The Collector by Nora Roberts – a Review

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Description:
When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . . .

Review:

As I said before, when I need a break from all my paranormal and fantasy genre books, Nora Roberts is my go to author, and with her latest stand alone book The Collector, I couldn’t have been happier to step away from my favourite genres. Even though Nora is classified a romance writer, I find more and more with her stand alone books at least, that the romance in the book isn’t the central plot. For me, it feels more like she’s telling a story of suspense, murder and adventure with a lovely romance intricately weaved throughout the main plot. As is the case in her latest book The Collector.

Right from the first chapter Nora draws the reader into her story with her heroine Lila Emerson witnessing the death of a total stranger. Thanks to her joy of people watching while house sitting, her life is turned upside down and poor Lila soon finds she’s smack in the middle of a crime investigation /adventure where not only is her life in jeopardy, but so too is her soon to be lover and artist Ashton Archer(don’t you just love his name?), who just happens to be the half brother to one of the deceased.

While trying to solve his half brother’s murder both Lila and Ashton keep getting deeper and deeper into a world of high stakes thievery and murder. With a hit-woman hot on their trail as they try to discover who is behind the murders of his family members over lost Russian Faberge Eggs, Lila and Ashton find romance and love as he discovers she’s his muse and needs to paint or sketch her, and Lila discovers that it’s okay to let someone in and allow herself to depend on someone else for a change.

I really enjoyed the way Nora set up the romance between Lila and Ashton. At first I thought these two characters are complete opposites of each other, and just how is this romance going to work? Well, being Nora, she found just the right way and weaved a beautiful romance around mystery, murder and adventure. I love the fact that with any of her books Nora never rushes the romantic plot. She keeps it slow and low key at the beginning but then once the romance takes off, the characters run with it and it pulls the reader in even more. Yes I will admit at times I wanted to smack Ashton for his over bearing ways where Lila is concerned, but as we get to know more and more about Ashton and his life, I began to see why he’s like that. I finally stopped wanting to smack him and instead began swooning over him and his protective ways. As it turns out Lila is the perfect female for him because she brings out the best in him not only with his art, but also his personality. I also love Lila as the heroine, she’s funny, flirty, and keeps our poor hero on his toes every moment of the day. He never knows just where she’s going or what she’s rambling on about most times, and it’s these scenes in the book that pull the hero and heroine even closer together.

The romance between Lila and Ashton is fun, sexy, flirty but with danger and murder following their every move. I absolutely loved the whole Faberge Egg and Russian Tsar history we got in this one. I absolutely love that kind of history and the stories that go with it. Nora really did her research on that part of plot and had me wanting to book a trip to Russia and Italy to visit some of the places that our couple journey too as they try and solve the murder mystery while dodging a crazed hit-woman who’s after them. I got so carried away while reading this book thanks to Nora’s amazing way with words and the pictures she can paint in my head that there were a few times I jumped when my phone or doorbell went off. For all I know it could have been the crazed hit-woman coming after me, LOL!!! If you are a Nora Roberts fan I promise you this one won’t disappoint. Nora paints a world full of danger, thievery, murder, cons, Russian atifacts, and romance all wrapped up in one fun filled adventure.

Until next time, happy reading!!

Reviewed by Marcie