Posts Tagged ‘Nora Roberts’
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Pros: Fun tale with some intriguing twists, enjoyable turns, and interesting characters
Cons: The “impulsive” bad guy was a little too predictable at the end
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Eve has a difficult new case to crack. It isn’t particularly gruesome, but the victim was a mother, a wife, sister-in-law to a judge, and much beloved by those around her. For once, Eve can’t find any hidden enemies, resentful spouses. Yet everything indicates that this woman was specifically targeted, and her death wasn’t the mugging-gone-wrong it was supposed to look like. Investigating the murder takes Eve deep into the confusing world of accounting, investing, and big business, where she’s sure to anger some very wealthy, very well-connected players.
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Tags: Eve Dallas, in death, J.D. Robb, mystery, Nora Roberts, Roarke, romance, thriller
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | No Comments »
Monday, August 20th, 2012
Pros: Trademark snappy dialogue; fascinating mystery; continuing character development
Cons: …
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Eve’s latest case is a terrifying one. A toxic brew of chemicals was released into a bar, and everyone went mad. The death toll was horrific, and the deaths themselves more so. The chemicals are fast-acting and deadly, allowing the killer to strike quickly and decisively—anywhere, anytime. It’s an act of terrorism by its very definition, but when the killer strikes a second time, targeting people who overlap strongly in their occupations, employers, and area of residence with the first victims, Eve becomes convinced that the killer is going after personal enemies, despite the wide swath of destruction.
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Tags: crime, Eve Dallas, futuristic, in death, J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts, Roarke, romance, science fantasy, serial killer, suspense
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
Pros: The ghost, setting, and collection of characters are fun
Cons: There’s little tension or dynamism
Rating: 2 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
The Montgomery family draws closer and closer to the opening day of their new romance-themed inn. As they do, Owen, the just-so organizer and planner of the family, finds himself spending more and more time with firecracker restaurant-owner Avery. The two of them have been friends since childhood, but maybe it’s time to take things to the next level…
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Tags: Inn Boonsboro, Inn Boonsboro trilogy, Nora Roberts, romance
Posted in Romance & Erotica | Permalink | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Pros: Good rationale for personal involvement this time; backs off of the dark personal stuff a bit; enjoyable murder mystery
Cons: …
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Also posted on Epinions.com
A movie is finally being made based on one of Eve’s prior cases, and she’s the guest of honor at a dinner party attended by the stars, director, and producers. While her partner, Peabody, is delighted to experience Hollywood glamor, Eve almost hopes for a murder to get her out of it. Be careful what you wish for, Eve—the evening isn’t yet over when K.T. Harris, the actress playing Peabody, is found drowned on the roof. No one particularly misses her; she was beyond rude, she stalked those she supposedly cared about, and she used blackmail and violence to get her way. In fact, the problem isn’t finding a suspect—the problem is sorting out which one of many might have done it. And this isn’t easy when all of the suspects are such good actors, and quite accustomed to circling the wagons to keep outsiders at bay. Things become more urgent, however, when another person turns up dead, and Eve begins to suspect a larger pattern at work…
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Tags: in death, J.D. Robb, mystery, Nora Roberts, romance, Sci-Fi, science fantasy, suspense
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Pros: Enjoyable stories of odd happenings
Cons: Some predictableness; due to the length of the stories, some characters lacked depth
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
The Unquiet
contains five novellas by different authors, all tales of “uncanny suspense and disquieting romance,” as the back of the book says. It includes stories set in the past, present, and future, with notes of horror, tragedy, and humor. The thing that links them all is a sense of something not-quite-right with the world.
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Tags: anthology, in death, J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Mary Kay McComas, Nora Roberts, novellas, paranormal, Patricia Gaffney, romance, Ruth Ryan Langan, suspense
Posted in Horror & Paranormal, Romance & Erotica, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | No Comments »
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
Pros: Love the ghost; enjoyable pair of characters; love the setting and hearing more about the inn concepts; you can really “see” the setting
Cons: If you don’t care about the inn, this might come across like a sales pitch; the stalker plot is predictable and feels tacked-on for tension’s sake; the main characters aren’t the most interesting ones in the book
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication date: 11/1/2011
Beckett Montgomery is one-third of a trio of brothers renovating and rebuilding the venerable Inn Boonsboro for their mother—and themselves. He’s the architect of the family, and he’s having a blast working with the historic building. Since everyone in the small town continually pesters him and his brothers for details on how things are going and what the inn will look like, it makes a great pretense to chat frequently with a certain bookstore owner—one he’s had a crush on since she was 16. Of course now Clare is widowed, with children, and a successful businesswoman. She’s changed—is she still the woman he could love? Can he handle the way her life revolves around her children and her business? And what will he do when the inn’s ghost gets nosy, and Clare develops a rather determined stalker? For such a small town, things sure do get exciting…
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Tags: Inn Boonsboro, Inn Boonsboro trilogy, Nora Roberts, romance, suspense
Posted in Romance & Erotica | Permalink | 2 Comments »
Thursday, August 25th, 2011
Pros: Interesting bad guy and race against time; some great side characters; we get to see the original case that made Eve the cop she is
Cons: Too many coincidences; too much small world syndrome; too much Eve trauma
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Way back when Eve was a rookie, she had the misfortune to stumble across a gruesome crime scene—and the good fortune to rescue the victims of a madman. That madman has spent the years since then behind bars—until now. Somehow he escaped, and the prison was too busy trying to cover its ass (excuse me, “conduct an internal investigation”) to notify Eve. Now he wants revenge on the cop that stopped him so many years ago, and he’s decided that the city of Dallas, scene of Eve’s own most horrific memories, is the place to achieve that goal.
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Tags: crime drama, drama, in death, J.D. Robb, mystery, Nora Roberts, romance
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Pros: Delightful characters; panoramic backdrop; immersion in the setting and culture; thoughtful depiction of relationships
Cons: Not a thrill-a-minute book, so if you’re looking for that sort of suspense, you’ll be disappointed
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication: April 2011
Rowan Tripp is a second-generation smoke jumper—a firefighter who parachutes into forest fires, risking life and limb for the thrill and the satisfaction of a tough job well done. Her father, a legend in the field, has retired to give parachuting lessons and take tourists for tandem jumps. Last season, Rowan’s jump partner died in a terrible accident while jumping into a fire zone. Now the new season is starting up. It’s time for her to deal with the past, in the form of the dead man’s brother and girlfriend, both of whom are on base. It’s also time for her to face the future, as she finds herself unexpectedly falling for one of the new rookies, and watching her father fall into his own new relationship.
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Tags: erotica, family drama, firefighters, Nora Roberts, romance, smoke jumpers, suspense
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Pros: Fascinating plot, fun dialogue, and great characters
Cons: Too many coincidental ties; too much angst and introspection
Rating: 3 out of 5
Also posted on Epinions.com.
Eve has to face the worst: not only was a cop killed in her city, but it was her friend Morris’s lady love. Who would want to kill Detective Amaryllis Coltraine? She was a solid, by-the-books cop, but she didn’t handle big cases. She didn’t live the job the way Eve does. Nearly everyone liked her, even her snitches. Eve simply can’t find anyone who’d want revenge. She’s going to have to, though, because it looks like that person might target her next—and because she’d do anything to get justice for Morris.
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Tags: Eve Dallas, in death, J.D. Robb, mystery, near future, Nora Roberts, Roarke, romance, Sci-Fi, science fantasy, SF
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Pros: Full-bore dive into the “dirty cop” plot; significant Peabody character development
Cons: Some transparent excuses to let Eve go head-to-head with the bad guys
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication date: 2/22/2011
Peabody finally has her detective’s shield, and Eve just told her she’s going to be the primary detective on their latest case, a robbery/homicide. As Peabody says, it’s pretty much a slam-dunk. But it also leaves Peabody thinking that if she’s going to go toe-to-toe with perps, she’d better get into shape. Not wanting to put herself next to all the hardbodies in the bright, shiny, new gym, she goes down to the abandoned old one. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only one who finds the lack of people there useful.
Two cops, Garnet and Oberman, are talking in the very same locker room that Peabody’s hiding in. It’s quickly obvious that whatever they’re up to, it’s very, very illegal, and they’ll most likely kill Peabody if they find her…
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Tags: Eve Dallas, in death, J.D. Robb, mystery, Nora Roberts, romance, science fantasy, SF, thriller
Posted in Romance & Erotica, Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure & Mystery | Permalink | No Comments »