come to like how Jill and Colin were together as their relationship progressed, and I enjoyed Jill's relationship with her sister when she came to visit. I appreciated the supportive nature that Jill had when talking to Colin about the future, and thought that she handled it better than I would have in that situation. While I never totally warmed up to Colin, it was quite obvious that he was a better person with Jill in his life, and that was also a nice thing to see.
Unfortunately, the few rays of sunshine didn't do enough to warm my reaction to the book any higher than two stars. Carr is obviously wildly successful as an author and with this series in particular. You can't get to twelve books and not have amassed a loyal following. For me, though, this book didn't have enough to keep me interested in the series and it had some things that turned me off the writing style entirely. I was left with very little to no interest in anything else that occurs in and around Virgin River, or to the characters created to be there.
~*~*~*~
One Good Book Deserves Another
http://one-good-book.blogspot.com
Beyond that, I had a lot of trouble liking either of the main characters. Within pages I knew I was going to have trouble with Jill, not for getting taken in by the jerkwad boyfriend, but for calling him again and again when she learns of his duplicity. The lack of common sense and appalling disregard for dignity really bothered me. I had higher hopes for a woman of obvious intelligence and competence. Thankfully, she improved, but the improvements lead to other issues I'll mention later.
There was also little to recommend Colin as a romantic lead. I found him arrogant, self involved, and abrasive when he dealt with his brother (not that I liked Luke either for how he treated Colin), and so very shallow in all other areas. His constant assertions about getting back to flying didn't make him seem dedicated to me, they made him seem oblivious and ungrateful for his many gifts. And I'm sorry, but when he was thinking about his sexual past I actually shuddered when I read this:
~*~*~
"He had never had a shortage of female company, that's for sure. One of his favorite things was to wash lipstick off his favorite organ in the morning-after shower..."
~*~*~
Seriously? This is the character that is the romantic lead in this contemporary romance? A guy who plans to leave - and reiterates those plans again and again throughout the book - and who not only thinks with his joystick, but devotes favorite pastimes to it? There just wasn't much that could be done after that to redeem his character for me. Not that much was tried. And that leads me to another bone of contention.
There was no growth in the characters and no conflict in the story to spur that growth - either internal emotional conflict or external plot-based conflict. In fact, beyond the issues that drove them to Virgin Creek to begin with, absolutely everything goes exactly their way. Jill decides to start gardening professionally and everything falls into place beautifully. She's rich, and a hard worker, but come on - the lack of any obstacles was boring. And where was the angst over the past? It seemed like once she got to Virgin River and dug around in the dirt a bit she was completely unaffected by what had happened to her.
Then there's Colin. He was horribly scarred physically and almost died in a helicopter crash, was a drug addict for all of a month (uh...yeah) and did time for buying on the street...but he didn't have so much as a single moment of emotional trauma to get over before he got groiny with a woman who might be put off by the scars or his history...and didn't so much as a flinch before he flew again? Really? And he's such a good artist that the first art gallery he goes to agrees to sell his work and he makes over a thousand dollars right away.
Maybe I'm jaded...no, wait, I know I'm jaded, but still...the absolute lack of conflict for the main characters made them and their relationship hard to believe and impossible to relate to. The only significant conflict between them at all ended up being the inevitable parting at the end of the summer, and that wasn't enough for me to hold my attention through the book.
There was one source of conflict in the book (besides Colin leaving), but as it turns out, it didn't involve the main characters at all. There was a subplot with a couple of secondary characters that added a bit of complexity to the plot, but it also served to highlight a tendency for characters to overreact in sometimes sweeping overemotional ways that weren't very appealing. Denny, the young man involved, became a completely different character than he'd been portrayed to that point and I just found it to be a bit too much to be believed.
Without a doubt, the second half of the book was better for me than the first. There was still a lot of exclamation in the narrative, and the story bounced along on the no-personal-struggle highway, but there were some highlights that were nice. I did come to like how Jill and Colin were together as their relationship progressed, and I enjoyed Jill's relationship with her sister when she came to visit. I appreciated the supportive nature that Jill had when talking to Colin about the future, and thought that she handled it better than I would have in that situation. While I never totally warmed up to Colin, it was quite obvious that he was a better person with Jill in his life, and that was also a nice thing to see.
Unfortunately, the few rays of sunshine didn't do enough to warm my reaction to the book any higher than two stars. Carr is obviously wildly successful as an author and with this series in particular. You can't get to twelve books and not have amassed a loyal following. For me, though, this book didn't have enough to keep me interested in the series and it had some things that turned me off the writing style entirely. I was left with very little to no interest in anything else that occurs in and around Virgin River, or to the characters created to be there.
~*~*~*~
One Good Book Deserves Another
http://one-good-book.blogspot.com
Diana C. (princessdiana34691) reviewed Wild Man Creek (Virgin River, Bk 14) on + 361 more book reviews
sweet read. characters well developed and real.
Jillian Matlock leaves a high-tech job to become a farmer in Northern California and meets Colin Riordan who is at loose ends after surviving a helicopter crash. The small town welcomes them both and Colin finds he can paint. Jillian knows he wants adventure so encourages him to seek his dreams even though it means he will leave her.
I really enjoyed this book based in Virgin River. The first book that I read from Robyn Carr was "Promise Canyon" and I have now read 3 of her books. They are based on "real" people and the issues they face.
This is one of a series that I enjoyed. No sizzling story but a nice pleasant read, with goodd characters that you can care about.
One of my favorite in the Virgin River Series. Highly recommended.
This was a very sweet book, even the love scenes were fun. There were no dramatics and slow in a good way. Almost like taking its time or akin to aging a good wine.
Jilly was delightful. I sympathized with her right from the start. Even though I did cringe at her calling her ex who manipulated her, I knew it was a really realistic reaction. It wasn't smart but who wouldn't want the call the jerk even just to say, "What the hell?" I loved how ethusiastic and single minded she was, to the point of obsessive compulsion. I think she needed to be or I would have a hard time imagining her as a high powered CEO.
I know one of the other reviews felt there were no character developments but I disagree. I think there were a lot but it wasn't spelled out. Like with the rest of the book, it was subtle. I think by the end of the book both Jillian and Collin were different people. I can assure you that Collin was no longer the boy's who favorite past time was to wash lipstick of his anatomy in the morning.
Really great read. After reading a few of her books, I'm so glad I found Carr. She knows how to write a series without recycling characters with a different name or using the same plotlines.
Jilly was delightful. I sympathized with her right from the start. Even though I did cringe at her calling her ex who manipulated her, I knew it was a really realistic reaction. It wasn't smart but who wouldn't want the call the jerk even just to say, "What the hell?" I loved how ethusiastic and single minded she was, to the point of obsessive compulsion. I think she needed to be or I would have a hard time imagining her as a high powered CEO.
I know one of the other reviews felt there were no character developments but I disagree. I think there were a lot but it wasn't spelled out. Like with the rest of the book, it was subtle. I think by the end of the book both Jillian and Collin were different people. I can assure you that Collin was no longer the boy's who favorite past time was to wash lipstick of his anatomy in the morning.
Really great read. After reading a few of her books, I'm so glad I found Carr. She knows how to write a series without recycling characters with a different name or using the same plotlines.
Have only been reading ms carr recently but enjoy the series very much
like the friendships evolving
like the friendships evolving
Severely injured in a helicopter crash, Colin Riordan goes to Virgin River to recuperate. Painting pictures of wildlife while he heals, Colin sets up his easel in a field owned by Jillian Matlock, a woman who is getting over the loss of her career. There is an immediate connection between Colin and Jillian, neither of which are looking for a commitment. Soon they are embarking on a relationship they know will be ending in the near future.
I was looking forward to this book since the Riordan brothers are some of my favorite characters in the series. I liked Colin but I found Jillian to be too driven. She plants a garden in the backyard of her rented home. Soon she has planted several acres with exotic vegetables, set up a couple greenhouses and hired an assistant, sinking big bucks into the project in hopes of starting a business. I can't imagine anyone jumping into a business where they have no background. I was also a bit bored with all the gardening information. Maybe that is because I do not have a green thumb. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
I was looking forward to this book since the Riordan brothers are some of my favorite characters in the series. I liked Colin but I found Jillian to be too driven. She plants a garden in the backyard of her rented home. Soon she has planted several acres with exotic vegetables, set up a couple greenhouses and hired an assistant, sinking big bucks into the project in hopes of starting a business. I can't imagine anyone jumping into a business where they have no background. I was also a bit bored with all the gardening information. Maybe that is because I do not have a green thumb. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
This was my first Virgin River book and I was very pleased. Great story!
Great, GREAT book! I love those Riordan brothers!
This reinforces my belief that Robyn Carr was abducted by aliens during her writing of Promise Canyon (Virgin River, #11). It so didn't fit in with the rest of her Virgin River series. Glad she is back to normalcy!
This reinforces my belief that Robyn Carr was abducted by aliens during her writing of Promise Canyon (Virgin River, #11). It so didn't fit in with the rest of her Virgin River series. Glad she is back to normalcy!
Robyn Carr does it again! This installment in the Virgin River series sees another of the Riorden men bite the dust! Just love the books and the series and have to say "keep em coming!"
Loved this series.
just finished.... terrific book
The first few chapters are dedicated to the background of the key subjects of the book - and they drag! I'm up to chapter 9 of 19 chapters...and don't think I'll finish the book. There is more than one story line in this book...and the author seems to jump around. When she comes back to the 2 main characters, she has a tendency to "remind" the reader of what has happened to them in the past. It's just not my type of book. I thought I would try this author and she just doesn't peak my interest in the characters. In other books that I've read and liked, there was more "sexual tension" between the characters before the climax of the book...and this just seems to be more of a "wham, bam, thank-you maam." Now that the characters are interested in each other, and they are more or less a couple, I don't think I can finish the other 10 chapters... The book just drags...not my type of book but maybe for someone else... I'm more of a Linda Lael Miller and Nora Roberts fan, personally but I thought I would try this author. I am disappointed. If you know of another book that is better, don't hesitate to let me know! But this one just doesn't do it for me.
