Do you have to read the Virgin River books in order?

Based on the book series of the same name by Robyn Carr, the second season of Virgin River premiered on Netflix in November. Season 2 ended with a major cliffhanger and if you’re already itching to see season 3, then perhaps you should check out the books that the show is based on.

I started reading the first book last week and so far, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack’s (Martin Henderson) relationship is even cuter on the page!

You can get the first book, titled Virgin River, on Amazon for just $12.58 Buy it here! If you purchase it now, it’ll come in time for Christmas.

In total, there are 22 novels in the Virgin River book series. Here is what told Robyn Carr told The Amazon Book Review about whether or not fans have to read the Virgin River book series in order:

"No, they don’t. But some people prefer to do that. I have readers who buy the whole set before they start the first one. [Laughs] I think that’s a little nuts, actually. But to each his own."

If you are what Carr would describe as “a little nuts” and want to buy all the books, here’s a list of the series in order and where to buy them.

As we’ve previously reported, each novel in the Virgin River series focuses on different characters in the community. Only the first book revolves around Mel and Jack’s budding romance.

The show actually made several key changes to the plot to make the show more dramatic. For example, Charmaine is not a prominent character in the book. In fact, Jack breaks up with Charmaine almost immediately after Mel arrives in Virgin River and she is overall unfazed by their parting.

In the television series, Doc and Hope’s marriage has been struggling for years. However, in the book, they were never together at all!