Come Sundown // Nora Roberts Impresses Me With Her Writing And Makes Me Question Why I’ve Nor Read More From Her

Come Sundown – Nora Roberts

Published: 30th May 2017

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Romance, Romantic Suspense

My Rating:

Love. Lies. Murder. A lot can happen... COME SUNDOWN

Bodine Longbow loves to rise with the dawn. As the manager of her family's resort in Western Montana, there just aren't enough hours in the day - for life, for work, for loved ones. She certainly doesn't have time for love, not even in the gorgeous shape of her childhood crush Callen Skinner, all grown up and returned to the ranch. Then again, maybe Callen can change her mind, given time...

But when a young woman's body is discovered on resort land, everything changes. Callen falls under the suspicion of a deputy sheriff with a grudge. And for Bodine's family, the murder is a shocking reminder of an old loss. Twenty-five years ago, Bodine's Aunt Alice vanished, never to be heard of again. Could this new tragedy be connected to Alice's mysterious disappearance?

As events take a dramatic and deadly turn, Bodine and Callen must race to uncover the truth - before the sun sets on their future together.

This was my second foray into the works of Nora Roberts and I loved it. It had action and romance and a vast cast of characters. You had a shared history and strong family ties and all these things I love seeing in books all there and it could end up being a hot mess but Roberts knows what she’s doing and just creates this very real world and I loved it.

Come Sundown is set in Montana at the Longbow ranch and resort. Several generations of Longbow family live on the ranch and it’s a family run business. Bodine is running the resort side and loving every minute of it when back comes Callen Skinner, her on again off again childhood crush and her eldest brother’s best friend. One might think that this is a simple romance, but there is also the mystery element in the form of girl’s getting killed in the area which one deputy with a grudge is trying to pin on Callen, and it brings up old wounds for the Longbow clan as it is a reminder of Alice, Bodine’s aunt who disappeared before Bodine was even born. It is a romance and a mystery… or more a mystery and a romance and it’s utterly brilliant.

I have been wanting to read more Nora Roberts for a while. I mean, the woman is a household name and synonymous with romance, a genre I like to think I’m pretty well read in so when I got emailed about her latest release I was excited. I mean, she is less about straight romance, at least in this one, instead, this is romantic suspense and I loved that the book had a bit more beef to it. I wanted to know who was killing these girls and I really wanted to know what happened to Alice. I was hooked within a couple of chapters and it was all because of the mystery.

The romance in this is good. I loved the will they won’t they slow burn thing which happened between Callen and Bodine. I mean, Callen was blatant about his interest and willingness to wait for it to happen and it was great. But they weren’t the only couple. Like I said, there is a large cast of characters and a large extended family in here, both Bodine’s brother, Rory and Chase, also had romantic interests and it was fun seeing each of the siblings pursue these romances in their own way. I loved how Chase was so round about with it. The man would have taken ten years to get his act together but he was head over heels as soon as that first kiss happened.

I do have to say, I struggled to keep track of everyone at first. I loved this large extended family all lived together in various properties and that the ranch and the resort had staff who were basically family as well… but I struggled to keep them straight in my head as they are all thrown at you quite quickly. It was like starting a new job and knowing you’re never going to keep track of everyone. I got there eventually, but it took me a while. It didn’t help that there were several different POV throughout and keeping track of the switches was difficult. Those are my only gripes, though.

As a whole, this was a great book. I mean, the mystery element wasn’t the best. It took me a little while but I’d guessed the killer pretty quick. I know that’s not the main focus and really the motivation for it and everyone finding out what I’d already guessed was brilliant. I didn’t think I’d have been interested in a book set on a horse ranch and resort… horses aren’t really my thing, but damn if Nora Roberts didn’t make me care. I finished the book happy and wanting to watch myself some westerns. That’s kind of impressive.

Have you read any Nora Roberts? Can you recommend a book? And do you get daunted going into reading an author who is as prolific as this because really, where do you start?