by Robyn Carr
Part of Virgin River, book 4
First published 2008
Marcie Sullivan arrives in Virgin River with a mission. A year has passed since her husband Bobby died, and she needs to find Ian Buchanan, the marine who saved Bobby's life in Fallujah four years earlier. Ian pulled Bobby's broken body to safety and gave Marcie three precious additional years with her husband. But Ian vanished when their unit returned home, ignoring every letter Marcie sent. Now she's tracked him to this remote mountain town. The Ian she discovers bears emotional scars as deep as Bobby's physical wounds were. He lives alone, keeping the world at arm's length. Marcie refuses to back down. She pushes past his barriers and finds someone worth fighting for underneath his harsh exterior. Ian struggles with this determined widow who drags him toward memories he'd rather forget and a future he's afraid to imagine. Christmas approaches in Virgin River, bringing possibilities neither expected.
Genres: christmas, contemporary-romance, military-romance, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Virgin River
Period: A Year After Fallujah
313 pages · Mass Market Paperback · MIRA