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Her latest concerns three siblings (the Hathaways) who find lovers and strained relationships while a homicidal madman is threatening their safety. The three live in a beautiful white gothic on the Georgia Sea Island of Lost Desire, which they've turned into an inn. Brian, the eldest—tall, cute, and morose—runs the establishment and is chef of its five-star kitchen. (His father Sam can't understand how a man can "enjoy creating a perfect meringue and still prefer women for sex.") Brian fights halfheartedly against the amorous advances of Kirby, the pretty Yankee doctor who runs the island's clinic; the two eventually end up locked in an embrace against her refrigerator door. Meanwhile, the youngest sib, Alexa Hathaway—sexy Lexy, the island princess with the gypsy hair—has failed at acting in New York and come home to waitress and throw a few tantrums. She fights halfheartedly against the honorable intentions of childhood buddy Giff Verdon, who's good with his hands and doesn't let her get away with much. Finally, there is Jo Ellen, a world-famous photographer who's returned to Desire after a nervous breakdown and is fighting a losing battle against empathic architect Nathan Delaney. Twenty years earlier, the Hathaways' mother, Annabelle, had disappeared, abandoning her family—or so it seemed. Now someone is stalking the family, having even sent Jo Ellen a picture of her mother, dead and naked.
As usual, the romance is better than the weird violence. There's not much suspense here, but it's good to see that heroines are becoming gutsier and heroes better in the kitchen.
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 165 novels. She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. She is indisputably the most celebrated and beloved women's fiction writer today. Nora lives in Maryland.
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.
Q: Who do you consider the most romantic couple in history?
A: I was asked this question some time ago in another forum. After a little thought, my response was -- and remains -- Gomez and Morticia Addams. I can't help it. When watching "The Addams Family" as a kid, I was so impressed with their relationship, the way he'd roll his eyes at her, the way she slithered around, the undertones of sexuality, and their absolute understanding of each other. Plus I loved his reaction whenever she spoke French. You knew these people had fun together, and if romance can't be fun, what's the point?
Q: What books did you read as a child? Do you read any of the same books to your children?
A: I was lucky to grow up in a household of readers. Everyone in my family read, so that I didn't realize until much later that there were people who didn't read for pleasure. I read all the standards -- Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Black Beauty, and so on -- but there were always tons of books in the house, so I read widely. I started reading to my boys very early. Dr. Seuss was a big favorite, but I think the all-time favorite was Where the Wild Things Are.
Q: What, to you, is the most important day of the year?
A: The most important day of the year is today. There will never be another one.
enticed
Posted September 18, 2011
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Loved it. Great plot, great characters. 5 stars!
1 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.Anonymous
Posted October 19, 2010
I am a little over 250 pages into this book and am struggling through it. I've never read a Nora Roberts book before and I doubt I will ever pick up another. Obviously "romantic suspense" just isn't my genre. I would be enjoying it more if I could find a few characters that were at least likeable in this story. I realize the Hathaway family is dysfunctional, the result of the father and his three children's belief that their wife/mother abandoned them. But why if she was always loving and seemingly contented, would they think this? If it happened in my family, I would always assume foul play. None of it makes sense. Jo is rude. Lexy is a 24-year-old spoiled brat. (I have worse words for them, but I'm being polite.) Everyone on the island seems to have out-of-control hormones. The only reason I can gather than Nathan and Giff seem to care for Jo and Lexy is because they are good-looking, which makes them nearly equally superficial. The father, Sam, seems non-existent and has a real hang up about his son enjoying cooking, even though the son appears to have been running the kitchen at their home/hotel for years. Uh.... how did he get the job anyway? Is there one normal person on this island????
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SouthpawEA
Posted October 22, 2009
This is a fantastic book from a fantastic author. Nora Roberts is by far one of the best writers we have today. I have almost read every book she has written. There are a few I have yet to read, but I'm getting there. Sanctuary, in my opinion, is an edge of your seat read. From page one the story grabs you. I read this book in two days. I only put it down when I had to, otherwise I could be found with the book in my hand. If you have never read a Nora Roberts book then you are missing out on a great way to spend an morning, afternoon or evening.
1 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.Anonymous
Posted May 21, 2013
This really pissed me off. I thought I was purchasing Sanctuary by Nora Roberts and the book that was added to my library was The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury. I wasted my money purchasing a book because it shows the wrong author in the information.
The only reason there is one star is because they wouldn't let me post without one.
Rikushalo
Posted April 19, 2013
Excellent book! The reading pulls you in and keeps you there. For those who like steamy scenes this issue will give you the hot romance you want without being vulgar.
Absolutely wonderful romance suspense!!!
Rikushalo
Posted April 19, 2013
This copy of sanctuary is not correct. I went to read it and the book itself is in an entirely different book inside than what was explained on the front cover. This was not properly issued in and checked. AVOID!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 23, 2012
American shorthair? Siamese?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 23, 2012
Hint: what kind of cat am I, with white fur on the bottom of my neck and stomach, and on my paws? The rest of my fur is black.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 28, 2011
I read it recently and I thought it was pretty good. But then again you have to like suspense/romance to like this book. This book made me check my door twice before I went to sleep which to me it makes a pretty good suspense :-) I recommend it!
p.s. is not scary :)
This is by far my favorite Nora Roberts book. The characters in this one feel so real and I can picture everything flawlessly in my mind. It's as though I'm there watching the events unfold. This one in particular seems more real to me than the others that I've read by her thus far. Granted, I've loved every single one, but this one did not remind me that it was fiction. It felt as real as the life I'm living now. Jo was beautiful, down to earth, and she thrilled me with every step she took, every cautious look behind her, etc. I like Roberts' romance novels just fine, but when she adds the thrill and mystery like she did with this one, I find it difficult to put down.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 8, 2010
It never fails to amaze me how many stories this writer can come up with & the characters she develops. Although I usually read only her strictly romance novels, this time there was more of a thriller aspect to this story & I enjoyed it as well as all of her others, maybe even more.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sara4
Posted May 7, 2010
Personally, it had the characters in the sack quite often and the storyline was pretty good without so much of it...the descriptions of the area was very nice....could easily picture it in your mind as you read.....
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LMillet
Posted May 5, 2010
i just couldn't get into this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In the beginning you are not aware of the story ahead of you, the ending is surprising and suspenseful. You are in for another Nora Roberts best reads. I couldn't wait to get to the end, then wish that it wasn't over and would continue. I love when Nora puts in the epilouge, it closes all the loose ends. This is a book you can read or listen to on audiobook over and over again. I loved the audiobook you truly become a part of the story.
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.Anonymous
Posted February 27, 2010
Typical Nora Roberts romance with a murder mystery and great characters. Good for those blah days,
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 13, 2009
The story was a bit too sweet/romantic and needed just a bit more punch on the mystery side. Sandra Burr's reading was acceptable, but could have used a little more character distinction. Susan Erikson might have been able to bring this B rated story to life. I do not regret the purchase. I really do like Nora Roberts stories.....and love JD Robb stories!!
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Posted September 30, 2007
I just finished reading this book and I loved it. It did take me a couple of chapters to really get pulled into this book. Once it did though, I couldn't put it down. I'd recommend it on a list of things to read.
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Posted August 1, 2005
Sanctuary is my absolute favorite NR book. The characters are captivating and moving. The plot is incredible and very well thought out. The overall story simply blew my mind and I fell in love with each and every character. Although the murder scenes are described in detail, I love it because it helps you understand every single character. This way the reader will understand the murderers next move. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good romance novel with a twist!
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Posted January 4, 2004
the best absolutly my favorite characters are jo and Nathan.a must read
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Posted April 17, 2001
This book was the one that got me back to reading agin thank you so much. But I read one of your books and it siad that you have a movie coming out and I would like to now when it will be on please
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Overview