Do you have an author that will get you out of a slump or is your comfort read? Nora Roberts is that author for me.

Morgan Albright works 2 jobs with the goal being to own a bar one day. She owns her own home and is lucky enough to have found a best friend in her roommate Nina.

But Morgan opened her door to the wrong person. She has no choice but to return to her family in their small town and try to start all over again. But Morgan is the one who got away!

This was a slow burn full of character development. Full of friendship and family love. I wish to romance had hurried along but I loved their journey. A wonderful romantic suspense.

Thank you to @netgalley for the eARC.

There are some authors whose books I will automatically pick up given an opportunity. Nora Roberts is one of those. Her stories may be typical but there’s a satisfaction to the tale. Each time she tends to choose a different profession to highlight ( here it is bartending, there seems to have been a lot of research as usual put into what it means to work in the profession). She writes similar families/ people to some extent, but that are different enough to make the effort of reading them worth it.

That said, not all the books will hit at the same rate. This one just missed the mark for a very strange reason. There was a staccato tempo in the narration here. It worked in terms of the set up and the kind of people but it was exhausting after a while. I stuck with it just because I was enjoying the people, but I wish she hadn’t maintained the same format throughout.

The beginning was normal enough, but after disaster strikes and Morgan heads to get mother and grandmother’s house, the narration also seems to dig into the format. I am not a fan of purple prose but this went in the other direction. The villain, the supporting cast are all well done and I felt emotional enough when I reached the epilogue, but this was not one of my favourites.

I would recommend this book to someone who wants to try a different tone of narration in books like this. This experience still hasn’t put me off the author, I’ve already queued up another of her books. I do not feel like the time I spent with the book was wasted.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I loved this so so much!! To date I have yet to read a story from Nora and not be absolutely consumed by the story. This was no exception and I couldn’t put it down! I started in the morning and stayed up to finish it, and I loved every single page,

Identity is a stand-alone novel by best-selling American author, Nora Roberts. All her life, Morgan Albright wanted to put down roots, and her little house in suburban Baltimore is a big step towards that. She works two jobs to cover the mortgage and save for improvements and her goal of owning her own bar. Her housemate and soon best friend, Nina Ramos helps with the garden.

Luke Hudson is a customer at Next Round, the bar she works nights, an IT expert in town to help flippers turn houses into smart homes, and he seems like a decent enough guy. After a few casual dates, a dinner at her home, and this charming, attractive con man has cleaned out her bank account, run up huge debts on her credit card, taken out loans in her name, from both reputable and disreputable sources, stolen her car and murdered her best friend when she stumbled on him with Morgan’s laptop.

Reeling with shock and grief, and unable to meet the financial obligations, she sells her beloved little house and heads to the small resort town of Westridge in Vermont where her mother and grandmother run Crafty Arts and Wine Café. Here, she gets comfort, support and a chance to start over.

Disturbing, though, is the revelation from the FBI that Luke is really Gavin Rozwell, that he has done this numerous times before, and that he has a type whom he targets, and Nina wasn’t it: Morgan is. Tall, slender, blonde, single, late twenties, and with an androgynous name that allows him to pose as his victim in his financial scams.

While Morgan tries to reconstruct her life, Gavin Rozwell hasn’t forgotten her, or forgiven her for eluding his intended fate for her: he is stalking her online, via her mother’s social media, biding his time until he extracts his revenge.

But this time, Morgan isn’t on her own: she has two fiercely protective women in her mother and grandmother at her back; she has garnered a lot of respect and support at the family-run resort where she manages the bar; and the local chief of police is alert and aware. And Morgan now has a secret weapon or two: maybe he has underestimated her…

Roberts has a proven talent with romantic fiction, but here she adds some scarily believable elements to turn the tale into a gripping thriller that will keep the reader enthralled right up to the heart-thumping climax.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown.

An amazing mix of a psychological thriller and a romance! This threw me from the start and kept me off balance all the way through which was brilliant! Loved the main characters and the three generations of women had a particularly fantastic dynamic. Great read.

Thrilling book as always, what an experience to be acquainted with the characters (good & bad€ created by the author. All so relatable and I read it in a couple of days thank you!

I love Nora Roberts’ books and this might just be the best yet!

I was gripped from start to finish and devoured this book.

I loved the characters, all of them. The quirks, the flaws and the love. The book is so easy to read.

The story follows Morgan, who is an independent woman, working hard to build her future. Until she finds herself having a near miss with a serial killer!

While Morgan thinks her life is destroyed, she learns that going back to your roots is sometimes what you need.

A story of love, loss, family, and starting again, this is a must read!

"Identity" by Nora Roberts is a gripping thriller that showcases her mastery in blending suspense and romance. The story follows Morgan Albright, a hardworking woman with dreams of owning her own bar. Her life takes a harrowing turn when a charming date, Luke, steals her identity, shattering her dreams and forcing her to move back to her family home. As Morgan rebuilds her life, she finds solace in her strong family bonds and a budding romance with the gruff yet endearing Miles.
Roberts excels at creating strong female characters, and Morgan is no exception. The suspense builds steadily, with the antagonist's chilling perspective adding an extra layer of tension.
The novel’s pacing is perfect, and while it might feel a tad long, every page is worth it. The balance of romance and suspense kept me invested and the inevitable confrontation is handled with finesse.
“Identity" is a must-read for fans of captivating thrillers.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own.

Another 5* read from Nora Roberts.

I've read and enjoyed many books by Nora Roberts and was excited to receive an early copy of 'Identity'.

'Identity' begins gently for the reader by introducing Morgan Albright. From growing up as a military brat, she's now almost thirty years old and happily settled in Maryland.

The plot changes abruptly when her best friend is viciously murdered. Morgan learns that she herself was the intended victim when the murderer, who's a con-artist, steals her identity causing Morgan to lose her home and every penny she's saved over the years. Practically destitute, her only recourse is to join her mother and grandmother far away in Vermont. The months pass while Morgan begins to rebuild her life, but all the time there's a serial killer obsessing about the one who got away, considering her to be his ultimate prize.

To increase the suspense in the plot, there are occasional chapters included from the psychopath's POV, these become more frequent and chilling as the book progresses.

An excellent read, once started I didn’t want to put this book down, and often didn't. For readers of romantic suspense this shouldn't be missed.

eARC generously supplied by Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Identity is a Nora Roberts romantic suspense story set mainly in Vermont.

Morgan has big dreams, working two jobs so that she can make home improvements and one day run her own bar. She likes bar work, she’s good at reading people and takes pride in providing a great service. However, certain events cause her world and her plans to come tumbling down. Her only option is to head to her family home in Vermont and live with her mother and grandmother while she builds a new life.

Gavin stalks his victims; he takes what he wants, what he thinks he deserves and he punishes others as payback for the shortcomings of his own family. Morgan soon becomes his obsession.

This story has some dark elements which are rather gruesome in places, but these were offset by some lovely chapters set in Vermont. I liked Morgan’s family and the new occupational family that she made while working at a resort bar. There are some wonderful secondary characters, particularly a dog called Howl, and I could easily imagine more stories written in this small town setting.

Nora Roberts writes great thrillers. Loved this book and how the story played out. The romance between Morgan and Miles is a great counterpoint to the terror of being cyber stalked by a serial killer. The book keeps you gripped wanting to know how it's going to end.

I enjoyed this book, it was intriguing and complex.
The characters were well developed and I liked how they were portrayed.
It was gripping and at some points I couldn't put it down.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy a Nora Roberts book, and this one was no exception. The story starts with Morgan, our main character, who has her life planned out but then sees everything go awry when her housemate is murdered and her identity stolen. I was expecting this story to be a cat-and-mouse thriller but was pleasantly surprised when the pace slowed down and it focused more on Morgan's journey to regain control of her life, mixing the ever-present threat looming over our main character with the rebuilding of her life. The characters are highly relatable and are crafted with the author's usual flair, with their own little quirks and flaws. Some of the discussions didn't quite ring true to me (everyone seems very in touch with their feelings and good at expressing them!) but I found that Morgan's resilience and authenticity made her very likeable. Overall, this was a compelling mix of suspense and romance that I would recommend for all fans of Nora Roberts!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"He didn’t slide out of affection into love, didn’t slip from attraction into forever, but fell long and hard. No safety system could have stopped the fall"
“The love just snuck up on me, little moments by little moments.”
“When you love someone, and love him hard, and you’re ready for him, you go after him. If he doesn’t love you back, and love you hard, if he’s not ready for you , that’s his loss. Love’s brave, Morgan. Love stands up."

This is why Nora Roberts is the amazing writer that she is. Yes, this is a thriller but she always weaves in a thread of hope, happiness, despite the darkness that shadows the FMC and it is this thread that keeps me picking up every book that she writes without fail.

Morgan has her path mapped out, work multiple jobs to pay for her house and so that she can one day buy the bar of her dreams. Until she meets Luke who steals her identity and destroys everything she has worked so hard for. She is forced to move in with her mother and begins to rebuild her life, putting it all behind her. But is it really over?

This is another novel wherein we are aware of who the bad guy is, from the start and we are exposed to his loss of control as the story progresses. It's well done and I enjoyed it, utterly flying though the story, but I can't help but miss Nora's earlier novels where we weren't really sure who we could trust until the last possible minute. Miles is the typical grumpy male character but it was interesting and refreshing that the dance between him and Morgan wasn't dragged out a little longer. I loved how as usual, Nora's females are always front and centre, with strong relationships supporting them throughout, adding that more feeling and beauty to a usually gritty tale.

Pick this up for an interesting and quick read with just the right amount of romance and witty banter. Oh, did I mention that there's a dog?

I have to confess that I finished Mind Games a few days ago, and all I wanted to do was dive back into another Nora Roberts book. Identity did not disappoint.

I finished about an hour ago, and my heart is still racing. While this is a cosy thriller with a great romantic plot line, the POV of the antagonist is truly unhinged, made all the more chilling with the all too believable identity theft.

I just had such a good time with this story. Nora Robert’s writes female characters with wonderful strength, and Morgan and ‘her women’ were no exception. I enjoyed watching her relationship develop with Miles, and found his character pleasantly unpredictable.

Identify had all the great elements of some of my favourite stories, and I’d recommend to anyone looking for well paced and satisfyingly longer story, a full and well rounded cast of characters, romance, suspense, and a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

After a promising, well-paced, start where Morgan meets seemingly nice guy 'Luke' (Gavin) only for him to steal her identity and murder her housemate Nina, Identity slows right down to focus on Morgan restarting her life living with her mother and grandmother in Vermont. All the while Gavin's world is spinning out of control because he didn't kill Morgan - his 'one that got away'.

The premise of Identity is great - chilling in fact, that someone can insinuate themselves so easily into a woman's life that they can steal her identity, her money and so easily kill her, all without raising suspicion.

However, the execution left me struggling to engage with the characters, for example Morgan seemed a little closed off, hardly seeming to mourn her friend after the funeral passed, nor seeming terribly affected by her experience in that she wasn't afraid of people or nervous of talking to new men in her bar after Luke/Gavin. Obviously everyone reacts differently but she mostly seemed bothered about losing all the money she had saved and having to sell her house. Likewise, her love interest Miles is so introverted he's almost monosyllabic for several chapters, and he mostly refers to his dog Howl as 'the dog' rather than by his name which I just found odd. Though Miles eventually becomes a bit more interesting as he loosens up. After all the tracking of Gavin (and occasionally seeing his POV - I would have welcomed more of this as seeing his spiteful, cold, sadistic narrative develop was fascinating) I expected more from the ending - yes everything was wrapped up but it felt a bit flat. Finally, I also found the dialogue hard to read - so much of it is unattributed that it's often not clear who is speaking.

So overall a mixed bag for me and I had to push myself to finish it. Identity is not really 'thrillery' enough to be a thriller, and there's definitely not enough romance for me to consider it a romance, It's probably a 2.5-3 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for offering an ARC. This is my honest opinion.

It'd been a while between Nora Roberts' books for me. Of course I continue to read her JD Robb 'In Death' series but I also enjoy her romantic suspense novels and her latest, Identity, is another great read. It was perhaps a smidge longer than it needed to be but offers great characters and - though not edge-of-your-seat suspense - the inevitability of what's to come simmers menacingly in the background.

I liked that the backcover blurb of my version of this book (above) doesn't tell us 'how' Morgan's world is upended so I was suitably gobsmacked when it happens.

Roberts has given us a great lead in Morgan who's certainly got her life all mapped out. Of course that changes and the 'thing' that crushes her soul and dreams is a gift that keeps on giving as she continues to be beleaguered by its impact.

She returns to her family home with her proverbial tail very much between her legs - disappointing herself but not her mother and grandmother. We learn that her mother Audrey did something similar after breaking up with Morgan's father - tried to go it alone before reaching out to her own mother, Olivia for help. I liked Audrey and Olivia. They're very different but truly enjoy each other's company - a close relationship that goes beyond the mother / daughter bond.

Family connections help Morgan get a job managing a bar at a resort and it's there she becomes involved with the resort's owners, the Jameson family. Romance blossoms, but of course in the background there's the inevitability of that 'thing' simmering away.

What I really liked about this is that Roberts shows her mastery (and maintains her OG status) by not overdramatising elements. She doesn't drag out the will they / won't they scenes and keeps the tension and suspense without descending into melodramatics.  Even the climax isn't over-the-top or underdone. More like Goldilocks's chair, porridge and bed choices.... just right.

I really like Nora Roberts writing and I love some of her novels so much that I read them several times and they are my go-to when I need cheering up. Identity had the potential to be one of those books but unfortunately it felt a bit short on the mark. My biggest annoyance is that the story was a bit thin and I felt there was a lot of padding that could have been edited out in favour of a faster pace especially in the first half of the book. I'd still happily read/buy Roberts books.

The novel started well when Morgan's new boyfriend turned out to be a psychopath, a con-artist and a serial killer. I settled down to enjoy what promised to be a gripping read. It all went downhill from there. The middle part of the book described Morgan's time in Vermont where she had gone to start a new life. This section was far too long and was padded out with frequent descriptions of cocktail mixing at the bar. I ploughed on, hoping to get back to the 'thriller' part of the novel. This didn't happen until towards the end of the book. The story was very short on details of police procedures. In effect, the book is a romance rather than a mystery/thriller. Nora Roberts is an accomplished writer so I did manage to finish the book. No doubt her many fans will enjoy it. Just don't expect a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The big question is, is someone born a monster or are they made that way?

Morgan has dreams of setting up and owning her own bar one day, but when a random attack happens, she is forced to move back to her family home, leaving city life behind. Where she feels safe, but can she outrun the past?