Tribute

A beautiful, emotionally damaged heroine and a sensitive, handsome, talented hero. That about sums it up. Stock characters in a stock book. It was a pleasant way to pass a few hours, but just plain generic.

I never understood the connection between Cilla and her grandmother who died before she was born. The bad guys were just sort of thrown into a slow paced story that was basically that of an unfolding love. The end of the book was just tacked on. Why keep a secret for all that time, and then just blurt it out when somebody asks you. If the female bad person was so crazy, why wouldn't it have been seen before then?

The book was just not really worth it. Roberts is just coasting on her reputation.

The book kept you guessing...and that's good.
I have learned a few things about remodeling.
And flipping a house. The end of the book was great.
A big turn around. Good read.

I passed this book on to another reader because I found it not up to what I usually get from the first chapter of a Nora Roberts book,ie: suspense,a pull to continue reading and interest in characters. Frankly, I wonder ift Ms. Roberts had a silent partner in the writing of this book as it just doesn't reflect the Nora Roberts I have come to look forward to reading for many years. The book starts out dry and tedious. Sorry Ms. Roberts.

Tribute felt recycled. Unfortunately, that is how most of Nora's books written over the past few years have felt to me. I have read all of her books and it seems like I am seeing the same three or four characters over and over, with slight variations in background and description. Before even opening one of her books, I can guess what type of characters the male and female leads will be, because it is one of the same three character types she continuously uses.

While likeable and well-developed, the characters in Tribute were also rather boring and predictable. I actually liked the in-depth descriptions of the house renovations and comic book writing. It showed research and dedication by the author. I do not like the direction Nora's writing has taken recently. She seems to have forgotten how to write dialogue, especially complete sentences. She also seems to have a fondness for developing the dog's character into one of the leads. This would not be such a bad thing, if not for the fact that most of the readers like the dog better than any other character. Ouch.

One aspect of the novel that I found amusing as well as annoying, was the name and description of the male lead. Ford Sawyer- Tall, lean, muscular, green eyes, sun-streaked hair, southern drawl. As a big fan of the TV show `Lost', I recognized the description immediately. I was surprised Nora basically took a character from a TV show and transferred him to her novel (with a slight name change). (Actor Josh Holloway plays James "Sawyer" Ford on 'Lost'). While only the name and looks were taken from the `Lost' character, even that seemed like too much. On the other hand, Ford Sawyer could have benefited from some of Sawyer Ford's attitude and edge.

I will continue to read Nora's books. She's a great author, and the only writer to actually make me laugh out loud when reading a book. I hope she gets back to her best with her next novel.

Nora, got the formula hanging on your office wall for reference? What a huge disappointment. I have loved NR's books in the past but she is losing her zip. This one is just like several of her others - beautiful perfect heroine finds handsome not so perfect man and encounters difficulties while attempting to realize her dream, which of course all comes together seamlessly in the end and they all live happily ever after. B O R I N G.