Given that this book is only loosely related to the Virgin River series, I debated skipping over it. But since it was so cheap on Kindle, I decided to buy it even if I didn't have terribly high expectations. The reviews for this novella are pretty mixed, but I ended up really enjoying it. For such a short novella, Robyn Carr manages to create a believable romance and make you care about the hero and heroine. Since I knew this book was written to promote the Zoe Institute, I didn't mind the constant references to the organisation, and thought that this book did a good job of highlighting the struggles facing single mothers. It made me realise how fortunate I am that, if anything did happen to my husband, I have plenty of family close to me who could help me out financially, emotionally, etc, since I don't work and wouldn't have any way to immediately support our child on my own. Even if the scenes at the support centre were brief, I appreciated the range of women featured--divorced women, widows, women fleeing abusive relationships, etc. Too often single moms are stereotyped as being irresponsible women who got pregnant with men who refused to account for responsibility. It runs a lot deeper than that, as Carr displays in this novella.My main complaints about this novella would have to be that the situation with Dory's manager at the grocery store felt contrived, including the scene where he comes to confront her at her new place of work and the resolution of that situation. I know it was meant to show how some people treat single moms, but it just didn't flow smoothly, unlike the rest of the book. I also felt that the ending was very abrupt--I expected an extra scene between the hero and heroine, maybe attending the children's baseball game or something similar, but the story just ended.The connection to Virgin River was loose, as I mentioned, but it also felt realistic. Mel and Paige both volunteer for the charity for single mothers, which seems believable given that Mel can provide help on medical services and Paige was once a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship. I did wonder if Ellie might turn up, since she was also a single mother, but maybe the author didn't want to overwhelm new readers too much. There are brief mentions of Mel and Paige's husbands donating items to the centre for the charity, and pitching in with the work. You could definitely read this book as a standalone, and it's a good introduction to the author's writing if you're debating trying out this series. In spite of these small flaws, this was a very sweet romance that made for a nice, comfortable read while I was struggling with morning-sickness induced insomnia. I hope we get the chance to revisit Dory and Clay in a later Virgin River book! Lightly linked with the Virgin River series by the appearances of a couple VR characters, this is a good story about moving forward. I really liked both Dory and Clay. Dory is trying to move on with her life after escaping from an abusive marriage. After getting the help she needed in Oklahoma, she moved to California where she has built a new life. She has a job to earn a living and is taking care of her kids. She is also giving back by helping single mothers the way that she was helped. With the assistance of a social worker and a bunch of volunteers they are doing great things. When Clay moves in next door she is a little bit nervous. He's a big guy, very good looking and obviously interested in her. She's wary because she doesn't trust her instincts about men anymore. When Clay starts doing things for her like cutting grass, moving trash cans and playing with her kids, she freaks out a bit seeing it as controlling. She finally relaxes a bit and starts to get to know him, finding him to be a truly caring man. As she opens up more to him her feelings grow and she discovers that she can have a loving relationship with a new man.Clay was a sweetheart. He is a firefighter, so right there you see that he is a naturally caring man. When he moves in next to Dory he is interested in her right away. He sees that she is a struggling single mother and starts trying to help out. He is surprised when she accuses him of being controlling but manages to convince her he is just being friendly. He backs off on the pursuit a little and tries just being friends with her and her kids. I really loved his patience and how he was willing to take as long as she needed. I liked the way that he had a better idea of what she had been through after the incident in the grocery parking lot. I loved the way that he got involved with her organization and got his friends involved too. Loved seeing how his patience paid off in the end.This was a part of the More Than Words series of books. I liked the way this one highlighted the trials of being a single mother and showed how there are resources out there to help. I thought it was very well done. The only thing that would make it better would be for it to be longer.
What do You think about Sheltering Hearts (2010)?
Good short one. Not too much about Virgin River but good anyway. Read it in a couple of hours.
—Chapstix7
A good quick read with a message about helping others.
—luna
Didn't quite like this one not like I did the others
—jamessabrina
