Under Currents

Although Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors, there is no denying that she occasionally gets lazy. This romantic suspense novel is a perfect example. The bad guys are bad. Period. There are no redeeming features, no backstory to explain them. They're just over-the-top bad. The good guys are good. Too good. Unrelievedly good. Darby, the zero-to-sixty heroine, has perfect taste, boundless energy, is able to leap tall buildings with a single bound...well, maybe not that last one. Conveniently, she has limitless funds to buy a house, start a business, hire staff, buy a truck. She has the knack for convincing everyone in hearing distance to go along with all her ideas. Zane, the tall, lanky, hero, who worked as an ADA for years and has now come home, manages to buy a house and office building, furnish and landscape both, despite his public prosecutor's salary, which couldn't have been much to begin with. Clients fall into his office as if drawn by a magnet, despite the small size of the town. And so on. This is definitely beach reading. The plot is fine, but the characters are cardboard. I'm shaking this off, and will look forward to the author's next book, hoping she'll get back on track.

If I never read the word “darlin’” again, it will be too soon. First part of the book is about two children (Zane & Britt) growing up with a pair of psychopathic, violent parents and being freed. Both parents are charged, convicted and sent to prison. This section was a tad too unbelievable as I doubt in reality things would have worked out so neatly. Children grow up with the loving family of their aunt (who happens to marry the detective who saved the day) and grandparents. But what I say about the word “darlin’”: these kids were raised in a rigid home with serious manners. I don’t care how well adjusted the son is, it seems so out of character for him to be calling his girlfriend “darlin’” later in the story. This annoys me.Next we see of Zane, he has moved back to Lakeview Terrace from Raleigh (where he was a prosecutor) and hung out his shingle. Then we are introduced to Darby, landscaper extraordinaire. She, too, has escaped an abusive husband and moved lock, stock, and barrel to a new place, which just happens to be where Zane is. And they meet, of course. This section of the book is boring (no highs no lows), even though we are introduced to three bad guys. How can you not have a climatic event with three bad guys??? Mommy and daddy get out of prison – years apart – daddy kills mommy, daddy goes after Zane and gets beat to a pulp by Darby (who knows martial arts, naturally). Dad gets arrested – AGAIN – and goes back to prison never to be heard from. This could have been developed so much more, but it is wrapped so quickly you hardly realize daddy came back. So first bad guy is gone. Second bad guy is some idiot country hick who, come to find out, isn’t so tough as he ends up dead by bad guy three. And I knew who this was as soon as he killed bad guy two. Bad guy three is Darby’s ex-husband. He kidnaps her, takes her to the cabin he is renting that is part of a larger complex of cabins – he didn’t even take her somewhere more secluded – and wants to have a conversation before he kills her. Okay. But Zane saves the day – he knows immediately where she is - and bad guy three, who confesses other murders to Darby is foiled by Zane’s mighty pitch (did I forget to mention he carries around a softball?) and also goes to prison. Oh yeah. Zane and Darby marry.The first part of the book, the part about the abusive family and surviving could have been developed into something really interesting. Unfortunately, it was not. The rest of the book should have been deleted. I really don’t know what’s happening to Nora Roberts. I’m not sure if her writing is getting worse or if I’m just reading better writers and find that she simply does not meet my expectations any longer. There is nothing interesting in this story; you don’t catch your breath at something unexpected, you don’t shed a tear at something tremendously sad or happy. It’s a monotone. It’s boring. Totally and completely not worth the read.

Understand up front that this is not another romantic suspense novel from Roberts (a master of the genre) but instead a family saga about overcoming abuse, healing, and finding love. Everyone thought Zane and his sister Britt had everything when they were kids and indeed they did- including domestic abuse. Fortunately for both of them, they came out of the horror ok and compelled to do good. Darby, a landscape artist, and Zane meet when Zane goes home to Lakeview, where Darby has landed in her escape from a bad situation. Unfortunately, as these two find their way to each other, there's a menace out there threatening their happiness. This isn't too twisty and is more of a romance than a thriller. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. For Roberts fans and those looking for a good beach read.

Ugly story told in a tiresome and ugly way. Don’t buy this book!!

Seriously this is my first ever written review and may be my last Nora Roberts book. The first third was riveting- very good!! After that- it was like the story did a 360 from intense action and drama to a snooze fest of blah blah blah. Halfway through I was so tired of pages and pages of repetitive, detailed description of native plant life instead of story line and action that I almost put the book down. But for $14.99 I soldiered on, telling myself that surley she wasn't going the obvious route for the ending- it was so predictable it almost made me smack my head. Sure enough, she went there with the ending! Sorry Nora, quality is always better than quantity... slow down and stop writing formula novels and get back to being the brialliant author you can be at times- missed the mark on this one:(...

There are only a couple authors I auto buy. This author is one. I know no matter what I’m going to be sucked in.Her writing for me is like a really good song, it’s lyrical. It ebbs and flows, sometimes it’s turbulent, sometime calm almost serene. I couldn’t put this down. And while I knew exactly who at the end was reeking havoc. Getting there was edge of my seat.The beginning of this is tough, violence against kids at the hand of a parent...well let’s say I felt violent. And there’s the beauty of a good book. It makes you feel, good or bad, love or hate if you can connect and feel for the characters the author has hit the homerun.The cast of characters are epic! The way NR weaves a story it’s a true work of art. I’m sad it’s over and man did I enjoy the ride. The HEA was awesome, I loved how they connected and through it all they were a team. Both coming from some sort of violence didn’t stop the connection and for some with that past...well.This book hit all the feels, true family, love, respect and all around story that those who are deeply, innately evil will eventually get the wrath of Karma.Loved!

It hurts to give Nora only a 3 star. It actually hurts.I've read her stories for almost 10 years and yes there have been hits and misses, but not one like this for me.Let's begin with what I loved.Part One. In part one we meet Zane's family. We read on in horror as a young boy attempts to save his mother only to be beaten savagely and left upstairs to rot. I cried for him as he lay in the darkness of his room, weeping in pain and despair and hatred for the people who are supposed to love him. Zane is very special. He's kind and considerate, he's protective and very smart, and very talented on the baseball field. And he loves his sister. Everything he does is for her and being a baby sister myself, having a brother protected me, it pulled at every heart string I have. The first part of the book is very violent and heart breaking and hard to read, but it's the best part of the book.I really liked Emily and Lee, and Britt. I liked the family they made and I knew where it was going the second Lee asked Dave if he and Emily were married. I see you, Lee. I feel you. ;)The book then goes on to three other parts and, for me, it just didn't work. I liked the relationship Zane and Darby became, I liked how excited he became when he met Zod and... that's about it.Now, the sad part. I have never failed to connect with a character the way I failed to connect with Darby. I'd just finished this heart breaking but beautiful part in Zanes life and then we cut to Darby and I found her very uninteresting. She lacked to have that NR flare in my opinion. Every one liked, she was meant to be this big ball of energy, but to me she read like a side character. There wasn't enough depth to her. I didn't care why she came to town, as there was no real reason other than giving it a go. There wasn't even an initial spark between her and Zane and while I don't mind a slow build up, I want at least some spark, something there. And there wasn't. One minute he's literally referring to her as 'the landscaper' and then he's intrigued, but again, it doesn't come off as sincere. More like someone said, you are now attracted. Like I said, I liked most of their relationship, but come on.I was reading this book and thinking, I was much more invested in Emily and Lee, who even though they didn't have endless romantic scenes, had more chemistry and drew me in while I just wasn't buying them together at all. It took a lot to move past that.My main thing, other than not connecting with Darby (Like Tay Tay said, it's not love, it's not hate it's just indifference) there was no real villain and I've read that a lot in other reviews, how it was just plain stupid.There is no big build up, you're told about Graham and she might has well as added a winky face when first mentioning the end villains name. There was no build up, no mystery for me. It felt like she finished writing about a third of the way through, then was like oh crap, better add more and then we get a third threat and at this point it felt moronic. There's never any real threat, it's all dealt with so easily. I had to read more about what paint or waterfall than we did about the murderer.It started out so strong, but this is not one of her better books.

Nora Roberts' books are enhancing and ruining my life in equal measures. Enhancing because her character decorators, gardeners and furniture builders have inspired me to get off my lazy ass and do some stuff in my own house. I literally assembled my bed frame which had been waiting for me to pay it some attention for 3 months, just because a character in the previous Nora Roberts was assembling hers (she had help from a sexy man however...not fair). On the downside Nora's books are ruining my life as I cant keep my nose out of them the rest of the time. I'll be found, withered to my bones, having face planted my Kindle, exhausted from all the reading. I loved Zod by the way. I'm normally a cat person but I want to take all the dogs home from Nora's novels.

It dropped in my kindle and I sat down to read it and stayed there till I finished (took it to kitchen and bathroom with me too). I had worked out who the second bad guy was a good way before the end because there was only one person it could have been. I loved all the good guys and was sorry when it finished, but I am now going to read it all again. I have all Nora Roberts on my kindle and J D Robb and read them all through again in between other authors. I love Nora Roberts and think she is the best author on planet Earth!

This was the best book I've read in a while. Hooked me from the start right to the last page. There was passion, nail-biting tension, humour, a great sense of family and some scary bits too. All in all, this is Nora at her best.

Nora Roberts always writes a good book, but this one is Un-Put-Downable. It begins with a brother and sister who have an abusive father and a mother who supports him and follows their lives onward. I don't want to spoil the plot, but this book is going to stay in my collection. I'll definitely be going back to it.