Just Over the Mountain (A Grace Valley Novel)

The trilogy was just enough material to be introduced to and to love the characters and the setting. I would recommend these books anyone looking for a read that allows them to leave their surroundings and become part of this town and its people.

The depth of the plot and the characters. One could visualizee the setting, the people and their trials and tribulations. Written with such empathy for so many different types of life's situations. I'm so glad I made the effort to find this book as part of the triology.

Robyn Carr keeps the suspense rolling in the second book of this trilogy. You wonder if things are going to work out for June as she takes up with her mistory lover. Charactors intertwine throughout this book and it is hard to put down as it is such an awesome read. I didn't want these books to end. I love happy stories.

This is the 2nd book in Robyn Carr's Grace Valley trilogy. The characters in these books are also included in her next series in Virgin River. Carr is very good at developing excellent characters. Her women are very strong and the men who love them arevery protective. She pulls you into their stories.

Just accidentally discovered Robyn Carr and the Grace Valley Trilogy was excellent. Looking forward to reading more of her work. It helped that I was able to get all 3 books within a short period of time, so I could move from the first in the series right on through the final one. Great Read!

I loved the Virgin River Trilogy so I bought all of The Grace Valley novels at once. What a mistake!! I read the first in the Series and was sorely disappointed. I had hopes that the other two would be better. But they were not. I skip read through the Second book in the Series and read about three chapters in the last Book of the Series before discarding it. Don't waste your money on this Trilogy.

I loved the Virgin River Trilogy so I bought all of The Grace Valley novels at once. What a mistake!! I read the first in the Series and was sorely disappointed. I had hopes that the other two would be better. But they were not. I skip read through the Second book in the Series and read about three chapters in the last Book of the Series before discarding it. Don't waste your money on this Trilogy.

One of the things I love about Robyn Carr as an author is that she continually to tackles sensitive issues within her books. Part of the enjoyment of the Grace Valley series is how real it seems as characters face and tackle the same issues each and every one of us face in life... and they do it together, as a community, with much support and understanding.

Dr. June Hudson has a secret lover now - undercover DEA agent Jim Post. June and Jim's relationship is tested by separation and the return of June's old flame who returns to Grace Valley with his two sons in tow, all indications pointing to an interest in rekindling his relationship with June. The really exciting part of this book is actually the human remains found and June's Aunt Myrna's back-yard. What will happen next in this small town?

The Grace Valley series is not powerful because of any one character, but because of the overall setting of the town itself. The various interactions and relationships that make up this special place are the true heart of the series.

<i>JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN</i> is a poignant segment of this series. As the reader, you are taken through moments of pain, hardship, loss, anger, and joy, as you are swept through a whirlwind of emotions. As in life, things aren't always easy, but the perseverance of the human spirit and the value of friendship make this book a winner and one I recommend to anyone.

Rating: 3.5 stars __Contains PG-13 sexual content
Note: Continued story. Read all three books in the Grace Valley trilogy as one book.
WARNING: This soap opera style format is confusing if you are not reading the series in order.

GOOD READ. Entertaining, sometimes touching, storyline about the pleasures and problems of small town life, diverse and colorful characters, funny situations, strong extended family theme, sleazy bad guy(s), and a sweet, low-key romance that runs through all three books. HOWEVER, the vocabulary is limited, the phrasing awkward, the timeline covers numerous months with a large number of characters so it lacks depth and is confusing at times, if you are expecting a lusty romance you'll be disappointed, and the small town everyone-works-together theme can be overly saccharine and annoying.

THE STORY follows life in and around the small town of Grace Valley, focusing on still single, thirty-eight-year-old, beloved country doctor, June Hudson and family man and local Chief of Police, Tom Toopeek. Together they deal with a myriad of problems from domestic abuse, petty crimes, accidents, unexpected pregnancies, and rampaging mother nature. June's romantic interest is DEA Agent Jim Post, who comes and goes so often through the first two books, it is hard to find a relationship, but finally by the third book, it all comes together and a sweet romance develops.

OVERALL, an engaging storyline, strong characters, NOT a lusty hot romance. The GRACE VALLEY series includes Deep in the Valley, Just Over the Mountain, and Down by the River.

You may also enjoy the complex characters and storytelling of N. Bruhns, A. Stuart, or E. Palfrey. For sweet, funny, heart touching romances, try Susan Fox, Cara Colter, or Nikki Logan.

Robyn Carr is a master at telling these small-town people stories. Despite the lack of a solid romance I was sucked into the story and the people. This is the kind of series you'd love to be reading in front of a warm fire on a cold winter night.

This book is about people and small-town life. The vagaries of being a doctor in a town where most people have no insurance, the mountain people afraid to live in the real world, the secrets, the workings of small-town law. It's mostly a meandering story about all that. Which might sound boring and to some it would be, but Carr manages to tell it all in a very engaging way. I was sucked into all that was happening...wondering how Myrna would deal with bones being found in her yard, if the Mulls would pull themselves together, and all that. Just a very down home story.

I look forward to reading the last installment of the series. I'm hoping it'll have a bit more romance with Jim finally coming back to Grace Valley for good.

Only in a small town:

Will your regular order be plunked in front of you almost before you find your seat at your favourite spot in the local diner.

Will the local cop be the kid with whom you grew up playing hide and seek.

Will the whole town know your business even before you do.

Welcome to Grace Valley. If you find this lifestyle claustrophobic you can always move to the big city but first breath the clean mountain air and bask in the view.

Chris' 14-year-old twin sons are utterly selfish, self-centred and spoiled.

Second book of a trilogy in many ways this book is transitional. One issue that is strongly contested is that of the value of a woman’s work in the home. Hardly secondary is the issue of the sharing of duties that were once considered a housewife's when a wife has a profession outside the home.

Dr. June Hudson is the primary physician in the small town of Grace Valley. Folk here all know each other in the small town and look after each other and each others business whether they want it or not. It's quite a shock when June's old love and heartache, Chris,comes back to Grace Valley, divorced and with his two sons. Everyone concludes that they will start up again, even Chris. Where secrets are hard to keep, June's secret lover is one that is necessary, as Jim Post is an undercover DEA agent. Chris's two boys are hellions with obviously had no discinary upbringing and are reeking havoc on Grace Valley and Tom, the police chiefs nerves. And human bones of June's Aunt Myrna's yard have been discovered. Are these the bones of her missing, reclusive husband, of which Aunt Myrna has written endless novels of "offing" off her husband. Could these be the remains of Morton? I unfortunately read this out of sequence of the series, but I loved it just the same. It was a wonderful, fun read. The characters were so interesting and enjoyable. I will read book one next and then three. Grace Valley is an interesting place.

Book 1 in this trilogy was very good, but this second book is excellent. There are several story lines to follow, including Aunt Myrna's brush with the law when human bones are found in her backyard, domestic troubles for The Cullens, and Chris Foster moving back to town with his unruly teenage twins. There are other developments in Grace Valley, including problems for John and Susan Stone, for Mark and Juliana, catching up with the Muir family, and progress in June's relationship with Jim. Very satisfying read, and I can't wait to read the third and last book in this trilogy.

Dr. June Hudson has served as a doctor in Grace Valley, California ever since her dad retired. Grace has little time to relax, but she does serendipitously see undercover DEA Agent Jim Post whenever he can pay her a visit. Currently, Jim is in the Ozarks working his last case before early retirement and a permanent relationship with his beloved.

Returning to town is Jim Forrest accompanied by his angelic-looking, troubled twin teenage sons. Jim dated June in high school, but while she attended Berkley pre-med, he deserted her to marry Nancy Cruise. Now divorced, Jim wants June back in his life and most of the townsfolk think she does too since she seems to have no male leading to the conclusion she pines for her former lover. She denies it and says no to his insistent efforts to court her. June also contends with other issues such as her long time nurse suffering a heart attack, her medical practice partner objecting to his own wife serving as their nurse, and human bones found on her aunt's estate that might prove to be her long lost spouse. Life is normal in Grace Valley as far as June is concerned.

JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN retains all the quirks that made DEEP IN THE VALLEY a wonderful relationship drama. The key players return such as June and Police Chief Tom struggling with the ups and down of living that endears them and other townsfolk with readers. Fans of small town contemporary tales will enjoy the return to Grace Valley as Robyn Carr provides a warm slice of life tale.

Harriet Klausner

Life in Grace Valley is never dull...

Dr. June Hudson has a secret lover, DEA undercover agent Jim Post. But will that relationship withstand both their separation and the return of June's old flame, Chris Forrest? Chris is returning to Grace Valley with his two sons in tow and all indications are that he's interested in rekindling his relationship with June. Meanwhile human remains have been found and June's Aunt Myrna is a suspect. What will happen next in this small town?

Returning to Grace Valley is just a sheer joy. It's not any one character that makes this series so powerful but rather the overall setting of the town itself. The various interactions and relationships that make up the town of Grace Valley are the true heart of the series.

Robyn Carr continues to tackle sensitive issues with her books. JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN takes some interesting turns as no one is safe from dealing with difficult issues in this series. Part of the enjoyment of the Grace Valley series is how real it seems as the characters tackle and face the very same issues that each and every one of us face in life... and they face it together as a community, offering support and understanding.

JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN is a poignant segment of this series. There are moments of pain, hardship, loss, anger, and yes, joy, as the reader is swept through a whirlwind of emotions. Just like in life, things aren't always easy but the perseverance of the human spirit and the value of friendship make this series a true winner.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

GOOD.. trilogy! And.. as I reading the serial.. "Virgin River"...-- I like the little towns being close enough to catch up with Dr. June, Judge Forrest others from Grace Valley! Robyn is an author I enjoy following!! Her characters are strong, admirable or not.. and worth remembering.
Thanks & continued success, Robyn!!!

Robyn Carr just seems to bring out the best in me. Her writing style is remarkable and she once again hits on life in the small town of Grace Valley and centers on the life of Dr. June Hudson whom we came to love in Deep in the Valley.
There is just so much to love about this novel but the one that I find interesting is that June's in love with a man no one in the "nosey" town of Grace even knows exist and she can't tell anyone, not even her father, as her lover happens to an undercover DEA agent.
If you're expecting a novel filled with violence and sex, this isn't the novel for you. But if you're looking for a novel about caring and sharing, where people actually <care> about family, friends and neighbors -- usually whether you want them to or not, go pick up Just Over the Mountain. You're bound to be caught up in the magic as I was.

We get to revisit the wonderful characters from Deep in the Valley.

Dr. June Hudson,37, is still taking care of her friends and family in Grace Valley and still yearning for a baby of her own.

She is pretty sure that the job of OB-GYN will go to Dr. John Stone. He has moved his wife, Susan and daughter to Grace Valley and settled in.

June finds out that Blythe Culley has peppered Daniel in the rear with buckshot and wonders what has set her off. The Culleys have live in Grace Valley where they own a horse stables for the past 30 years.

Tom Toopeek runs his police department exceedingly well. His family is back with his oldest son, Johnny getting in trouble.

Jerry Powell, the therapist is called in to help Frank Craven.
They ran the womanizing preacher, Pastor Wickham out of town and they have a new one, Harry Shipton, who seems most likable.

Then we have a Paul Faraday, who claims to be a bird watcher who is hanging around Hudson House and trying to get to know Myrna Hudson Claypool. Did she kill her husband?

And more trouble - Daniel Culley is seeing Sarah Kelleher an artist. And interloper?
Birdie and Judge Forrest got more that they bargained for when their son, Chris came home with his two 14 year old twin sons.
Yup! those twins turned out to be trouble makers big time.

And June's secret? It seems that Jim Post has shown up a couple times and she didn't even get out her silver box.

This is wonderful country living at it's best. Everyone knows everyone and is willing to help if needed. It is close family feelings in this hamlet.
And then comes the big "accident" - Johnny gets to be a hero.
The pace is non-stop living action and human emotions. Wonderful!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - but don't stop there - now read Down By The River.

The writing here was much better than in book one. Still the same main character, June, the doctor in Grace Valley. There is a mix of other characters but June and her romance is still the focus of the book. Still not up to the same standard as the Virgin River and Thunder Point books but this one was written first. One nice thing, the some of the characters carry over as side characters in the Virgin River series.

....and heading off in search of Grace Valley!!!
Very rarely does a reader come across a cast of characters she wants to move in with, but Robyn Carr's books always do this to me!! She writes "real" and this reader appreciates that--even the best characters in Carr's books have their quirks and idiosyncracies that make them a little less than perfect and in JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN she triumphs with a mix of the good, the bad and the funny. Mixed with a little too-good-to-be-true and bittersweet. Warm, wonderful characters in situations that mirror life. I found myself nodding my head in several spots and my eyes tearing up in others. Reading aloud the funny parts to my son. Just what this reader wants in a book!!!
I am looking forward to the next book in the Grace Valley series--don't know that I'm going to be able to make it until then!!

As part of another Robyn Carr series, I highly recommend reading this along with the others. I like her style of writing as you can enter in as a character and feel comfortable as part of the story. Imagination or wishful thinking. Enjoy

Grace Valley physician Dr. June Hudson awaits the return of her secret lover, DEA agent Jim Post, and gets a shock when her first love, Jim Forrest (yeah, two leading men named Jim...) returns to town divorced and ready to resume their relationship with his rowdy teenage sons in tow. Since she has remained single, everyone in town assumes she'll take up with Forrest, but she'd rather wait for the other Jim. When mysterious bones turn up, finally the small town has something else to keep them occupied besides her love life.

Not realizing that this story was part of a series, I was at a disadvantage. Undeveloped characters kept popping up in the story, and felt out of place. One main character was absent throughout most of the novel. And the romance itself was minimal. When compared to her later novels like "Never too Late," this one just falls short at 2.5 stars.

I loved this book! The men with their "marital problems" was hysterical; Myrna is a real piece of work for an 84 year old -- funny and eccentric as well. The families of this small town have serious issues. The story lines were fun, sad, serious and funny at times.

I've read many of Robyn's books, and this is another good one. She creates great characters and warm feelings. Many of the store's ratings show 4+ ratings but don't deserve them. This one does. June, the doctor in Grace Valley has appeared in many of her books. This one is devoted to June and is well worth reading.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first Grace Valley book and this second one as well. The characters seem real and the story makes me wish I lived in Grace Valley. However, don't think I could survive without a WalMart!

I am SO not ready for this book to end! I love'd book 1 and book 2 was super... I just have to be patient for book 3 :-)

I always know anything from Robyn Carr will be entertaining AND thought provoking.

I loved all the Grace Valley books. I had met the people while reading the Virgin River books and was thrilled to learn more about them in their own stories. Hope Robyn continues to create more stories of these people. I don't want to leave their friendships.

There us nothing like a good romance novel about people that you feel like you know! Robyn Carr has a way of making the reader feel like part of the family with her series whether in Grace Valley or Virgin River. Thank you!!

I love all of Robyn Carr's novels, but her Virgin River and then the Grace Valley Triolgy are my favorites. I want more of them. They keep me grounded in the love ever after faith. Robyn makes it seem like these people are real and you want to meet them to share in their lives.

Just over the Mountain is a wonderful sequel to Deep in the Valley. The characters came to life like my own neighbors through the course of the story. The characters made me care about what happened to them. A very light, refreshing book...I highly recommend it...

This is a good book ~ well-written and interesting. I enjoy Robyn Carr's books and recommend them to anyone wanting a romance novel that covers more than being in love. Her books have a couple who are separate people with their own lives who then come together.