Nora Roberts Land by Ava Miles

I need to begin by admitting I have never read a Nora Roberts novel. The only book I have read that could be considered romance was a book recommended by a woman at my gym that turned out to be some sort of delusional, emotionally immature, teenage garbage. However, I still had this preconceived notion that all romance novels were the same, unrealistic nonsense written for lonely, unsatisfied women. Ava Miles’ Nora Roberts Land showed me there can more to a romance novel that appeals to a crowd beyond cat ladies (no offense, there is a special place in my heart for cats).

Everyone knows not to judge a book by its cover; but let’s be real, we all do it. When I got this book in the mail, between the title and the secret garden cover, it got shelved with a quickness. When I finally picked it back up, I was prepared to be whisked into a blooming meadow to find Fabio look-a-likes in barely buttoned, billowing white shirts and torn jeans. Instead, I found Tanner McBride, the rough and tough international correspondent in a snowy Colorado college town.

Meredith Hale is a thirty-something journalist who recently went through an ego-crushing divorce. Her ex-husband blamed their problems on her unrealistic expectation of relationships and love caused by reading Nora Roberts novels. She set out to prove him wrong by finding her Nora Roberts-esque hero and her happily ever after. When Meredith’s sister asks her to come back to Dare Valley to help out after her father has a heart attack, she realizes the small town will be the perfect place to find her hero. She planned to write an article about her journey to “Nora Roberts Land” however, her ex-husband, Rick Sommerville, had other plans for Meredith.

Rick Sommerville fears that Meredith will drag his name through the mud in her new article and ruin his new political career. Rick wants Tanner McBride to go to Dare Valley, make Meredith fall in love with him, and then break up with her so there will be no happily ever after and there will be no story. He blackmails Tanner McBride with career ending photos of Tanner’s politician brother, David, and a prostitute.

Sporting her La Perla lingerie and her alter-ego Divorcée Woman, Meredith begins what the town calls her “Man Bender”. She hits it off with Tanner but, refuses to give him a chance because she has vowed never to date another journalist. However, when they team up to investigate the deaths of two young Dare Valley residents they pretend to date as their “cover”. Do you see where this is going yet? Well, if you guessed small town Afgani-drug conspiracy involving a corrupt Deputy Sheriff, you are correct. They join forces and break into auto shops, hide in trunks, collect evidence, and get stranded on a mountain in the bad guys’ attempt to make it look like they died in an avalanche. Luckily, they are both quite skilled in scaling snowy cliffs. They seek refuge in a cave where they profess their love and Tanner apologizes for his deceit. Oh, and Tanner’s been shot. No need to worry though, quick thinking grandpa has help on the way.

When Tanner wakes after surgery, he tells Meredith about the file Sommerville has on David. She is upset about Tanner lying to her but understands his motives. Meredith goes to New York to confront Rick and make a deal for him to leave Tanner and his family alone. When she returns to Dare Valley, with cotton underwear in tow (sorry Tanner), Tanner proposes; she says yes. Now, I am left awaiting the sequel and really wanting some ridiculously expensive La Perla lingerie.

I haven't figured out a rating system for this blog yet so I'll stick with my GoodReads rating for now. I gave the book 4 stars because it was a fun read that had a little bit of everything. The love scenes were a little bit difficult and, in my opinion, not very sexy. “...he ravaged her mouth...” actually made me cringe at the thought of all the excess saliva. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Nora Roberts Land. It exceeded my (not so high) expectations. There was predictability to the romance storyline between Meredith and Tanner but the action and mystery in the book was entertaining. I am still not completely sold on the romance genre but they will not spend at much time on the shelf in the future.

*I received this book for free through GoodReads First Reads.