Rating: 4 Stars
Description: When professional house-sitter Lila witnesses a murder in a neighboring apartment building she finds herself drawn into the lives of those involved. She never expected to get close to the killer/victim's brother, Ash, or to find herself being hunted by a professional killer.
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: A new Nora Roberts is always an automatic read for me and I was intrigued by both the Rear Window similarities and the professional house sitting.
My Impression:
Pro: I liked the characters. Lila was nice and very maternal and Ash was also a nice guy and a protector. You could really see how nice it would be for both of them to have someone take care of them for a change. Ash's family is huge and while I like a big family this was beyond huge with ex-spouses, step-siblings and half siblings. It could have gotten very confusing but I liked how Roberts handled it which was basically Ash saying "It's really confusing so don't worry about it." I liked how the relationship between Lila and Ash progressed gradually instead of flipping from just met to passionately in love with each other. I think it helped make the bond seem more real that they knew some of the same people. I liked the side romance as well. It was sweet but didn't really distract from the main story. The information about the Romanov family was really interesting as well.
Cons: How Ash and Lila met definitely strained credibility. It also reminded me quite a bit of her earlier book Three Fates which I loved. I think my problem with Roberts may be that since she's written so many books we're starting to see some repeats in terms of characters or plot devices.
Overall Impression: This is a fast paced book with excellently done friendships (it's Roberts after all). While I didn't like it as much as I enjoyed her earlier Three Fates it's probably my favorite of her most recent suspense titles. Definitely a fun read!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Of course!
Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely! This was a fun romantic suspense with a touch of history.
I have yet to read one of her books-really need to try one soon!
ReplyDeleteThis one would be a pretty good one to try. I liked it and I think her romantic suspense books are well done. If you haven't read a ton of her books you wouldn't be bothered by similarities to past books.
DeleteThe repeat in romance has me a tad worried but I am excited to crack my copy open
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't let it stop you from reading it. I didn't enjoy it any less and it was definitely a fun summer read!
DeleteI have read only about a half-dozen Roberts/Robb books, so I haven't seen the problem with repeating a romance or storyline. However I have heard several readers complain about that. I guess, based on the overwhelming amount of books she has written under various names, that she either stops writing or has to occasionally repeat. Her fans would vote for the latter :) Thanks for a good review; I want to read this one this summer.
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought as well. This is the 2nd book I've read of hers lately that has strongly reminded me of a previous book. In this case it didn't bother me too much because I did enjoy The Collector quite a bit. It's definitely a great summer read.
DeleteI haven't read anything by Roberts under her own name. This sounds good. I admit being a bit put off by the name Ash. Terrible of me, I know.
ReplyDeleteI like Roberts but yeah I didn't care for the names on this one. I did get past it because I liked the characters so much and he's an artist so an odd name is more acceptable than if he'd been a banker or something.
DeleteI haven't read anything by Nora Robert before but everyone swears she's a romance writing genouis so i really should get to one of her books eventually!
ReplyDeleteGreat review :)
I don't know about genius but she's definitely a reliably good read for me. She does a great job in portraying friendships and relationships between people. Plus she has books set in Ireland which is always a plus for me.
DeleteI've never read one of her books. I think I will at some point though.
ReplyDeleteHer suspense titles are well done and I like the history element she put in this one and Three Fates. I enjoyed one she had a few years back called The Witness as well. I'd be interested to see what you thought of them!
DeleteYeah, there's definitely some repetition from earlier books. It was a good book, not her best, but enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI liked it better than some of her more recent books but not as much as her older books. The repetition is definitely getting more noticeable but I can't say I don't understand with the billion books she's written!
DeleteI've noticed that about Nora Roberts too, but since I haven't read all her books, I've only run into duplicate ideas/devices a few times. The Collector is on my list to read, but I'm only about number 95 on the hold list at the library, so it's probably going to be a fall read instead of a summer one!
ReplyDeleteThis will work out fine as a fall read too! I really enjoyed this one even though it did remind me of an earlier book. I hope you get this one soon. I'm looking forward to hearing your take on it!
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