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Virgin River is abuzz with the news that a stranger bought the town's abandoned church on eBay. The buyer, a young widowed reverend, is a little like the building itself: in need of some loving care. Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's... read more

Summary edit see section history

Virgin River is abuzz with the news that a stranger bought the town's abandoned church on eBay. The buyer, a young widowed reverend, is a little like the building itself: in need of some loving care. Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Virgin River is abuzz with the news that a stranger bought the town's abandoned church on eBay. The buyer, a young widowed reverend, is a little like the building itself: in need of some loving care. Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way. "Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs. This unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question.

Characters edit see section history

  • Noah Kincaid: Young, widowed minister who bought the town's old church when Hope McCrea put it up for auction on E-bay.
  • Ellie Baldwin: Brassy, beautiful young woman who comes to work as Noah's assistant
  • Jack Sheridan: Owner of the bar and restaurant in Virgin River where most of the people in the town gather for food and drink. He's married to Mel and the father of David and Emma. Former marine.
  • Nathaniel (Nate) Jensen: Veterinarian who took over his father's practice. He administered to Lucy after Noah found her on the side of the road.
  • Mel Sheridan: Nurse and midwife who runs the town's clinic with Dr. Cameron Michaels. She's married to Jack and the mother of toddler David and baby Emma.
  • Paul Haggerty: Building contractor who opened an office of his family's business in Virgin River when he married Vanni. He's a former marine who was also Matt Rutledge's best friend (Vanni's first husband). He's stepfather to baby Matt and is worked on Preacher's home expansion and Brie and Mike's home. He's having to deal with being the beneficiary of a former girlfriend's legacy following her death.
  • Vanessa (Vanni) Haggerty: Walt's daughter and Paul's wife. She was widowed when her first husband, Matt, died in Iraq while she was pregnant with her son, also named Matt. She's also Shelby's cousin. She's trying to have another baby while at the same time struggling to deal with Paul's former girlfriend's legacy.
  • George Davenport: Noah's best friend and mentor. He's also a minister.
  • Shelby McIntyre: After the death of her mother she moves in with her uncle Walt in Virgin River where she meets Luke, a retired Black Hawk pilot, who is known to not have serious relationships with women. She falls in love with him and he with her and they are now engaged and working with Noah to plan their wedding.
  • Luke Riordan: A 38-year old, retired Army Black Hawk pilot, who warns Shelby he is not a relationship kind of guy, but he found that he couldn't stay away from her. He is re-modeling some cabins he owns on the river. He is engaged to Shelby.
  • Lucy: Noah's dog who he rescued from the side of the road where she was near death after being on her own following the death of her original owner.
  • Matt Haggerty: Vanni's son by her deceased first husband who was a Marine killed in action in Iraq.
  • Hannah Bradford: Paul's former girlfriend Terri's daughter
  • Jo Ellen Fitch: Nick's wife
  • Nick Fitch: Jo Ellen's husband who is a bit of a lech
  • Marianne Haggerty: Paul's mother who lives in Grants Pass.
  • Roberta Bradford: Terri's mother and Hannah's grandmother
  • Arnie Gunterson: Ellie's ex-husband who is cruel and manipulative. He has custody of her children who are not his biological kids.
  • John (Preacher) MIddleton: Former Marine, now a cook at Jack's bar. Married to Paige and father to Christopher and Dana.
  • Brie Valenzuela: Married to Mike, she's Jack's sister and was the assistant district attorney in Sacramento. She's now a consultant for the Humboldt County prosecutor and practices private law. She's representing Ellie in her custody case. She's the mother of daughter Ness.
  • Annie McKenzie: Nate's fiancé who owns her own hair salon franchise.
  • Danielle and Trevor Baldwin: Ellie's children who are living with their stepfather.
  • Terri Bradford: Former friend of Paul's who tried to trick him in believing he was the father of her unborn child right before he married Vanni. She is Hannah's mother.
Show all 23 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “He chuckled. “Well, now.” “That was a first,” she muttered. “Not a first orgasm, I hope,” he said. “No. The first time I was talked into it. You sure have a way with words, Noah. I just got too turned on.” She took a breath. “I guess you‟re in the right job. You can talk a person into anything.”
    Noah and Ellie
  • “I thought I should give all the applicants a fair shot.” “Are you kidding me? I sat in my car outside waiting for my turn. I saw the other applicants—all two of them. One could barely get up the stairs; not a good bet for moving furniture. The other one had such a mean schnobble, she could break glass with her face”
    Noah and Ellie
  • “Don‟t make love to your problems—they‟ll never give you back the satisfaction you give them. And, troubles aren‟t worth the paper they‟re written on, but that doesn‟t mean writing them down won‟t help you get a fix on ‟em. And, God respects you when you work, but he loves you when you dance.”
    Ellie

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Recently ordained minister Noah Kincaid was surfing the Internet, killing time, when quite by chance, he happened to find a church being auctioned on eBay - in some little place he'd never heard of - Virgin River.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter 1-18

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Maternal Bonds: Unconditional love and instincts between a mother and her child(ren). In this story, you have Ellie's bond between her children and the many sacrifices she tried to make for their well being.The bonds are not limited to biological connections. These instincts can be developed as we see with Vanni and Hannah, Jo Ellen and Ellie, Ellie and her Gramma, and the one Vanni is fostering between Hannah and her maternal grandmother.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 9 of 21 in Virgin River. (standard series)

Preceded by That Holiday Feeling, and followed by Angel's Peak.

This is book 83 of 120 in Mira Romance. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Robyn Carr (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Mira
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 9780778327493
Page Count: 371

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: CPB Box no. 3160 vol. 7 Copyright Pbk Coll FT MEADE
  • Dewey: 813

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Profanity. Sexual content.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Virgin River
  • Shelter Mountain
  • Whispering Rock
  • A Virgin River Christmas
  • Second Chance Pass
  • Temptation Ridge
  • Paradise Valley

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