Nora Roberts is an author I haven’t read for a while and after listening to this I don’t know why. Absolutely loved every minute of it. Its a long one but a good one. You get it all with this one and it gives you all the feels 🤗 from small town community spirit, mother/daughter relationships, childhood friends, losing loved ones, reacquainting with old friends, family bonds and those relationships you form that are as good as family that you make along the way. But not forgetting the more sinister twisted storyline running in the background. This book has it ALL. The pace is perfect for the plot there is no lull and you always feel like the story is progressing. Every one of the characters are so loveable with some being so witty along with that dry sense of humour where they don’t actually mean to be funny but on more then one occasion I burst out laughing. Loved the narrator and really found myself picturing the characters and it was so easy to differentiate between them. Definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that will be published on the 25th of May.

Wow is all I can say - this was fantastic and the narration was brilliant. I had never read any Nora Roberts books before (I know where have I been) but so well thought out, well developed etc.

Just the right touch of romance and mystery. The families were brilliant and the dogs, what can I say. The buildings also took on part of the narration and where characters in themselves.

The voices by the narrator - where did she get that range.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I found this very hard to get into, I’d say I was almost a third of the way through before I found I clicked with it and began to find it enjoyable

I’ve always seen Nora Roberts books on shelves and on goodreads and thought I’d like to give her work a try but have just never found the time to slot one in. I’m sure you all know what it’s like when your to read list just seems to get bigger and bigger rather than smaller. Thank you to @HachetteAudioUK and Nora Roberts for this advanced audio copy of Legacy in return for an honest review. Legacy is due to be published on 25th May and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

At the age of seven, Adrian Rizzo met her biological father for the first time. On that same day, he attacked her and her mother. This was enough to spur Adrian’s mother Lina into taking action and she sent Adrian to stay with her Grandparents for the summer. The Rizzo family home is set in a small and community focused town in Maryland and Adrian spent the summer outdoors, making new friends and recovering from her trauma.

Ten years later, Adrian has followed in her mother’s footsteps and created her own fitness brand that is thriving. Along with the positive attention her business draws, she very quickly learns that there are drawbacks. She starts to receive threatening poems once a year and although she is told to report them and move on, they continue to niggle at Adrian. She decides to return back to Maryland permanently but the poems continue to arrive; and more frequently. A private investigator is employed to help her get to the bottom of the matter, but it quickly escalates when the PI discovers multiple murders that appear to be related.

General Thoughts 🤔

To say I got sucked into the story of this book is an understatement. I was so invested, I couldn’t put it down and devoured the whole thing. I loved the blend of mystery, thriller, romance and comedy. I thought that it was such a well rounded and full story and I loved it.

The relationships between the characters and the way that they weaved together was something I really loved. There’s family, friendship, romance and everything that made my heart feel full. Add into that the tension and danger that Adrian faces, a very exciting story that does make.

Characters 👬👫👭

I am a sucker for a romance and I fell hook line and sinker for Adrian and Raylan. I don’t think I’m giving any spoilers away as it becomes apparent quite early on that there is something special between the two of them, even from childhood. I loved the gradual progression of their relationship from friends to lovers and when they finally realised this themselves I am not ashamed to admit that I let out an audible celebratory whoop. These characters were perfect for each other and I firmly believe that everyone needs a green eyed Raylan superhero in their life.

Adrian’s grandfather was one of my favourite characters as I thought he was so sweet. He instilled in Adrian the value of family and that that includes both blood relatives and the close friends that you surround yourself with. I also appreciated that this family wasn’t all hugs and flowers. The flaws in their family were also shown which I think helped to make the family feel more realistic.

Writing Style ✍️

I am so glad that I chose to try a Nora Roberts book as I loved her writing style. She wrote characters that felt real and relatable and that in turn kept the story engaging and captivating. Alongside this, she created a mystery that was gripping and had just the right amount of tension. It was a perfect mix of genres.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator January LaVoy did such a spectacular job. She truly brought the characters and the story to life. I can be a little fickle with narrators and I can only imagine how tricky it is to find a narrator that matches the writing so I was pleased that this pairing worked so well.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

I really did adore this book and it was such a nice change of pace for me. I could easily imagine this transferring to a drama or a film and being really successful. I will definitely be recommending this and can’t wait for other people to love it as much as I did. Now, off I trot to get adding more Nora Roberts to my to read list.

I’ve only just discovered Nora Roberts; her books are brilliant and this is no exception. I have the audio version and have to say the narration is truly superb. Every character has a different ‘voice’ and the delivery is such that the listener feels like they’re directly involved in conversations. It adds to the enjoyment.

The story centres on a female character, Adrian, and follows her over a number of years. She has a complex relationship with her mother but is close to her grandparents. They live in a small town and her Italian grandfather owns a pizza restaurant. Adrians mother is a successful businesswoman more interested in career than parenting. Adrian, with a group of friends, launches her own business when still only a teenager and over the next years, we see the business flourish. The back stories of the friends feature as part of the closely plotted story and on the surface, all is well.

However, there’s a serial killer with a plan on the loose. Adrian is a target and we follow the killings piecemeal as the story rolls on. It works at so many levels. It’s about people, relationships, love, loss, grief and success. But there’s the threatening undercurrent that runs right the way through and the tension builds inexorably as the years go by. Blown away by this tale. Nora Roberts is a gifted and original storyteller.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

As usual a great read/listen (got both the book and the audio) by one of my favourite authors. You always know what you’re getting with a Nora Roberts book, an interesting story, a strong female character, and a bit of suspense thrown in, and this was just that, and even though her books run on similar lines they’re just so readable.

The main character of this book was Adrian (female), unusual spelling as this is usually a male name - at least in the UK - but the real stars of the book were the two dogs, Sadie & Jasper, such really funny, faithful, fearless characters who were such wonderful heroes at the end too (and I have to add no dogs died).
Adrian is a lot more family orientated than her mother though, and spends a lot of time with her grandparents in their lovely home and restaurant in Travelers Creek over the years. They were always there for her, especially during an especially hard time when she was young when her biological father attacked Adrian and her mother in their house.

The story follows them over the years, along with the suspense of who is sending Adrian threatening poems over many years. We also have the love interest, Raylan (brother of Adrian's best friend), popping up here and there at the beginning of the book and, through a tragedy, he also ends up living in Travelers Creek, along with Adrian and other friends who move there as their lives evolve and priorities are changed as children come in to the mix.

Of course there’s the usual suspense running through the story, which keeps things interesting, and eventually a lovely ending. I do love Nora Roberts, you just can’t go wrong with picking one of her books up. What a lovely way to spend an evening listening into this entertaining audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😂