Nora Roberts Land by Ava Miles

Let me begin by saying that I am a major J.D. Robb fan. I have read all the In Death books more than once. The only other Nora Roberts’s books I have read are the Boonsboro Inn Trilogy. For those that do not know, that amounts to over thirty books! So when I saw this book and read the cover write up I was instantly in. What fan wouldn’t be? The premise is cute and trying to find a Nora love is what many hope for in life.

Meredith is dealing with an ass of an ex and is trying to rebuild herself after a divorce. She has finally admitted to herself that it was never really love, and as he puts it, “reality and not some romance book”. He just wanted her for her family name and connections.

But Meredith has a plan; she is going to find herself real romance - just like a Nora Roberts book heroine does. Armed with her confidence booster (expensive undergarments), she will become her very own super woman.

Her ex, however, has other ideas of what will happen. Scared that Meredith will use her knowledge of his past misdeeds against him in his bid for political gain, he devises a plan: find a guy to make her fall in love and then break her heart. I won’t go on as you can read the cover write up and get the rest from there.

So, my real thoughts and feelings after I have read it…. meh. I liked Meredith, but her sister annoyed me to no end. Not every sentence spoken has to be a funny one and it just seemed forced to me. After the third joke in a row, it’s not fun anymore. All the stores in town had to have a play on words…it just seemed like overkill.

There are MANY references to Nora Roberts’s books throughout. But if you are like me and haven’t read them all you won’t get the references. I was left confused at times with all the comparisons. But if you are an avid fan I am sure you’ll get it.

The story also unexpectedly changes directions. I didn’t go in expecting a mystery to solve, but I got one. It was a bit predictable yet fun none the less.

To sum it up: diehard fans will more than likely love it. I myself give it a respectable three stars; wasn’t blown out of the water, but I did enjoy it. I won’t be following the series to come though.

3 STARS

T~

*Given via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Journalist Meredith Hale’s ex-husband claimed her Nora Roberts addiction gave her unrealistic expectations about marriage, and she believed him. All dreams of happily ever after—or Nora Roberts Land as her mother calls it—went up in smoke. But when her family asks her to temporarily help their Dare Valley, Colorado newspaper, she decides it’s time to change her life and prove her ex wrong. She’s determined to find her own small-town Nora Roberts hero, prove that true love exists, and publish a story about her quest.

War correspondent Tanner McBride has just returned stateside to work for a major newspaper, and the last thing he expects is blackmail. Yet, before he can even unpack, he’s headed to Colorado. His assignment? Make his boss’s ex-wife fall for him and then break her heart. Her article about discovering love à la Nora might air dirty laundry about her marriage to the media mogul, threatening his senate run. The mogul wants Meredith stopped, and he makes sure Tanner has no choice in the matter.

When the two meet, the sparks between them are undeniable. Meredith, who vowed never to date another journalist, begins to succumb. Could Tanner be her Nora Roberts hero? As they work together to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death, the depth of their feelings unfolds and both realize they’ve kept their secrets for far too long. But before the truth can be revealed, their investigation takes a deadly turn, one that might make Meredith’s personal Nora Roberts Land go up in flames.