Hidden Summit

Written by Robyn Carr

Narrated by Thérèse Plummer

Romance Under Construction …
Sick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts
a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right
out of town. Now she’s got Paul Haggerty’s business running like a well-oiled machine.
In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But if Leslie was
disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated. He’s got no time
for women … although he spends an awful lot of time pretending not to notice Leslie.
And she’s pretty busy “ignoring” the chemistry between them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing in common—they’re
done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that things are heating up at
Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell, the best thing he can do
is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781464008153

Robyn Carr

Robyn Carr is an award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including highly praised women's fiction such as Four Friends and The View From Alameda Island and the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder Point and Sullivan's Crossing series. Virgin River is now a Netflix Original series. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Visit her website at www.RobynCarr.com.

Reviews for Hidden Summit

[Anna Russell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting book filled with action especially toward the end of the book. The character development is great. I like how she writes about strong women. Life is a journey filled with unexpected events sometimes!

[mom2lnb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was shocked to discover that it’s been over five years since I last picked up a Virgin River book. There are always so many books on my TBR pile that sometimes certain ones get lost in the shuffle. I guess these final Virgin River volumes drifted to the back burner while I tried to stay up to date on Robyn Carr’s newer Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossing series. But I’m finally making a point of going back to where my journey with her books all started and finishing it up. It was a pleasure to get back to the little town of Virgin River and many of the characters who’ve made it come alive for me. In Hidden Summit, we have Connor, a brand new character and the former owner of a hardware store in Sacramento, who was the sole eyewitness to a murder. The killer was none other than a man who has a few shady business dealings if one looks hard enough, but nevertheless has managed to maintain a squeaky clean image as a pillar of the community. But after Connor received a threat and his store burned to the ground, the DA decided to send him into hiding until the trial starts. So with the help of Brie Valenzuela, he moves to Virgin River. At first he’s not too happy to be there, until he meets Leslie, who is Paul Haggerty’s right-hand woman, handling office work for his construction company. It’s been so long, I can’t recall if Leslie was previously introduced in a supporting role or not, but it’s entirely possible she might have been seen in a previous book. In any case, she’d been working for the Grants Pass office, but decides to relocate herself to Virgin River when her ex-husband turns into a pest. Needless to say, Connor and Leslie hit it off almost immediately and although neither came to town looking for love, it finds them anyway. Although Hidden Summit didn’t quite reach the heights of perfection for me, it was still a very pleasant read and a nice addition to the series.After the death of their parents, Danson Connor, whose name has been changed to Connor Danson, always looked out for his little sister, Katie, and took over the running of the hardware store they inherited from their father. When Katie’s military husband was killed in action, he also stepped up to the plate to be a father-figure to her twin boys. He was living a very ordinary life until one night, while taking out the trash, he bore witness to a murder that changed his life forever. Now his sister and nephews are on the other side of the country, and he misses them terribly, while he’s gone into hiding in a tiny town that’s off the grid. The only people in Virgin River who know the truth of why he’s really there are Brie and her husband, Mike. To the rest of the town, including Leslie, he’s just the new guy who’s doing custom cabinet work for Haggerty Construction, a job that Brie helped him get. Although Brie warned him against starting any relationships, Leslie proves to be too much of a temptation and soon things heat up between them. Connor still has a lot of baggage, not only with regards to the looming trial and his star testimony, but also from a cheating ex-wife. But Leslie proves to be the perfect antidote to all of that if only she stays by his side until he gets through it. Connor is the ultimate nice guy, who also has the requisite military background to fit in with most of the other guys in Virgin River. He’s very sweet and supportive toward Leslie as she deals with her own issues. They try to keep things casual, but it doesn’t take long before he’s falling for her and knows that when the trial is over, he wants to come back to Virgin River and stay with Leslie for good.Leslie’s ex-husband cheated on her, married the other woman, and is now having a baby with his new wife, something he always told Leslie he didn’t want. Now he thinks that he can have his cake and eat it, too, wanting to remain close friends with Leslie, which is something she says, “Oh, hell, no!” to. However, he simply won’t leave her alone. While not quite a stalker, he is an overly optimistic pest, who just doesn’t know when to quit, so Leslie packs her bags and heads to Virgin River to get away from him. Since both she and Connor work for Haggerty Construction, they become acquainted almost right away. She wasn’t really looking for love again, but Connor proves to be exactly what she needs, helping her regain her confidence and independence. Leslie is equally as nice as Connor is. When she finds out who he really is and why he’s there, she’s very supportive of him, too. They just fit together like two pieces of a puzzle and fall into a comfortable relationship that makes sense.As I mentioned before, it was nice to visit with the residents of Virgin River again. We haven’t seen a whole lot of Paul (Second Chance Pass) or Dan (Paradise Valley) lately, but they’re front and center in this story as Connor’s boss and co-worker respectively. We also get to see Dan and Cheryl in their new life together and preparing to finally marry. Of course, Jack (Virgin River) is still the backbone of the community and Preacher (Shelter Mountain) and Luke (Temptation Ridge) are in a few scenes as well. Pastor Noah (Forbidden Falls) shows up to help save the day when another character is attacked. And some of the spouses and other long-time characters appear as well on the periphery. Then there’s Connor’s sister, Katie. He gets to visit her in her new home for a short time before heading to the trial, and although she thinks she might be falling for her new boss, Connor isn’t so certain. She becomes the heroine of the next book, Redwood Bend. And finally, we get another glimpse of Norah, a down-on-her-luck, single mom who is neighbors with Leslie. I like Norah and can’t wait to read her book, Sunrise Point, which is the penultimate volume of the series.Overall, I enjoyed Hidden Summit. It’s one of those nice, rainy-day, comfort reads, but it kind of left me a bit underwhelmed. The more of Robyn Carr’s books I read, the more I see a sameness in her characters and some of the situations they find themselves in. Connor and Leslie are the typical Carr hero and heroine, who come to Virgin River to work out some things in their personal lives and aren’t expecting to find love but do anyway. The only thing that sets them apart is their individual circumstances. However, considering that Connor is in hiding, fearing on some level for his life, not a great deal of a suspenseful nature occurs. There’s a bit of excitement at the very end, but that’s about it. The rest of the book is just about Connor and Leslie working through their issues and finding closure for their past marriages so that they can move forward with each other. It just had a rather languid pace with a slightly mundane feel to the story itself. In spite of that, though, it still managed to engage my attention so that I wasn’t ever bored while reading it. And I liked both Connor and Leslie, along with all the other Virgin River characters, so it was a pleasant read, just not one that reached any emotional highs or lows or that left me with a memorable impression by the end. But it was still a good addition to the series and one that’s sure to please Virgin River fans.

[nancynova · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Connor is in the witness protection program, sort of, as he waits for murder trial where he was the only witness. Leslie who worked for Haggerty Construction in Grants Pass can't stand living in the same town with her ex and his now pregnant wife, so she asks for a transfer to Paul's branch of the company in Virgin River. The two souls find each other in this story that seemed a bit pushed at times

[rolsjunie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The most hilarious scenes for dealing with an idiot ex-husband.

[dawn772 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable story especially how the romance developed despite their old baggage. It has a good plot, plenty of action and an adorable hero with strong family values. Connor is hiding in Virgin River under witness protection when he meets Leslie who is in town to get away from her annoying ex-husband.

[writerbeverly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I came to this a Virgin River virgin... but I will probably be reading ALL the books.

Conner Danson is a decent guy who had the bad luck to be the only witness to a murder, and worse luck that the murderer has enough connections to burn down the family hardware store and threaten his life and that of his sister. Leslie Petruso is divorced from a narcissistic personality who won't leave her alone to lick her wounds, but insists she MUST still want to be besties with him and his new, pregnant wife (after long refusing her requests to start a family together). Both Conner and Leslie come to fictional Virgin River, set in Humboldt county California, with romance as the last thing on their minds.

I enjoyed so many things about this book. Both characters are in their thirties, and are not rushing the romance, nor denying the attraction they have for each other. When they do get into bed, condoms are a given, and the sex is hot, but the book is not all about the sex, but a gradually increasing LIKING/falling in love with one another, and a showcasing, however idealized, of small-town life. Although there is the angle that Conner's life is (theoretically) in danger, this is NOT a romantic suspense; the pace is slow, and the ending doesn't come with the hero shooting it out with the bad guy.

I also immediately related to Leslie because I have my own annoying ex in Grants Pass, Oregon, which I found amusing. If you like your romance slowly simmered rather than insta-love, you'll appreciate this book and series.

[lost_lenore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Again, another wonderful "walk" into the beautiful and heartwarming town of Virgin River.A great way to spend our time that leaves us with a sense of peace and a smile.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hidden Summit by Robyn CarrConnor is under the witness protection program, kind of, before he goes to testify in a trial thatwill put a mob type guy away for a long time. his ex wife is a sex addict.Leslie has been divorced from her spouse for quite some time but wants to still be her friend.Neither are sure just how long they will be in virgin river but love how everybody helps each other out to accomplish things. It's like having a family with no strings. Her ex keeeps coming into town to harass her.His sister and kids were also relocated and shes falling for her boss, she works in his office.She and Connor were both thinking the other would relocate to their new location and live out their lives.There has to be a solution - after the trial, or would he even testify?As time goes on things heat up and not only in the bedroom but the trial is ready to start.i surely didn't see it coming along the way it did, quite interesting, very fast paced and held my interest, very tragic what occurred at the trial.loved the book, a 5 rating. the places the scenes took place, the details of being a witnes in a murder trial and the closeness of the town, as in robyn's other virgin river series was super to read about.

[jolzyn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the 17th book in the Virgin Series under the author and tell the story of Conner and Leslie, both the newbies in the community. Conner is under the protection of the police as he is the sole witness for a crime that involving a highly regarded person in the society. When his shop was burned down to the ground, the police relocate him to a new town with new identity; Virgin River. Leslie on the hand, a divorcee came to Virgin River to seek peace and away from her stalker ex husband who doesnt seem to leave her alone. It was in this town that both of them found themselves again and cupid seems to think that both of them belong to each other, and work a magic on them.I like the story plot very much. I like the fact that both Conner and Leslie trust each other and their love so much so i can felt the anguish feeling that Leslie is feeling when Conner went back to Sacremento to testified in court. I like the fact that their love for each other have make them realised how worthy they are and hence, able to move on from their past. I also like all the members in the village and although i have only read two of the total 18 books under this series, i can relate to each of the characters. Am looking forward to read all the others under the series!

[rtb_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed by JenReview copy provided by Nancy Berland Public RelationsIf you've read any of my other reviews of the Virgin River series, you know I'm a fan and count these books among some of my favorites. Hidden Summit is another solid addition to the series. Warning... slight spoiler ahead (even though it is explained in the first chapter). Hidden Summit opens with Connor entering the witness protection program after seeing a murder and agreeing to help put the criminal behind bars. He's sent to Virgin River to hide out until it's time for the trial. Leslie runs to Virgin River to get away from her ex-husband and her old boss runs a construction company based in the small, remote California town. Neither Connor or Leslie are looking for love, but they can't ignore the sparks whenever they're around each other. I really did like this book. I was slightly disappointed when both main characters were completely new to the series, but it was tempered with plenty of cameos from some of our favorite residents. I liked Connor and Leslie, enough that I wanted to see them get their happy ending. Connor's back story was much more interesting than Leslie's. As the story developed, I often found myself thinking that Leslie just needed to tell off her ex-husband and get on with her life (always easier said than done). But in the end, it was the ending that left me cold. It was just so abrupt. I finished what felt like the ending of a chapter, turned the page and the book was over. I was expecting something more and it just wasn't there. I mean, the romance was finished, Leslie and Connor each resolved their conflicts, but I still felt like I was hanging and I don't like that feeling. I still love this series and recommend it to everyone. It's best read in order, although it does stand alone. And I can't wait for the next book in the series.

[reginar_447079 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 Stars. This book is good solid fun. Fans of the Virgin River series will enjoy it and I do believe that even if a reader has never picked up one of the Virgin River books before, Hidden Summit can be read as a stand alone. However, having said that, readers committed to the timeline in Virgin River likely want to stick to the path of reading the books in order as there are changes in characters’ lives throughout the series. Hidden Summit introduces several new characters to the Virgin River cast – Conner and Leslie - and also, suspense into the storyline. Readers get to see old favorites like Jack, Brie and Paul and even some recently introduced or changed characters such as Nora and Cheryl. Hidden Summit has what every good Virgin River story has – good character development, slow building romance, rediscovery of one’s self by the characters, detailed descriptions of hard manual work and cooking, scenes at Jack’s bar, descriptions of Preacher’s good cooking and interactions among good friends. While this is not my favorite in the series, it is a solid entry and definitely worth reading. The dialogue between the two main characters (Conner and Leslie) is pure fun, particularly, their first official encounter. And I look forward to seeing more of both characters, which I believe we will in the next book and which I am anxiously awaiting the release. The main character in the next installment is a sister to the “hero” in Hidden Summit; she was introduced in Hidden Summit, but her story is clearly not finished.

[sharonr53 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hidden Summit is Robyn Carr’s latest visit to Virgin River. Connor Danson is in town under a false identity while he waits to testify in a murder trial. He is the only witness to the crime and his custom carpentry business was torched in an attempt to intimidate him. He decides to work for Haggarty Construction while in town.Leslie Petruso has also come to Virgin River to get away from something- her ex-husband. I enjoyed the little twist Ms. Carr put in this relationship-rather than a nasty ex, Leslie has a too friendly ex. She worked for Haggarty at a different branch and ends up in the same office as Connor.Visiting VR is always fun. Readers of the whole series enjoy seeing what is new with familiar characters from past books. New readers will enjoy the story of two people who think that love and life have chewed them up and spit them out. Both Connor and Leslie know that they should not get involved, but for different reasons. Reading the story, you know that this romance is going to have a major problem at some point but you root for this couple anyway. The chemistry between them is strong and they decide to throw caution to the wind and get involved. Connor’s real life will intrude on them and Leslie’s fear of betrayal will only be greater when the story comes out. The whole situation with her wacko ex-husband doesn’t help keep things either.Once I started this book, I couldn’t stop reading. There is a side story going with Connor’s sister and her children and you can see that it is the set up for the next book. Goody! I can’t wait!!

[rhonda1111 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 STARSThis is the second book about the town of Virgin River that I have read and enjoyed. I want to read the rest of the books sometime. Thier's a few love scenes in it. Virgin River community is what is ideal about it. They all pitch in and care about each other. Makes me want to be a better nieghbor.Conner Danson owned a business and worked hard. Conner help take care of his widow sister and their twins. One night he was taking trash out the back of his store when he saw a murder take place. Conner called the cops and was willing to testify than his store was burned down.the DA called his sister and hid Conner Danson in Virgin River and his sister in the East Coast. Dan Conner was his new name and worked construction for a job.Conner was also divorced after catching his wife with another guy and found out their had been lots of guys.Leslie Petruso moved to Virgin River after her divorce and his remarrage. She was still hurting to see her ex with his wife everywhere she went. Leslie ex still wanted to be good friends with her. So she told her boss of ten years that she was quitting. Her boss got her a job with his son who split off to start his own construction business in Virgin River. Paul Haggerty worked with dad some of the same time with Leslie and was glad to hire her. Paul knew she could do the job and his wife was glad to not do office work for him.Conner and Leslie both did not want relationships right now with all their baggage. They made he each other laugh and grew closer.I like the community and how welcome the people of Virgin River were. They helped each other when they saw the needs. I read it without putting it down.I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.