Review by Booklist Review
If Alice Bodine ever returns to her family's Montana ranch, her niece, Bodine Longbow, is prepared to give her a good piece of her mind for all the worry, stress, and grief she has caused everyone. When, however, Alice does turn up, 25 years after she ran away, at the Bodine Ranch and Luxury Resort, a good scolding is the last thing on Bodine's mind. Battered, bruised, and with no memory of her old life, Alice has escaped from Sir, a man who had sexually and emotionally abused her for years. When Bodine puts this together with the recent murders of two women, she suspects that someone very twisted may be living nearby. Fortunately, Bodine knows she can rely on her family and staff, including her new hire and old love, Callen Skinner, for all the help she needs to see that justice is done. With its take-no-guff heroine, who understands the importance of family and friends, and a compelling plot peppered with domestic details and composed of equal measures of spine-tingling suspense and sexy romance, this is quintessential Roberts. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Nora Roberts and a one-million-copy print run: what more is there to say?--Charles, John Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Roberts takes the reader on a journey to western Montana to a family ranch and the story of how one of their own disappeared. Over two decades ago, rebellious Alice Bodine ran away from her Montana home to make her fortune in Hollywood-only to head back three years later. But her return was derailed when she was captured and made prisoner. Fast forward to the present day, when the Bodine estate is a thriving dude ranch and luxury resort. Bodine Longbow, Alice's niece, works hard ensuring that the day-to-day operations at the resort run smoothly, even as she comes face-to-face with her childhood crush, Callen Skinner, who has returned to Montana from California. As the attraction builds between Callen and Bodine, Alice miraculously escapes her captor and is welcomed back into the family fold. Her tale of abuse and torture at the hands of her captor coincides with the recent brutal murder of two young women. The suspense continues to rise as law enforcement searches for the killer and Alice's kidnapper. Yet what makes this novel most engaging is Roberts's ability to suffuse her story with rich details of one family's life, as well as sizzling doses of romance and mystery. 1,000,000-copy announced first printing. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Years before Bodine Longbow was born, her rebellious Aunt Alice left home to seek her fortune and, except for a few postcards, has not been heard from since. But the long-lost Alice is closer to home than anyone realizes, and while Alice is merely an unsettling family legend for Bodine, her startling return stuns everyone and brings danger to light. As the dots begin to connect, Bodine and ranch manager Callen Skinner deal with their growing attraction as they work to solve a knotty puzzle and thwart a villain who has Bodine in his sights. -VERDICT Drawing on current events, Roberts has penned a horrifying tale of abduction, abuse, and resilience intertwined with a sweet romance that will keep the night-lights burning. Roberts (Island of Glass) lives in Keedysville, MD. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bodine Longbow runs her family's Montana resort with an unfailing can-do attitude, but nothing can prepare her or the family for the return of her long-lostand brutalizedaunt or an unexpected rash of violence in the area.Four generations of women have a hand in the Longbow family businesses, consisting of a ranch and a popular resort. Bodine loves her family's Montana legacy and working with her great-grandmother, grandmother, parents, and brothers. She's getting used to having Callen Skinner, her teen crush, back in town, especially since he's great with horses and she needs a new manager. Hiring Cal makes sense, though she's a little worried about becoming his boss given their obvious mutual attraction. When two women are murdered in the area, suspicion falls on Cal thanks to a deputy sheriff who holds a grudge. Then Alice, an aunt who disappeared before Bodine was born, shows up with a chilling story of having been captured and held for 20-plus years by a violent psychopath. Bodine, Cal, and the family laser in on taking care of the fragile woman but wonder if the events could be connected. Questions mount and tensions ratchet even higher when Cal and his horse are shot at during a ride. Suddenly no one seems safe, and the Longbows circle the wagons, but will it be enough to save the family and their loved ones? Roberts always tells a good story that balances romance and suspense, but in this title, the narrative is deeper, the mystery is more layered, and with Alice, Roberts moves into another level of exploring physical and emotional trauma and the powerful balm of family and love.With her past couple of titles, Roberts (as opposed to her typically grittier moniker, J.D. Robb) is moving into more complex and darker storytelling, to terrific effect. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
