Review of Wild Man Creek (Virgin River #12) by Robyn Carr

Wild Man Creek is book twelve of the series Virgin River.

Colin Riordan has come to Virgin River to recuperate from a helicopter crash with the support of his brother and sister-in-law, Luke and Shelby. They're helpful, Luke in an overbearing way, but it's Colin's painting that eases his soul.

Jillian Matlock is recovering from a personal and career blunder after trusting the wrong man. She's renting an old Victorian house outside Virgin River with a wonderful garden while she ponders her next steps as the dust settles from her exit from her old job.

Both Colin and Jillian plan to move on before too long, so the sparks they feel can't produce anything lasting. But there's something about Virgin River that brings people together.

I enjoyed this book, and it had some great subplots, like the one between Denny and Jack, which was quite unexpected but also shouldn't have been entirely shocking. Having a book about yet another Riordan brother was a treat, and seeing their beloved mother happy on her road trip with her boyfriend the pastor was delightful. Now we're just waiting for a book about Patrick, and the set will be complete.

Luke's fussing over Colin was both funny and aggravating, though I knew it was out of love. Shelby changed him for the better, and now he's become a mother hen. It's adorable.

Colin as a character wasn't the strongest character of the four Riordan brothers that I've seen so far in this series--I thought the best book with one of the brothers was Moonlight Road with Aiden, which was a hilarious book. However, I did like Colin and was rooting for him the whole way through.

Jillian I loved far more than Colin. I can identify with the way she just dives in whole-hog and thinks of the consequences later. That's me in a nutshell, only when I do that, they're not always good ideas. However, JIllian's garden did much better than my projects often do. I loved her passion for growing things and her Spartan lifestyle that didn't get any better until Colin forced the issue because a bed was not a priority for her--the priority was growing things. Her single-mindedness was funny, admirable, and relatable. I loved it.

Virgin River, the town, continues to be the center of all town life, and I enjoyed reading about characters from past books, like Noah Kincaid and the recently wed Ricky and Liz Sutter, though disappointingly, their wedding was off the page. All the other Riordan brothers factored into the book at some point, the only brother missing being Patrick.

Another great book in the series!

Photo Credit: Katherine Elizabeth

Stars Image Credit: lovethenerddesigns