REVIEW by @_Shoe_Girl_ : Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr – Release Date 4/24/12 (@RCarrWriter)

Former Marine Tom Cavanaugh’s come home to Virgin River, ready to take over his family’s apple orchard and settle down. He knows just what the perfect woman will be like: sweet, decent, maybe a little naive. The marrying kind.

Nothing like Nora Crane. So why can’t he keep his eyes off the striking single mother?

(synopsis cont’d)
Nora may not have a formal education, but she graduated with honors from the school of hard knocks. She’s been through tough times and she’ll do whatever it takes to support her family, including helping with harvest time at the Cavanaugh’s orchard. She’s always kept a single-minded focus on staying afloat…but suddenly her thoughts keep drifting back to rugged, opinionated Tom Cavanaugh.
Both Nora and Tom have their own ideas of what family means. But they’re about to prove each other completely wrong…

Sunrise Point is the 19th installment in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. You may be thinking “Nineteen?? No way can a series run that long and not get boring.”. I would be thinking this also, if I had not read each and every book in the series! There has not been one book in the series that I wouldn’t recommend!
Sunrise Point gives us Nora Crane’s story. Nora was introduced in Bring Me Home for Christmas, when her loser-druggie ex boyfriend dumped her and their 2 small daughters in an abandoned house and leaves them there….no heat, no food, no transportation. As the residents of Virgin River are known to do, they rallied to help out Nora and her daughters, by providing food baskets, and helping to winterize the house. Fast forward to present day (Sunrise Point). Nora is still in her small house, and helping out at the local clinic. It isn’t much of a job, but combined with her food stamps/state help she is surviving. One day she sees an ad for seasonal help at Cavanaugh Orchard and is determined to get this job (she heard it pays really well).
Tom Cavanaugh always wanted more than just to live in a small town and run an orchard. He goes to school, then into the Marines. After going to war, he realizes that maybe he’s seen too much, and that small town with its orchard isn’t such a bad option. He goes back to the orchard, and his grandmother, Maxie to take over running the business. This part of his life is all set, now he just needs to find a wife. A wife who doesn’t have a ready-made family.
Nora and Tom’s lives could not be more different, and they are both aware that they are not meant for a romantic relationship. It would never work; they are too different. However, they do quickly become friends, as does Nora and Maxie. So why is it that Tom can’t get Nora out of his mind and Darla (who is beautiful, single, successful, and available) into it?!
I truly enjoyed this book~Nora and Tom’s story was wonderful. I also really loved Maxie’s character (I hope I’m like her when I’m older!), and as with the other books, I enjoyed catching up with characters from previous books!! The only thing keeping Sunrise Point from getting a “5 Heel” rating, is the story-line of “Coop” that was added in. I LOVE when Robyn brings in new characters (you can’t keep a series going for 19 books w/out new characters), but Coop’s interaction with Jack seemed very juvenile. The way Coop’s story was left in Sunrise Point was clearly set up for his story (the next installment of the VR series, perhaps). I’m sure Robyn will make Coop’s thinking more clear when she tells his story in full, and I look forward to reading it when it does come out!