Most of my friends know I’m a big Nora Roberts fan. I’ve been reading her stories since the early Silhouette days (the originals, not the reprints). Besides being a bit envious of her work ethics and story-telling ability, I just enjoy knowing that reading a new Nora means several hours of escape from my normal life. It’s always a joy to slide away from reality for awhile and immerse yourself into the character’s lives. After all, their problems are so much more entertaining than ours are.
And so, this week’s book is Nora’s latest release, due out on July 8th.
Set in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, it’s the story of Cilla McGowan, a former child television star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses. She’s come to her grandmother’s farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy who died of an overdose in that very house more than 30 years earlier. Plunging into the project with gusto, Cilla is almost too busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer–but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford’s quirky charm, though she does indulge in a little fantasy.
But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the attic, she uncovers unsigned letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died–and that the father was a local married man. Cilla wonders what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who’s targeting her and why, she may–like her world-famous grandmother– be cut down in the prime of her life.
Nora wrote in her newsletter that “Writing Tribute was a direct result of the experience of rehabbing the old Boone Hotel in Boonsboro into Inn Boonsboro. After the devastating fire that destroyed everything but the masonry in February, I’m thrilled that our crew is moving at lightning speed, and we hope to open the Inn in December.”
My only problem is deciding whether to (a) read it right away, (b) save the book to read on the plane trip to San Francisco (where I will be immersed in books), or (c) hold off and take it on a boring business trip in August.
Can I wait that long? And, do ya’ll think there’s any chance at all they’re going to give this book away at RWA Nationals?
