Identity

Identity is Nora Robert's springtime release for 2023, and it is everything you want in a Nora Roberts novel. There is suspense and romance. It has a strong family bond, both found and genetic. It even stars an adorable and goofy dog. I finished reading it on a dark and rainy Sunday afternoon, and it was the perfect read for such a day.

As usual, Identity starts with a strong-willed, independent woman who suffers a terrible loss and must uproot her life. Morgan is the type of heroine we expect from Ms. Roberts. She has a good head on her shoulders and prides herself on her independence. But she is not too proud to learn to accept help when needed and to recognize that asking for help does not denote weakness. Morgan has serious goals show more and detailed plans to get there, which include an endearing use of spreadsheets and lists.

We all know that none of Ms. Roberts' heroines end their story without finding love. Morgan's love interest in Identity is everything you want for her. Serious, steady with a strong family bond and deep roots, and as goal-oriented as she is, Miles is her equal. They fit together with the precision of a puzzle piece, and their scenes together flow like magic.

In every novel, I find I am much more interested in the heroine's profession than I would ever consider. The same is true in Identity. This time, Morgan is a professional bartender. Ms. Roberts makes it seem so damn cool. She doesn't hide that it is difficult, tiring work. And yet, Morgan's ability to read people is impressive. At the same time, the pride she takes in her work and the smoothness with which she handles flirty or rude clients make me envious. I even find myself thinking that I should try bartending. Ms. Roberts does this to me with every one of her novels. It is a testament to her writing prowess when Ms. Roberts can get someone like me, an avowed introvert and burgeoning misanthrope, to contemplate a career in the service industry!

I enjoyed the slow build of tension in Identity. Whether the suspense is from the slowly-building relationship between Morgan and Miles or from watching Gavin plot his next moves in his quest for revenge on the one that got away, Ms. Roberts takes her time creating an undercurrent of unease that keeps your interest. It is something Ms. Roberts does in all of her novels, and I never tire of it.

Once again, Ms. Roberts proves to be the queen of the romantic thriller. Identity hit all the right notes for me. The dog Howl made me smile and laugh. Miles and his family made me envious of their tight connection and mutual respect they have for each other. And I fell in love with Morgan, her mom, and her grandmother. Morgan's story kept my interest, and I read with bated breath to find out how it would end. Ms. Roberts never disappoints me, and neither did Identity. show less

Nora Roberts never, ever, ever fails to deliver. Logical, well-executed, smooth, fast-moving plot. Strong, passionate characters who know when to give, when to take and when to put it all on the line. The elements are always there, but you also get a unique, original story that captivates you, keeps you guessing, make you draw back in fear or reach for a tissue to dab your eyes – and has your total attention first page to last.

Morgan Albright has finally settled down and started planning a future. She’s found the perfect best friend housemate in Nina, she loves her job as a bartender and is working towards owning her own bar some day and isn’t opposed to a little casual flirting and dating, especially with the cute IT guy who has show more started hanging around when she’s working. It’s a good life. Until Morgan comes home the day after the dinner party she and Nina threw for IT guy Luke and Nina’s fiancé Sam. Morgan finds evidence of a break-in: door glass smashed, cash, jewelry, laptop, car stolen – and Nina savagely murdered. And that is the day Morgan’s life changes forever, and not for the better, because while Luke does in fact have excellent IT skills, he’s not Luke and he’s not a regular guy. He’s a crazed serial killer who steals identities and brutally kills his victims – after taking away every single thing they have.

The transition from good Luke to monster Luke is abrupt and flawless. Very effective. You’re just starting to develop a mental picture of this cutie and hoping he’ll fit into Morgan’s life, when he shows up at her house, discovers Nina is unexpectedly there and becomes viciously and violently angry in a methodical and terrifying way. His careful planning is disrupted by “having” to kill Nina; that day he intended only to begin the identity theft. Morgan’s murder would come at the appropriate time. He’s already unstable and dangerous. Now he’s unstable, dangerous and blames Morgan for the house not being empty when he broke in.

The process Gavin (Luke) follows to terrorize Morgan is indeed chilling. Step by step he goes about destroying her reputation, financial security and peace of mind. After a year of rebuilding every time he destroys she can’t do it anymore: she’s depleted personally, professionally, financially and emotionally. She goes home to her mother and grandmother in Vermont to try and start over, or at least feel safe again. But while Gavin may be a psychopath he’s a smart one and of course he knows where she is. He continues his ever more erratic plan to finally catch up with her and make her pay for ruining his life.

Miles Jameson’s family owns the resort hotel where Morgan finally begins to work. He’s not all that friendly and has a reputation as a demanding, aloof man. Well, maybe so, but there’s something there and author Roberts fans that flame and unpacks that relationship as only she can. Friendships (and more) grow, relationships between families are uncovered, rifts among relatives are healed, job satisfaction is once again a possibility. Sounds like a great place for Morgan to be, except for the lunatic who lets her know he’s coming – and soon. Roberts makes you feel each step he gets closer.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of Identity via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest opinion. It has the trademark Nora Roberts dialogue, cadence, romance and thrills readers have come to love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

This is the story of a serial killer and identity thief who finds women with ambiguous gendered names and steals their identities. When Morgan Albright meets Luke little does she realise what is going to happen to her. Her life plans are thrown out and her roommate is killed. She retreats to the only stable home, having been an army brat, she has ever known, her grandmother's house, where her now-divorced mother also lives. She finds herself a job and eventually love and thinks that she might just be able to plan a future. Only Luke is still out there, leaving her jewellery at murder scenes and as she is the only one who got away, he has her in his sights, eventually.
This story chugs along for the beginning and then at the end builds up show more quite a head of steam and the last 50 or so pages bring everything to a sudden end. It seemed a bit rushed at the end to me. The romance also seemed to be a slow one, one where the two of them realise that they are good with each other and then barriers and doubts fall away. It was a fun read. show less

Identity by Nora Roberts is an intriguing story. I thought the story was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I was quickly drawn into Morgan Albright’s story. I felt bad for her. She let herself relax and enjoy an evening with a date. Morgan quickly came to regret it. I liked Morgan’s mother and grandmother. Three generations of Albright woman living in one home. Morgan’s mother and grandmother were strong, supportive women. There is plenty of drama to keep readers intrigued. I like that the author included chapters from the killer’s point of view. It gave the reader insights into his sick mind. I liked the Jameson family and their establishment. They take care of their employees which inspires employee loyalty. show more The romance was a slow burn which suited this story. Morgan is not the type to rush into romance, especially after being hurt by Gavin. Miles and Morgan are perfect for each other. Of course, they cannot have their happily ever after until Gavin is caught. Gavin is intent on getting the woman who got away. The author combined intrigue, drama, suspense, and romance into one engaging story. I can tell the author did her research. I am amazed how much personal information on an individual a nefarious person can amass and then the havoc they can create out of a person’s life. I did feel the story was a touch long (448 pages) plus there was repetition of key details along with a substantial amount of foul language (it was not needed). The ending will leave the reader smiling. Identity is a captivating tale with charming criminal, a murdered roommate, a purloined identity, coming home, the perfect position, a killer clue, and a shocking showdown. show less

This is a book I read right through. As is usual with Ms. Roberts, the writing is superb and the story is well-paced with interesting characters.
Morgan Albright has a good life, a home of her own, a roommate who's her best friend, and two jobs she loves. She's on her way to opening her own bar when she meets Luke, an IT consultant who charms her. Then she arrives home to find her roommate murdered and her identity stolen by a serial killer who first steals their money and credit before killing his victims. She goes home to her mother and grandmother in Vermont to start over, but the killer doesn't like that she's the one who got away.
While the book is mostly about Morgan's rebuilding her life, including a new man, Miles, she never show more forgets that there is still a killer after her. The FBI is tracking him, but he's elusive, though he grows sloppy as he obsesses over Morgan. A terrific conclusion fits the theme of powerful women and family ties.
Miles is the stoic hero, while Morgan is more social, fitting her bartender persona. Their various family members and friends make for a well-rounded group of people that add a lot to the enjoyableness of the book (as does Miles' dog). Some details about bartending and the hospitality business add to the story and help create the slow-burn romance between Morgan and Miles.
I'm always dumbfounded at how Ms. Roberts can make each book fresh and interesting while being so prolific, but she proves once again why she is the queen of romantic suspense. show less

Morgan Albright had a childhood as an army brat constantly moving to follow her father's career. Now she wants roots and thinks she's found them in Baltimore. She has two jobs and a mortgage on a home she has big plans for. She shares that home with her best friend Nina.

When she meets Luke at the bar where she bartends, she begins a relationship with him. She doesn't know that he's targeted her to be his next victim in a plan for identity theft and murder. Unfortunately, it is Nina who is murdered by being home sick when Luke comes to retrieve the device he's installed on Morgan's computer.

Morgan needs to deal with her best friend's death while trying to untangle all the financial chaos Luke left in his wake. He's maxed her credit show more cards, taken out new cards in her name and maxed those too, taken out a home equity loan, and borrowed money from a loan shark.

Morgan feels that her only choice is to move to Vermont with her mother and grandmother and build her life anew. There she finds a new close relationship with her mother and grandmother, a job she loves at a resort bar, and a new relationship with Miles Jameson whose family own the resort.

But Luke hasn't forgotten her. He blames her for the way his luck has turned bad since he wanted to murder her and failed. And he's coming for her.

This was an excellent story filled with great family relationships, a slow-burn romance, and the chills that come with being stalked by a serial killer. show less

Morgan Albright has always wanted to put down roots. It's something she missed in her formative years while moving from place to place while her father was in the army. Now, she's finally found her place and has her future planned out: Work hard to save enough money to open her own bar. She doesn't have time for dating. But then she meets Luke. In town on business, he stops in the bar Morgan works at and now Morgan begins to think she might be able to make space for other things in life besides work.

But then one day Morgan comes home to find her roommate is dead and her laptop and car are stolen. She learns that the happenstance of meeting Luke was anything but, he's done this before: preying on an unsuspecting woman, gaining their show more trust before stealing their identities and murdering them. Except this time, Morgan was the one that got away.

While Morgan tries to move on and move forward with rebuilding her life, he'll never let her get away.

Nora Roberts has a very methodical pacing to her stories. The summary of the book clearly lays out what will happen in the beginning, but the rest of the book pulls readers into the everyday lives of the characters. I enjoyed so much seeing Morgan build her life up again even with all the mundanity that may entail. Even when the plotlines border on the familiar, there's just something about the way Nora Roberts crafts the story together that makes me invested. Maybe it's the detail and minutia that has everything feeling so lived in, so familiar, that I just want to curl up and settle in.

It's been a little while since I've read one of Roberts' romance suspense/thrillers. In this case I wish there was a better balance between the suspenseful moments. I thought the story started out very strong, but then the threat - while still very real - almost felt like a side-thought.

I felt like it was interesting how your Identity plays a part in the book. We get to see it in a kind of dual perspective. Morgan has - literally and figuratively - lost her identity. Those things this built to make her who she was and was going to be. She has to rebuild and in a sense build a different side to herself. On the other hand, "Luke" also loses that which makes him who he was when he's unable to complete the cycle he perpetuates. How each of them deals with this change in direction - for better or worse - sets them on the inevitable conclusion that the story drives forward.

There's not much more to say. I think if you've read a Nora Roberts romance suspense book before, you'll enjoy this read as well. I come back to Nora Roberts again and again as like a comfort read. I know what I'll be getting when I turn those pages and I'm always guaranteed to get invested in the story and characters. show less