Hidden Star
3.5 Stars

Private detective Cade Parris is not surprised when a beautiful woman with a bag full of cash and a gun walk into his office. What does confuse him is the fact that she has no memory of who she is and just happens to have a huge blue diamond in her bag as well. Who is the mysterious woman - an innocent victim or a dangerous femme fatale?

One of Roberts’ earlier books that is entertaining enough but may not stand the test of time as there is nothing particularly memorable about either the plot or the characters.

Bailey James is a typical good-girl type with borderline obsessive compulsive disorder. Given her nature, the fact that she has lost her memory is particularly disturbing to her and it must be said that she copes quite well with it under the circumstances. Nevertheless, she is one of the more bland heroines in Nora’s repertoire.

Cade Parris is simply too good to be true - wealthy, independent and handsome. That said, his actions do not make sense. What man opens his house, his arms and his heart to a perfect stranger who is obviously in some serious trouble? The whole love at first sight trope is not sufficient to explain his choices.

The suspense plot is secondary to the romance. This is not a problem in and of itself, but it turns out to be quite complicated with several villains and agendas. While some of the issues are resolved albeit in a rather anti-climactic way, others remain open so that the trilogy can continue.

All in all, a good enough read for a rainy day. ( )

This was an excellent romantic suspense story. Nora Roberts always writes a story that engages both my brain and my heart and writes characters who seem very real.

Cade Parris is a private investigator. He comes from a wealthy background but is determined that his business pay its own bills. And while he likes to think of himself as Sam Spade, he looks more like a cover model with dimples no less.

When a young woman walks into his office carrying a canvas bag containing a million dollars in cash, a gun, and a very rare blue diamond and hires Cade to find herself, Cade is smitten and intrigued.

Bailey James is suffering from hysterical amnesia although she prefers not to be referred to as hysterical in any way, and she needs Cade to help her find out what she has forgotten and why she feels like she is in great danger.

The two fall in love as they unravel the clues of Bailey's past. I really enjoyed this story. I liked that Cade was the more outwardly romantic of the pair. I liked that Bailey was sensible and practical and organized every when she didn't remember who she was. I really enjoyed the love at first sight trope. I thought there was just enough suspense and danger to add spice to the story.

Scott Merriman did an excellent job with all of the voices and did an excellent job making me feel both the romance and the suspense.

This story was originally written in 1997 and, except for the lack of cellphones, didn't seem at all dated. ( )

Hidden Star
3.5 Stars

Private detective Cade Parris is not surprised when a beautiful woman with a bag full of cash and a gun walk into his office. What does confuse him is the fact that she has no memory of who she is and just happens to have a huge blue diamond in her bag as well. Who is the mysterious woman - an innocent victim or a dangerous femme fatale?

One of Roberts’ earlier books that is entertaining enough but may not stand the test of time as there is nothing particularly memorable about either the plot or the characters.

Bailey James is a typical good-girl type with borderline obsessive compulsive disorder. Given her nature, the fact that she has lost her memory is particularly disturbing to her and it must be said that she copes quite well with it under the circumstances. Nevertheless, she is one of the more bland heroines in Nora’s repertoire.

Cade Parris is simply too good to be true - wealthy, independent and handsome. That said, his actions do not make sense. What man opens his house, his arms and his heart to a perfect stranger who is obviously in some serious trouble? The whole love at first sight trope is not sufficient to explain his choices.

The suspense plot is secondary to the romance. This is not a problem in and of itself, but it turns out to be quite complicated with several villains and agendas. While some of the issues are resolved albeit in a rather anti-climactic way, others remain open so that the trilogy can continue.

All in all, a good enough read for a rainy day. ( )

Good not great. Fairly typical contemporary romance. ( )