Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Mira
December 2011
Format: Paperback, 347 pages
First line: Brie Valenzuela finished her large latte and looked into the empty cup.
From the back cover: Sometimes romance is hiding in plain sight…
When Connor Danson becomes an unwitting witness to a violent crime, he is forced to leave Sacramento and keep a low profile until the trial is over. He arrives in the tiny mountain town of Virgin River with a chip on his shoulder and an ache in his heart.
Leslie Petruso didn’t want to leave her hometown either. But she can’t stand another minute of listening to her ex-husband tell everyone that his new wife and impending fatherhood are the best things that ever happened to him. Virgin River may not be home, but it’s a place where she can be anonymous.
Neither Connor nor Leslie is remotely interested in starting a new relationship…until they meet one another. Even they can’t deny they have a lot in common – broken hearts notwithstanding. And in Virgin River, no one can stay hidden away from life and love for very long…
My thoughts: This is the 17th book in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series and as I’ve said before, I am really enjoying this series. How Robyn Carr is able to keep creating new trials for new characters is beyond me. I’ve read books 3-17 this year alone and I haven’t once felt that it was the same old story being repeated with new faces. Yes, they are all romances and yes, the guy does get the girl, but it’s their backgrounds and who they are that make the difference.
Connor has come to Virgin River under a false identity while he waits to testify in a
murder trial. He is the only witness to the crime and his hardware store was torched in an attempt to intimidate him. He
decides to work for Haggarty Construction while in town. Leslie has also come to Virgin River to get away from something – her
ex-husband. I loved the little twist Robyn Carr put in this
relationship – rather than a nasty ex, Leslie’s is too friendly.. She
worked for Haggarty at a different branch and ends up in the same office
as Connor, working for Paul, an old family friend.
Right from their first meeting, there are sparks between Leslie and Connor, but both are very careful not to get involved…they have enough on their plates without adding anything more to it and neither is looking for any type of long-term commitment. But, as they begin talking and spending time together, they realize that their feelings are stronger than their intentions of staying unattached. Unfortunately, things aren’t that easy for them – Connor has secrets and Leslie abhors secrets of any kind. Will they be able to overcome their past to make a future?
As is typical of the Virgin River books, we also get to see some familiar faces. Bree is involved in this book as the contact between Connor and the DA. Jack and Preacher also make appearances, as do Dan Brady and Cheryl – two characters we haven’t seen much of lately. There are also some other new characters that are introduced that give you sense that they will be involved in later books…and I am excited to see who’s story is next!
(I got this book from PaperbackSwap.)
Books in this series:
- Virgin River 11.1 Sheltering Hearts
- Shelter Mountain 12. Midnight Confessions
- Whispering Rock 13. Promise Canyon
- A Virgin River Christmas 14. Wild Man Creek
- Second Chance Pass 15. Harvest Moon
- Temptation Ridge 16. Bring Me Home for Christmas
- Paradise Valley 17. Hidden Summit
- Under the Christmas Tree 18. Redwood Bend
- Forbidden Falls 19. Sunrise Point
- Angel’s Peak 20. My Kind of Christmas
- Moonlight Road
Thanks for another great review. I definitely need to get started on this series.