It’d been a while between Nora Roberts’ books for me. Of course I continue to read her JD Robb ‘In Death’ series but I also enjoy her romantic suspense novels and her latest, Identity, is another great read. It was perhaps a smidge longer than it needed to be but offers great characters and – though not edge-of-your-seat suspense – the inevitability of what’s to come simmers menacingly in the background.
I was a tad worried Legacy by Nora Roberts would be a bit saga-ish. I love her romantic suspense novels and ADORE her JD Robb series, but the blurb here sounded a bit more Barbara Taylor Bradford circa 1990ish.
Thankfully it wasn’t. We do meet our lead Adrian at various stages of her childhood then on a few occasions during her adult life but it’s less about generations of women or families and their legacies and more about Adrian herself.
It takes a little while to get to the ‘suspense’ part of this book but I liked Adrian and the fact her ambition is balanced with a sense of humanity, so was happy to be along for the ride.
I really enjoy Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels. She generally offers a great balance between the two genres. Her latest, Hideaway, is no different. She also gives us some delightful characters. Some less-delightful as well obviously. And the novel unfolds over a couple of decades so we get to know some of the players well by the end.
This was a little longer than I probably would have liked, but it certainly hooks readers from the opening pages.
I love Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense novels. They usually offer up a good balance of the two, which is important given my love of thrillers and suspense and antipathy towards romance. (As such.)
Interestingly, though this includes some suspense, it’s kinda short-lived. It grapples with some unpleasant themes (domestic violence and family violence, so trigger alert for some), but the thing I enjoyed most about this book was, in fact, how the romance played out and the relationship between our two lead characters.
There’s something unfortunately timely about this book, which centres around a mass shooting in the US.
Although Nora Roberts sticks to what she does well – romantic suspense wrapped in personal drama – here she also explores the impact of such an event on the survivors, and lasting effect it has on their lives… both good and bad.
Tragedy doesn’t necessarily change us. More often, I think, it brings out more of who we are – or were – all along. p 214
You know you can pretty much depend on Nora Roberts to deliver when it comes to romantic suspense. She generally gets the combination and the consistency of the ingredients right and her latest, Come Sundown, is no different. We’re offered likeable, charismatic but not-too-cheesy characters; clear and engaging writing that reels readers in; along with an enjoyable and not overly predictable plot.
Regular readers will know I’m a bit hot and cold when it comes to the very prolific Nora Roberts. I adore the ‘In Death’ series she writes as JD Robb and it’s one of my ‘go-to’ comfort reads. And I mostly enjoy her romantic suspense novels… as long as they weigh slightly in favour of the suspenseful elements, rather than the romance.
Nora Roberts is a prolific writer and loved by many. I much prefer her JD Robb In Death series—the futuristic crime novels, with a smidge of romance stirred into the mix. As Nora Roberts her work is (mostly) romantic suspense and my enjoyment usually depends on the two genres being as evenly balanced as possible*.
Her latest, The Liar really doesn’t offer a lot in the suspense side of things, but fortunately for me in this instance I was smitten by one of the main characters so didn’t really mind…..
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