Book 2: River's End

Having last week off let me get a jump start on the books I'm reading. This time, as mentioned in the previous post, I chose a Mystery/Romance novel by Nora Roberts, River's End.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Rivers-End/Nora-Roberts/e/9780515127836/?itm=1&USRI=river%27s+end

I picked this one for a few reasons. Primarily, I wanted something that I could just enjoy to finish off vacation, and not really have to think too much about. Second, under the name JD Robb, Nora Roberts writes a crime series I like. I've read a few other Nora Roberts books, and they've entertained me. And I'm intrigued by the whole Romance genre. Romance is currently the largest and best-selling fiction drama in North America. I think it is because most people want that happy ending, and you know in a Romance that the heroine and hero will find each other.

But I'm also skeptical about the Romance genre. I've read a few in the past. I think that because my own love life has never resembled a romance novel, I have a hard time buying into the all-consuming, devouring, fiery passion. But I like a good mystery. Spice it up with a little lovin' and it could be quite entertaining.

With this novel, I think what you see is what you get. When Olivia was four, her mother was murdered. She stumbled upon the scene, and saw her own father holding the scissors that had been used to stab her. Her grandparents move her to Washington State to raise her away from the press about the sensational slaying. Years later, the son of the police officer who investigated the case tracks down Olivia to interview her about the murder for a book he is writing. Of course, then, mystery and romance, with the obligatory roadblocks, ensue.

The skeptic in me still isn't sure about this "I fell in love with you when I was twelve" bit, and I guessed the twist to the story rather early on. Still, I had fun reading to see how things would work out, and if my suspicions about the twist were true.

If you're looking for a quick, fun read with a decent mystery story and a little romance to go along, this book would probably keep you entertained.

Now, I've started Bitches on a Budget, but I can't decide if that should count for Book 3 or not. I may also make it through an entire audiobook this week, so I can post on that.

Contenders for the book after "Bitches" are Warrior Queen, a novel about Celtic Queen Boudica; Fragile Eternity, the third book in Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely Faery series, and Al Gore's The Assault on Reason. All three will eventually be read, I just need to pick one for the next selection.