Rating: 
Summary: Really, really good!
Review: I had begun to be a bit jaded by Nora Roberts' books, thinking that maybe she'd lost a bit of the magic that I used to get from her books. "Carolina Moon" sees, I believe, a return to form by The author. The novel does use a similar plot to nearly all Roberts' books and the murderer is far too easy to work out but the way the author tackles the emotions of the two main characters made this book stand out for me, you could really identify with what they were feeling. Brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, Weak Ending
Review: I found this book to be a great, multi-faceted and deeply interesting read. The characters are very alive.. and a bit unpredictable. The setting is fabulous, the story line is great. Tori is a gutsy gal! The only problem I had with this book was the ending, although a totally unexpected surprise, seemed odd and a bit out of place in contrast to the rest of the book -- kind of weak. However..I did very much enjoy reading it and based on this one, can't wait to read another Nora Roberts novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This was a great book in a way that left you on the edge of your seat. Nora Roberts plays with your mind and leads you to believe two different things. It's a book about friendship, evil ways of adolescense, and love. I would definately recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Romance ... Bad Mystery
Review: As usual, enjoyed the romance of Nora Roberts -- and in this case the unusual qualities of the heroine -- but the mystery aspect of the story was lackluster in its resolution.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Very Boring!
Review: I have read several books by Nora Roberts and have enjoyed them all. I could not even finish this one. I hope her next novel is better!
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I was hoping to finish this book, and respond with 'of course, I should have figured that out!'. But instead, I said 'give me a break'! A good mystery must be mysterious and not easily solved; but it also must all come together in the end. I am sorry, but this one doesn't. She could have chosen anyone of the 20 or so characters and had the same result. Come on Nora, you can do better. I have read previous Nora Roberts books and quite enjoyed them, even if I did figure out the mystery before it was revealed. But this one, I just don't buy! Don't waste your time on it. There are too many really good books out there. Choose wisely.
Rating:
Summary: Don't let "romance novel" standing scare you away.
Review: Nora Roberts' latest novel, "Carolina Moon," fits quite comfortably in the category of romance.Unfortunately, that particular description seems to have a stigma that turns away people leery of the genre, especially men, expect the stereotypical white-knight, breathless-heroine, ripped-bodice plots. The readers that turn away are missing out. Most novels that are called romances are so much more than that, and just as deserving of readers' attentions as anything by John Grisham or Stephen King, or backed by Oprah Winfrey. "Carolina Moon" is no different. It is a tale that will thrill any romantic spirit, but also quick-witted, engaging, erotic and contains enough danger and mystery to make it a viable action-adventure. You won't be bored. As a child in South Carolina, eight-year-old Tory Bodeen escaped her abusive father's rage through the adventures she shared with Hope Levelle, the eight-year-old daughter of a wealthy family. When Hope was brutally murdered, shame and secrets surrounded Tory's departure. Years later, she's back in town where it all began - Progress, South Carolina - and the same whispers are still following her as she fights to make peace with what happened the night of Hope's murder. Along the way, Tory finds friendship with Hope's rebellious twin sister Faith, and love with Hope's older brother Cade. Just one problem - the monster who killed Hope is still free. And he's been waiting for Tory to return. Roberts has penned an edge-of-your-seat thriller. Each time Tory (who has a bit of a psychic thing going on) feels the presence of Hope's killer nearby, the reader's heart pounds with fear. It's a chilling whodunit, enhanced by the fact that everyone in town is suspect. It also deserves mention that one of the most interesting characters is Progress itself. The town has a mood, an aura of mystery to it, and is filled with bizarre characters to give it an eclectic feel: There's Cade and Faith's domineering mother, a woman who puts the capital "B" in ... There's Cade's eccentric Aunt Rosie, whose absent-minded thefts drive Tory up a wall, and there's Cecil, Tory's grandmother's kindhearted plumber/lover. Faith is a particularly joyous delight to behold, and her sizzling affair with Wade, the town's sensitive veterinarian, is a hoot. Don't let the "romance novel" label scare you away from this wonderful book. "Carolina Moon" ultimately boils down to good old-fashioned storytelling at its best, and no one should go away without experiencing it.
Rating:
Summary: Carolina Bore
Review: I hated this book. I guessed "whodunit" about half-way through. I did not like any of the characters - Tory's repeated proclamations about her independence became tiresome very quickly. I thought Cade was whimpy and Faith's character inconsistent. The remainder of the characters were poorly drawn. I was so bored with the plot that I skimmed the last 20 or so pages just to finish what I started.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: Victoria "Tory" Bodeen has come home to Progress, South Carolina, the place of her birth and scene of her worst nightmares. Her best friend, Hope Lavelle, was murdered in Progress when she was 8 years old and it was Tory who led police to the body. Tory has psychic visions and watched the murder in her mind's eye as she lay weeping in her bed after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her father. Tory fled Progress at the age of 18 and looked back only once, when she went at age 20 to visit her parents. That visit was cut short when her father, Hannibal Bodeen, beat Tory up and her mother, Sarabeth, berated Tory for upsetting him. Now, Tory has come back to be near her beloved grandmother, put her ghosts behind her, and open a store in town. The reserved, ultra-standoffish Tory's motives are twofold: to guage her own strength by putting the past behind her, and to unmask Hope's murderer. As a tenuous friendship emerges between straight-laced Tory and Hope's wild and irrepressible twin, Faith, a romance blossoms with handsome Cade Lavelle. Soon, a young woman in town is murdered and Tory learns that there have been others over the years, all fitting a pattern of looking like Hope would have looked had she lived and being killed on or near Hope's birthday. All of the signs are pointing to the malevolent, half-mad Hannibal Bodeen. When Sarabeth Bodeen is murdered while Hannibal is on the run from a rape charge, that pretty well clinches his guilt in the minds of many. But is it true? Only after another couple of blood-curdling confrontations does the full truth emerge. This book plays heavily on the romance angle, but is also full of mystery and intrigue to satisfy the suspense aficionado. Ms. Roberts's writing is strong and evocative; indeed, she chooses her words to paint South Carolina with the brush of a master. The settings feel real, the characters have flesh and bones, and the dialect rings true. One word of warning: this may be a hard read for victims of child abuse. All in all, however, this is a spellbinding tale, superb for whiling away a rainy afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than the Reef!
Review: This was one of Nora Robert's better recent efforts. Her one fault is that once the abused heroine meets up with Mr. Right and they get together, she never again has any fallout from abuse - and that just would not happen in real life! For what it's worth, I thought the heroine reached out the hero out of a need for affirmation that she was still alive, not out of callousness or insensitivity, although I can understand why that could be interpreted in that way. I really enjoyed the character of Faith in particular.
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