The Witness by Nora Roberts

Every so often I like to look up upcoming books by my favourite authors.  Today I decided to see if there was any information on Nora Roberts' hardcover for 2012.  I discovered that her next book is titled The Witness and will be released on April 17, 2012.  I have not come across a cover or the synopsis but I did find a description from Nora herself at her messageboard about the book:

Right now I’m working on the 2012 hardcover. As a teenager our heroine has her first rebellion and as a consequence witnesses brutal murder. This brilliant, socially awkward girl goes under the protection of the US Marshalls, but things go horribly wrong. Some 12 years later, with only herself to depend on, she’s still on the run. Until she meets the charming and tenacious local chief of police in the quiet area of the Ozarks where she’s trying to settle down.

I am looking forward to this book, it sounds like a classic Roberts suspense.

Review - Prey by Linda Howard

Thirty-two year old Angie Powell and wilderness guide has finally decided to put up her family business for sale.  Business has slowed down in the past two years due to the economy and the arrival of fellow wilderness guide, Dare Callahan.  Dare, a veteran of the war in Iraq, returned to Montana three years ago, is seen as a stronger more capable guide.

Angie has one more client to take on a hunt before she leaves town.  Things go horribly wrong for her though when Angie witnesses a murder and must deal with a rampaging black bear.  Luckily for her, Dare has set up camp near by.  Together, they must overcome their hard feelings and work together to get off the mountain.

I was a little leery about reading this book.  Something about spending time in the wilderness just does not appeal to me.  It's a lot of work, it can be cold, rainy, and too many bugs (and now apparently I have to worry about psycho bears).  When my friends talk about wanting to go camping my eyes glaze over and I start to dream of resorts with spas.    The book started off a little slow but things really started rolling once Angie started the hunt.  I made the mistake a deciding to read a little bit more at 11pm last night before I went to sleep.  I stayed up until 3am to finish it.  This book is a perfect (or almost perfect) example of  why I enjoy reading romance.  Not everything may be believable and the suspense may be lacking because the reader knows who the villain is, but I could not put it down.  I also enjoyed the little snippets of humour between Dare and Angie when they were on the mountain and the sex and sexual tension was not steaming hot, but warm enough!  Warning, if you do not enjoy reading anything remotely gory you might want to skim the parts that involve the bear.  I also admit that I found the suspense really lacking near the end of the book.  I wish there had been more time devoted to the villain tracking Angie and Dare.  Even with the minor nitpicks I loved this book, maybe not as much as Open Season or Mr. Perfect, but Prey cam pretty close.

30 Days of Books - Day 19

Favourite Book Turned Into A Movie

My favourite book turned into movie is Nora Roberts' novel Montana Sky.  Montana Sky is one of my favourite romantic suspense novels and the movie for the most part does not disappoint.  I think it would have been better if it was a miniseries rather than a two hour movie.  Also, I didn't like how they changed the character of Nate.  In the novel he is a lawyer who is somewhat awkward around Tess.  In the movie he is a sheriff who is almost too stupid to believe.  I preferred the novel Nate and am not sure why they had to change him.

30 Days of Books - Day 12

A Book You Used To Love But Don’t Anymore

A book I used to love but don't anymore is Maggy's Child by Karen Robards.

Lyle and Maggy Forrest and their son David, 11, seem to be a stable, wealthy Kentucky family, but Lyle is physically abusive and Maggy is trapped by a web of secrets and by her love for her son. Then after 12 years, Nick King, Maggy's protector when they were children in the Louisville projects and David's real father, reappears as a prosperous nightclub owner. Although unaware of David's patrimony, King wants Maggy back and to do so he is "looking for dirt" about Lyle. There turns out to be plenty. Blackmail, the DEA and other elements follow along with a large cast of secondary characters like Tia Gloria who thinks she's psychic; Nick's half-brother Link, who has a shady past; and a huge, nasty parrot named Horatio who plays a vital (though incredible) role in the denouement.

I first read this book when I was in my early twenties and loved it.  In fact I still have a copy on my shelves.  I would re-read it every once in a while.  The last time I read it, I didn't like it as much.  I'm not quite sure why.  Maybe my taste in reading has changed, or perhaps Robards' writing has changed, as I still read her novels.  Mainly, I think that the last time I read this book, I suddenly found the main characters to be too immature.

Review - Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Chasing Fire is Roberts' 2011 romantic suspense release.  Here we meet Rowan Tripp, a Missoula smoke jumper.  Smoke jumpers are elite firefighters who parachute into remote areas to combat wildfires.  Rowan is returning to Montana for the season with the death of her jump partner haunting her.  This season she meets up with rookie smoke jumper Gulliver Curry.  Rowan's rule of no fraternizing with fellow jumpers is forgotten with Gulliver.  But soon someone starts to blame Rowan for her partner's death and the fires of summer start to take on a sinister heat.

The good - Nora Roberts as always delivers a story with witty dialogue, humour, chemistry between characters, and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing.  I have to admit, I think I enjoyed the secondary romance between Lucas (Rowan's father) and Ella, a local high school principal, more than Rowan and Gull.  I liked Rowan at first, she seemed strong and capable without a harshness to her.  The mystery kept me guessing until the end.  I had the suspect narrowed down to two characters (A and B).  I thought it was character A at first but closer to the end, character B did a couple of things that made me think the story was going in another direction.  I was completely wrong, well-played Ms. Roberts, well-played.

The bad - Nora Roberts has gone from an auto-buy hardcover author to borrow hardcover at library and buy paperback to just borrow hardcover at library.  This book has not changed that.  I find that although her books are better written than most romance novels available, they have become very formulaic, starting with the heroine.  Roberts seems to favour three main female archetypes for her heroine.  This is really evident in her trilogies which usually features one archetype per book.  There is the nurturer who takes care of everyone and is protective of her charges.  A great example of this is Mia from Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island trilogy).  Next is the waif, she is the tender, innocent, damsel-in-distress that needs to be saved or shown how to save herself.  This describes Nell from Dance Upon the Air the first in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy.  Finally there is the crusader (Ripley from Heaven and Earth) who is strong, headstrong, independent and will take care of everything herself.  Rowan is the crusader, she does not want her friends to look out after her and will do everything herself.  Although I don't have a problem with any of these archetypes, I do get annoyed with them if they become too extreme.  I liked Rowan at first, but she became to harsh and bitchy at times.  When she was being interviewed by the police, I felt that she was way over the top in her reaction to them.  I get that she was annoyed about possibly being a suspect, but come on!  They weren't harassing her, they were just doing their job.

Roberts' story lines seem to have become formulaic as well.  Chasing Fire is no exception.  It involves a strong heroine, a romantic, wealthy (or financially sound) hero, a couple of chapters focused on an interesting or different career, and a murder.  Throw in a secondary romance and you have 450 pages of a story. I have found that for the last couple of books, I tend to skim the pages that focus on the career.  It at times feels like filler that I have read before rather than something that adds to the story. 

I will continue to read Nora Roberts' novels in hopes that the stories return to characters that are more fleshed out and stories that feel less formulaic.  She has the gift of storytelling and while this is not a keeper for me, it is still better than most authors out there.

Friday Book Trailer

Not really a book trailer, it's chapter one of Nora Roberts' Chasing Fire audiobook.





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. . . .


I picked this book up a couple of days ago (review to come soon) and am on Chapter 10.  So far so good.

Lethal - Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown has a new book coming out this September 20, 2011.  Her newest release is called Lethal, from the synopsis it sounds like Brown might be returning to a more traditional romantic suspense:


When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

Prey by Linda Howard

New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard takes us into the world of outdoor guides for her next novel:
Thirty-two-year-old Angie Powell has always spoken her mind, but in the presence of Dare Callahan she nurses a simmering rage. After all, why give Dare the satisfaction of knowing he can push her buttons and push her to the edge?

Three years ago, Dare returned home to rural western Montana and opened a hunting business to rival Angie’s. Complicating matters is the fact that Dare has asked Angie out (not once but twice) and has given her a gift of butterflies in the process. Angie has no patience for butterflies. They only lead to foolish decisions. And now the infuriatingly handsome Iraq war vet has siphoned away Angie’s livelihood, forcing her to close up shop.

Before Angie is to leave town, she organizes one last trip into the wilderness with a client and his guest, who wants to bag a black bear. But the adrenaline-fueled adventure turns deadly when Angie witnesses a cold-blooded murder and finds herself on the wrong side of a loaded gun. Before the killer can tie up this attractive loose end, a bear comes crashing through the woods—changing the dark game completely.

Luckily, Dare is camping nearby and hears the shots. Forced together for their very survival, Angie and Dare must confront hard feelings, a blinding storm, and a growing attraction—while being stalked by a desperate killer and a ferocious five-hundred-pound beast. And neither will stop until they reach their prey.

Hhhmmm, not quite sure what I think about this.  I'm somewhat disappointed, but don't know why.  Maybe it's the hunting aspect?  Oh well, with the blinding storm there is a possibly of being stranded in a cabin, which I adore.  Something about being in a remote location, watching the snow fall outside while (hopefully) snuggling by a roaring fire screams the perfect romance location to me. 

Against The Wind

Kat Martin's Against the Wind

After the death of her abusive husband, Sarah Allen packs up everything and takes her daughter home to Wind Canyon, Wyoming.  Once there she moves onto Jackson Raines' ranch and begins a relationship with him.  However, her past refuses to let go when Sarah's husband's past illegal deeds follow her.  Business associates of Andrew Hollister want a list he made and believe Sarah knows where it is.

The first two chapters of this book really pulled me in, I felt Sarah's terror and held my breath to see if she could flee with her daughter before anyone caught her.   After that there were too many problems with the writing and storyline that pulled me out of the book.  First was the way the book was written.  The author Kat Martin also write historical romance and it comes through in her writing style.  At one point the hero, Jackson Raines is talking to his brother about wanting to "tumble" with Sarah.  Now in a Regency novel that conversation would flow.  In a contemporary between two 30-something men?  No, just no.  I cannot think of any guy that would use the word tumble when talking to another guy about sex. 

Next problem was the drama/suspense.  The back blurb leads a reader to believe that the book is about the kidnapping of Sarah's daughter, Holly.  It's not, the kidnapping doesn't happen until near the end of the book and takes up twenty pages of the story.  The suspense comes from men looking for a disk with some list and Sarah trying to find it before they do.  Sarah never wants to involve the police or authorities.  Even after her cottage is ransacked, her grandmother is attacked, and Sarah is approached and threatened on the street.  Too often I found that one had to suspend their belief in Sarah and Jackson's actions.

The third problem was the romance.  It felt too rushed, and lacked any oomph or depth.  Sarah and Jackson attended high school and have a bit of a history together.  They both liked each other but Sarah rejected Jackson.  But in present day even though Jackson is still bitter about it, they quickly become lovers and the author promptly glosses over their history in a sentence or two and everything is fine between them

There were other problems with the book like Sarah's worrying about her daughter's safety.  And yet completely willing to leave her with virtual strangers to head back to California with Jackson.  Then there is an addition of a logging company causing problems on Jackson's ranch that doesn't really go anywhere.  This book is definitely not a keeper for me and is going into the pile for the used book store.  However, I am still intrigued enough to want to read the next two books about the brothers Gabe and Devlin.