Nora Roberts became one of my favorite authors a few years ago. Since then, I have been picking up her new books when they are released while also picking up some of her older books. I just finished reading Angels Fall, her newest book.

Reece Gilmore had left her life in Boston behind after she was the only survivor of a violent crime. She ended up in the small town of Angel’s Fist Wyoming when her car broke down. She decided to find a job and stay there awhile. She was quickly hired as a cook in the local diner by the owner Joanie. She was starting to settle in when she witnessed a murder while she was on a hike. Brody, a writer, was on a different part of the trail and Reece ran into him after she saw the murder. When she took him back to where she had seen the crime, the body was gone and the police found no evidence once they arrived. Several people had already noticed that Reece was a bit jumpy and some tended to believe that she’d just imagined the murder. Joanie and Linda-gail, a waitress at the diner, believed Reece. Brody never doubted her and he did what he could to help her. They ended u starting a relationship while someone was trying to make Reece believe that she was crazy.

Angels Fall started off slower and took the time to establish Reece and introduce other supporting characters before the action started. After that, the pace picked up and remained faster without being rushed. I wasn’t bored with the slower parts and thought all of the book was very interesting. It mostly focused on Reece and her attempts to get her life back in order. It was made clear from very early in the book that Reece had some issues to deal with even though it wasn’t explained what those were at first. The problems that Reece had did add some complications to the plot and even contributed to a few surprises.

Mystery was added to the plot through what Reece saw during her hike. She had stopped for a break and to watch a hawk when she saw the man and woman on the other side of the river fighting. She was convinced she saw the woman murdered and she struggled to get the sheriff to believe her. Brody didn’t doubt her even though he couldn’t find any thing to support her claim and they barely knew each other at the time. Strange things happened that made Reece doubt her sanity more than once. Those strange things helped to add a bit of suspense and keep things interesting. The mystery was complicated enough to keep me guessing about what would happen next. The mystery probably could have been a little bit stronger.

Brody and Reece met shortly after she’d decided to stay in Angel’s Fist. They had met briefly in town before Reece went to him after she saw what she was convinced was a murder. Brody wanted to find out for sure what was going on and he and Reece started to spend a lot of time together. They were attracted to each other, but Reece was hesitant about getting involved because of the issues she still had to work out. Brody didn’t push her to rush into a relationship. They did become intimate and shared several sex scenes and sexual situations throughout the book. The scenes were descriptive without being really explicit. Brody and Reece’s relationship wasn’t the main focus of the book, but it was very important to the overall plot. The relationship didn’t detract from the mystery.

When Reece decided she was going to stay in Angel’s Fist, she quickly managed to get herself a job as a cook at the diner that Joanie owned. At first Reece was only making simple things at the diner. As the book progressed and she started spending more time with Brody, she started cooking more elaborate meals. Some of the meals sounded like they would be very good and even made me hungry when I was reading. A little bit of the preparation of some of the dishes was shared without actual recipes being given. I wouldn’t mind having some of them to try out myself. Reece working as a cook tied back into what had happened to her before she left Boston.

Reece and Brody were the main characters in Angels Fall with Reece being in more of the book and the more developed character. She’d had some problems in the past and was working to overcome the lingering issues she had related to what had happened to her. She was stronger than she seemed. Brody had been a reporter before becoming a mystery writer and moving to Angel’s Fist. He was rude at times but he did care about Reece and want to help her. He was able to calm her down when she was on the verge of anxiety attacks. He really liked the meals that Reece fixed.

Joanie owned the diner and also worked as a cook. She was willing to take a chance on Reece and hired her even though she wasn’t from around Angel’s Fist. Joanie also was involved in some other businesses around town, including owning several cabins that she rented out. Joanie could seem a bit gruff at times, but she was nice to the people she liked. Joanie believed Reece when many other people didn’t. Linda-gail worked as a waitress at the diner. She was a kind woman that also believed Reece. Every time I saw her name, I was thinking how different it was. Lo was Joanie’s son who had a reputation for sleeping with as many women as he could while avoiding serious commitments. Everyone called him Lo as a nickname - short for Lothario. Lo tried to put the moves on Reece the first time he saw her. He was nice enough when he wasn’t hitting on women. Rick was the sheriff. He had doubts about Reece’s story when he first heard it but he investigated her claims.

Nora Roberts also writes a futuristic romantic suspense series of books under the name J.D. Robb. I actually started reading the In Death books first and then moved on to the books she has written with her own name. Both groups of books are very well written and entertaining. Both groups feature mysteries with some romance added in. The mysteries tend to be stronger in the In Death books. Really the only difference between the two groups of books is that the In Death books are set in the future. People that like one group of the books may also like the other since they were really written by the same person. She has written one book, Remember When, that was credited listed as being written by Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb. The book started in current times and finished in the time of the In Death series. The two halves of the book were connected by a mystery. Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.

Angels Fall was an interesting, entertaining book that I really enjoyed. Fans of Nora Roberts should enjoy it.

www.noraroberts.com

Thank you to pearannoyed for getting this book added to Epinions so I could review it.


Nora Roberts Book Reviews
Series
Reflections ~ Dance of Dreams ~ Hidden Star ~ Captive Star ~ Secret Star ~ Night Shift ~ Night Shadow ~ Night Smoke ~ Night Shield ~ Cordina's Crown Jewel ~ Cordina's Royal Family ~ Dance Upon the Air ~ Heaven & Earth ~ Face the Fire ~ Key of Light ~ Key of Knowledge ~ Key of Valor ~ Blue Dahlia ~ Black Rose ~ Red Lily ~

Single Titles
Birthright ~ Blue Smoke ~ Chesapeake Blue ~ Engaging the Enemy ~ Genuine Lies ~ Midnight Bayou ~ Once More With Feeling ~ Northern Lights ~ Sweet Revenge ~ Three Fates ~ The Villa ~

Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb
Remember When ~

Recommended: Yes