Review of Whispering Rock (Virgin River #3) by Robyn Carr
Whispering Rock is the third book in the series Virgin River.
Miguel "Mike" Valenzuela, a decorated marine reservist and L.A.P.D. officer, found a new beginning in Virgin River after an on-the-job shooting. When he's asked to be the town's first cop, he finds new purpose in a place he's come to love with people he cares about. Twice divorced and the lover of too many women, he's come to want the love of a good woman the way his friends Jack and Preacher have.
Brie Sheridan, a Sacramento County ADA used to putting away hardened criminals, falls victim to a violent crime. Instead of letting her hide away in fear, Mike coaxes her to do a little more, to push her limits. Mike has been gone over Brie for a long time, but he knows it will be far longer before he can have a hope of a relationship with her. All he can do is show her gentleness and friendship, and hope that it will one day become more.
Trigger warning: portrayal of rape victims.
This was a fantastic book. I picked it up to read the beginning before bed and finished the book before the sun rose. It was a delight to read. Getting these books has been difficult because they're popular at the library because of the Netflix show based on the first book, Virgin River. I've had to wait weeks, sometimes a couple of months, before getting a book, though the second book I didn't have to wait for at all. Boy, the wait is worth it! The books are sugary sweet but with enough bitterness to darker parts of the plot to bring out the sweetness even more. Goodreads is recommending the same two authors to me every time I enter a Virgin River book. I might have to check those authors out because I love these books.
One thing I really like about these books is the relationships are healthy. They're loving, supportive, honest relationships between imperfect people that bloom and grow over the course of the novel, then in successive novels, we get to see them post-happily ever after. Those visions after the ending of the characters' books along with the solid building of a community of people are why I love reading a series over a standalone novel.
The blurb for the novel didn't give away what happened to Brie, and I'm kind of glad it didn't because otherwise I wouldn't have read it. When it became clear that Brie had been beaten and raped, I nearly put the book down. I have a tough time reading about characters who've suffered traumas like that because of darkness in my own past. But because of the type of books I've read from Robyn Carr thus far, I thought I could at least give it a chance, and I'm glad I did. This novel shows a woman who'd been traumatized take back her power and win her life back. It was so beautiful to read. It didn't delve into the trauma and how deeply it affected her, which is usually where I have to stop reading, but instead focused on the hope ahead of her, though it did show some effects. Especially for someone like me, that was very satisfying.
There was more on the subject of rape in the book, however, and that was a little more difficult to read. A serial date rapist who is drugging girls at parties is running rampant at the local high school, and the reader gets a close look at one victim. Again, it wasn't a horrible experience for me, more like painful but not to the point that I needed to stop reading.
To me, the characters were vivid, especially Brie and Mike, but also the continued presence of Mel, Jack, Preacher, and Paige. Mel and Jack play a large role in this book as they did in Shelter Mountain. Many new characters were introduced, and I saw foundations for future books laid out in this one much the way the foundation for this book was laid in Shelter Mountain. There is one couple I'm sure will have a book and another I'm hoping will, but I'm not sure. There's another character I'm hoping will have his own book at some point. I like that everything overlaps.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and while I wasn't sure why all of them were important as I read Virgin River, as I read Shelter Mountain, I saw character arcs wrap up that were begun in Virgin River. I've discovered that Robyn Carr puts all her viewpoint characters in place for a reason, even if the numbers feel excessive, and sometimes a character arc for a minor character begins in one book and is finished in another. I haven't seen things approached quite that way before.
Descriptions were good at some points and lacking in others. Robyn Carr seems to be fairly minimalist with description and lets her readers do most of the population with vague guidance from her. That's really my only complaint about her writing. I wish her descriptions were more vivid, and I wish she'd given reminder descriptions of characters from previous novels, even just basics like body build and hair color.
Dialog was fantastic. It was smooth and easy to read. The sweetness of the relationships led to some cheese, but it wasn't over the top. I enjoy Robyn Carr's dialog and find it supports the character development well. I liked the way she incorporated Mike's Spanish and the way she went about providing the translations of his words into English. His Spanish declarations were the source of most of the cheese in the novel.
Overall, a wonderful book in a delightful series.
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