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As her fans well know, in 1979 a blizzard trapped Roberts at home for a week with two bored little kids and a dwindling supply of chocolate. To maintain her sanity, Roberts started scribbling a story -- a romance novel like the Harlequin paperbacks she'd recently begun reading. The resulting manuscript was rejected by Harlequin, but that didn't matter to Roberts. She was hooked on writing. Several rejected manuscripts later, her first book was accepted for publication by Silhouette.
For several years, Roberts wrote category romances for Silhouette -- short books written to the publisher's specifications for length, subject matter and style, and marketed as part of a series of similar books. Roberts has said she never found the form restrictive. "If you write in category, you write knowing there's a framework, there are reader expectations," she explained. "If this doesn't suit you, you shouldn't write it. I don't believe for one moment you can write well what you wouldn't read for pleasure."
Roberts never violated the reader's expectations, but she did show a gift for bringing something fresh to the romance formula. Her first book, Irish Thoroughbred (1981), had as its heroine a strong-willed horse groom, in contrast to the fluttering young nurses and secretaries who populated most romances at the time. But Roberts's books didn't make significant waves until 1985, when she published Playing the Odds, which introduced the MacGregor clan. It was the first bestseller of many.
Roberts soon made a name for herself as a writer of spellbinding multigenerational sagas, creating families like the Scottish MacGregors, the Irish Donovans and the Ukrainian Stanislaskis. She also began working on romantic suspense novels, in which the love story unfolds beneath a looming threat of violence or disaster. She grew so prolific that she outstripped her publishers' ability to print and market Nora Roberts books, so she created an alter ego, J.D. Robb. Under the pseudonym, she began writing romantic detective novels set in the future. By then, millions of readers had discovered what Publishers Weekly called her "immeasurable diversity and talent."
Although the style and substance of her books has grown, Roberts remains loyal to the genre that launched her career. As she says, "The romance novel at its core celebrates that rush of emotions you have when you are falling in love, and it's a lovely thing to relive those feelings through a book."
Roberts sued fellow writer Janet Dailey in 1997, accusing her of plagiarizing numerous passages of her work over a period of years. Dailey paid a settlement and publicly apologized, blaming stress and a psychological disorder for her misconduct.
TKsBaskets
Posted June 27, 2011
Love Shane! This is the third in a series that is on my keeper shelf.
I have dog-eared copies of this entire series. Now I have them safely in my nook library! This is a great series to go to when you need a great story, wonderful interconnected family, and guys that love their women.
Reading order (for those who asked): Rafe, Jared, Devin, then Shane.
17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.theReader278
Posted July 10, 2011
I Also Recommend:
I enjoyed this book so much! I have read most of Nora Roberts's books and this is one of my favourites! Great characters. Interesting story!
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bambi56
Posted October 6, 2011
Fantastic book and family :-)
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In-bed-with-my-Nook
Posted July 18, 2011
After reading all for novels in this series, I'd have to say that this, the last, is the weakest of the four. I was looking forward to meeting Shane, the youngest of the MacKade brothers. But, for me, he was the least likeable--basically an egotistical jock who couldn't keep his eyes, hands, and whatever other body part you'd like to mention off the women. I never could get into Rebecca. Throughout the novel she seemed bi-polar. One minute she was this over-educated twit, the next a demure door-mouse. (By the way...she's totally unbelievable as a psychiatrist. That's an MD specialty. Not likely for a 25-year-old. Even a genius.) The author intentionally wrote both characters this way, but neither were very sympathetic. By the end of the novel I was hoping she'd just go back to New York and spend the rest of her life being a self-absorbed little twit like she deserved. And for Shane, he could go back to shagging every little number that came his way. But...as in every romance novel, they fell for each other..the psychotic psychiatrist and the too-horny-for-words farmboy. Yuk.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 23, 2012
Excellent
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 11, 2012
The whole series rocks! How can you not love the MacKade Brothers?!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 27, 2012
The book wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Middle of the road. I'm sure you've read one like it already.
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Posted October 31, 2012
I loved all the McKade storys
Anonymous
Posted October 22, 2012
This is a short story packaged as a book. All 4 stories of the MacKade brothers should be 1 book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 12, 2012
Despite the reviews that say otherwise, this is the last book of a QUARTET. Like most Nora Roberts books. it's easy to get attached to the characters and hope they get their happy ending
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.acpkazoo
Posted July 30, 2012
I love Nora Roberts, and loved the MacKade Brothers trilogy. She does women best but still creates believable male characters. And what I love most about Nora Roberts is that you don't want to leave the characters after one volume so the trilogy format is perfect. I'm not into ghosts so that aspect of this trilogy is lost on me, but it didn't detract from the story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 15, 2012
G
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Posted July 13, 2012
Good book
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 11, 2012
If you enjoy the MacKade series, you should read them all.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.savoli
Posted June 27, 2012
This is one of a 3 book series. They are all really good to read, keeps your interest, and is not too complicated. These books just make reading a pleasure.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DanaD0
Posted June 25, 2012
I Also Recommend:
The McKade brothers are so easy to love and Shane is no exception. What fun!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CK11
Posted June 22, 2012
Still reading this one but it follows the predictable pattern of the first three- girl meets boy; conflicts arise; how will it be resolved? The ghosts are still around but does Shane feel them/see them? Is he in denial trying to be the tough farmer? Is it just the Civil War ghosts or are other ghosts holing Shane back? Read and find the answers.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Heather_Reid
Posted June 17, 2012
As an avid reader, I love Nora Roberts, and I loved this trilogy! You won't be disappointed by the story line, or the characters! They completely came to life in my mind! I like to read all types of books, but when I need a chance to escape and "become" someone else for a little while, I can do it with Nora Roberts, and you can do it with the MacKades!
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Posted June 17, 2012
Nora Roberts hooks you right away and dosen't let go until you have read all 4 books in this series. Mixture of history, supernatural and everyday lives makes this series truly enjoyable.
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Posted June 14, 2012
Nora Roberts is one of my preferred authors. I put all four of this series on my Nook, and read them in sequence. Awesome reading!
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Overview
Shane MacKade loved women. He loved the look of them, the smell of them, the taste of them—everything about them. So the last thing he expected was to become a one-woman man. And even more surprising was that it was the Ph.D.-toting academic Rebecca McKnight that had him heading for a fall. Are Shane’ s days as a bachelor over? It’ s a possibility....