“Daring to Dream” by Nora Roberts

“Daring to Dream” by Nora Roberts
1996, Jove Books
ISBN: 0-515-14290-5

Nora Roberts writes a lot of trilogies. I can understand why. The stories about folks are just so interesting that you can’t squeeze them all into one book. It just wouldn’t be right. So, in “Daring to Dream” Nora Roberts begins a trilogy about 3 friends who grew up together.

You’ve got Laura, Margo and Kate. You’ve got the Templeton family who runs beautiful and exclusive hotels all around the world. Laura is the daughter in that family. Kate is the distant relation who as a child lost her own family and came to be a part of the Templeton family and Margo is the housekeeper’s daughter. The three girls grew up together and consider themselves to be more sisters than friends.

Margo had gone away at the age of 18 to make a name for herself. She knew that Mr. and Mrs. T (the Templetons) would have been happy to help her, but she didn’t want their help. She didn’t want to accept the help of anyone and on her own did become a famous model. Except, it all went horribly wrong.

This is the story of what happens when Margo comes home to pick up the pieces and when she and Josh, Laura’s brother, find themselves attracted to each other.

Terrific story. I’m looking forward to getting the next 2 books to read.

“Sweet Revenge” by Nora Roberts

“Sweet Revenge” by Nora Roberts
1988, Bantam
ISBN: 0-553-10514-0

This was a fascinating story. Adrianne and Phillip, both people who risk much to take much. Both, as adults, are independent and neither have the least thought to be involved with anyone else, but when love hits you don’t always see it coming.

The fascinating part of this story is that much of it is rooted in the Middle East where customs diverge wildly with what we know and accept as normal in the West. There, where women are subservient, where they must go about veiled, where they have no voice, where freedom as we know it does not exist; these ideas were set before me in a way that became all too real in a way I’ve never experienced before.

So, Adrianne’s mother was a starlet in the West. She was talented, she was glamorous, she was a star and King Abdu fell head over heels in love with her. He courted her until he had won her heart. They married and she was never seen again. She disappeared into the harem in King Abdu’s Middle Eastern kingdom.

The problem was the baby she bore him was a daughter. He had expected a son. So, her worth was diminished. Then, he starts thinking because she is a westerner he has fallen afoul of the laws of his religion. It gets really nasty here and their lives become unbearable until they flee.

At the heart of this story is a fantastic necklace called The Sun and The Moon, given to Adrianne’s mother on her marriage day and taken from her by the King when Adrianne and her mother flee to the west. Adrianne vows to have it again.

This story is fast paced. It is thrilling. It is a peek into a culture I never really knew very much about.

“Holding the Dream” by Nora Roberts

“Holding the Dream” by Nora Roberts
1997, A Jove Book
ISBN: 0-515-12000-6

“Holding the Dream” by Nora Roberts is a quick read. The reason I say this is that you’re probably not going to be able to put it down until you finish it. It’s a love story and it’s a mystery.

This story is about dreams and how those dreams can change even when you don’t want them to. Kate Powell is a fantastic CPA. She feels more comfortable with numbers than she does with human beings. But, she has a big place in her heart for her adopted family and for 2 women, Laura and Margo, who are her sisters. Not blood sisters, but the sisters of her heart.

Kate’s dream is to be a partner in the firm she works in, but one day the rug is pulled out from under her. She doesn’t understand what has happened and in her bewildered state she continues sliding towards illness and a collapse. There to catch her is a man she can’t stand, Bryan.

I loved this story with its wild and convoluted ways; it was just like real life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

“Charmed and Enchanted” by Nora Roberts

“Charmed and Enchanted” by Nora Roberts
Charmed, 1992
Enchanted, 1999
Silhouette Books
ISBN: 0-373-28502-7

Nora Roberts always does a good job and I consistently enjoy her books. This will be a 2 for 1 book review because this is actually 2 books.

The first book, “Charmed” centers on Ana, Jessie and Boone. Ana is a witch, but not an evil one. She comes from a long bloodline of them and each and every one of them has their own special talent. Ana is a healer. But, she’s a recluse by choice and gentle by nature. She lives in a small house by the ocean in Monterey, California.

Enter into the story Boone, a writer of children’s fairy tales and his 6 year old daughter Jessie. His wife had passed on 4 years prior and they felt the need to make a move away to build a new life. They move next door to Ana. The exuberant Jessie quickly makes herself known to Ana and as such brings her father into the picture.

What happens next is where the magic happens.

~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ *~

A+. That’s what I give Nora Roberts for her book, “Enchanted” This is the 2nd novel in, “Charmed and Enchanted” that I picked up at the library the other day. It’s a two fer sort of a deal. Rowan is a young woman in search of something. You’d think she has everything the world could offer. At least, that’s what her parents and her fiancé think. But, there’s something deep inside that just doesn't feel right to her. She’s always sort of gone with the flow and especially doesn’t like to disappoint people, but this ache in her heart will not be ignored.

Her cousin has a cabin in a secluded area on the Oregon coast. She decides to move there for a few weeks to try to sort out her mind. What she finds, though, is astonishing. A wolf, a wild ferocious thing comes to her and befriends her. Then, she discovers a mysterious man who lives nearby.

It’s love all right. But, it’s witches and faeries and magic. And, I guarantee that you really won’t be able to put it down until you’ve finished the story.

“Heart of the Sea” by Nora Roberts

“Heart of the Sea” by Nora Roberts
2000, A Jove Book
ISBN: 0-515-12855-4

I don’t know what it is about Nora Roberts, but I couldn’t put “Heart of the Sea” down until I was finished. It’s the third in the trilogy of the Gallagher’s of Ardmore.

This is the 3rd sibling to find love, Darcy who is a vibrant and beautiful woman. She’s never found the perfect man though she is sexy and beautiful and many would woo her. She is aloof and will not give her heart until she meets a man who is her match, Trevor Magee. He’s come to Ardmore to build a theater. His ancestors are from Ireland and from Ardmore and he had a yearning to know more of them.

What complicates matters is a faerie prince and the woman he loves. Prince Carrick and the ghost of Lady Gwen. Their story is 300 years old and their legend has lived all that time. They’ve also gotten themselves into a bind because of his pride and her refusal to love him if he could not say the words of love to her. Prince Carrick got angry and cast a spell that Lady Gwen would not find peace until 3 times lovers had spoken the words of love to each other.

In the first two books, “Jewels of the Sun” and “Tears of the Moon” Darcy’s brothers found love. Now, it is time for her.

Terrific book. They don’t have to be read in order, but I read them so and enjoyed them tremendously.

“Tears of the Moon” by Nora Roberts

“Tears of the Moon” by Nora Roberts
2000, Jove Books
ISBN: 0-515-12854-6

It was a feverish pace I set as I read, “Tears of the Moon" by Nora Roberts. This is the second in a trilogy and if you’re interested you can read the review I wrote of the first book, “Jewels of the Sun” here.

Good book. This is a real good book. There are three siblings and each one, evidently, is finding love in each of the books. With the first one it was Aiden and Jude. In this one it is Shawn and Brenna.

Shawn is the dreamer. He hears music everywhere. But, he’s also a Gallagher and together the three of them, Aiden, Shawn and their sister Darcy are running the family’s pub. It’s in Ireland in a sleepy town and they’ve got the folk who live there and the sightseers who visit to come in a drink a pint or two, to listen to the music talented musicians in the area play and to eat the wonderful food Shawn prepares.

Brenna’s been in love with Shawn most of her life, except she doesn’t know it and just as simply, he’s been in love with her. He also is unaware of this fact.

What ties these books together is a legend 300 years old. Prince Carrick, head of the faeries, fell in love with a mortal woman, Gwen. He offered her diamonds from the sun, pearls from the moon and sapphires from the sea if she would stay with him always. She refused for she wanted to hear him say the words, “I love you.” He thought giving her precious gems would be enough. It was not.

Her father was afraid that if she was any more involved with Prince Carrick he would spirit her away to faerie land and he’d never see his daughter again. So, he made the arrangements and Gwen married a mortal man. She had children and grew old and it wasn’t until she was an old widowed woman that Prince Carrick saw she was free again and offered her his love. Too late. She refused him again, though she let it be known that she would have loved him. Too late. So, in a fit of anger Prince Carrick cast a spell and when Gwen passed on she was doomed to haunt the faerie cottage mourning her lost love. He, in turn, was unable to see her. Bad job. Really bad job of it.

Until the Gallagher’s came along. And, to break the spell there would need to be 3 marriages happen of people who could finally say the words of love to each other. Aiden and Jude where the first. Shawn and Brenna are the second. And, once I’m done with this review I’ll be tucking into the third book, “Heart of the Sea” where I figure something will be happening with Darcy.

You don’t have to read these in order. They are all stand alone books, but I think if you can get them to go in the right order the whole story is that much better.

That was the nuts and bolts of the story. You’ll need to read it to laugh at the unbearably funny situations these folks find themselves in, to cringe at the fights, to cry when hearts are breaking and to sit on the edge of your seat during the sex.

“Jewels of the Sun” by Nora Roberts

“Jewels of the Sun” by Nora Roberts
1999, Jove
ISBN: 0-515-12677-2

I’m on a roll, I suppose. I picked up another book by Nora Roberts to read. This one was, “Jewels of the Sun”. I couldn’t put it down until I was finished with the story.

Love story, coming to know yourself story, humorous, loving and the best sex scenes I’ve seen in awhile. Did I mention very well written? Jude is the main character. She’s a psychologist who was busy going through the angst of coming to know herself. She has a failed marriage behind her, dissatisfaction with her teaching career and parents who didn’t seem to know anything about her. She left. She left Chicago and went to her ancestral home of Ireland.

She had plans to live in a small cottage. Just for a short time. Just to get away from the tension and pain of her life in Chicago. And, it was there her psychic self was awakened; where she saw ghosts and talked to a faerie. And, where she fell in love with Aiden, a gloriously handsome man.

The story has twists and turns. It’s funny. It’s heart-warming. It’s touching. You’ll love it. And, did I mention it has a really nice ending? Best of all it’s the start of a trilogy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one in line.

“Tribute” by Nora Roberts

“Tribute” by Nora Roberts
2008, GP Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 978-0-399-15491-1

“Tribute” by Nora Roberts is a good read. It’s expected if Nora Roberts wrote it. She’s written a gazillion books and you are right away comfortable the minute you open this book up.

“Tribute” is a mystery. Cilla is our heroine. She comes from a family of women involved in show business. She was a child actress, but her television show stopped when she was a teenager. She’d thought of them as her family. Her mother, married five times, mostly pushed her to try harder and through all of the insanity and insecurity of being a child star she weathered it to emerge as a resilient young woman.

That’s when she returned to her grandmother’s farm on the east coast. Her grandmother, Janet Hardy, was a huge screen star. Tragedy had touched Janet’s life when her teenage son had been killed in an automobile accident. Several of his friends had been in the car with him and one of them had become paralyzed. Then, a year later despondent, she had taken her own life leaving Cilla’s mother alone.

The story starts with Cilla assuming ownership of her grandmother’s farm. It has been neglected for years, but Cilla is determined to bring it back to its former glory and to what it was in happier times. She had evolved into a person who flips houses. She buys dilapidated houses, hires crews, contractors and subcontractors to help her and they fix the houses up. Then, she sells them. This one she is going to keep.

Ford, who writes graphic novels and is her new neighbor shows up to see why she’s taken a sledgehammer to the house. You know it’s love at first sight. But Nora Roberts takes her time with it. She shows you who these people are. She shows you what they’re afraid of, she shows you how they fall in love. And, she shows you the terror that can visit when somebody has an agenda and a reason for not wanting the new girl in town.

And, the sex is sizzling. I mean it is absolutely a scorcher. If anybody knew you were reading this stuff on your lunch break your supervisor would be writing you up for something. Sex aside, this is a really good book. I give it a really good two thumbs up.

“Angels Fall” by Nora Roberts

“Angels Fall” by Nora Roberts
2006, GP Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 0-399-15372-1

“Angels Fall” by Nora Roberts is another one of those books you’ll not want to put down until you’ve finished it. And, best of all you will not guess who the bad guy is until the very end. I’m not going to tell you either, so it won’t spoil it for you.

This is the story of Reece Gilmore who is on the up side, on the long hill up side recovering from a mental breakdown she experienced when she was involved in a massacre in Boston. The people who she considered family and friends and the folks she worked for in a restaurant all mowed down by thrill seeking killers. She was the sole survivor. Her dream then was to be a cook. Her dreams now are filled with nightmares.

She moves west and lands in Angel’s Fist, Wyoming in the high country and proceeds to carve out a place for herself.

She finds work. She finds people she likes being with. She finds a guy she’s interested in. And, she witnesses a murder.

The rest of the book is what happens next. Nora Roberts is such a great writer. She kept me on the edge of my seat. It was so terrific the way she’d make you think the murderer was this guy or that guy until you didn’t know what to think. I had my suspicions, but they weren’t confirmed for sure until the very end. This is a really good book. Read it.

"Hidden Riches" by Nora Roberts

"Hidden Riches" by Nora Roberts
1995, Jove Books
ISBN: 0-515-11606-8

"Hidden Riches" by Nora Roberts is a combination mystery and romance. The heroine, Isadora is from a family steeped in theater. In fact, she was a credible actress herself until she left the stage to pursue her dream of owning her own store. She sells collectables. They are expensive and they are kitsch too. But, somehow she finds something for everyone except a lasting relationship for herself.

Into her life comes a grumpy man, Jed, a former policeman. Former because he'd been traumatized when his sister had been blown to smithereens by a bad guy. He's still a cop at heart, but he can't trust himself to do the right thing.

This story is Isadora and Jed coming to love each other and through the horror and mystery of a crime grow past their blocks to a place where they can love each other and where Jed returns to the job he does best of being a policeman.

This is a very nice story. Nora Roberts is a master storyteller. I did enjoy this.

“High Noon” by Nora Roberts

“High Noon” by Nora Roberts
2007, GP Putnam’s Sons
ISNB: 978-0-399-15434-8

“High Noon” by Nora Roberts is one of those books you’ll start and won’t want to put down.

My husband likes watching shows like, “Cops” and “Body of Evidence” and other shows dealing with law enforcement. Being as how he’s king of the remote control we watch a lot of those shows in our house. I’ve come to like them too. If I could get him to read, “High Noon” I think he’d like this book.

“High Noon” by Nora Roberts is about Phoebe, a police negotiator in Atlanta who is very good at what she does. Her first experience was as a very young girl when her mother’s sometime boyfriend took the family hostage and was this close to killing them all. It was a terrifying experience and the man who served as the negotiator that night was the one who inspired her to follow that same career path as an adult.

Her life was pretty much complete with a daughter, her brother and his wife, her mother and their adopted into the family friend Ava. Their lives are complicated, though, because of the ties to the house they live in and Phoebe’s mother who has a gripping case of agoraphobia and cannot go past the front door of their home.

No man, though. In, "High Noon” Phoebe meets Duncan a man who’d won the lottery. What tugs this story along though is the threat of somebody stalking her and her family, hurting her and the story is finding out who that somebody is. You really don’t know until the end and it’s a page turner of a book to find out.

Nora Roberts has written more than 150 novels. She also writes under the pen name J.D. Robb. You can visit her website at http://www.noraroberts.com/