Blue Smoke
by Nora Roberts
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nora RobertsEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2005-09-17
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 437
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Book Reviews of Blue Smoke
Book Review: Entertaining Read from a Great Novelist
Summary: 4 Stars
Prior to reading a book, especially when I have several other books to read on my "to-read" shelf, I check out Amazon.com's reviews. There were quite a few positive reviews for this book but more than a fair share of people slamming the book for one reason or another. Not certain what I was getting into, I read the book with lowered expectations and was pleasantly surprised.
When she was eleven, Reena watched her parents' Italian restaurant burn. It was arson, the culprit went to jail, and Reena found her life's work - investigating arson fires. The novel starts when Reena was eleven and in the first couple of hundred pages follows her at various points in her life as tragedy takes the life of her boyfriend, an almost boyfriend, and another fire is set to frame her. The isolated incidents take place over the course of 10 years, so while it is obvious to the reader that Reena is being singled out, it is not obvious to her.
At thirty-one, Reena buys a house next door to Bo Goodnight (great hero, but seriously horrible name, how high of a cheese factor can you get?). Bo has glimpsed Reena through the years at various points, once at a party, another time at the mall, once in traffic, but he has always been thwarted from actually being able to meet no matter how hard he tried to reach her. One of the highlights of the book is Reena stepping out into her back yard and meeting Bo for the first time. This is a funny, endearing scene that really had me liking Bo.
For those who are fans of J.D. Robb, this book will be a fun and great read for you. I'm a Nora Roberts fan, and I am also the first to admit that not all of her books are winners (the Key trilogy was unreadable). "Blue Smoke" is a fun book and an entertaining read. Reena has a large family that she is close to and spends a lot of time with, people in the neighborhood know her, and reading about her life and her neighborhood was enjoyable.
The romance is enjoyable, too, with two characters who do not treat each other horribly or get into stupid misunderstandings or fight for no reason. I particularly like to read romances where the main characters are not stupid or mean with each other, and this is a great example of that. The most believable romance stories to me are the ones where the characters like each other, respect each other, and have a fairly easy going relationship with each other. This novel illustrates the joy of that type of relationship.
In reading the unfavorable reviews, I think that Nora Roberts is in a very difficult position. There are many people who love the familiarity in a Roberts novel, the known happily ever after, the type of hero and heroines she writes, the kind of families she showcases. I think that when she writes books with these signature elements some people really enjoy them and some people wail "She's in a rut!"
However, when she branches out and does something different with her novels, as she does here, the reverse happens, people are upset that they had to read almost 200 pages before the main romance kicks in, while much of the book is relegated to solving a mystery that the readers have solved from page one.
None of these factors really dulled my enjoyment of the book. I tend to like Roberts' work, especially when she does something out of the ordinary. She writes well and even the beginning parts that I knew ahead of time would contain tragedy were extremely entertaining to read because Roberts is simply an excellent writer. I enjoyed the book immensely, in part due to the big family, the friendships, and sense of community she imbues this novel with.
One word of warning, though, toward the end of the book there is a lengthy scene from the villains point of view. I have read enough of the other reviews to know that this is a pretty horrific murder/rape scene. I pretty much skipped the entire scene so I don't count it in this review. I've read enough romance novels over the years to know that I don't particularly care for the villains point of view in most cases and it doesn't really add much to the story for me so I either skim or skip a lot of those passages. I didn't feel I missed anything from the book by doing so, and if those scenes bother you, U suggest skipping it.
I'm pleased that Nora Roberts continues to write different types of novels without paying too much attention to the criticism she receives. She can't please everyone, but her popularity shows that she does please the majority of people the majority of the time.
If you do not like her J.D. Robb books, give this one a pass, but for those who enjoy reading Roberts for her excellent writing, you will enjoy "Blue Smoke"
Summary of Blue Smoke
The blaze that night at her family?s pizzeria changed young Reena Hale?s life in more ways than one. Neighbors and relatives would pull together to help the Hales get through the crisis and rebuild. The Baltimore authorities would arrest the arsonist responsible. But as Reena gazed into the fire, beheld its brutal beauty and destructive power, her destiny began to take shape. She would study, struggle, and walk the gauntlet to understand and master its terrible force - and one day become an investigator herself. But she is not the only one fascinated by the flames. Someone else sees their power as well - and is obsessed not with conquering the fire but with controlling it, owning it, using it to exact vicious revenge? When Reena achieves her goal and joins the arson unit, her strength and wits are constantly tested. Though sometimes the job seems like a snap compared to her love life. One relationship after another has ended for her - some in tragedy or drama, some not with a bang but with a whimper. And she can?t always blame them - after all, a soot-caked woman barking orders and smelling of smoke isn?t the biggest turn-on in the world. Then she meets Bo Goodnight, who seems different. He?s been trying to find Reena for years, and now that she is close enough to touch, he has no intention of letting go. Nor does the man who has begun to haunt Reena?s life - with taunting phone calls and a string of horrifying crimes. And as Reena tries desperately to trace the origins - of the calls, the fires, the hatred aimed in her direction - she will step into the worst inferno she has ever faced?Romantic Suspense Books
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