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Nightwork Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Another Winner

Nightwork by Nora Roberts reminds the reader why her books are so successful. She can flat out write! This 2022 release is so suspenseful and so engaging, the pages kept turning themselves. And yet, the novel belongs in the romance genre. Nightwork tells the story of a cat thief from his first caper at the tender age of nine. Harry Booth steals the heart even though he is a world class criminal.

Family Members

Booth likes his night work. The reader follows along on each job sensing the early fears of getting caught. Booth outgrows those fears even though this reader did not. His skills increase throughout his teenage years. His dying mother oblivious. But not his Aunt Mags.

Mags is a free spirit accustomed to roaming the country. She puts everything on hold to help her sister raise Booth. And she sticks even harder once the cancer appears. While she may not condone Booth’s actions, she definitely looks the other way. Necessity blurs the lines and creates acceptance.

But the night work continues once the need is no longer there.

Nightwork: Right vs. Wrong

Inner conflict exists for both the main characters and this reader. The issue of right vs. wrong should make Booth an unlikeable character. But Roberts creates so much empathy throughout the story that moral lines blur. So, the reader begins to worry Booth will get caught and suspense mounts.

To further the conflict, Roberts introduces the Shakespearean fan Miranda Emerson. Sparks fly between Booth and Miranda, a fellow literature student at Chapel Hill. True love for both at the tender age of twenty. Then the past catches up with Booth.

Pressed into night work against his will, Booth finally understands his chosen path makes normal relationships impossible. To protect Miranda, Aunt Mags and others he wanders the world for a decade pulling heists here and there earning the name The Chameleon. No place to call home and always looking over his shoulder.

Confronting the Past

Finally, Booth decides to hide in plain sight. Adopting another new alias, he begins teaching at a high school in a small town with no known associates. A sabbatical of some sorts and he finds a new career. Booth discovers teaching is every bit as compelling as thievery.

He settles in. Then the past catches up once again. Only this time, a vengeful Miranda is the danger. Of course, Nightwork is a romance. So, the two former lovers forge a new relationship based on honesty. At least with each other. The rekindling of love increases the suspense for the reader. But now the question is Will They Get Caught?

Nightwork Encompasses Multiple Themes

Nora Roberts creates complex characters and detailed plots, puts those together and then merges moral conflict into the mix and out pops a suspenseful page turning book. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this one. Somehow, she convinced me to side with a cat thief. Nightwork masterfully blurs the lines and bends the rules. And delivers a very satisfactory love story.

Under Currents Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Under Currents by Nora Roberts is a romance with a heavy theme of surviving abuse. Both spousal abuse and parental abuse as well as bullying are covered by the author. The first quarter of the book is quite brutal. So this book will not be for everyone.

The hero of the story, Zane, and his younger sister Britt, suffer years of emotional and physical abuse and neglect from their parents. Like many children trapped in this situation, Zane counts the days until he can escape by going to college. He also records everything.

Eventually the two kids fight their way out of the abusive home and the story fast forwards until they are adults. Britt has remained in their home town and is happily married with a child of her own. Zane is returning to the small town he grew up in, hoping to bury the bad memories.

Love Under Currents

Darby sweeps into town hoping she can start life anew. She recently lost her mother, her anchor in life. The two had worked together as landscape designers, a career Darby can transplant if the right circumstances are available. She rents a lakeside cabin for a month intending to investigate for at least two weeks before moving on to the second possibility on her list.

Darby and Zane connect instantly. On the surface they have many similar interests. Underneath they have even more similarities. Because Darby is also a survivor of domestic abuse. In her case, a former husband. Both possess the ability to defend themselves and both want a relationship without violence.

Threats from the Past

Before Zane and Darby can unite for the long term, they must deal with their pasts. Both emotionally and physically. Nora Roberts throws several dangers at the young couple and they meet each head on. This gives the author a chance to show victims can survive and even thrive after overcoming an abusive relationship. Even though the plot is straightforward to the reader, the twists thrown at the protagonists are plausible. Plus, the tension puts the reader on edge.

Under Currents is well written. This is a very good book and I recommend it with a caveat. I think there are many who will have a hard time reading Under Currents. The first chapters are especially brutal in the description of the child abuse. So, I would not recommend this novel as a gift. As Roberts so deftly portrays, many families have under currents of abuse. Many remain hidden from view.

 

The Rise of Magicks Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

The third segment in the Chronicles of The One series by Nora Roberts is The Rise of Magicks. I was looking forward to reading it as I discussed in the review Of Blood and Bone because I thought more of Roberts traditional romance writing would be evident. Even though the story contained a romantic thread between two main characters, the romance is secondary to the story.

The Rise of Magicks Characters

This third story refocuses on a group approach albeit the center character remains Fallon Smith. But much like the first novel, Year One, The Rise of Magicks contains multiple characters and is sometimes a bit hard to follow the large cast. Much like the original offering, the story line in The Rise of Magicks concentrates on battles between the good and evil forces.

On top of the large number of characters from the original book and the second generation born to those individuals, additional characters are introduced in supporting roles. Keeping the story lines straight is easy if you have read all the books. Roberts also does a nice job of providing closure for the cast in Year One who were run out of New York City.

Romance

As stated above, romance develops between Fallon and Duncan. To be honest, I found the interaction to just be satisfactory. It was like an aside to the story. I am not sure the book was enriched by the interaction.

The young couple had a few ups and downs, but the emotional struggle was lacking. They seemed more like a couple of old marrieds versus two young adults falling in love for the first time.

Good Overcoming Evil

In the end, good triumphs over evil but not before loss of innocent lives. One of my favorite characters is lost in a battle. So, Roberts does tug at the heartstrings a bit.

But truth be told, I consider the middle book in the trilogy to be the best. I certainly encourage those who have begun the trilogy to finish with The Rise of Magicks. The tale is quite satisfactory. But I was not left wishing for another installment. All loose ends have been tied back together.

I was hoping for a good Nora Roberts romance. Not a book with romance on the side. Additionally, I really think the real life pandemic of Covid-19 has dampened the enjoyment of reading about fantasy pandemics. Perhaps reading The Rise of Magicks a year from now will be much more entertaining for you.

 

Of Blood And Bone Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Of Blood And Bone is the second in the Chronicles of The One trilogy by Nora Roberts. I reviewed the first in the series, Year One, two years ago. This sequel came out last year but I am just now reading it. This delay had a purpose, because I can now go from the second installment to the finale without a large gap of time.

The tone Of Blood And Bone is a bit different than its predecessor. The initial novel centered on survival whereas the second book in the trilogy is a coming of age novel. To be truthful, I liked the sequel better than the start of the series. Perhaps because the back story was already known. Or maybe from the possibility of romance foreshadowed for the last book in the trilogy. Regardless, I really enjoyed Of Blood And Bone.

Fallon Swift

The center of the novel and indeed the trilogy is Fallon Swift. She is The One. Her birth ended the first of the series and her passage through puberty is the focus of the second. I love the character. She is an uncanny and hence otherworldly, yet she is human too.

Roberts has created a compelling persona in Fallon. She is mature one moment and immature the next. So like the teenager she is, caught between child and adult. Her lessons with Mallick are important for both plot and character growth. The pages fly through the telling.

Return to New Hope

Even though Of Blood And Bone has a very different tone, the climax once again is centered at the outpost called New Hope. History repeats itself with yet another of Fallon’s blood and bone meeting their end.

But before that happens, the reader reconnects with many of the original characters. Since fifteen years have passed, the babies are now front and center. And romance stirs.

Of Blood And Bone

I thoroughly enjoyed Of Blood And Bone. As stated above, I rate the novel above the first of the series. Furthermore, I am anxious to get my hands on the finale-The Rise of the Magicks. Now that the entire trilogy is out, I can see how one might binge read from start to finish. If only I were snowed in with no chores to do! Some binge watch television, but my idyll is to binge read by the fireplace!

Fantasy and futuristic fans should add Of Blood And Bone to their book lists. But, there is plenty to like for those who prefer a coming of age story. Best of all for those of us who love romance, there is a promise of just that for Fallon Swift.

 

 

Year One Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Year One

Year One by Nora Roberts surprised me. Perhaps I need to read more of her work, but I tend to think of her writing in terms of romance combined with mystery as in Carolina Moon. I am not sure quite how to categorize Year One. While there are heartfelt relationships, there is not the typical romance plot. So I would not place the book in that genre. Furthermore, this is an ensemble cast. Only towards the end did I realize who the lead characters were.

Pandemic

The novel begins by depicting the start of a pandemic. The virus spreads quickly and is terminal for all infected. Thus, the world faces a die off greater than that of the Black Plague of the 14th Century. Roberts introduces the cast of characters mostly based in New York City as the pandemic gets its’ start.

From the beginning, the author prepares the reader for a departure from everyday characters. Individuals with unworldly powers are a major part of the story line. As such, some suspension of disbelief is required. Although you may already be open to the “Uncanny” as she calls them. For readers skeptical of supernatural powers, Roberts first takes a plausible approach. For example, Jonah, the paramedic, can sense death. Later character introductions stretch both their powers and the reader’s imagination.

Survival

Since the virus quickly kills off much of the population, Year One develops into a doomsday/survival story. Those immune to the virus feel compelled to leave the city. Their flights from the city are a large part of the story as some of the Uncanny are evil. Another threat comes from what remains of the government as it begins rounding up some of the survivors.

Roberts does a nice job of foreshadowing. In one instance, a newly introduced character talks of a cleansing of the people. In my case, this turned me off the individual even though he is presented as a good person. Eventually he shows his true colors. I liked how the writer uses both characters and plot to posit the key theme of good vs. evil.

I could describe this book as an action adventure detailing the escape of the characters from doom. Or the book could turn into one of those mid-October reads because of the heavy supernatural theme. However, even with the coupling of some major characters, I did not feel as though the book was a traditional romance where all works out with a happy ending.

Nora Roberts leaves the reader hanging with the ending of Year One since the lead character is separated from the rest in a surprise attack. The book is slated to have multiple sequels which I will look for. I would like to know if the character I bonded with the most managed to survive the battle. Naturally, there is also interest in the lead who escaped, heart-broken but alive, and with the promise of a savior.