The Search by Nora Roberts

Hey! Another Nora Roberts book! I wasn't in the market for another one right now, but when you request books from the library and 43 people have them on hold, you read them when you get them!

So, Nora Roberts' The Search. This one is a stand alone, not a series, and a little more serious than the Bride Quartet. This one has a mystery in it along with the romance, so might appeal to a wider range of readers. Fiona Bristow has moved to a small island off the coast of Washington to escape her past as the only survivor of a serial killer, now behind bars. Simon Doyle is a wood artist, who has moved to the island for some peace. His mother has gifted him with a puppy and Fiona happens to be a super star dog trainer. Simon goes to Fiona for help with Jaws, just as a copycat murderer emerges and Fiona is threatened again.

First, the good- the romance is really strong. The dialogue between them is excellent and the process isn't instant, but is also not torture for the reader. They don't have any stupid fights to prolong the process and it feels very natural. Both Fiona and Simon are enjoyable, but not perfect. By far my favorite part is the dog training parts, which is amazing because I'm not that much of a dog person. I know I've heard it before, but living with a toddler is an awful lot like living with a puppy. I've found myself remembering Fiona's training tips all week and applying them to my two year old! Not surprisingly, they seem to work with him as well.

The not so great- the suspense parts. They weren't actually bad, but they were very similar to her In Death books, written as J.D. Robb. For a large part of the book we know exactly who the bad guy is, as it's told from his point of view. This is old hat to In Death readers. It concludes nicely, and there aren't any big flaws to it, it just wasn't as exciting as it could have been without that background.

Despite this, I seem to be a huge fan of Roberts lately, and she's firmly on my auto-read list at this point.

The Search
Nora Roberts
Putnam Adult
2010
496 pages
Source: Library

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