The romance novels of Nora Roberts were my rebellion against the seriousness and difficulty of my undergrad and grad school reading, so I spent about 5 years reading everything I could get my hands on. Then my foray into blogging slowed down the romance novel reading as it introduced me to the new guilty pleasure of young adult paranormal romance. But at the suggestion of my grandmother, I picked up The Collector, a new one from Roberts.
Lila Emerson has an awesome job. She house-sits for vacationing rich people all over the world. How cool is that? She also has an unusual habit. Channeling James Stewart's character from Hitchcock's Rear Window, Lila spends a good chunk of time observing the neighbors....like with binoculars and everything. During one of her voyeuristic sessions, she witnesses a murder. A second body is found in the apartment, and the victim's brother enlists Lila's help to discover whodunit.
As a mystery, the story isn't bad. As a romance novel, the story isn't bad. The problem for me lies in the fact that it's a bit blah for both. I would have rather had a stronger romance or a stronger mystery. More sex or more suspense. A lot happens and a lot of people show up, but there is minimal depth. Definitely not one of my favorite Roberts' stories.
How coincedental that you post about Nora Roberts the same time I pick up one of her books from the library. I haven't read one of her books in years.
ReplyDelete150+ books? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? She must be a witch. Or a robot. Or never sleep. Or a magical robot who never sleeps.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of her books, but I am familiar with the post-secondary school need to read mental cotton candy in between the serious, heavy text books. For me it was the Shopaholic books and the Twilight Saga. We've all got our quirks, right? ;)