Nora Roberts Challenge: Month 10

I finished the challenge with a whole month to spare!!! I can’t believe I actually pulled it off. I officially have read every single thing Nora Roberts wrote. It’s been quite a hike, but overall it was a good experience, to see how one of the bestselling authors has evolved over her 30…40 year career.

Come Sundown

This book was good. There was a lot going on, and I spend most of the book on the edge of my seat. I was surprised that I got so attached to some of the characters. I can’t say this is one of my favorites, but it was really interesting and definitely worth a read.

Once Upon Series

I’m grouping these books together because while the stories aren’t connected, it’s a series of novels Roberts did with other authors, each contributing a shorter story. They’re fine, not really my style. Partly that’s because they’re quite heavy on the romance and the supernatural, and partly because, since the stories are shorter, you lose a lot of the development that is signature of Roberts’ writing style.

All I Want For Christmas

This one was cute. While it is a pretty straight up romance novel, Nora Roberts uses kids to add a new factor, and it works. This is great for those winter nights when you just want to relax a bit, and read something light and sweet.

The Best Mistake

A romance novel with some humor, some fun, and no terrible tropes. Clearly this was written after she really hit her stride. It’s good, and while I never laughed out loud, I did smirk some at the characters’ antics. Another cute one that won’t ever be a favorite, but I could see picking up again.

Jack’s Stories Trilogy

Ugh. I just could NOT get into these. There’s nothing particularly wrong with them, but as I started them, I remembered reading them before – and I did not enjoy them anymore this time around. You have over 200 other books to choose from – they’re just not worth it.

The Welcoming

A little drama, a little romance, this one didn’t suck. It’s not as suspenseful as some of the other novels, but it was far better than some, too. For once, I actually preferred the romance to the suspense plot, but regardless, this is a fine beach read – or good for being trapped inside during quarantine.

Time And Again Duo

Romance, time travel – there’s a lot going on. Again, I’m not the best person to judge these books – I don’t love Sci-fi in this sense – but they were…mediocre. I’ve read better but I didn’t want to set them on fire (I’m looking at you, My Antonia by Willa Cather. The only book I have quite literally burned – although William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying would have burned if I’d had a fireplace at the time.). If you’re into this type of writing, you’ll probably like them.

Risky Business

Murder, romance…written in 1986, this is one of the books that marks Roberts’ shift from straight romance into more thrilling novels. It’s good, but it’s not finetuned to the degree I expect from her.

Home For Christmas

Booring!! Oh, let’s win back the woman I screwed over years before! That could be the tagline. Clearly, I was not a fan of this one, and honestly, so much of it is this trope. I get that the love/hate tropes sell millions of books, but they just piss me off.

Mind Over Matter

I didn’t like this – it felt flat, one-dimensional, almost rushed. There was nothing riveting about characters, the plot was predictable. Pass!

Temptation

Cute. For a straight romance novel, I liked it! The characters felt fairly real, there were some fun twists to the typical story, and there was a bit more going on than just people having sex with others they hated 2 minutes ago. It’s not award winning material, but it’s a nice, light read.

Local Hero

It’s short, it’s light, there’s nothing extraordinary about it. And of her 80s romances, this one, I feel, showed its age the most. Skip!

Tonight and Always

Eh. It didn’t suck, but it wasn’t great. This one avoids the “I hate you, I love you” trope but instead uses miscommunication and assumptions to drive the plot forward. It’s overly predictable, which sucks, because the female lead is actually really appealing, and I feel like she deserved a better story.

Untamed

Generic. The characters are a bit unique, but that’s it.

Endings and Beginnings

This was the love/hate trope that drives me up a wall. Frankly, I spent most of this book annoyed. There was just no part that redeemed it for me.

Storm Warning

No. Boring, mildly annoying. I swear, if I’d started reading Nora Roberts in the 80s with these books, I wouldn’t have kept reading.

The Law Is A Lady

I know I wrote something about this book the first time I made this post, but I can’t remember anything much about it except it was dull. Skip.

Bride Quartet

I saved this quartet for last because I wanted to finish the challenge with a bang. This is one of my favorite series by Nora Roberts. It’s weird, because there’s no real drama, no murders, no suspense. The four books are just straight romance novels about four friends who own a wedding planning business. And yet, I adore it. The characters are so well-developed, they feel like they’re your friends, and the love interests are developed as well. (I’m about all the way in love with Carter!). And despite the fact that the novels are romances, I feel like they’re so focused on the friendships, that the romance is secondary. Honestly, I just adore these, and if you haven’t read them yet, you should.

So there we go. 10 months, 252 books. I’m exhausted. Totally worth it – I got to revisit some old favorites, learn about some new books I loved. And while I don’t plan on doing much reading in December, I’m going to round up my favorites that I think everyone should read!