62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Have your ticket ready, September 8, 2009
The Queen of suspense-filled romance novels once again treats her loyal fans to a thrill ride of intrigue that twists and turns through the Black Hills of South Dakota. As expected, this ride has well-defined backdrops, with all the sights, sounds, and smells, culminating to give the reader an experience of a life time. Enough with the standing in line...let's get to it. When Lillian Chance was a teenager, a chance meeting would introduce her to a young man named Cooper Sullivan. During a dinner between Cooper's grandparents and the Chance family, the two would form a bond that spans a lifetime. Years later, both would go on and pursue their dreams. Lil Chance is a world-renowned biologist that specializes in big cats and founded the Chance Wildlife Reserve in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Cooper Sullivan is a cop that also works security. That is, until a colleague of his is murdered. Coop, has finally had enough and returns to the small town in which he grew up.
Hold on tight, 'cause here comes the drop. Just as Coop returns home, he discovers a murderer lurking within the town, and with each new murder getting closer to Lillian, his feelings toward her grow deeper and deeper. Will he be able to protect her? Will the love they once shared be rekindled? Lil still has bitter feelings toward Coop, can she put them aside? I could tell you, but what fun would that be? Nora Roberts has an uncanny ability to build suspense and she does just that in her newest novel. This is a romance, however, and unlike rollercoasters that whip the reader around at breakneck speeds, Black Hills allows the reader to enjoy every aspect of the ride. Nora Roberts has put great detail and research into the backdrops and this ride is more reminiscent of a themed-coaster and not an old-fashion raise your hands and scream-coaster. That is Nora's style: depth, quality, and substance......I would also highly recommend JoAnna Wylde's novel: Price of Pleasure--
Price of Pleasure an excellent, supenseful novel.
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50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
eerily reminiscent of Montana Sky, not her best work., August 3, 2009
I must admit that I usually buy most of Nora's books used because I love her books so much that I would spend a fortune buying new. This time I caved in and bought the hardcover for $18 a Wal Mart and was somewhat disappointed.
Almost immediately after starting the book, I had a strange sense of Deja Vu. The problem with having written close to 200 novels is that even the best writer will eventually run out of new material. Right off I saw numerous similarities to her book Montana Sky. How many times can you write a story about a crazy person who leaves dead animals on someone's doorstep? I did get a sense that the romantic conflict was drawn out, and since the reader discovers rather early on in this book who the person is doing the evil deeds, suspense gives way to the sense that Nora is trying to draw the story out as long as possible and it becomes rather old.
This is one of Nora's titles that I would check out at the library or buy in paperback because it's not worth the price of the hardcover.
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40 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Three, and That's Being Generous, July 14, 2009
I'm a HUGE Nora Roberts fan, but I do understand that not every book is going to be liked by everyone. Unfortunately, this was the Nora book that I did not like.
For me, it's Lil's character that ruins the book. I understand being pissed, but geez, at a certain point, get over it. Yes, it does take Cooper quite a bit of time to tell her what he's really thinking. But, part of that is because she's such a royal bitch to him. I wouldn't tell her anything either. Chapter 24, he's basically told her his reasons for dumping her 10 years prior, and she even says in her head that she can understand why he did it, she's had sex with him numerous times, he's basically done everything right, and practically every other character in the story has told her to forgive him, but she still isn't 100% convinced. Way to be a best friend, Lil.
Nora made this character so determined to never let this man hurt her again, she basically took away all the chemistry between them. By Chapter 26 I was past caring about these two, and wondering why Cooper was still even bothering.
Also, maybe it's just me, but the book just seemed so full of unnecessary fluff. Almost as if Nora had to make a certain word count, but the story wasn't big enough to fit, so she just started adding scenes until it did. Again, by chapter 26 I was thinking "When is this going to END?!" and that's really rare for me when I read a Nora Roberts book.
I was so done by that time, that I basically skimmed the last few chapters and then put the book away. I'm not exaggerating when I say I didn't even want to look at it. The whole experience was disappointing to say the least.
Sorry, Nora. Everyone has hits and misses, and this one was just a BIG miss for me. I was going to give it only two stars, based on how I was feeling by the time I gave up on it, but added one because I like Nora so much as an author, and many parts of this were somewhat entertaining. But for me, this was nowhere near a five-star book.
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