Birthright

Rating:
Summary: Weak Romance....Horrible Narration.... Maudlin subplot
Review: As someone who has enjoyed many of Nora Robert's works in the past, I found myself disappointed with the audio version of Birthright. I found the Narrator's voice to be extremely irritating and just did NOT work work for this reader. The voice she uses for Callie, sounds like she smokes six packs a day, and the hero (especially Graystone), sounds like a hick with laryngitis. Awful.

The plotline, had potential, but it didn't live up to it. I was quite interested in the archaeological dig, and the community of archaeological workers, but this plotline got buried quickly under the subplot over Callie's identity. For me Callie's long-suffering mother reliving the pain of her baby's abduction over and over was quite maudlin, had me wanting to hit the fast forward button. I know it is callous of me, but I simply DID NOT CARE about Callie's origins, or what had happened to Callie 30 years ago. What I wanted to read was romance. NOW.

Callie and Graystone's 'relationship' was unsuspensful, unless you like 'bedhopping and 'big misunderstanding' subplots. Graystone had potential, but the constant bickering between this couple left me cold. (There is nothing sexy or attractive of listening to two people bicker and torture each other). I also felt, that Callie as a major character of supposed intelligence acted rather stupid half the time. An example: Callie ran into the woods after a bad guy, armed with a can of 'bug spray' *groan*.

The other romantic character Lana, I actually liked. She was oodles more mature than Callie, and handled her affairs in a professional way. Her love interest Doug, however had zero personality. This character could easily been left out. Perhaps this novel would've been more interesting if the romance had been between Lana and Graystone?

Overall, I guess I found this book a disappointment. It had potential, but got bogged down with mindless melodrama over Callie's origins, and a senseless secondary romance and endless, endless whining and hand-wringing.

Rating: Average, but poor narration loses it a star.

Rating:
Summary: How disappointing
Review: I seldom can afford to buy hardcover books but I am such a fan of Nora Roberts that I can't stand to wait for the paper back edition. Hence I was on the waiting list for her latest. The editors writeup did not sound like something I'd enjoy but we often have different tastes.This time we were years apart. This was the dullest book I have ever read; and yes, I plowed all the way to the end because often times Ms Roberts saves the last part of the book for a smashing finish.Believe me, I could have lost this book at any point and never wondered again who did what. PLEASE wait for the paper back to bore yourself to death!!!

Rating:
Summary: An Illegal Adoption Secret Takes Place!
Review: Callie Dunbrook who is a grown woman and a very gifted archaeologist is a woman with a past she has no idea about. Her parents never disclosed the fact that she had been adopted as an infant at three months old. What was unknown, was that she was actually sold by an attorney who was up to no good with adoption scams.

How Callie will find out is by a mysterious woman that appears at her door one day inquiring about her past. Callie is dumbfounded and seeks the truth.

There is danger lurking out there, and as Callie continues her search, it becomes closer to her. This is where her ex-husband Jake will be of great help. In fact, they may end up in love all over again.

A good book about roots and discovery. There is a lot of mystery in this book!

Rating:
Summary: A Total Pageturner
Review: Nora Roberts at her best: Birthright had all the usual ingredients of a great read with strong women, handsome men who just don't get it the first time, a mystery to solve and then a marvelous ending.

Callie Dunbrook, aka, Jessica Cullen, as the story unfolds is a successful archelogist on her way to a dig in Woodsboro, Md. At the first media presentation a woman in the area sees Callie on TV and recognizes physical characteristics that lead her to believe that Callie is her daughter Jessica.

Jessica was kidnapped when she was three years old as her brother Douglas waited to see Santa. The tragedy tore apart Suzanne Cullen's life, her family and her relationship with her son Doug who had been 3 years old at the time of the kidnapping.

Solving the mystery of who Callie/Jessica's parents really are, and how it all came to be makes for a story with escalating suspense. Nora Roberts has so many successful stories under belt that it's hard to say which one is best; Birthright is probably very near the top of the list.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Books by Nora Roberts!
Review: The town of Woodsboro, MD was divided over the new Antietam Creek development. Half of the town thought it was great that they were building some new homes in the area - the building brought jobs and the new families would breathe new life into the little town. The other half of the town wanted to preserve the beautiful area which sat by a tranquil pond as a nature conservation area. However, nature lost out to commercialism and the Antietam Creek development was underway when a construction worker found a human skull while he was digging.

When archaeologist Callie Dunbrook discovered that the skull was 5,000 years old, she jumped at the chance to go and excavate. This could be the find of the century and make her career. Not even the discovery that Jake Greystone, her ex-husband, would be the anthropologist on site could keep her away. Callie throws herself into her work, but quickly has her world pulled out from under her. Suzanne Cullen, owner and founder of Suzanne's Kitchen, a successful bakery business, spots Callie on TV and knows that Callie is her long lost Jessica, her baby who was stolen when she was only a few months old.

Callie refuses to believe it. Her parents never said anything about adoption and she thinks that Suzanne is not very mentally stable to boot. Unfortunately, Callie soon learns that she was adopted and that her parents paid a quarter of a million dollars for the privilege. Callie knows that she cannot be the daughter that Suzanne has always waited for, but she is determined to bring those responsible to justice. But as Callie uncovers dark secrets she discovers that someone is determined to keep the past buried - even if they have to kill for it...

I think that this is one of Nora Roberts best romantic thrillers. Her characters are absolutely riveting in this book and I identified with and loved them all. Callie, who loved her parents and thought that being independent was the only way to be free; Jake, who thought that expressions of love didn't have to be verbal and that if there was no trust there was no love; Suzanne, a woman who had sacrificed everything including her husband and her other child to find the child that she had lost; Lana Campbell, Callie's beautiful, capable lawyer who had lost her husband in a senseless shooting and now found herself falling in love again; Doug Cullen, as Callie's older brother, he hated himself for not taking care of the baby Jessica and didn't know if he wanted a sister in his life; and many, many other characters. Lana and Doug had a nice secondary romance going on and Suzanne started to fit her life back together again in the book. The villains were great, evil and a little insane and a complete surprise (to me, at least). The icing on the cake was the archaeological and anthropological detail that Roberts included, which was absolutely fascinating. A great read - well worth your time!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Usually I am an Nora Robert's fan, but this book was disappointing to me. I find that the main character Callie is very annoying. There is so much thing going on in the book that sometimes it's confusing. The romance was not what I expected from her other books. I hope her next book will be better than this one.

Rating:
Summary: Good read but predictable
Review: A good page turner but most of the character plots seemed to neat and obvious. You can almost guess the ending before it begins.

Rating:
Summary: Good book--but!!!???
Review: Downside: Jake & Callie were very immature during their marriage. She accuses him of being unfaithful based on his past reputation and the manipulations of a vindictive woman instead of trusting him. Instead of telling her it wasn't true, he says nothing, walks out on her and sends her divorce papers. And she lets it happen.

Fast forward, they're now working on a dig together. They each still blame the other for the break-up of their marriage, neither will take any responsiblity. I also didn't get Callie's attitude. She avoided love and commitment like the plague, and was rabidly independent. Why? She wasn't raised that way nor had an experience that would explain it. And it wasn't a genetic trait.

Upside: It was an incredible plot. Heartbreaking, thrilling, funny and romantic all at once. The information on the dig was fascinating. I loved the secondary romance and ached for Suzanne and Jay, what a horrible experience. And although I figured out the culprit about half way through the book, the why alluded me until the end.

Rating:
Summary: Another great Nora Roberts read!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt the story line was very believeable. I have many friends that are adopted and often wonder "what if" this kind of story were to "happen" to them as they get older. We live in a very, very large world but sometimes the world is indeed very small.

Nora Roberts obviously researched adoption on the black market very carefully. Only if you understand how a couple of any social standing could want a baby so bad to go to any length to get one, can you sympathize with the main characters' parents.

I really enjoyed Callie and Jacob's characters. The way Jacob felt about his wife was very touching. It was like two separate souls looking for each other but somehow missing the point. I would love to read about their future together. Jacob's background would be a great book to explore also.

As always, when Nora Roberts really researches a subject and brings her wonderful insights into the story, you can't help but enjoy every page of her books.

Thank you for a great read. Keep it up Nora.

Rating:
Summary: Not My Favorite
Review: I love almost all of Mrs. Robert's books. Unfortunately, this one just didn't grab me and hold my interest. I thought Callie was, frankly, very annoying. As a big fan of the "In Death" series, I thought I saw a little recycling of "Eve" in Callie, but without her humor and heart. I thought the story line about Callie running into her true parents while on the "dig" a bit far fetched and ultimately I wasn't particularly touched by any of that story line. As always, Mrs. Robert's does her research and the technical look at a "dig" was interesting. Given all the books this prolific author turns out every year, I guess I can't complain when one of them lets me down. She is still one of the best writers out there for romance and mainstream romance/thriller genre.