Customer Reviews

Second Chance Pass (Virgin River, Book 5)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I really like this series, and I even liked this book. However, of all the stories in the series, this was my least favorite. More than any of the other books, this one seemed really choppy. Only about half of the book was truly Vanni and Paul's story while the rest seemed liked separate short stories thrown together. I really enjoyed Joe and Nikki's side story, and I always like getting caught up with old favorites like Jack and Preacher, but this book as a whole didn't really flow into one main story as the others did. If you follow the series, then you should definitely read this and if you're new to the series start at the first book. I am still anxious for the next installment.

THE VIRGIN RIVER SERIES (Contemporary):

Virgin River

Shelter Mountain

Whispering Rock

A Virgin River Christmas

Second Chance Pass

Temptation Ridge (March 2009)

Paradise Valley (April 2009)

Definitely read these in order. You can skip the Christmas book without losing the storyline, but it is a great story on it's own. My review will most benefit people who are familiar with the Virgin River series.


I was really looking forward to reuniting with the characters of the Virgin River series. After reading "Second Chance Pass", I'm having mixed feeling about reading the next book in the series. Half of this book was emotionally touching, fun, and powerful. The other half was painfully boring, repetitive, and pointless.

Here is what I would describe as "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" of it all:

"The Good":
All of the main characters from the first three books are present in some portion of "Second Chance Pass". After feeling disappointed about not hearing anything about Ricky and Christopher in the Christmas book, I was glad to see them both back even though they each played very small roles. Actually, Ricky and Jack have a short fishing scene, then a farewell as Ricky leaves for Iraq, that turned out to be one of the most emotionally charged points of the whole book. Excellent writing!

The main couple, Vanessa and Paul, had real substance. As the widow and the best friend off Matthew (killed in Iraq) they share a grief that never waivers. Even after admitting to Vanessa that he was in love with her, Paul looks to Matt's grave and towards heaven with a promise to "do right by her". Even after Paul marries her, he weeps at Matt's grave and confesses that, as much as he loves her, he would gladly live forever loving her from a far if it would bring his "brother" back. Again, amazing writing.


"The Bad":
I spent a lot of a pages skimming through repetition. Scenes that happened in past books, and even scenes that occurred right in this very book, were repeated in detail as if we readers have no memory of what happened. An event would take place in one scene, then the characters would tell other characters about it in full detail in another scene. Why not just say "He explained the event to his friends..." Why did we need to reread the whole past scene over again in the dialogue? Poor writing like this made many scenes boring.

Be prepared for a majorly repetitious birth control/health lesson. "Use two forms of birth control..." Again and again it is brought up. The condom, the pill, the IUD... We get it. Breastfeed or die. We get treated to at least 3 breastfeeding scenes per chapter. (Yes, it is a beautiful thing. But it gets tedious when we are waiting for a story to unfold.) Despite all of the b.c. lessons, EVERYONE is either pregnant or lactating.


"The Ugly":
Unfortunately, Robyn Carr seems to have fallen into the common mistake of believing we like to see women treat their men like dissident children. The men walk around with their mouths shut like badly whipped mutts. In one case, when Paul's buddy Joe needed advice, Vanessa says that Paul isn't allowed to help Joe. "He's under orders!" [direct quote] not to speak to Joe because Vanessa is mad at Joe. Paul almost relents because he wants "to be able to have sex again in the future." I just can't find anything appealing about a thoroughly whipped man.

"He's under orders!" ????? Seriously?!?!

I actually have a strong dislike for Mel (lead female from the original "Virgin River" book) after reading "Second Chance Pass". She's a midwife. Often the one giving out the lectures about b.c. But she spends the whole book bitching about how her husband got her pregnant "without her permission". Ummm... I'm pretty sure she was aware that unprotected sex = pregnancy. I know it was meant to be a standing joke, but it wore me out. Mel didn't have a single kind or affectionate word for Jack in this entire 400 page book. Meanwhile, he ran in circles loving and taking care of her. How many times did Mel repeat that she would "shoot him" if he "did this" to her again? Enough is enough.


After all of the ups and downs of being locked to a powerful scene, then wanting to rip out pages that annoyed or bored me, I'm drained.

Second Chance Pass is Book 5 in the amazing Robyn Carr's Virgin River series. If one goes online to check out any of Ms. Carr's books, they will find themselves awash in comments from devoted followers. Why the adulation? Because Ms. Carr delivers on a theme readers the world over, love. Brave military men and the women who love them who live to a code of honor, seemingly missing in today's gimme, gimme, entitlement era.

I love that this series provides new characters with their struggles while keeping us informed on the previous characters who inhabit tiny Virgin River, her fictional town in the Humboldt County redwoods. I can't wait to read more about Jack Sheridan and his nurse practitioner wife Mel and their growing family, or John Middletown, the gentle giant who captures Paige's heart. Or the rest of Jack's and Preacher's ex-Marine buddies. They're all here in Second Chance Pass, plus the stories of Paul Haggerty and his adoring bride Vanessa, Vanni's father, General Walt Booth and the retired movie-star neighbor, and architectural designer, Joe Benson who is instantly blown away on his first meeting with Vanni's girlfriend and maid of honor Nikki Jorgensen.

In Second Chance Pass, the reader will walk through the births of Mel's and Paige's babies, discover Paul's undying love for Vanni and her deceased husband, and cheer Joe Benson as he meets his match in petite Nikki. But can Nikki shed her apprehensions about Joe's sincerity after a night of mind-blowing sex? Is it just a fling or the real deal? Pick up a copy of Second Chance Pass and find out. You won't be disappointed. Robyn Carr's Virgin River is a series so heartwarming, you wish you could move there.

While I enjoyed this book, I got tired of hearing about everyone breastfeeding. At one point Mel isn't available to breastfeed her newborn and she hopes Vanni or Paige breastfeed for her...what's wrong with a bottle and formula!? Geez, plenty of women don't breastfeed and their children turn out fine. All of her female characters do natural homebirths... again what's wrong with birthing in hospital with an epidural? Show some diversity.

The man are all so whipped (another reviewer said this as well)and all of them love pregnant women and want to hear how their labor went. I have never had a man ask me about my labor. It was just too sweet! Robyn needs to mix up it a little.

I'm hoping for something different in the next one.

Once again Robyn Carr has penned another fabulous story in her Virgin River narrative. Second Chance Pass, book 5 in the series, pulls together many of the readers hopes and dreams of happiness for the relationships of our beloved individuals who inhabit this totally addictive storyline. The prologue revisits Paul Haggerty and Vanessa Rutledge's relationship, revealing Paul's love for Vanessa, his heartbreak following Vanni's marriage to Matt, a man who is a fellow Marine, and Paul's best friend. Matt, serving in Iraq, had quietly asked Paul in their final video conference to take care of Vanni if anything should happen to him. Shortly thereafter, Matt was killed, leaving Vanni a very pregnant, grieving widow. Paul stays with Vanni at her request until the baby is born, then returns home where he visits a young lady friend, one thing leads to another after much alcohol consumption, and a surprise pregnancy results. Can this really be his child? What will Vanni think when she finds out, which she must if they are to have a genuine relationship.

As always the readers are kept abreast of the myriad events happening in the Virgin River area, and to all of the people whom we have come to sincerely love, and to think of as friends. Mystery rears it's head when it is discovered that the marijuana grower who kidnapped Melinda earlier has one plant growing in his covered and controlled growing area. Who is he, and who does he really work for? A new neighbor, an older, but still glamorous movie star, moves on to the property next to the general, and the general is shocked to see how well she can ride, not to mention her beauty and natural charm. Could there be a romance in the future? Melinda has her baby, but faces a life threatening post partum complication. Will she be saved in time since emergency help is an hour away? Jack is alone with Mel when the tragedy occurs, and her only hope will be his ability to work his way through the crisis until professional help can arrive.

Adventures and romances will occur when the Marines all gather to welcome back their boy from boot camp, and to celebrate life in general. Last but not least, will Paul ever get the courage to tell Vanni how he feels about her, and will Vanni accept his love? I always think that this series cannot get any better than the last book, but each new succession in the series wraps the reader even tighter in the adventures, the friendships, and the true loves that are being discovered in a small perfect area of the world, known as Virgin River. I adored this story. I laughed, cried, and just had a fabulous time experiencing this epic adventure. Please, Ms. Carr, keep on keeping on... We, your loyal and loving readers, long for more, and more, and more...Please?

Posted in February 2009, Mira, Reviews.


This series is only getting better. Once again the reader is pulled into the adventure, love, laughter, and tragedy of life in a town where we all wished we lived: Virgin River

Susiq2, Reviewer, Cata Network Romance

Paul Haggerty has loved Vanni Rutledge from the moment he met her but stepped aside when his best friend, Matt, decided he would make the first move. Now Matt is gone, killed in Iraq, and Paul is providing shoulders and support for his widow and newborn son. It's not his nature to move quickly and it's costing him as Vanni is ready to move forward with her life.

This next story of the people of Virgin River delivers what the last book didn't...multiple story lines and sub-plots involving characters we've come to like and miss. Mel and Paige deliver their babies, a new romance emerges, Tom and Brenda advance their relationship and Ricky comes home for a visit. There's much more adding to the sense of community in this town. While there isn't much in the way of suspense, there's plenty to offer in the way of relationships.

Second Chance Pass is the best example of what is charming about this series. I'm still left wanting to know more about what happens next to the folks in Virgin River.

Up till now, I was a diehard fan of this series and determined to read straight through to the end. After reading this installment, however, I think I will take a little break. This one was definitely a slog to get through.

I have read with amusement the other readers' comments about the abundant breastfeeding that goes on in Carr's books, as well as those appalled about the fact that two teenagers actually had sex and they had to read about it. I would say to those readers, get real. Women have babies and breastfeed them all the time. (OK, in this series they pretty much do it ALL THE TIME, but it comes with the territory. Many of us with memories of nursing our babes felt like it was a constant process.) Also, in this type of book, people have sex. In this case the two people are teenagers who really love each other, and I have to say I thought it was pretty sweet. The other issue a lot of readers seem to have is with Jack sucking on Mel's breast. Again, without giving away too much of the plot, he had an excellent reason, he tried other alternatives first, and she was darn lucky he did that.

So, after defending this book against its detractors, the reason I was less than impressed has to do with the overall tone. At times it verged on corniness for me. It also felt like Carr was throwing in everything but the kitchen sink in terms of plot points. Also I have to say I do not find Vanni and Paul as appealing as some of the other denizens of Virgin River. They do seem to wallow in being victims of circumstance much more than they need to. I realize that my viewpoint is completely personal, and I truly hope that I will develop a great affection for them as they build their own household and settle into Virgin River. I hope this is just a blip in the series, and I will read on eventually. If I had started with this book, however, I am not sure I would have committed to the series. It's a little helter-skelter for me.

If you like books tied with a neat little ribbon, then this book is for you. the men all dote over their women until it is nauseating and express their love continuously. everyone finds their own true mate and lives happily ever after. dont get me wrong, i like happy endings but could guess what would happen next without turning the page.

I have devoured all the other Virgin River books. While waiting for this one to come out, I read all the Grace Valley books. When I got to this one, I was ready to go back to Virgin River. Maybe I should have stayed away!
The other reviewer who said that breastfeeding was touted in every chapter was dead on. I must have read the phrase "put that baby to the breast" at least 25 times. The book should have been over once Paul and Vanni (whose name really bothered me for some reason) got together. Instead, Carr spends another 100 pages talking about all the other characters. There are just too many to keep track of! Then there is the whole part with Jack and Mel. I also started to hate Mel in this book, when they used to be my favorite couple. And the breastfeeding there?!? Grapes of Wrath, this isn't!

*SPOILERS AHEAD*
By the time I got to the pointless wildfire at the end, I started reading a sentence on each page. "Oh no! Will Jack live?" Of course he will!

The subplot with Paul's other child was unnecessary, plus - Vanni was a little too easy on him. "It's okay! We love each other! We'll be together forever no matter what!"

This book seriously made me doubt my pre order of the other books. The next character is Shelby, who I didn't even remember existed...nor am I clear on the relationship between her and Walt. I really have no interest in her life. I would, however, like to find out about the "local grower" who is not what he seems. Once I figure out which book that is, that's the only one I'll read. Hopefully he figures prominently.

If you are a fan of the series, and liked Paul and Vanni together, then read the first half, although be prepared to be frustrated. If you didn't care about them, skip it.

****Spoilers****

The first 3 books in the Virgin River series were very enjoyable. This one? Not so much.

Theoretically, Second Chance Pass is the story of Vani and Paul. The first half of the book does, indeed, deal with these characters. Ms. Carr bypassed the opportunity for some real issues by having a possible pregnancy of another woman not result in Paul's child after all. Then that storyline just kinda fizzles away.

Therefore, with almost half the book still left to read, Vani and Paul get the HEA. The rest of the book kinda skips around between yet another relationship (Joe & Nikki), some old and well-loved characters (Jack and Mel, Rick & Liv, Preacher and Paige, etc), a near tragedy when Mel hemorrhages after delivering her second child; Jack getting caught in a forest fire; a mysterious sorta criminal (called Shady Handy because of his hat)that has appeared in each of the books of this series drifts in and out ; introducing a new character that obviously will have her own book next; and a new relationship between the General and a movie star. Then the book just stops.

Very disappointing. I guess Ms. Carr was using this one as some sort of transition entry to set up future books.