Amazon.com: Customer reviews: It's In His Arms (A Red River Valley Novel Book 4)

Top positive review

4 people found this helpful

I really loved the 'sierra' out of this book

ByHeatheron January 3, 2017

I seriously do not know where to begin this review. Saying “I really loved this book” seems like a lame beginning to a review, but I REALLY loved the 'sierra' out of this book. (That's a reference you'll get if you read the book.) The entire Red River Valley Series has been great, and I had a favorite book/couple that I was sure would remain my favorite, but Mitchell and Lorenda snuck up gently and booted them out of the top spot.

It seems so strange to say that I laughed my way through a book that deals with serious subjects such as a widow and a brother protecting a dead soldier's legacy and mysteriously dangerous goings on in town, but Ms. Alexander so brilliantly combined the seriousness of the issues with incredible laugh out loud humor. Not a lot of authors can do this successfully, but this one is spot on.

Lorenda is a widow with two adorable boys and a dead husband who left behind a legacy that isn't quite as perfect as everyone thinks. Mitchell lost his twin brother to war, his hometown and his father's love to misunderstandings and a small-town's viciousness. One of the only people in Red River who didn't turn their back on him was Lorenda, his twin brother's widow. The story of how Lorenda and Mitchell come together is sweet, funny, and at times agonizing. My heart ached for both of them as they worked through the issues around Cameron's death and legacy, and even though the idea of a woman getting together with the twin of her dead husband sounds like an odd premise that should be really awkward, I promise you that it 100% works here. The chemistry between these two is off the charts hot, but they also connect on a deeper level, it isn't all about the sexual tension. There's also a bit of intrigue in this book that was really interesting. I don't want to say too much about it, but it was a nice addition to this book without being over the top.

Although there were so many things in this book that were wonderful (the mommy mafia, the hysterical and naughty Francine & Clydelle) one of my favorite things in the book was a moment that involved stargazing, Lorenda reconciling her feelings about Cam, and a seriously beautiful conversation. Again, I won't spoil anything, but this scene resonated with me enough that I actually finished the book and then went back to re-read that part even though it was 1:30 am and I really needed to be asleep.

This book is fourth in the RRV series, but it can absolutely stand alone. There is nothing in this novel that you *have* to have read the others to understand, but you really should because they're really good and because there are a lot of cameos in this that are that much sweeter when you know the backstories of the characters. That said, having read the previous books, it was very hard for me to read how the people of RR were treating Mitchell. I actually found myself disappointed in a fictional town.

I know that Ms. Alexander has started a new series away from Red River Valley (which I also am enjoying), but I hope that we'll see more from Red River in the future because I would love to see Langdon get his HEA.

I requested and was granted an ARC of this book through NetGalley. I was under no obligation to write a review or to pre-order the book, I did both happily because I enjoyed it that much.

Top critical review

See all 6 critical reviews›

One person found this helpful

A fun and heartwarming romance with a some heat

Byraven_writeron March 12, 2017

One of the best things about this book series is its sense of humor, even the characters can tell that some situations are humorous. which is surprising to find in many books, since most authors are trying to be overly dramatic. At least the ones I've come across.
I liked It's In His Arms. The story, as usual, is well written; the characters are interesting and engaging; and the pacing is very good. The building tension is well thought out. And, as I've said in other reviews of this series, I loved the dialogue and banter.
Some of the plot beats were obvious or easily figured out. There were also some proofreading errors, but not enough to cause an issue. And the sex scenes aren't as up to snuff as in previous books.
One of the great things about what Shelly Alexander has done in this series is make it easy to jump right in. You don't need to read the previous books to enjoy the current story (though you should because they are very good), and that is not always easy to do.
If you want a heartwarming romance with a little heat I recommend this one. I just hope this isn't the last book and the next one is forthcoming.