REVIEW: Table for Two (book) by Nora Roberts

Table for Two is a collection of two contemporary romance novels previously published in 1985 and 1986. I bought my copy of this volume used.

Review:

Table for Two collects two of Nora Roberts' novels - Summer Desserts (originally published in 1985) and Lessons Learned (originally published in 1986). They don't just have an overall theme in common (cooking!) - Summer, the main female character of Summer Desserts, is friends with Carlo, the main male character of Lessons Learned.

REVIEW: Three Complete Novels: Daring to Dream, Holding the Dream, Finding the Dream (book) by Nora Roberts

This is an omnibus edition of Nora Roberts' Dream trilogy, originally published back in 1996-1997. The books are contemporary romance, although the trilogy framing storyline (Seraphina) has the slightest hint of the supernatural to it. I'm pretty sure I bought this book used, ages ago.

This review includes potential spoilers.

Review:

This was technically a reread, although I first read this trilogy long enough ago that I could only remember a few scenes here and there.

I'll start by talking about the trilogy as a whole, and then cover each book individually. As is usual with Roberts' trilogies (or at least the older ones - I haven't read many of her newer works), each book features a different couple, although the trilogy as a whole is held together by a particular framing story. In this case, I suppose there are two framing stories: first, the story of Seraphina, a young woman who jumped off a cliff in 1846 after learning that her soldier lover had been killed; and second, the story of Laura Templeton, who once dreamed of having a fairytale marriage like her parents.

The Templetons are rich, but Roberts assures us that they're the good kind of rich: they view their staff as family and don't let them go just because they're getting older (unless they wanted to retire - but it seems that no one who works in the Templeton household ever wants to do that), they donate generously to charity, and they take good care of each other and those they love. The first book deals with Margo, the Templeton housekeeper's daughter, who was practically treated like Laura Templeton's sister. The second book deals with Kate, who was taken in by the Templeton family after her parents were killed in an accident when she was eight. The third book deals with Laura Templeton. All three women are very close friends, and their friendship is given a prominent place in the narrative and is one of the reasons why I wouldn't recommend reading this trilogy out of order.

REVIEW: Night Shield (book) by Nora Roberts

Night Shield is romantic suspense. I own a used copy.

Review:

Jonah Blackhawk is a former juvenile delinquent whose life got on the right track with the help of Boyd Fletcher, the man who eventually became Denver’s police commissioner. He loves Boyd like a father and feels like he owes him a debt he’ll never be able to repay, which is why he agrees to Boyd’s latest request: work with the investigating team looking into a string of robberies committed by people who seem to be using Jonah’s clubs to scope out their victims. Specifically, he’d like Jonah to allow the detective in charge to work undercover at his newest place.

What Boyd doesn’t immediately mention is that the detective in charge is Ally Fletcher, his daughter. There’s an immediate spark between the two of them, but Ally’s a professional and Jonah isn’t really a fan of cops (other than Boyd) and secretly feels that his past makes him unworthy of someone like Boyd’s daughter. Still, Ally’s undercover work puts her and Jonah in frequent contact, and it isn’t long before Jonah’s employees put two and two together and decide they must be dating.

REVIEW: Jewels of the Sun (book) by Nora Roberts

Jewels of the Sun is a contemporary romance novel with supernatural aspects. It's the first book in a trilogy and was originally published in 1999.

Review:

Surprising herself and nearly everyone who knows her, Jude Murray quits her job as a psychology professor, rents out her Chicago condo, and flies to Ireland to live in a little cottage once owned by a relative of hers. She hadn’t even reacted this drastically when her husband asked for a divorce only a few months after they’d gotten married. All she knows is that she’s stressed and unhappy with her current life, and she has no idea what to do about it. She intends to stay at the cottage for six months, write an academic paper about Irish legends, and somehow figure out what to do next.

The village of Ardmore awakens a part of Jude that she’d thought long since squashed out of existence, a dreamer willing to believe in romance and magic. She’s baffled and pleased when two local women, Brenna O’Toole and Darcy Gallagher, decide to befriend her. Then there’s her attraction to Darcy’s charming and gorgeous brother, Aidan. And the beautiful and sad ghost who seems to be residing in her cottage.

From the Heart (book) by Nora Roberts

From the Heart is a collection of three romance novels.

I decided not to include any read-alikes. Also, my post contains a slight spoiler for Endings and Beginnings, the third novel in the collection.

Review:

From the Heart contains three of Nora Roberts' early romance novels: Tonight and Always (1983), A Matter of Choice (1984), and Endings and Beginnings (1984). They're not related in any other way – no characters in common, and even the tones are different. Tonight and Always is the lightest of the bunch, with conflicts that are either internal or rooted in family. A Matter of Choice is romantic suspense. Endings and Beginnings, like Tonight and Always, has more internal conflict, but includes bursts of adrenaline due to the characters' profession (they're both TV reporters).

I'll write about each novel separately and then end my review with a bit about the volume as a whole. If you want the short version: Endings and Beginnings is good, while the rest of the volume can safely be skipped.

The MacGregor Grooms (book) by Nora Roberts

The MacGregor Grooms is a contemporary romance. You could call it an anthology, since it contains three separate stories. For that reason, I will allow myself to be lazy and not include a read-alikes section.

Review:

It's been years since I last read or reread any of Nora Roberts' books. Her books used to be my top picks when I needed romance novels that were guaranteed to put a smile on my face. Unfortunately, I read too many in a row at one point and burned out on her. She works best for me in small doses, spaced far apart, so that I'm not so painfully aware of her character types and the patterns in her stories.

The MacGregor Grooms was, I think, the very first Nora Roberts book I ever read and fell in love with. I had previously tried one of her romantic suspense books and couldn't stand it, so this was a pleasant surprise. In general, Roberts writes good “large, loud, happy family” books, and The MacGregor Grooms is an excellent example.

This book is composed of three novellas, each starring one of Daniel MacGregor's grandchildren. I suppose each novella could work on its own, but, as a set, they're far stronger. Read together, they really drive home the “large, loud, happy family” theme. It's hard to imagine anything truly horrible happening to this family, but, if something did, they'd band together and weather it just fine. It was, for me, a very cozy and comforting reread.

Luring a Lady (book) by Nora Roberts

After her grandfather's death, Sydney Hayward becomes responsible for his corporation. She is unprepared and unsure of herself, but she's determined to do well and show that his faith in her was not misplaced. Then Mikhail Stanislaski storms into her office, citing years worth of damage to the Hayward building he lives in that was never repaired. He's sure she's a rich, snobbish woman who will brush off him and his complaints, but she quickly proves him wrong. He finds himself fascinated by the hints of passion and emotion underneath her icy exterior and becomes determined to know her better, even as he works with her to repair the apartment building. Unfortunately, no one in Sydney's social circle, including her mother, would ever see a relationship with a man like Mikhail, a rough immigrant carpenter/artist, as anything more than a foolish fling.

This is my favorite book in the Stanislaski series. Although I know it's silly, I love stories where vibrant men thaw cool, elegant, and lonely women, and Sydney and Mikhail sure fit those parts. Sydney is a wealthy, carefully controlled woman who wants nothing more than to do what's right and be the kind of person her grandfather would've been proud of. Mikhail is a handsome guy with a big personality, social skills that get him friends everywhere, and a large, happy, healthy family. Sydney's lonely, distant personality shows itself in her sometimes wistful, vulnerable behavior while she's with Mikhail's family. Mikhail's vibrancy shows itself in pretty much everything about him, including his artwork.

This is not one of those romance novels where the hero and heroine are in bed together soon after the story starts - there's lots of sexual tension and some kissing early on in the story, but there's no actual sex until at least half way through the book, and what sex there is isn't overly detailed, so this isn't the kind of book that should offend too many people (unless they don't like the idea of sex before marriage).

Read-alikes:

• The MacGregor Grooms (book) by Nora Roberts - The MacGregor family, like the Stanislaski family, is big, happy, and healthy. The MacGregor Grooms is actually composed of three short romantic stories (100-140 pages each). Each story is about a different man in one of the more recent MacGregor generations. Daniel MacGregor, the grandfather of these men and the patriarch of the MacGregor family, enjoys meddling in their lives (i.e. matchmaking), and by the end of each story the MacGregor men are happily matched up with someone who's just right for them. Readers who like Luring a Lady's "cool, elegant woman and vibrant, artistic man" story will probably like D.C.'s story, the first story in the book, best. Daniel MacGregor convinces D.C., a painter and his grandson, to act as the lovely and stiff Layna Drake's escort at a charity ball.
• Soft Focus (book) by Jayne Anne Krentz - Six months after a disastrous one-night stand, Jack Fairfax and Elizabeth Cabot are less than thrilled to discover that they'll have to work together to recover a stolen crystal vital to a business they both have a stake in. Their attempts to find the crystal take them into the world of film noir (or at least B movie film noir). Like Sydney, Elizabeth is an "ice princess," so those who'd like another "thawing of the ice princess" romance might enjoy this book. In addition, Krentz and Roberts have similar writing styles.
  
• Monkey High! (manga) by Shouko Akira - Haruna transfers to a new school after a scandal lands her politician father in prison. School life, with its cliques and drama, reminds her of a monkey hill, and she doesn't expect much from her new life. With her icy behavior towards her classmates, it doesn't seem like she'll ever fit in, but Macharu, one of her new classmates, cheerfully enters her life and refuses to leave. Those who'd like another romantic story involving an ice princess and a guy with a big personality might enjoy this manga.
  
• True Colors (book) by Diana Palmer - As a teen, Meredith Ashe was run out of town by her boyfriend Cy Harden's mother. Cy had no idea that Meredith was pregnant. Years later, no longer a scared teen, Meredith is back. She's the head of a multinational corporation, and she's determined to take over his company in revenge for what was done to her in the past. However, Meredith's return reveals buried truths and reignites former passion. Those who'd like another romance featuring a strong female executive might enjoy this book.

Taming Natasha (book) by Nora Roberts

Single-father Spence Kimball has just moved to a small town with his daughter Freddie, determined to give her more attention and love than he gave her while his wife was alive. He takes her to Natasha Stanislaski's toy store - Freddie finds a nice doll, and Spence finds a determination to see more of the attractive Natasha, despite the fact that she despises him. Because Spence came to the store with a woman, in addition to Freddie, Natasha assumes Spence is married to that woman, and she is outraged at the idea of a married man flirting with her while his wife is only a little ways away. In addition to being a father, Spence is also a musician and a professor - Natasha signs up for one of his classes without realizing who teaches it and suddenly finds herself unable to avoid him. Although she does eventually get closer to him, Natasha's got her own painful past, and her determination not to tell him about it could damage their developing relationship.

I think this is the first book in Nora Roberts' short Stanislaski series, but it doesn't really matter which book in this series you start with, since each romance is self-contained. Because it's a Silhouette book, there are no sex scenes until about halfway through the book, and what sex scenes there are are vaguely described and traditional.

If one of the people in a romance novel has to have some sort of emotional baggage, I usually prefer it to be the man, but Roberts did a nice enough job that I didn't mind that it was Natasha who had a little more to deal with than Spence. One thing I didn't like, however, was Natasha's "he's a married bastard trying to get himself a mistress" snap judgement. It was annoying and could easily have been cleared up in the first few pages if Natasha had responded to his offer of dinner by icily saying something like, "Well, I think your wife might have problems with that..." Spence would've cleared everything up right then and there, something that makes Natasha's 50-page anger and disdain seem very unreasonable. It was a cheap attempt on Roberts' part to prolong the development of Spence and Natasha's relationship, which she might have viewed as necessary because there's no antagonist and only Natasha's issues to gum up the works.

As for Natasha's issues, it may seem, for a while, that what she is trying to hide involves either a miscarriage or an abortion in her past - close, but not quite. Actually, Natasha, a former ballerina, got pregnant by another dancer, who wanted nothing to do with the child and advised her to have an abortion. Natasha, although hurt by his rejection, wouldn't dream of getting rid of her baby and has her anyway. Unfortunately, the baby doesn't survive long, and Natasha is left with a wariness of men and the pain of a dead child.

One of my favorite parts of the Stanislaski books in general is the Stanislaski family, which is big, happy, and supportive. They're fairly recent Ukrainian immigrants - Natasha was old enough when they left that she still remembers how uncertain and frightening the journey was. Natasha lives far enough away from her family that they don't show up often, just a little bit in a scene where Natasha takes Spencer and Freddie to her family's for Thanksgiving. The whole family is so nice and happy that I imagine most readers would find themselves yearning to be a part of it, so it's no surprise that Spencer and Freddie fall in love with them.

It's not my favorite book in the Stanislaski series, but it's not bad. It's sweet, and no one, even Freddie (I'm not a big fan of most children in romance novels), is annoying for very long.

Read-alikes:

• High Energy (book) by Dara Joy - Zanita is a zany, befuddled reporter for a small newspaper, trying to investigate a phony psychic. Her befuddled-ness makes itself known early, when she tries to research psychics by signing up for a college course on them and instead signs up for a course in physics. The professor of the course is brilliant, gorgeous, and eccentric Tyberius Augustus Evans, who quickly falls for the very non-linear Zanita and becomes determined to watch out for her as she pursues her story about the psychic. Those who enjoyed the "romantic relationship between a professor and his student" aspect of Taming Natasha might like this book - be warned, though, the sex in this book is significantly more graphic in this book than in Taming Natasha (not as graphic as what you'd find in an erotic romance novel, but more graphic and, er, creative than what you'd find in pretty much any Nora Roberts novel).
  
• The MacGregor Grooms (book) by Nora Roberts - The MacGregor family, like the Stanislaski family, is big, happy, and emotionally healthy. The MacGregor Grooms is actually composed of three short romantic stories (100-140 pages each). Each story is about a different man in one of the more recent MacGregor generations. Daniel MacGregor, the grandfather of these men and the patriarch of the MacGregor family, enjoys meddling in their lives (i.e. matchmaking), and by the end of each story one of the MacGregor men is happily matched up with someone who's just right for him. Although none of the plots of each of the three stories are particularly similar to Taming Natasha, the overall tone and feel of the book should be a good match for anyone who liked this book.
  
• Snowfall at Willow Lake (book) by Susan Wiggs - Sophie Bellamy, a divorced international lawyer, survives a hostage situation and realizes she's missing out on what matters most in her life, her children (Max, 12, and Daisy, 19 - Daisy has an infant son). She returns to them in Avalon, NY, discovers the rewards of small-town life, and begins a relationship with Noah Shepherd, the local veterinarian. Of course, things can't be entirely easy, and Sophie discovers that Noah is actually 10 years younger than her, 29 to her 39. Those who'd like another book in which one of the main characters is trying to keep a good relationship with their children (albeit older ones than Freddie) and dealing with a move to a less hectic way of life and closer community might like this book. This is the fourth book in Wiggs' Lakeshore Chronicles series, but it shouldn't be a problem to start with this book.
  
• Irresistable You (book) by Francis Ray - This is the fourth book in Ray's The Graysons of New Mexico series - the first book is Until There Was You, but each book in this series sounds mostly self-contained, and the fourth book seems to be the closest match to Taming Natasha. This series is about five American Indian/African American siblings living in Santa Fe. In each book, the siblings' matchmaking mother does her best to match them up with the perfect person. The fourth book focuses on Pierce, who's determined to resist his mother's matchmaking until he meets Broadway actress Sabra Raineau. Pierce is determined to win Sabra's heart, but she doesn't want anything more than a temporary diversion. Her career keeps her busy, and she's had her heart hurt by a man before. Okay, so this isn't another romance novel involving an immigrant or a daughter/son of immigrants, but readers who are looking for romance with non-whitebread American cultural aspects and a main character with a large and loving family might like this book. Also, those who'd like a romance novel with a reluctant heroine who's been unlucky with men before might want to try this.