by Robyn Carr
Part of Virgin River, book 13
First published 2011
Kelly Matlock collapses at her San Francisco restaurant, her body finally rebelling against years of kitchen pressure. The sous chef flees to Virgin River, where her sister Jillian offers refuge and a garden full of heirloom vegetables. Kelly finds peace tending plants and cooking simple meals, but the quiet mountain town leaves her restless. Then she meets Lief Holbrook, a widowed screenwriter who traded Hollywood for lumber country solitude. His rugged appearance masks his sophisticated background, and Kelly feels drawn to both sides of him. The attraction grows complicated when she encounters Courtney, Lief's angry stepdaughter. The teenager drove them out of Los Angeles with her rebellion, and Virgin River hasn't tamed her defiant streak. Kelly faces a choice between her comfortable recovery and a relationship that demands she handle not just a grieving man but his hostile child. She survived demanding chefs and restaurant chaos, but a troubled teenager presents different challenges entirely.
Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, second-chance
Setting: San Francisco, Virgin River
361 pages · Mass Market Paperback · MIRA