Shelter in Place

 

I've finished "Shelter in Place" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

From Nora Roberts comes the #1 New York Times bestseller Shelter in Place ― a powerful tale of heart, heroism and propulsive suspense.

It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tending to customers. Then the shooters arrived.

The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, hopelessly clutching her cell phone -- until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art.

But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait -- and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.

About the Author

NORA ROBERTS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Year One, Come Sundown, The Obsession, The Liar, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print. She lives in Maryland.

Product details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 29 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250161592
ISBN-13: 978-1250161598

My Review:

4/5

The Obsession

 

I've finished "The Obsession" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

The riveting new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Liar.

“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.”

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up — especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including The Liar, The Collector, Whiskey Beach, The Witness, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Product Details
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Berkley; First Edition edition (April 12, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399175164
ISBN-13: 978-0399175169

My Review:

4/5

The Liar

I've finished "The Liar" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

The extraordinary new novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Collector.

Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions

The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.

Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows — and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning.

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the number-one New York Times–bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including The Collector, Whiskey Beach, The Witness, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 400 million copies of her books in print.

Product Details
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; First Edition edition (April 14, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399170863
ISBN-13: 978-0399170867

My Review:

4/5

The Collector (Hardcover)

I've finished "The Collector" by Nora Roberts.

From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a novel of a woman who needs nothing, a man who sees everything, and the web of deceit, greed, and danger that brings them together — and could tear them apart.

When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one.

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence — against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a ratified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession.

Product Details
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition first Printing edition (April 15, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399164456
ISBN-13: 978-0399164453

My Review:

3.5/5

Carolina Moon [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Carolina Moon" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts — an utterly spellbinding tale about a woman who, though battered in both body and spirit, can never lose Hope.

Tory Bodeen grew up in South Carolina, in a small run-down house, where her father ruled with an iron fist and a leather belt — and where her dreams and talents had no room to flourish. But she had Hope, who lived in the big house just a short skip away and whose friendship allowed Tory to be something she wasn’t allowed to be at home: a child.
After young Hope’s brutal murder, unsolved to this day, Tory’s life began to fall apart. And now, as she returns to her hometown, with plans to settle in and open a stylish home-design shop, she is determined to find a measure of peace and free herself from the haunting visions of the past. As she forges a new bond with Cade Lavelle — Hope’s older brother and the heir to the family fortune — she isn’t sure whether the tragic loss they share will unite them or drive them apart. But she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try.

Living so close to those unhappy memories will be more difficult and frightening than Tory could ever have expected, however. Because Hope’s murderer is nearby as well.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 470 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0515130389
ISBN-13: 978-0515130386

My Review:

Tori (Victoria) Bodeen grew up in South Carolina with a religious fanatic father who would beat her to get rid of her psychic powers (she can sense people and their circumstances) and her mother who didn't protect her.   Hope Lavelle was her only friend who helped her escape her troubled home by letting her be a regular kid by having fun, etc.  Hope was eight when she was brutally murdered and raped and Tori experienced the event which has affected how she interacts with people.  The case has never been solved and she has decided to come home to confront her troubled childhood and to learn the truth of Hope's murder and who did it.

Hope's older brother Cade tries to get close to Tori but she rejects him.  She doesn't like getting close to people because they don't appreciate her gift and they get offended by it.  Cade doesn't give up and eventually melts Tori's heart with his charming self and his looks.

All of the characters were well developed with their own interesting story lines. 

3/5

The Witness [Hardcover]

I've finished "The Witness" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.

Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security systems — and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail’s reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something — and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.


Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159126
ISBN-13: 978-0399159121

My Review:

This book was well written with exciting twists and turns and an interesting plot. 

Elizabeth Finch was brought into this world by artificial insemination to a cold women lacking any emotions and is a pre-med student with an eidetic memory at 16 years old.  She rebels one night and as a result loses a friend and watching a man shot by the Russian mafia .  She goes into witness protection but she isn't safe and goes into hiding for the next 12 years.

Now living in Bickford, Arkansas as Abigail Lowery who lives in her mini fortress.  She has top of the line security alarm, the doors and windows have several locks on them and carries a gun.  She also has a massive mastiff as a guard dog who would kill on signal.  She only interacts with the local townfolks when she really needs to (shopping for food).

Brook Gleason is the well-liked and respected police chief who has taken a professional and personal interest in Abigail.  He senses she is hiding something or running away from someone and is determined to bring her out of her shell.  He decides he wants to get to know her better and even though he respects her boundaries he slowly and carefully helps her stretch them.

Abigail and Brooks characters were both well developed and I was really rooting for their HEA.

I really liked Abigail for rebelling and going against her mom, she was exceptionally smart, taught herself how to survive, courageous and loves animals.

4/5

Chasing Fire [Hardcover]

I've finished "Chasing Fire" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline - men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge.

There's little as thrilling as firefighting - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever - and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade.

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull - any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end - but if she doesn't find someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer. . . .

Product Details
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (April 12, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780399157448
ISBN-13: 978-0399157448

My Review:

Storyline:  Last season Rowan watched her jump partner, Jim Brayner, die while on a jump with her.  She is blames herself  and still has issues with it she has to get past ... like the dreams that have been haunting her.

Gull is determined for Rowan to let him 'in', and in his own dogged way inserts himself into her daily routine...they are just beginning to have a relationship when the woman who had been dating Jim, the jump partner who'd died, shows back up on the base begging for a job and because she is pregnant with what might be Jim's child, is given one. But she blames Rowan  and is determined to make her life hell.

Characters:   Rowan is strong and independent woman who is hard but fair. She is a good trainer and team leader. I loved the scenes in which she trained the new smoke jumpers and the way she supported them and joked with them was admirable.  She is also quick tempered, loyal to her friends and family and very protective of her dad.  Man she could even kick butt!

Gull is intelligent, interested in a lot of variety of different things and seems to live his life exactly the way he wants to.  I really enjoyed their highly entertaining bantering dialogue and the way Gull focused on Rowan and never gave up on her.   I'm really glad Rowan gave him a chance.

I loved reading about the camaraderie of the smoke jumpers and about their missions. The smoke jumpers are like a small family who love to rib each other and there are a lot of funny scenes between them.  I was  interested in reading about their operations and I was impressed that with every jump into the flames they risked their lives.
  
Romance:   Both Rowan and Gull are such a wonderful couple because they support each other and work well together. 

I also enjoyed the smaller love story between Rowan's father and a woman he meets. Their relationship is so cute and sweet and shows that you are never too old to find love.

Killer(s):  The killer was pretty screwed up and life wasn't so great for them.

5/5

Thanks Laura from Penguin Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!