Birthright

Rating:
Summary: Better and Better
Review: Nora Roberts has become my favorite female author and with each new release she proves anew her sublime mastery as a writer. I love the evolution of her dialog between parties. It is hip, ultra sophisticated, educational, always informative and just plain real. Personally, I adore her as J.D. Robb and her Lt. Eve Dallas stories most of all, but it is impossible to ignore anything she writes.

This novel is like a tour de force, both texbook and site exploration, of an archeological dig with a murder mystery and hot,hot,hot romances tossed in to keep all the intensity glowing. It is also a very emotional exploration of abducted/adopted children and the reunion that confronts those who must meet their birth parents or child whether or not they wish to on either side of the issue.

Callie, the heroine is just perfect with her sharp intellect and the veneer of tough as nails professional role. Her background as an archeologist who beds down in sleeping bags rather than in plush comfort accorded her throughout her life by her rich adoptive parents showcases Roberts' amazing skills as an author. She makes characters who are palpably real, multidimensional and believable and she can walk in any one's shoes. That is an incredible imagination.

The author's own emotional maturity shines best when Callie is thrown for a loop upon learning of her abduction and adoption. She is struggling to develop a more compassionate self toward her bad-boy ex-husband who has been hired as the anthropologist on site for the dig's duration, and she is tormented by her lingering passion for him that has never been extinguished.

Her greatest trial apart from being stalked by a murderer with herself as a target is in being forced to meet her birth mother who is a bit unhinged from her grief over her daughter's abduction nearly 30 years ago, and the reality that she is alive. Callie's struggle is to be open to her birth mother and yet remain true to her own parents. The pain is very deep and one can feel it.

Overall, this is a bittersweet tale but one that is so rich with facts and facets woven so skillfully throughout her prose that it is another of Roberts' books that I found simply irresistible.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read...dump the potty mouth
Review: I enjoyed the book very much; it was hard to put down. But come on Ms. Roberts, why the frequent potty mouth swear words? A "damn" hear and there would suffice just fine.

Rating:
Summary: A little romance, a little mystery, great characters!
Review: "Birthright" is classic Nora Roberts. It has just the right blend of romance, mystery, science and great characters. It isn't perfect, but it's the best Roberts I've read in a long time, and I would say that it's easily in her top 10 books.

The characters in "Birthright" are particularly rich and real. They are smart people (the heroine and her ex are both PhDs; the secondary characters are a lawyer and rare book finder), and dedicated to their jobs and families. You get to see the everyday lives and interactions that really brings a story to life. The romances are totally believable, and by the end you honestly think that everyone should be together. I have read far too many books with romance in them that simply rely on hormones and nothing else, and I was glad that Roberts stuck to her usual "develop the relationship" style.

I also loved the archaeology and anthropology aspect of the book. I wanted to be a digger when I was a child, and I never lost interest in the subject, so I might be biased. ;>

For those who are not as interested in that: While Roberts certainly does not beat you over the head with the science, it is always in the background, and she brings the human aspect to it. It's not just big words, folks. She tells you why it matters to Callie and Jake, why they feel what they are doing is important, and she does it in plain language.

I found the mystery portion of the book to be very well done overall, but more rushed the closer it got to the end. I understand why Roberts did it the way she did, but it was such an unhurried story that the ending was jarring. However, since life is often jarring, especially when it comes to big revelations, I didn't feel that the mystery's answer was unrealistic.

The very end was kind of corny (won't tell you what it is!), but honestly after all the angst and conflict, it was kind of like a little treat to finally have some cornball in there.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Perfect
Review: This is the best Nora Roberts has done in a very long time. Not that anything she writes is bad, but this one is simply classic Nora, along the lines of "Sanctuary" and others of her best works.

Simply put (there are lots of satisfying plot lines to sort out), feisty and beautiful Callie Dunbrook, a thirty-something archaeologist, begins work on what promises to be one of the decade's major finds--smack in the middle of the Civil War town of Antietam Creek--and discovers much more than bones and artifacts. A shocking truth about her past, combined with the equally shocking appearance at the dig of her ex-husband, anthropologist Jake Graystone, has her in a turmoil.

As Callie and Jake struggle to work together without letting their equally hot tempers explode in the stifling heat, the mystery of Callie's past threatens to surround and destroy everything they are working for and everything they are. And they are only two of a group of equally engrossing people, both on the dig and off.

Absolutely first-rate Nora, and the perfect beach book. Buy it and give yourself a real summer treat.

Rating:
Summary: I can't say enough good things about this book!
Review: Dr. Callie Dunbrook is an archaeologist. When she is called back from sabbatical to head the Antietam Creek dig, she knows it is the opportunity of a lifetime. Finding a 5,000-year-old human skeleton in Woodsboro, Maryland is just too fantastic to believe. It is such a great scientific discovery, but as Callie will find, it is to become even more of a self-discovery than she could have ever dreamed possible.

Once on site, Callie learns that her ex-husband, Jacob (Jake) Greystone, will be the lead anthropologist on the dig. She is very upset because their divorce was anything but agreeable. However he is one of the best, if not the best, anthropologist in the country, so he has certainly earned the job. Except for sparks flying with her ex-husband, all goes well on the project until Suzanne Cullen sees Callie during an interview with the local TV news. Suzanne is convinced that Callie is her daughter who was stolen 28 years ago when "little Jessica" was only three months old.

Things begin to get even more complicated when the landowner of the Antietam Creek dig is murdered. He had planned to build houses on the site until the bones were discovered. Why was he sneaking around the dig site? Who would want to murder him, and why? Could Callie possibly be the same Jessica that Suzanne Cullen has been seeking all these years? How can Callie fulfill her responsibilities as head archaeologist without killing, or at least maiming, her ex-husband?

This is the first Nora Roberts book I have read. If her other books are anything like this one, I have lots of enjoyable reading to catch up on. This book is excellent. The writing is wonderful. The character development and the plot are first rate. I am not usually one who cares a lot about romance but the author did attraction/repulsion so well in the story that it was truly complimentary to the plot and enhanced the characters' personalities. The mystery piece of the story was spun as well as any master storyteller could have weaved the threads.

Unfortunately I wasn't expecting a lot when I began to read BIRTHRIGHT. Some highly well known authors have sorely disappointed me lately. Since I have never read anything by Ms. Roberts before, I was afraid it would be more of the same. What a refreshing experience to find this was not so. Her words flow so smoothly and the characters are real enough to touch. She made me care about the characters and how the story would be resolved. I can't say enough good things about the book, so I will just say to read it for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

--- Reviewed by Barb Wright

Rating:
Summary: You can always count on Nora Roberts...
Review: Nora Robert's books are always winners, I am never disappointed with her stories or the caliber of her writing and this book is no exception. I am amazed how she can keep writing new and exciting stories.

Years ago, a baby girl was stolen/kidnapped from the local mall during christmas- leaving a devestated mother, brother. Now, Callie Dunbrook is an archeologist who is digging a site with her ex husband. Suzanne sees Callie and immediately knows it is her kidnapped daughter- she contacts Callie, but callie know she is mistaken, she is not adopted!
Of course, she is mistaken and Callie ( with the help of her ex husband, Jake) begins to uncover the mystery of her life. However, this immediately puts her life in danger as there are others who do not want this illegal baby scheme exposed.
A nice subplot to this is Doug- Callie's natural brother whose life was turned around by his baby sisters disappearance. His love story is a great subplot in this book.

All in all, a great book if you like mysterys, suspence, romance and intrigue- this book has it all.

Rating:
Summary: fabulous
Review: I love Nora Roberts and she didn't let me down with this book. I didn't want to put it down. I would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This book seemed great from the description I read of it before it was published. The main characters (especially Callie) had promise and I liked a lot of Roberts' ideas. However I think there was too much going on at once in this book - archaeology, a new building development, a romance between two ex's, a long and complex kidnapping plot and several murders. I felt the archaeology dig was a rather dry and boring setting. I felt that the last few pages, as people here have mentioned, were really "mailed in". The ending was contrived to the point that you couldn't figure out whodunnit because you didn't even know more than a few chracters in the book anyways (and the ones you did know were the 2 couples). Jake wasn't all that well-developed, usually I think one of Roberts' greatest strengths is developing the males so well. I agree with the reviewer who said he/she was getting sick of all the Irish or mysticism stories, so I was hoping this book would be a nice change. However it was also disappointing to me.

Frankly I'm kind of surprised by all the really positive reviews for this book because I found it contrived, jumbled, unbelievable and not very engaging. I think some of Roberts' best books are: True Betrayals, the Dream series, Public Secrets, Honest Illusions, and most especially, the In Death series. For books featuring sets of couples, I think Montana Sky and Sanctuary were great and Three Fates was quite good. Birthright is, to me, quite forgettable and not worth picking up, especially in hardcover.

Rating:
Summary: Not Nora Roberts' Best
Review: I was disappointed in this book--which never ever happens with a Nora Roberts story. I figured out 95 percent of the mystery almost immediately--and the romances were a big let down. This is the one books of Ms. Roberts that I wish I had waited for the paperback verion--and saved myself some money.

Rating:
Summary: She is having a great year!!!
Review: I love Nora Roberts work and I am always amazed by the quality to the number of books she cranks out a year. I really have to say she has out done herself this year as I think this was one of her best books yet. I also felt this way about her last "In Death " installment to her mystery series written as J. D. Robb. This book was a thriller all the way though, turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down.

In a mall around Christmas time a mother rushes to her three year old son who is scared of Santa. She turns back and her three month old daughter is gone! 28 years later this mother is watching TV and she sees her daughter. DR Callie Dunbrook, who is an archeologist on a site in Maryland where this child had been taken years ago. This mother Suzanne Cullen contacts Callie and Callie knows this woman is grasping at straws because she is not adopted.

Well, Callie who snoops around, she is a digger now, finds out she was adopted. Her parents promise she was adopted in good faith. Callie is determined to get to the bottom of this black market baby stealing for everybody's peace of mind. Callie's ex husband is assigned to the same dig and he backs her all the way. But there are people who do not want Callie digging around and will even kill to stop her.

This book was very creatively written, a true Nora Roberts romantic suspense thriller. Where innocent people was tangled up in this drama and even killed along the way. This was a book you could not put down for a minute. You do not want to miss this one. I really think it was one of her best!!