LovelySalome wrote:
“I have never read a book by Nora Roberts. Since she makes such lovely, snarky comments and represents our genre so well, I am dead curious to see what she writes. But her back catalog is just HUGE!! Where to start? I need recommendations! Maybe even La Nora’s favorite….”
Oh, the perils of being prolific. With some authors, you can start at the beginning of a long line of sequels – Feehan, Hamilton, Gabaldon come to mind. With others, the backlist is not so big as to be overwhelming.
Then, there’s Nora Roberts. Holy backlist, Batman. Where to start? The older Oxymoron Title collection? Hot Ice? Brazen Virtue? Genuine Lies? Government Organization? The trilogies? The paranormals, or para-Noras, as I call them?
LovelySalome needs a place to start – so, what’s your favorite Nora? And Ms. Roberts, do you have a favorite of your books? Or do you refrain from naming a favorite (in case it hurts the other books’ feelings)?
If I get to vote, I’d nominate the Quinn Brothers/Chesapeake Bay quartet (Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor & Chesapeake Blue) for some very memorable and well-written manly heroes, the Donovan Legacy series which has been re-released by Silhouette, and the Born In trilogy, particularly the first, Born in Fire.
Also, Candy has an ARC, damn her eyes, of Morrigan’s Cross, which I haven’t had time to go find in the store yet, and she says it’s very, very good. Admittedly, I’m much more of a Nora fan than Candy, so if she’s into it and I wanna read it that I’m going to engage in face-to-face commerce to get it, then Heckles McHappy it’s gotta be good.
Finished Northern Lights last night.
Very Northern Exposure. I saw parallels: Ed as Peter, the hippie radio station guy, the mayor for the old feisty lady who ran the store.
She has a real gift for describing the wilderness, breathtaking in places.
I loved Meg; she was delightfully bitchy and Nate was the perfect foil. I’d call him a yummy little beta hero, except when he got going in cop mode.
I suppose I’m pretty far behind the curve here, but I’ll throw in my two cents to agree with everyone who recommended the Chesapeake Bay series as a good introduction to Nora. I’m kind of a dilettante when it comes to paranormal (I like my paranormal very, very light), and the Chesapeake series uses it very sparingly.
Also, my favorite stand-alone is Three Fats. I highly recommend it for planes, trains, or automobiles. But not boats.
Nobody has mentioned “Carolina Moon”
I can’t pick a favorite but CM got my daughter hooked on Nora. In CM Ms. Roberts writes 3 different journal entries as 3 different characters and I had to keep reminding myself that it was the same person writing all 3, she’s that good. Her characters really come alive.
Er, that would be Three Fates. To my knowledge, Nora has never written a romance about saturated, trans, and polyunsaturated.
Thanks for the titles, Algae and Elle!
I don’t think there’s anything I can really add to this conversation! All the points I would have mentioned have been. Including the one about there being so many different stories to choose from even if one doesn’t particularly suit your tastes. I have special memories about almost all of Nora’s books, many of them relating to all of the signings I go to and my ADWOFF friends. The other thing I can count on from Nora is that if the new book doesn’t quite hit it for me, I can bet on one of the ones coming down the pike will.
Hands down her ‘In Death’ series. Im in love with Roarke. And when Eve cries, so do I. I eagerly await the next one.
I loved Blue Smoke- I also loved the one where there were dualing talk show hosts and the heroine was in love with the dreamy news reporter- I can’t remember the name of it, but it was very touching.
I think the thing about Nora’s books is that her characters are so 3-D. I care about them. That’s the mark of a great writer.
Kate, you must be my soul mate because those are all my favorites too.
Regarding Kate’s comment:
I loved Blue Smoke- I also loved the one where there were dualing talk show hosts and the heroine was in love with the dreamy news reporter- I can’t remember the name of it, but it was very touching.
I can’t remember the title either but it was one of the Night books. Nora also has another book in the Night series, Night Shade?, that was sort of a precursor to the Death series.
I have to tell you I’ve read all three of Nora’s latest books with the vampire war saga. I wasn’t sure how the series would read, even though I’m a big fan of hers because I thought the genre would be too different for her. I was very pleasantly surprised to say the least. Lilith was just as cold and and insidiously compelling as any of the vampires in Anne Rice’s novels. Cian was also well done as the unapologetic vampire antihero who nonetheless has within him the ability to choose good over evil.
One of the reasons I like Nora’s books so much is that she continues to stretch herself as an author. In fact, as much as I like her romances, I have to confess that my favorites are her Death series. I would be completely content if she did nothing but write science fiction suspense thrillers the rest of her life. I would buy every damn one of them.
Dueling talk show hosts = Private Scandals
Which, due to the titles, I always mix up with Public Secrets—drugs, sex and rock and roll with Emma and Michael. Two completely different books, but that PS and Public/Private thing going on. OH!! Let’s not forget Hidden Riches with the completely drool-worthy Jed.
Hey!
I just finished reading My Very First La Nora book…and excuse me while I spew a pun. It was smokin’ freakin’ hot! Entitled Blue Smoke. People, go read it if you haven’t.
I have this whole new hope for romance! Skweeeee!
Go read it! Go now!
I was just at the library and picked up a stack of La Nora, including Northern Lights. I was looking through my own books and, lo and behold, I own Blue Smoke so I’ll be reading that soon.
Also, I’m on the last book in the Morrigan’s Circle trilogy and I’m loving it! But then I’m a paranormal junkie. Books are my crack!
Start with HONEST ILLUSIONS. I’ve read them all, most of them several times, but I love that one the best. It’s all about magic. The heroine is spunky and fun. The hero is the sexiest man in print. Trust me on this. You want this man, er, book.
My all time favorite has always been Montana Sky, although Public Secrets will always have a special place in my heart, as it was the first NR book I read, and it got me hooked.
I’ve always loved the In Death series, because I find the writing a lot more consistent, and I love getting to know the characters more.
For a couple of years, I found the quality of her books went downhill a little, and now it’s been better. When I first read the back of Morrigan’s Crossing, I thought Nora roberts had gone a little nuts, and I resisted buying it for a long time. But then I bought it…and found it to be one her her best books in years.
I know I’m late to the party, but I’m a big enough Nora fan that I have to give a shout out to one of my faves—HOMEPORT. Kind of a slow start but once that sexy thief Ryan Boldari turns up I’m in the Nora Roberts Addict’s Zone—that’s the time-out-of-time place where large chunks of your day are unaccounted for except by the telltale clues—a well thumbed paperback and cookie crumbs by your favorite chair.