Book Review: The Collector by Nora Roberts

Description from Goodreads
From #1 New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a novel of a woman who needs nothing, a man who sees everything, and the web of deceit, greed, and danger that brings them together—and could tear them apart . . .

When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . . .


My Review
This book doesn't leave you anytime to breathe- the murder happens before page 20! 

Lila Emerson is house-sitting at an apartment in Chelsea, where she sees a woman get pushed out of a window by her lover, Oliver. Or at least that's what she thinks she sees.
Ashton is Oliver's brother, and doesn't believe his brother would hurt a fly, let alone push someone out of a window. And they quickly uncover that both were murdered.

We also get inside the head of Jai, who seems to be working for someone, but doesn't seem to be the murderer. Though later does become one. She's not a sympathetic character in the slightest, at least not to me. She's money hungry and only cares about the job, and not about life.


The novel itself revolves around two of the lost Faberge eggs, and about the greed and lust of money and acquiring property. Lila and Ashton are basically caught in the middle of this, because Oliver acquired an egg to sell. Reading about the antiquities business was pretty fascinating, but then again, I really like second hand shopping and I used to really enjoy antiquing and going to yard sales with my grandma and great aunt, so maybe nostalgia brought interest. 

The other aspects of the story I liked is the description of Ashton's art- the way Roberts describes it just makes me want to go into the pages and look myself. I wish it were real and I could look it up on the internet and purchase it.

I think my favorite side story was the romance between Julie and Luke. I love the history and the fact that they both found each other again later in life after finding their passions. It was a really sweet story, and I wish there were more of it.


Overall, this is a really solid stand alone novel by Roberts and probably my favorite stand alone of hers in quite some time.
I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.



If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, you can purchase a copy for Kindle here, or a hardcover copy here. Or you can borrow a copy from your local library, like I did!


FTC: I borrowed this book from my local library. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post contains amazon affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Book Review: Shadow Spell (Book Two of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy) by Nora Roberts

Description from Goodreads
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a trilogy about the land we’re drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love…

Book Two of The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy
Shadow Spell

With the legends and lore of Ireland running through his blood, falconer Connor O’Dwyer is proud to call County Mayo home. It’s where his sister, Branna, lives and works, where his cousin, Iona, has found true love, and where his childhood friends form a circle that can’t be broken…

A circle that is about to be stretched out of shape—by a long-awaited kiss.

Meara Quinn is Branna’s best friend, a sister in all but blood. Her and Connor’s paths cross almost daily, as Connor takes tourists on hawk walks and Meara guides them on horseback across the lush countryside. She has the eyes of a gypsy and the body of a goddess…things Connor has always taken for granted—until his brush with death propels them into a quick, hot tangle.

Plenty of women have found their way to Connor’s bed, but none to his heart until now. Frustratingly, Meara is okay with just the heat, afraid to lose herself—and their friendship—to something more. But soon, Connor will see the full force and fury of what runs in his blood. And he will need his family and friends around him when his past rolls in like the fog, threatening an end to all he loves…


My Review
The second book of the Cousin O'Dwyer series was better than the first (which I reviewed here), in my opinion, because I actually loved the male protagonist, Connor. 

The book centers on the friendship and then romance of Meara and Connor. Meara and Connor have been friends for years, and even were each other's first kiss. There hasn't been romance between them before, but it's obvious there are hints of it here and there- Connor talking about what a beautiful gypsy Meara is, Meara talking about Connor in a way only a girl who loves someone deep down can... there are hints everywhere!

This book starts off again with the original three, mainly Eamon, and again, goes on about 40 pages. But again, I found this part to be quite entertaining. It talks more of the evils of Cabhan, his lust of women, and his weakness for power. And throughout the book, Connor and Eamon (being the only males of the three) stories twist together through dream-like scenes in which they talk, and bring protections to each other. 

There are several intense encounters between Meara and Cabhan. It's interesting because Meara does not have powers, but Cabhan knows if he takes her, he weakens the six.

I also loved the scenes this book at the place where Connor, Meara, Boyle, Finn, and Iona all work. The hawks and horses just sound so wonderful.


To be honest, a big part of the reason why I loved this book so much wasn't even because of just Meara and Connor's romance, though friends falling in love is one of my absolute favorite romantic storyline things. It was the friendship, again, of the six. Even Boyle seemed to talk and express more than he did in Dark Witch. 
And, the romance that is stirring between Branna and Fin... I really cannot wait for it finally to come together. Though I am interested, as well, in the final battle between the six and Cabhan. I thought for sure they were going to get him towards the end. Of course, there is another book so I should have known it wasn't going to end that way, but they really were so close!


You can purchase a copy of this book for Kindle here, or a physical copy here.

FTC: I purchased this book with my own money. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Books I'm Excited For: March 2014

I have almost 400 books on my "to-read" list on Goodreads, and March definitely helped add to that list!
Here are the books I'm excited for that are coming out in March 2014.





I received the following books from NetGalley to review: The Divorce Papers, The Opposite of Maybe, The Lost Sisterhood, Don't Even think About It, and Growing Up Duggar. 
There are so many awesome books coming out next month! I'd love to see your reviews if you do one on one of these books, so be sure and link me below! And feel free to add me on Goodreads!

FTC: Some of the books mentioned above have been provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I am not in any way affiliated with any of the authors mentioned.

Book Review: Dark Witch (Book One of the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy) by Nora Roberts

Description from Good Reads
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a trilogy about the land we’re drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love…

With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.

Ireland.

County Mayo, to be exact. Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.

Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.

When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horsemen, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.

Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…


My Review
The first book of the cousins O'Dwyer series, Dark Witch, reminded me a lot of two other "firsts" of her trilogies- the Gallaghers of Ardmore, and the Three Sisters Island. If you've read both, you know they both involve "outsiders" coming into a life already in progress for the others, but quickly being accepted into the fold. In the Gallaghers, it's Jude going to Ireland to reevaluate herself. And in the Three Sisters Island, it's Nell fleeing an abusive husband, and unlocking her witch powers.

In Dark Witch, we met Iona Sheehan, who goes to Ireland to meet cousins and basically get away from her parents and her old, unfilling life, at the urgency of her grandmother. She grew up knowing she had powers, but was never able to fully explore them because of her mother's indifference and almost fear of them.
We meet her cousins, Branna and Conner, who open her up to her powers. We meet Boyle, who gives her a place to work at his stables, and who captures her heart pretty much immediately. And we meet Finn, who we discover has a history with not only the Dark Witch mythos, but with Branna. They had a past relationship that is still causing them heartache today.

The Dark Witch myth is pretty intriguing- an ancestor of Iona, Branna, and Connor was the Dark Witch, and she is being attacked by Cabhan, an evil male witch who is obsessed with the Dark Witch and wants her powers (and her body). This entire portion goes on for 40 pages, but that's not a bad thing- it was pretty interesting, and I'm hoping she touches on the history of Cabhan and the Dark Witch a little more in the next books.


Iona learns how to harness and control her magick through working with Branna, and she grows both in her job and relationship. I really loved hearing about her relationship with her horse, and the other's relationships with their animals as well. I really love when a story has that element. 

Her relationship with Boyle, on the other hand, was a little lacking. I don't know if it was just that Boyle is a harder male character than I've read from Nora in awhile, or if there was little to no chemistry- I just wasn't happy when they finally got together. And I didn't care when they had their typical Nora Robert's fight to "break up". It was the typical Nora formula that I love, but I wasn't all that into the characters or their relationship. 

What I really enjoyed about the book, and why I still gave it four stars on Good Reads, is the relationships between all the characters in general, and the history behind them. And I want to know more about the Dark Witch, and I want to see Cabhan defeated. I'm invested. 


The second book in the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, Shadow Spell, is set to release on May 6th, 2014 (as of this blog post). It looks like it is going to be Connor's story, and I'm so glad- I was hoping she would save Branna for last!




You can purchase a copy of this book for Kindle here, or a physical copy here.

FTC: I purchased this book with my own money. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

My obsession with Nora Roberts

Readers, something you will quickly learn about me is that I love Nora Roberts. I'm kind of obsessed, actually, and have been since the day I was way too young to start reading her books, and picked up a copy of Montana Sky.
Montana Sky was released in 1996, when I was 11. I probably read it when I was around 13 or 14. I knew instantly I was hooked. My Aunt had a few of her books, so I read those when I would go to her house, I'd get them from the library, used book stores... pretty much anywhere I could find them! In a few short years, I had read her entire catalog of work, including her J.D. Robb In Death series.

I've had so many people ask me what it is about her books that I love so much, and it's hard for me to touch on. Is it because I started reading them at such an important age in my development? Is it because they contained such strong female characters that I felt I could look up to? Or is it because her books are about so much more than the romance to me? I think it is all of the above, and more.


For those of you that aren't familiar with Ms. Robert's books, they generally have an overall plot point, with a Female lead and a Male lead. Sometimes the POV begins with the female character, and sometimes it begins with the male character, but eventually they intersect and you are getting in the head of both.
Her female leads, especially as of late, are always very strong, self-sufficient women. The male characters are also strong, but usually somewhat sensitive. Even the hard asses have a sensitive side when it comes to the women they fall in love with.
And there are always great, amazing supporting characters, that are fully fleshed out in a way that many authors don't always do. She takes the time to really introduce you to that girls best friend, or that guys dad. She wants you to get to know the supporting characters, because it gives you another glimpse into the main characters. 


What really got me hooked, though, is her trilogy/series novels. She usually does a series a year, wherein you follow the characters throughout three or four books. I always, always buy these on the day they come out, and have since Dance Upon the Air (the first book of the Three Sister Island trilogy) was released. After that book, I knew I was hooked- I got to follow the romance to another story? I got to learn more about the characters before they fell in love (if they were the focus of the second, third, or fourth story)? This was brilliant to me, for romance. I'm sure she wasn't the first author in the genre to do this, but she was definitely the first I read in her genre.
I also think she got me hooked on series books in general- I had never read them before! I always read stand-alones before.
After buying Dance Upon the Air, I started tracking down the others she had written before, like the MacGregor novels, and the Born In series.

After I got caught up to her most recent releases, I made the decision to start reading the In Death novels from the beginning, which are set in the future, and are such great stories. The main characters are Eve Dallas, a homicide cop in future NYC, and her husband, Roarke. They don't start out together in the first book, but are married relatively quickly in the series. The books center around Eve and her investigations into murders. Sometimes we know who the killer is from the get-go, and sometimes we don't know who it is until the last few pages. Sometimes I am able to guess who it is if it's not revealed, but I still always enjoy the process of getting to it- I'm never upset when I guess, because I want to know why this person.


I have been heartbroken by her stories, and generally cry at some point while reading them, whether it be that the love has begun to blossom and it is tender and sweet, or maybe there is a heartbreak along the way. Or, in the case of In Death, something very serious happens to a main character and I am far to attached to them for my own good. To me, anything that gets me to that point is worth reading.


To those new to Nora, I always recommend first reading The Villa, which is a stand alone novel, and probably my absolute favorite stand-alone novel of hers. It has everything I love about her novels- strong female characters, great supporting male characters, and probably the most fleshed out supporting characters of any of her stand-alone novels.
As far as trilogy/series books go, it is a little harder for me, as I love them all. Obviously I recommend starting at Book 1 of a series. I guess if I had to choose one to really get you in to the series, I would probably recommend the first I read, which is the Three Sister's Island Trilogy. She also does some paranormal stuff, and if that's more your speed, I recommend starting with The Key trilogy.

If futuristic mystery/romance is more your speed, I recommend In Death, and I recommend you begin with the first novel in the series, Naked in Death. There are currently 36 books in the In Death series as of this blog, and the 37th will be released September 10th, 2013.

If you are a really big fan (like me), she even owns an Inn, Inn Boonsboro, that she opened in Maryland. It has several rooms inspired by great literary lovers, including an Eve/Roarke room!
 I haven't been fortunate enough yet to be in a place where I can go see this Inn and stay in a room, but maybe one day!


Nora Robert's is extremely prolific, and her bibliography will definitely keep you in books for awhile, should you choose to start reading her entire catalog. I highly recommend if you are a fan of romance, you check her out!

FTC: I am not in any way affiliated with Nora Roberts, I am just a huge fan of her work.