"Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock's sudden collapse at work is a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she's retreated to her sister Jillian's house in Virgin River to rest and reevaluate. Puttering in Jill's garden and cooking with her heirloom vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is a far cry from San Francisco. Kelly's starting to feel a little too unmotivated, until she meets Lief Holbrook. The handsome widower looks more like a lumberjack...

“A resigned yet hopeful examination of grief with a side of human absurdity . . . warm and modestly knowing, with a wisecracking slacker hero.”—Kirkus Reviews

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet town, that makes him the object of sympathy, curiosity, and in some cases even unbridled desire. But Doug has more urgent things on his mind, such as his sixteen-year-old stepson, Russ, a once-sweet...

Wanting nothing more than to survive high school, Chris, the only stepchild in a social-climbing family, forges an unexpected romance with his stepsister's wealthy boyfriend before a new friend helps him learn to accept himself and his family.

After her small plane crashes, nearly killing her and her pilot and leaving them stranded in the wilderness and dependent on each other for survival, a wealthy young widow begins to suspect that the crash was no accident.

To Ella Beene, happiness is living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Then one day Joe breaks his own rule - never turn your back on the ocean - and a sleeper wave strikes, drowning not only the man but his many secrets. For three years Ella has been mother to his kids, believing that their mother, Paige, abandoned them. Then Paige shows up at the funeral to reclaim the children.

You can choose your family - but are you sure you want to? A funny and touching exploration to an often-misrepresented aspect of female life.