Terri Garey / Nora Roberts

Faith McFarland is in need of a miracle. So desperate to save her sick child, she's willing to make a deal with the Devil: steal a ring worn by Finn Payne, the bad-boy rockstar who long ago sold his soul for rock 'n roll. Temptation and seduction become necessary evils, yet Faith's salvation means Finn's damnation...because the ring is all that stands between him and Hell. Falling in love was never part of the bargain, but now that they've tasted heaven in each other's arms, can they convince the Devil to give up his due?

  

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Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out—with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He’s surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except apparently Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro…
As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate the joys of small-town living. She’s where she wants to be—except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them…a spark that ignited with a New Year’s Eve kiss.
While the Inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope’s experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome—and embarrassing—appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder’s emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him…



Comment: I had planned to write a bigger comment for both these books but I just can't control my time anymore, it seems I have too much going on lately...I need to get my routine back...

Anyway, here it goes.

Devil Without a Cause is the first in a spin off of another series that, sorry to say, doesn't interest me much. This one is about the devil and how he kind of redeems himself a little bit by helping two people to be together even if by not so fair means. The story is easy to read but to me it lacked real emotion, it talked about string things like the fear of losing a child but the writing seemed too robotic and tasteless for me. I wasn't very thrilled by the end of the book and nothing made me think twice about reading more of that world.

The Perfect Hope is the third installment in Nora Robert's latest trilogy. I was very eager to get to this book because it has one of my favorite troupes in books, the main couple can't stand each other at first.

Hope and Ryder feel attracted but don't admit it until their book and I have to say I felt rather disappointed...I knew eventually they would end up together but I wasn't very enthusiastic over the way they did it, it felt so...rehearsed. Where's the magic, where's true emotion, where's the thrill of fighting something you know you can't win but yearn for deep in your heart?? I didn't feel this at all, I'm all for independent women living a free sexual identity in real life and in books, but it didn't have magic,it didn't feel as special as they made it look like after.

The story is good, loved the details and most scenes, but the romance, overall, was meh.

Dianne Duvall / Nora Roberts

Dr. Melanie Lipton is no stranger to the supernatural. She knows immortals better than they know themselves, right down to their stubborn little genes. So although a handsome rogue immortal seems suspicious to her colleagues, Sebastien Newcombe intrigues Melanie. His history is checkered, his scars are impressive, and his ideas are daring. But it’s not his ideas that have Melanie fighting off surges of desire… Bastien is used to being the bad guy. In fact, he can’t remember the last time he had an ally he could trust. But Melanie is different -- and under her calm, professional exterior he senses a passion beyond anything in his centuries of experience. Giving in to temptation is out of the question -- he can’t put her in danger. But she isn’t asking him…

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Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family's construction business with an iron fist--and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers give him grief for his compulsive list making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn't plan for was Avery MacTavish... 
Avery's popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a firsthand look at its amazing renovation and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery's thoughts. But the attraction she's feeling for him now is far from innocent.
As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Ow-en's hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last..

Comment: These were the last books I've read in November.

Phantom Shadows is the story of Sebastien, an immortal who used to be an enemy and now fights fair and Melanie, a doctor. Like in the previous two books, we see lots of action and world development, a following up with the series. The romance is sweet and I liked seeing them together. The secondary characters have important roles too and I enjoyed seeing them getting close and act like friends. Throughout the book, many things happened and in the end great news happen and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book, whenever it comes out.I think the writing improved because suddenly I couldn't wait to read the next page and in the other books I didn't have that feeling...or maybe it's this book that's better, I don't know..

The Last Boyfriend is the second book in the most recent trilogy by the author. It's her trademark writing and situations and for me that's comfort reading because her books made me fall in love with romance and she's still a beloved writer for me, although some of her books disappointed me. This one is really predictable and it's more worth by the secondary action and characters than by the main romance, which, I have to say, didn't grab me because it sounded to fake. I don't know anyone friends forever that decided to see how well they would be as a couple after years without a single spark..ah well..

The best things were the tidbits about the 3ed couple and I'm reading it by Christmas, can't wait!

Nora Roberts - The Next Always

Meet the Montgomery brothers - Beckett, Ryder, and Owen - as they bring an intimate Bed-and-Breakfast to life, in their hometown.
The historic hotel in Boonsboro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, the changing of hands, and even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major face lift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother.
As the architect of the family, Beckett's social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there's another project he's got his eye on: the girl he's been waiting to kiss since he was sixteen...
After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster soon settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town's bookstore. Though busy and with little time for romance, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett's transformation of the old inn, wanting to take a closer look ... at both the building and the man behind it.
With the grand opening inching closer, Beckett is happy to give Clare a private tour -- one room at a time, in between blueprint meetings and kindergarten pickups. It's no first date, but these stolen moments are the beginning of something that could arouse the secret yearning that resides in Clare's independent heart -- and open the door to the extraordinary adventure of what comes next ...

Comment: Like I've said before, I'm a big fan of this author. She wrote many romances I've loved reading and are still comfort reads for me. So, it's natural I try to read anything she writes and when it comes to her trilogies or series I prefer to wait and to have them all so I can read in following months. I still remember the year it took me to read so many other of her trilogies only to read them as a bigger book.

Anyway, this is the first book in her most recent trilogy and now that the third book is almost here, I've picked the book and got on with it.

This is the story of Beckett and Clare. They've known each other for years and Beckett has had a crush on her for that same time. But Clare has lived her life, became a mother and a widow and now it's back with her business and her children. Beckett is the youngest of three brothers, redoing a building to open an inn and hopefully to create a strong business. At the same time they slowly try to discover each other more intimately and perhaps to even start a relationship.

I liked the book. I think it's very difficult for the author to maintain the same tone of her older novels and I couldn't help but feeling a certain feel of perfection here, it's like nothing and no one was meant for imperfection...what I mean is, the story felt good but too good. Everything fit a place and there wasn't almost anything to look for because all the pieces were already put in place and the reader just had to glimpse things, not wait to discover them, you know?

Now, like I said, I liked the book because it's a romance and it has a beautiful couple, three cute kids and a promising love story in third book (I hope it won't be a disappointment) but I wasn't completely dazzled.

I've read many people say they didn't like the huge amount of story dedicated to the construction of the inn and its related stuff. Yes, I agree, we have many details explained and inserted but I have to confess, personally, I felt this was much more obvious in her Bride Quartet. In this new trilogy it was there, the technical side of things, but in the Quartet it was much more. I think, to me, after comparing the two I have to appreciate this trilogy more because of that.

The story was very simple. A bit unusual way to think of a romance, and I think it would have been better if the main couple were to have shown a little more of doubt before embarking in a relationship...ok, many people want forthrightness but I'm a romantic and it felt like they have a subject to deal with and after they did, where was the magic? Having Beckett take flowers to Clare wasn't enough, no sir.

Of course, the best part were the secondary characters, especially Clare's kids and Ryder and Hope. I can't wait for their story, at least we're having sparks already and by the time they'll have their story it's like more time has gone and their falling in love will be more believable.

About this one, it's very simple, enjoyable like all books by the author are, but I feel like the magic of previous books by hr is slowly breaking up to give space to practicality...and thus making the stories feel more robotic. I hope this doesn't happen all the time...

Nora Roberts - Private Scandals

Deanna Reynolds had it all planned: She'd start out in the newsroom of a small Chicago station, then move up to one day host her own talk show. When her mentor Angela Perkins leaves for the big time in New York, Deanna risks everything for the chance to replace Angela on the air. Now, the TV talk show host finds herself competing with her former friend and mentor, Angela, over success in the world of television Finn Riley, Angela's former lover, and the network's sexiest journalist, falls for the risk-taker in the small town girl. But soon they are caught up in the bitter backlash of Angela's revenge... Together Finn and Deanna must unmask the hidden betrayals of Deanna's fiercest rival by taking the biggest risk of all...

Comment: I have had this book by Nora Roberts for a long time, since my "obsession" with her work begun. I've kept some books unread, though, exactly for this, to have things to savor for a long time.
This book is about Deanna, a young journalist turned tv host and Finn, a reporter. They come together when Deanna's career as tv host is yet to start and they face an opponent that doesn't want them to succeed, Angela. She is the prime star of the tv channel where they all work and she wasn't it all, never stopping in her pursue of bigger and better, even when she crushed others under her foot.
When Angela goes away to New York to be a national star, it seems things will get better and it looks like it, but when Deanna slowly starts to be successful not only Angela is against her, someone else too, even with love messages spread around...
The story is interesting but the identity of the mystery guy who's obsessed with Deanna is really obvious from the start even for me, notoriously weak in guessing the bad guy's in books. The way he pursues her and slowly gains intensity in his "devotion" is very intriguing especially because - Nora Robert's trademark style - he does it in moments where the reader isn't very concerned with it. In the end it kind of jumps in front of us and because it's not a surprise, it gets the feel it's very staged. But still...
The Angela storyline is actually interesting. She's mean, but we don't see her doing things all the time, we see a lot of planning and anger from her but actions are few, which helps, in my opinion, I think I'd be very bored and tired of watching her.
I liked the details about the tv business, the backgrounds...I wonder if it's really like that in the world... tv shows always present us with perfection, I wonder what's in those people minds every time they smile for the camera...
Deanna is a good protagonist. She comes from a humble home, she tried her best to be someone and she's rather strong for someone who had a not so perfect past. Finn, on the other had, comes from money but the lack of love from his parents roughed him up a bit, although I liked seeing his more vulnerable side.
Now...about their relationship. I liked how it progressed and how it ended, it was sweet. But I really disliked how Finn pursued Deanna when she was in another relationship in the beginning of the story and how insistent he seemed. I was a bit put of by the way he always had to push her at first. I mean, couldn't the guy wait? Then he grew on me but I couldn't just forget the initial image of him.
In the end, a entertaining read, as always, but it's not one my favorites. Still, way better than the ones I didn't really like (Public Secrets and Blue Smoke). Anything is better than those.

Nora Roberts - Tribute

Cilia McGowan, a former child star, has found a more satisfying life restoring homes. So she comes to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to save the dilapidated farmhouse that once belonged to her grandmother -- a legendary actress who died of an overdose more than thirty years ago.
Plunging into the project with gusto, Cilia's almost too busy and exhausted to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer. Determined not to carry on the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilia steels herself against Ford's quirky charm, though she can't help indulging in a little fantasy.
But it's reality that holds its share of dangers for Cilia. A cache of unsigned letters found in the attic points to a mysterious romance in her grandmother's life -- and may be the catalyst for a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilia and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may, like her world-famous grandmother. be cut down in the prime of her life.

Comment: Once in a while I have the need to read a book by Nora Roberts, the author who set me up in the world of romance (before her I'd read anything but didn't look for romance per se).
This time I've decided to read Tribute, a book some friends had read before and enjoyed. It also helped they said the hero is very likable.
So, in this story Cilla is restoring, flipping, her grandma's old house because she wants to live there. While cleaning some things she discovers some letters and finds out her grandmother was pregnant when she died but there's nomention of the baby's father in the letters. However, with workers gossip, somehow, someone knows about this and wants to keep things a secret...
I think the mistery part was interesting but not the best thing she's done. I mean, I'm pretty slow in finding out who the bad guy is, in any suspense, but in this book is became rather obvious. Besides the reasons behind all seemed very selfish, but well being selfish is human right?
The romance between the protagonists was good, I liked how slow paced it was, they took their time and the dialogue was very good. I think Ford is really a good guy, I didn't find anyhting about him I didn't like. But perhaps he was a bit too happy, he was always in a good mood. I can't help but compare him to Simon, the hero from The Search, the latest book I had read read by the author, someone moody and sarcastic. I don't know why but I liked him more.
I was surprised to see there wasn't a secondary romance, one of the author's trademarks...I confess I was expecting it.
Of course it's interesting that everyone who matters is professionally accomplished in every way, but I guess that no one would like to read about lazy people...
All in all, it wasn't the best book but it wasn't as bad as some of the ones I really disliked. This is still an auto buy author to me, so I can't wait to get my hands in more of her stories.

Nora Roberts - The Search

Talented search and rescue dog trainer Fiona Bristow escaped the clutches of a serial killer several years before, but not before he murdered her fiance and her beloved dog. She has retreated to a cabin in the wilderness and is wary of forming bonds with anyone, but handsome newcomer and talented carpenter Simon has an unruly puppy to train and soon man and dog charm their way into Fiona's life. But just when she starts to relax, it becomes clear a copycat murderer is on the loose, and making his way closer and closer towards her with unfinished business on his mind ...

Comment: Nora Roberts was the first author whose work I just had to get my hands on. I devoured almost everything she wrote in the 80s and then most of her most recent work too. Like with any other author, there are some things I just can't imagine why she wrote that (Public Secrets and Blue Smoke come to mind), but others...others make it seem so easy to write a book, so fluid it appears in front of my eyes.
This book is one of those, the story just flows naturally and everyhting is set in place that I didn't spend time thinking "what if" when things could be in a way I think could be better.
Simona nd Fiona aren't a love at first sight couple but neither spends the whole book thinking they don't deserve the other ot that they can't be together, so from that POV, it was great. I especially liked Simon, he isn't one of the perfect Nora heroes but he isn't too aloof to be a reluctant hero. He doesn't bother with fights against his feelings or behaviour, he is a kind man with a sharped mind and I liked that a lot.
Then there's the dogs, I loved them all, loved the information about rescue dogs and rescue procedures. It was an interesting subject but things didn't sound too forced like it happened in other books. Perhaps because the subject was a good one.
All in all, a great read, one I had a good time with and that matters the most to me.

Nora Roberts - Genuine Lies

EVE BENEDICT. The glamorous screen star is still beautiful, still tough--and still has a heart as big as the legend that surrounds her. But Eve is a woman of mystery, whose passionate affairs and tempestuous marriages have fueled gossip columns for decades. Now she is ready to reveal her secrets to one woman... but will opening herself to Julia Summers's scrutiny endanger the only person who will tell her truth ... her way?

JULIA SUMMERS. A renowned writer, as astonishingly lovely as she is private, Julia cares deeply for her young son--and not at all for a place in the spotlight. But no subject is as irresistible as the glorious Eve ... and no story more challenging to tell than the one nobody in Hollywood wants told. She cannot refuse the dream job Eve offers her... but can she be seduced into keeping the secrets she learns?

PAUL WINTHROP. Eve's stepson and the hottest novelist in a very hot town, Paul provokes a different kind of fantasy with his bronzed muscles and panther's grace. He has a stake in keeping Eve's image just as history has written it ... but will he sacrifice the woman he's always loved for a chance to write his own happy ending?

Comment: Nora Roberts is one of my favourite author like I said before. But my addiction to her work has gone and nowadays what's left is a curiosity and caring for what her books meant to me, so...
I was a bit worried about this book, the blurb wasn't that appealing to me, as I don't like the glamourous world of Hollywood that much in my books, but it was hers and I've talked to people who had read it and based on their opinions, I decided to try it.
I liked it a lot...it reminded me of my favourite fiction books by her, like Northern Lights and Carolina Moon, for instance.
With this one, we know it was written at the time, the signs are all there, but there's also NR's trademarks, the romance, the slowly revelead clues, the creation of every character's past...

The story was interesting, addicting and I would only change the fact we had some scenes from Eve's youth. I don't particular care when the book descibes several times in the character's lives like that. I don't like to jump from past to present and vice-versa. The mystery was well hidden and the truth surprised me at all levels.
I loved the relationship Paul was developping with Brandon, treating him like a son...the author is widely known for her tender descriptions between grown ups and children and she didn't disappoint in this one.

Reading this book made me eager to read more and I'm quite happy with Genuine Lies, so much, much better than Divine Evil, IMO.

Nora Roberts :)

Comment: I enjoyed these two novels much more than Bed of Roses. The heroines in these two are more real, more realistic. I think it's easier for the reader to identify oneself to them. The heroes were funny, interesting and although there's always a sense of rush in the romances, the stories didn't, opposite to Emma's. I'm not getting more blurbs as anyone can find them.

Savor the Moment was sweet and offered an interesting conflict, one I never find too repetitive in romance novels, the class difference. I think it could've been dealt differently, better, but it's nice to see.

Happy Ever After finally concludes the story, the romance was cute, but Parker seemed a bit cold sometimes, even tough in the end it was so beautiful to watch her in love.

Nora Roberts always deliver and in this case, once more. But she could invest more in conflicts, in explanations...I feel things are rushed. However, the stories are wonderful, they end happily and it's amazing the union between characters.

Bed of Roses - Nora Roberts

As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance.

In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.
But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history…and in their hearts.

Comment: The second installment of this series by Nora Roberts didn't convince as much as the first. Probably because I have some difficulty to identify myself with Emmaline, the heroine. She's bubbly, romantic, happy, girly, optimistic, a lot of things I'm not. So, it makes it harder for me to like her, to understand her. Jack is more like it, more "on earth", and I liked knowing him.

Their relationship is strange to me, I still think they dived too fast into a sexual relationshp, but hey, it's fiction. Actually it annoys me a bit that women in contemporary fiction have to be so assertive. No thinking, no indecision, let's get it on, right away. I'd like to see some seduction, a controlled one, not like in the book where things were rushed. I see why it was like that, but still it annoyed me.

Anyway, I have great hope for the last two books, let's see.

Vision in White - Nora Roberts

Childhood friends Mackensie, Parker, Laurel and Emmaline have formed a very successful wedding planning business together but, despite helping thousands of happy couples to organise the biggest day of their lives, all four women are unlucky in love. Photographer Mackensie Elliot has suffered a tough childhood and has a bad relationship with her mother, which makes her wary of commitment. But when she meets Carter Maguire, she can't stop herself falling for him, although his ex-girlfriend is prepared to play dirty to keep him. Mackensie soon realises she has to put her past demons to rest in order to find lasting love ...

Comment: Nora Roberts is one of my favourite authors. She still is.
There was a time whre I was obsessed with everything she wrote, she was the one author that "forced" me to read more in english, because there were few translated books of her in portuguese.
Things haven't changed and even tough some of her books don't say much to me, others remain in favourite tops.

Vision in White is the first in a quartet and is out for more than one year. I'm only now reading it because only now the 4th one was published. Now I can read them all together, like a giant book.
I liked Mac, I liked Carter and I liked their story. I think Nora has done better but it didn't disappoint me. I enjoyed the whole bride stuff, the why's, the how's.
The only thing I point at mrs Roberts is that everything goes well with her couples. They are all perfect in their jobs, in their motives, in their paths towards their professional goals. In real life (RL), people aren't like that. I'd like to see some struggle, some difficulties to reach that, instead of only the emotional challenges.
But ok, I forgive mrs Roberts because I like her books, I like the feelings she pours onto them.
Next read, Bed of Roses.