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In this book, newly married Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD and billionaire Roarke are interrupted on their off-planet honeymoon by an apparent suicide. A young engineer working on Roarke's new resort (where E&R were honeymooning) seems to have come home for the day, made a noose and hung himself. However, the look on his face, one of utter rapture, disturbs Eve.
Upon Eve's return to New York, two more apparent self-terminations occur, and after being present at one of them, Eve is quite sure that these are not what they seem. Eve is thrown into the world of virtual reality and mind control, where your own mind can become someone else's weapon. Eve is determined to find the murderer responsible for these deaths, but the closer she comes to the truth, the more danger she, and Roarke, are in!
As always, Robb's mystery is thrilling and fun. Eve and Roarke's romance continues to steam up the pages. Eve and Roarke are among my favourite couples of all time - Eve's reluctant tenderness, Roarke's utter devotion to his "Darling Eve" and the mind-numbing passion and life-altering love they share make them fascinating to observe. Getting to know Eve and Roarke has been a rewarding experience; one I plan to continue until there are no more books to read! This book is fantastic. So don't hesitate, buy the entire "In Death" series today (I'm up to book #10 and still am LOVING every one) - you won't regret it!
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The plot revolves around Dora Conroy, a quirky proprietor of a small antique shop, who inadvertently interferes with the illegal shipment of some smuggled artwork and becomes the target of a ruthless and deadly businessman. Her new tenant Jed Skimmerhorn, an ex detective with the Philadelphia PD, is reluctantly attracted to Dora and feels obligated to protect her when the bad guys break into her apartment and threaten her. Add Dora's spirited family of actors and their bizarre show biz friends into the mix and you have the recipe for fun.
The story is at times humorous, often suspenseful, very romantic and always a great read. You won't want to miss this one.
Kelsey has been told for her entire life that her mother died when she was a child, but she finds out differently one day when a letter shows up from her supposedly deceased mother! After getting over the initial shock, Kelsey decides to travel to her mother's thoroughbred farm in Nothern Virginia. Kelsey has to deal with her family's strong disapproval, especially from her grandmother, but decides that she really must meet the woman who gave her life. Kelsey arrives on the farm and slowly begins to bond with her mother and the handsome man who owns the neighbouring farm, Gabe. This story is full of betrayal, sabotage, romance, and excitement. Overall, a highly enjoyable read.
Interestingly enough, I think the weakest character in the novel is Gabe, who seems fraught with contradictions that I think should have bothered Kelsey, given her concern for ethics and rights and wrongs. I am not disturbed by Gabe's background at all, but I am puzzled by the acceptance of him as a "gambler," which sometimes seems to feed into some of the stereotypes abotu racing that the novel seems to be trying to contradict.
Overall, I think this is a good vacation read. I enjoyed it and will look for mor eNora Roberts books from this sub-genre.
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This book focuses on Laura Templeton, although her two "sisters of the heart" Kate and Margo play an important part in the story.
Laura has recently ended her marriage to the selfish and cruel Peter, and has been left with two young children and no self-esteem. She is too proud to use her rich family to fall back on for help with her financial problems and is determined to prove that she can make it on her own. Laura is a wonderful, sympathetic heroine with plenty of steel underneath her gentle exterior.
Bad-boy Michael Fury, a childhood friend of Laura's brother Josh, moves into the apartment above the stables while his home is being repaired after a landslide. Laura has always felt uncomfortable around this dangerously handsome man and he stirs strange and unwelcome feelings inside her. As time passes, however, Laura and Michael find it hard to deny the attraction they feel for each other. Laura is moved by how wonderful Michael is with her two daughters and begins her fall into love. Michael is concerned that he is becoming too attached to Laura and her daughters, because he feels that he isn't good enough for them and can't possibly keep them in his life.
As Michael romances Laura, he shows her feelings and desires she didn't even know she had. As their relationship grows, Laura's self-confidence returns. Michael and Laura are a wonderful couple and NR does a fabulous job of writing a realistic, touching and sexy romance.
But before Laura's dreams of love and a family with Michael can come true, Michael must accept himself and realize that Laura loves him for who he is. Because Michael's misplaced self-doubt may cause him to step back from Laura and destroy the happiness they have found.
This is an absolutely first-class book and I highly recommend the entire trilogy. In "Finding the Dream" the friendship that Laura, Margo, and Kate share continues to be the one of the very best elements and blends seamlessly with the romance. This book does a great job of wrapping up the trilogy and will leave you sated and satisfied!
I loved this book because it really developed not just the romance between Laura and Michael but also the family. Over the course of the novels, we've seen Laura face adultery, divorce, and the heartbreak of her children. In this novel, Ms. Roberts brings it all together and shows not only Laura learning to love again, but Michael forging father/daughter relationships with Laura's children.
Wonderful, Ms. Roberts. Simply marvelous. I can hardly wait for the next trilogy (which I hear will return us to Ireland!). No one does trilogies -- especially about families -- like Nora Roberts.
I think that I will now have to read the others to this "...death in" series.
The story begins with Shannon Bodine, the long-lost sister of Maggie and Brianna. Shannon is a successful advertisement artist, content on being single and enjoying the good things in life. Shannon's mother Amanda, on her death bed, reveals that Shannon is the illegitimate daughter of the Tommy Concannon of Galway, Ireland and that she has two sisters. On the day of her mother's funeral, Shannon discovers that her sisters hired a private detective to find her. A letter from Brianna, inviting her to visit Ireland prompts Shannon to pack her bags and discover her roots. Once in Ireland, Shannon meets with the gentle and sweet B&B owner Brianna and the fiery, hot-headed glass artist Maggie. She also meets a friend of the family, Murphy, a farmer who falls head over heals with Shannon.
There are a lot of things I enjoyed about this novel, one being the interaction between Shannon and her sisters, especially the relationship, or lack thereof, she has with Maggie. Neither one likes the other and makes no qualms of it and that makes for some very interesting scenes. I also enjoyed the love story between Shannon and Murphy, who in the previous two novels of the series has always been a shy, friendly neighbor. It's a nice change to see him as someone with a libido, and a steamy, passionate one at that. The love scenes with him and Shannon are spectacular. The only qualm I have with the novel is the underlying story of the witch and the warrior, lovers from hundreds of years ago, a story that ended tragically. Their story, coincides with that of Shannon and Murphy. I didn't see the need for the magical part of it. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and would definantely suggest. Make sure to read the other two "Born In..." novels before you venture into this one though, or you'll be lost. A Great Read!
BORN IN FIRE was charming and funny, with a sharp, fiery heroine. I especially love Ms. Roberts' way with giving us glimpses of interesting professions -- in Maggie's case, glass-blowing. This one would rate 4-1/2 stars if Amazon enabled us to give half ratings.
BORN IN SHAME was nice and interesting, but the weakest of the series. I never understood Shannon's "need" to visit half-sisters she never knew she had or her guilt for initially telling the private detective who tracked her down that she wanted nothing to do with them. Not everyone gets choked up over the idea that strangers have had a private detective tracking you down and poking into your private family life, even despite blood ties.
I also did not see any reason for the paranormal elements to this story. It was as if Ms. Roberts felt obligated to throw some mysticism into the story because the Irish are famous for their mystical heritage.
BORN IN SHAME was good in developing the relationship between the sisters, especially Shannon and Maggie, and I did like the romance. But were I rating it on its own, it would get three stars. As I'm rating the trilogy, I give it 4-1/2. It edges out the Dream trilogy because of the strength of the first two books, but is not quite as good as the Maryland Eastern Shore trilogy.
Maggie and Brianna Concannon, now both happily married, have finally found their long-lost half-sister, Shannon Bodine. With Brinna's persistence, Shannon is talked into coming to Ireland to meet her sisters. At first Shannon is cold and distant, and does not get along with Maggie, but she finds herself drawn to this beatiful land, her sisters, and to Murphy Muldoon.
Shannon embarks on a journey of self-discovery which leads to her acceptance of a love that was meant to be. Murphy is a lovable hero, and his romance with Shannon is beautifully written.
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I really enjoyed the mystical aspects of this story. I thought that the story of doomed lovers from long ago added depth and meaning to Shannon and Murphy's relationship.
This entire trilogy was a pleasure to read, and this final book wound it up superbly. Don't miss out on any of these books, they are fabulous!
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In a mall around Christmas time a mother rushes to her three year old son who is scared of Santa. She turns back and her three month old daughter is gone! 28 years later this mother is watching TV and she sees her daughter. DR Callie Dunbrook, who is an archeologist on a site in Maryland where this child had been taken years ago. This mother Suzanne Cullen contacts Callie and Callie knows this woman is grasping at straws because she is not adopted.
Well, Callie who snoops around, she is a digger now, finds out she was adopted. Her parents promise she was adopted in good faith. Callie is determined to get to the bottom of this black market baby stealing for everybody's peace of mind. Callie's ex husband is assigned to the same dig and he backs her all the way. But there are people who do not want Callie digging around and will even kill to stop her.
This book was very creatively written, a true Nora Roberts romantic suspense thriller. Where innocent people was tangled up in this drama and even killed along the way. This was a book you could not put down for a minute. You do not want to miss this one. I really think it was one of her best!!
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I gave this book three stars, because I just could not get into it. All the previous books I have read in a day or two, but it took me almost two weeks to finish this one. CEREMONY is much darker than the previous books. The suspense element is there, but it is not hard to figure out who the killer is. I like to be surprised by who the killer is, and I was not in this book.
Another thing that is starting to bother me, are the common threads throughout this series. Eve is ALWAYS cranky and banging on things. Roarke is somehow always pulled into the investigation. Eve's car and computer are always acting up on her. Maybe this is picky, but it is getting very repetitive.
I would recommend reading CEREMONY IN DEATH if you are a fan of the series, and plan to continue on with the next books. It is not as great as the rest, but all in all, not too bad. We get to learn alot more about Feeny (Eve's mentor and trainer that works as an e-detective). The relationship between Eve and Feeny is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. CEREMONY is worth the read, just for that.
Jenny Bogue
...
The plot of "Ceremony" was not as complex as some of the other "In Death" series. We knew the villain was one of three characters, and one of those characters was obviously thrown in as a false lead. And if you've read any of Robb's series, you'd know not to assume that the obvious villain was the guilty one. In fact, I was disappointed that Dallas was thrown by the false lead. It doesn't follow her talent; she lectures Peapody in another book to not let herself form an opinion lest it cloud her judgment. Perhaps she's showing that Dallas sometimes fails to follow her own advice, but it was flimsy.
What I did like about this story was, Robb allowed us to see more of Dallas's feelings. Dallas takes a couple of potshots from close coworkers, and we get to see how deeply the comments hurt her - and we see how hard she works at keeping her emotions out of her cases. It's a good foundation for subsequent novels that keeps us from thinking Dallas is cold.
What I'm beginning to tire of are a couple of consistent details Robb throws in each book. They're getting old. Dallas's computer is always glitchy. Her car is always insulted as being a piece of junk. She always tries to keep Roarke out of her cases and he always insuniates himself in anyway. Dallas is perpetually snarly. Snarling at traffic, banging her fist on things. I get a visual picture of festering, grumpy person. There are just a few token moments of romantic and sappy feelings between Dallas and Roarke. I can't remember a single happy feeling. She begrudges every moment of leisure or personal activity - although Robb does make some of this come out humorously as insecurities on Dallas's part. She is absolutely consumed by her work and her identity as a cop. This is something that bothers me about Robb's novels as Nora Roberts. Her characters are *too* intense. I would expect a writer of Robb/Roberts's caliber to be able to make her characters different. Some should be less intense, with self doubts, etc. The last thing that is annoying - about all of Robb/Roberts's books, is the dialogue. Every character in every one of her novels has the same intense, no holds barred, balsy way of talking. Another area where she should make some variety. People don't all talk the same way.
Bottom line, an entertaining read. A different slant on crime - not so futuristic. If the little details I mentioned above don't bother you, you will enjoy reading the book. Just don't expect to be held in suspense until the last moment.