Alice Harron Orr

Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense. In this fifth book of the Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series, we meet Amanda and Mike, long lost lovers. They are reunited by circumstance in their small North Country town in the midst of a possible kidnapping, dead bodies on a riverbank and a budding romance that simmers in the background until it ignites with passion.

The characters are believable with their flaws and vulnerabilities and the drama unfolds at a show more steady, sometimes frantic pace. It’s the characters and the setting coming alive on the page that call me back to Orr’s stories. I spent sixteen years in Syracuse, New York, not far from the setting of the stories and recall the North Country as a vast expanse of natural beauty and intrigue and its people rugged and resilient.

Orr delivers on her promise of both romance and suspense. Book 5 is an enjoyable, satisfying read that kept me up well-past my bedtime. I highly recommend this book as a compelling addition to her Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. show less

The Miller family is rife with personality quirks, an authentic touch that demonstrates Alice Orr's skill as a writer. I felt right at home with the Millers, who could easily be members of my own family.

I was intrigued with the backstory. Why did Bethany leave? Why did she run so far from home and why did she decide to return? The details are slowly woven in along the way, forcing me to stay up late to discover the answers.

And there's the romance. Yes, Luke is a worthy hero, but Bethany show more underestimates the man's talents, which is delightful. All in all, I highly recommend A Vacancy at the Inn. Great read! show less

Although romance suspense is not my genre of choice to read, I take exception when it comes to Alice Orr’s work. As the fourth book in her Riverton Road romance suspense series, I found A Villain for Vanessa to be her best work yet.

Each story takes place in the North Country of New York State where Orr grew up so there is a genuine hometown feel to her writing. As a reader, I felt like I came home again and reconnected with the various characters from previous stories. As in all her show more stories, the protagonist returns back home in search of her roots and encounters a murder. When Vanessa Westerpool returns after years of alienation from her father’s side of the family, the mysterious murder of her paternal grandfather sends her and the town into a tailspin. Handsome lawyer Bobby Rizzo is dispatched by her aunt, her mother’s sister, Angela Kalli to help Vanessa untangle the family secrets and find her grandfather’s killer. With that, the plot takes off like a rocket and moves along at a frantic pace as their slow-building love for one another adds to the conflict and suspense.

Orr’s ability to ramp up the stakes and keep the tension high is remarkable. Her characters are multidimensional and believable and her scenic details vivid. She hooked me from the start and kept me turning the pages until the satisfying ending.
Although the series works well, each book in the series can work as a stand-alone story.

I highly recommend this gripping and entertaining romance suspense series. show less

Reading A Year of Summer Shadows, book #2 in Alice Orr’s Riverton Road Romance Suspense Series was like coming home again. In book #1, A Wrong Way Home, we are introduced to Kara and Matt, the Kalli family and the small North Country New York town of Riverton, where a love story unfolds in the midst of a murder investigation.

Book #2 features Hailey and Mark is another fast-paced thriller involving another murder, family secrets, friendships and plot twists against the backdrop of a show more slow-building yet intense love story.

In her characteristic street-wise voice, Orr’s characters come alive on the page through concise and vivid dialogue and sensory details. I rooted for Hailey and Mark and the love they shared. Her characters are believable and either very likable or despicable, depending on the role they played in the story. Orr’s ability to hook the reader from the first page with a dramatic inciting incident and then draw the reader into a multilayered plot filled with surprises and intrigue kept me turning the pages until the end. Murder, suspense, family secrets and a love that conquers all in a town where everyone knows your business lead to a very compelling story.

Book #2 is an engaging and enjoyable read that left me feeling at home in Riverton and looking forward to Book #3, A Villain for Vanessa. I highly recommend this series show less