Tribute

This book didn't grab my attention right away like most Nora Robert's books do. The beginning is a little slow, introducing all the characters and building the story on the past. However, it quickly picked up in the middle and surprised me in the end as to who the character was behind the terrorizing of Cilla, and of Janet. I loved the relationship that builds between Ford and Cilla and also between Cilla and her father. Another great book by Nora Roberts!

I bought Tribute in large print which I always look for. Nora Roberts is an outstanding author. There is no question about that.
When Cilla, a child star, returns to her grandmother's home in Virginia, she has left Hollywood and her mother behind to lead a quieter life. She has learned to FLIP houses and is a whiz with tools. She meets Ford, who lives across the street with his dog, a real character, and they become involved. Her grandmother commited suicide in the house. In the attic she finds old letters that point to the fact that her grandmother was pregnant at the time of her death and that the father, possibly someone from the community, didn't want the baby.
I love a mystery and the found letters were a mystery to solve. I personally got lost in all the different characters and how they were related to each other. I stayed confused and had to re-read a lot of the book, back-tracking to find out who was who. I don't believe this is a book I will keep or re-read but I did like the main characters very much.
Not one of Nora Roberts best but enjoyable all the same.

Who would be to blame for a book like this? The writer? The editor? Both? Surely, more time could have been spent on editing this book, making the language tighter and getting rid of some of the long-winded dialogue. It has always puzzled me that the great NR is able to produce, without fail, book after book after book of bestsellers that pop up but then disappear quickly. Are these books bestsellers because of high volume orders from bookstores or because of lots of sales? I just wish, this great writer would now catch a well-deserved breath, get her creative bearings back and start afresh. And choose quality over quantity.
I won't recap what others in the 1 to 3 star ratings categories have said about Tribute. I agree with all of them. I also agree that this is an excellent book to check out from your local library. Save your $$$ for something that actually pays off in the end (...like an extra little contribution to your retirement fund - but I digress).
...and why Stephen King's quote on the back cover, saying: "NR is cool." Yes, she is (really!!!!). But...what does this have to do with the book. The readers who pay their hard-earned $$$ to buy NR's books are cool.

Nora Roberts has always been one of my all time favorite romance writers. She has truly written some great books. But her last several books have just been so uninspired. It's like she's going through the motions of writing simply to fulfill an obligation. Tribute was by far the most bland book I've ever read by her. I hope she redeems herself soon or all this mediocrity will prevent people from reading some fantastic books in her backlist.

I picked this book up expecting that suspense would be the book's main element. Instead, Tribute is a pretty standard romance involving reasonably original characters, former child star Cilla McGowan turned general contractor and house-rehabber-for-profit and graphic-novel artist and author, Ford Sawyer. The physical attraction is strong from the beginning, and much of the suspense merely relates to when chemistry will overcome caution. In the background, local people hold strong grudges against Cilla's grandmother, Janet Hardy, a star who died from too many pills and too much booze at 39, but who also never saw an attractive man she didn't want, and Cilla's dead uncle who helped some others to an early grave.

The real heroine of the book is Cilla's grandmother's house that Cilla is "restoring" for her own use. If you love the idea of restoring and living in an old family home, this book will probably have above average appeal. If you aren't into home restoration details and graphic novels, you probably won't like this book as much as I did.

Cilla McGowan makes an unusual and poignant heroine. I hope that Nora Roberts will write about her again. I also liked Ford Sawyer. He offers a lot of potential for future books, as well.

The suspense parts of the book were the weakest. In fact, the threats, violence, and problems seemed artificial and the characters' reactions to those events also didn't ring very true.

But all the world loves a lover, and there's a lot to love in this romance.