Title: Nora Roberts
Land
Author: Ava Miles
Publishing Info: June
24, 2013 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Summary:
Meredith Hale is
recovering from an awful marriage and an even more awful divorce. In order to get back some of the self-esteem
that she lost, she listens to her inner superheroine, aka Divorcee Woman, and
returns to her hometown of Dare, Colorado.
Here she plans to help out with the family’s newspaper and to write an
article about finding her own happily ever after ending in true Nora Robert’s
style.
Good stuff:
When I first saw this
book, I had two fears. One was that the
author might try to emulate Nora Roberts (NR) tone/style in her writing. The other was that the premise might not be
believable enough or sustainable enough to hold for 350+ pages. I am very happy to say my fears were quickly
put to rest. The author has her own writing
style that is unique and refreshing. She
is obviously a Nora Roberts fan and I enjoyed all of the references to NR’s
works. In fact, some of them had me
laughing out loud. However, this is not
an attempt to copy NR. Instead, it is
quite a nice tribute to the author and a great story on its own.
As for my second worry,
the story is not all about a divorced woman trying to find her happily ever
after. About halfway through the book,
the author shocks us with an unexpected death and mystery that builds in
suspense through to the end of the novel.
Not So Good Stuff:
There was an opportunity
for a secondary romance between Meredith’s sister, Jill, and an old friend,
Brian, that never fully comes into play.
Even though this pairing had some good chemistry, both characters have
some immature moments that made me wish I could reach into the book and slap
them upside the head. Apparently, their
romance is developed in the second book, but I wonder if their story is enough
to carry a book on its own. I will find
out, since I do want to know what happens with this pairing. Still, I felt that it could have just been a
nice side story to main romance that would have really added to the novel.
I was also a bit disappointed with one aspect
of the ending. SPOILERS AHEAD....
I wanted the ex-husband to
be crushed, maimed, or exposed for the no-good creep that he is. Lordy, he was such a despicable character,
but in the end, he doesn’t get his just desserts. The author does such a good job making you
hate this guy and yet the consequences for his actions are so minor, that you
really don’t get the kind of pay off that you are looking for. This is not saying that the ending is
horrible. It isn’t by any means. I just really wanted the ex-husband to suffer
more than he did.
Pair It Up With...
Books: This probably goes without saying, but any
Nora Roberts book would work. There are
so many NR books mentioned within this novel (the Chesapeake Series,
Birthright, High Noon, ect...) that you could pull an entire display from
those. Another series that it could pair
well with is the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr.
Movies: Again, it is easy to pair this book with NR
books-turned-movies, particularly Montana Sky or High Noon. It would also work
well with Letters to Juliet with its happily ever after, Ten Things I Hate
About You due to the Taming of the Shrew vibe the novel gives off, and The
Pelican Brief.
Music: Abba’s Gold: Greatest Hits. Jill, Meredith’s sister, loves the band and
many songs are mentioned within the book.
