Series: Virgin River (Book 20)
PATRICK RIORDAN ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT NOTHING COULD MATCH THE ADRENALINE RUSH HE GETS FROM HIS JOB.
BUT THIS CHRISTMAS, PATRICK'S PULSE IS REALLY RACING...
The Riordan brothers may have a reputation for being rough-and-tumble, but Patrick has always been the gentle, sweet-natured one. These days, his easygoing manner is being tested by his high-octane career as a navy pilot. But for the Riordan brothers, when the going gets tough…the tough find the love of a good woman.
Except the woman who has caught Patrick's attention is Jack Sheridan's very attractive niece.
Angie LeCroix comes to Virgin River to spend Christmas relaxing, away from her well-intentioned but hovering mother. Yet instead of freedom, she gets Jack Sheridan. If her uncle had his way, she'd never go out again. And certainly not with rugged, handsome Patrick Riordan. But Angie has her own idea of the kind of Christmas she wants -- and the kind of man!
Patrick and Angie thought they wanted to be left alone this Christmas -- until they meet each other. Then they want to be left alone together. But the Sheridan and Riordan families have different plans for Patrick and Angie -- and for Christmas, Virgin River-style!
Terrific story about two people who are at crossroads in their lives. Each of them comes to Virgin River for the peace and quiet to consider options and make decisions. Neither Angie nor Paddy is looking for love, but Virgin River works its magic on both of them.
Angie is a 23-year-old med school student. She has been focused on her studies all her life, with becoming a doctor her only goal. She has ignored a social life in favor of her education. That all came to an end when she was involved in a devastating accident that nearly killed her. After months of rehab, Angie now wants to take a break from medical school and take some time to live the life that she has been ignoring. Unfortunately, her mother is not cool with that idea, and she and Angie have been butting heads over Angie's plans. Angie knows that the only way she'll get the peace she needs is to put some distance between herself and her mother. So she heads up to Virgin River to stay with her Uncle Jack.
Paddy faces a similar dilemma. He is grieving the loss of his best friend, who died in a mission in Afghanistan. Paddy saw it happen and feels responsible for Jake's death. The Navy has insisted that he take mandatory leave to recover from the trauma. Paddy is at a point where he has to decide if he is going to continue his career in the Navy, or get out and do something else. Complicating matters is his promise to Jake that he would watch out for Jake's wife and son if something happened to Jake. Paddy has a big, loving family, but he sometimes feels smothered by their attention. So while most of the family is off to San Diego to celebrate the holidays, Paddy will stay in Virgin River and contemplate his options.
I loved the first meeting between Angie and Paddy. She's in Jack's bar when she spots Paddy and is immediately drawn to him. She steps outside her comfort zone and actually goes over and talks to the man. It's fun to watch her ask questions and draw him out. Paddy tries to stay aloof, but he's just bowled over by her. She's young, but she seems to know what she wants, which he envies. Between that meeting, and seeing each other again the next day at the tree-raising, Paddy is intrigued and they end up making a date to meet for chili at his place. They spend a lot of time talking about their childhoods and getting to know each other. The sparks are hot between them, but Paddy knows it can't go anywhere. I loved their honest conversation about expectations, and that they could agree to enjoy each other's company for the time they are together.
Of course, it isn't all smooth sailing at the beginning. Everyone seems to have an opinion to share, and none of them are that Paddy and Angie should be together. I had to laugh at Jack, as the uber-protective uncle ran up against the determined young woman. I loved seeing her lecture him on the fact that she was an adult, not a little girl, and that he had to let go. Jack does express his worry about Paddy's state of mind, as he understands what Paddy is going through. It was fun to see Jack's struggles throughout the book, and Mel's attempts to keep him under control. Angie's Aunt Brie also has something to say, but she seems to be better able to let Angie live her own life, simply expressing that she's there if Angie needs her. On Paddy's side, he has to deal with his brothers' horrified reaction to him fooling around with JACK'S NIECE! They waste no time in letting him know what a bad idea it is and how much trouble he could bring down on himself. As the youngest in the family, he's used to being ragged on by them, but this time he fights back. He's not going to let anything come between him and Angie spending time together however they want to do so.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Angie is young, but very smart, while Paddy is older and more experienced, but they connect very easily. I love how easy they found it to share their thoughts and feelings, their fears and their plans. The more time that they spent together, the closer they grew. I loved how Angie's determination to live her life to the fullest helped to lighten the darkness that haunted Patrick. Just being with her helped ease his grief, making it easier for him to talk about Jake and his memories of their time together. Angie also made a great sounding board, as Patrick tried to work out what he was going to do. At the same time, Patrick's steadiness and support gave Angie the confidence to step outside her comfort zone and consider alternatives to medical school. He never tried to tell her what to do or convince her of one path or another. I really enjoyed the way that Patrick found satisfaction in taking care of Angie, from cooking for her to being her support crew on her project. It wasn't long before Angie realized that she was falling hard for Paddy, even though she knew there was no future in it. Not only would he return to Charleston and the Navy, there was also the issue of his need to take care of Jake's widow. There were quite a few times I wanted to hit Paddy over the head with a shovel. His connection with Angie was incredible, and he often thought about what it would be like to have more than those few weeks. But he was so focused on his misguided interpretation of his promise to Jake, that he was willing to throw away true love for a pale imitation. It took a stern talking to from Marie for him to see the truth. I loved the ending and the fun of Paddy and his "baggage" showing up at Jack's. His heartfelt declaration to Angie was fantastic and bodes well for their future.
Family is always a huge part of a Virgin River book. First, we have the Sheridans. There's Angie's mom, Donna, a woman who is strong willed and doesn't back down from making her wishes known. There is no doubt that she loves Angie, but she also doesn't deal well with change. Angie's somewhat drastic change of plans had her quite freaked out, and she kept trying to shove Angie back in the box she had been in before. Angie felt as though she was beating her head against a wall whenever she tried to talk to her mother. Then there is our beloved Jack, the heart of Virgin River. He is protective of family and friends alike. I loved his understanding of why Angie had to get away from home, and how happy he was to have her there. It was fun to see his frustration at his inability to "protect" Angie from Paddy. I also appreciated his decision to keep quiet about it when he talked to Donna - discretion being the better part of valor. Brie fell into the space between Donna and Jack. She's happy to let Angie be in charge of her own life, but she's also there to support her in anything she needs.
Then there are the Riordans. We've seen plenty of them in earlier books, with each brother coming to Virgin River and finding true love. They are a close family, but one with strong personalities. Paddy was the one who had the most laid-back and charming personality, and in earlier books had been the one to help each brother through their individual crises. He also knows his family well, and wants to avoid the smothering attention he knows would come his way if they knew what a hard time he was having. It was great fun to see all the brothers jerking Paddy's chain as they realized just how much he cared about Angie (even if he wouldn't admit it). There was a hilarious scene towards the end as all the men ganged up on Paddy, taking bets on whether he would be able to leave Angie behind.
A large part of the story was devoted to Angie's search for her new reality. She was no longer sure that she wanted to be a doctor, but she wanted to do something to contribute to the world. I loved seeing her consider her options while helping Mel at the clinic. Her big heart came into play when she came into contact with Megan, the little girl with the scar on her face. I loved Angie's determination to do something to help. That determination gave her the incentive to do things she had never done before. I loved how it was so hard for her to talk to strangers, and that she forced herself to do whatever she needed to do. I loved the progression of the steps, and how her efforts to help Megan also helped Angie work through her options and desires.
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