Melinda "Mel" Monroe is a nurse practitioner and midwife who moves to Virgin River.

Mel moved to Virgin River from Los Angeles to escape some painful memories after her husband was killed in a car accident. Mel encounters a bumpy road when she first arrives in town, as Doc Mullins is not welcoming and refuses to believe she is competent to see patients. Eventually, Doc's wife, Hope, convinces him to give Mel a chance, and Mel proves herself when she diagnoses and treats a family poisoned by pesticides.

Mel grows closer to local bar owner Jack Sheridan, but as he is seeing someone else and she is still grieving the loss of her husband, their relationship has fits and starts. Eventually, the two admit that they have fallen in love and embark on a committed relationship.