Nora Roberts

...always puzzles me. High Noon is a fabulous, many-layered book with lots of side stories. It feels much less like a cookie cutter book than the "In Death" series. Lots of Roberts' tales don't tempt me to crack the covers. I wouldn't have read this one, except it was handed to me by Heidi. I can't refuse a free read.

High Noon has everything a girl could want--tough heroine looking out for her family, a rich, handsome bachelor, and several chillingly despicable bad guys. And romance--the hot variety. The heroine talks people off ledges and out of hostage situations. Not your everyday skill set!

Books I won't be reading

I think I'll skip Kleypas' Christmas book--A Wallflower Christmas. I read the review on likesbooks.com, and one of the girls is agonizing over her husband's interest in another woman. I hate that type of storyline.

I won't read anything less than 4 1/2 **** on Amazon, or anything less than a B on likesbooks. Those two rating systems usually run true with my own taste.

Except-- 5 **** don't always guarantee that I'll agree. I like Regency, but not Amanda Quick or Jane Feather.

I like mystery--but not gore. Some of the Eve Dallas books run a little strong in the S and M department for my taste. However, some are just excellent. I'm really liking High Noon by Nora Roberts, and she uses there some of her successful JD Robb techniques.