I have been a huge Nora Roberts fan for many years and my Summer holiday is never complete without her latest bestseller beside me on the beach! So it was a little strange to be reading this one curled up in my own bed for a change but the change of setting didn't spoil my enjoyment one little bit!

What I love about Nora Roberts books is her ability to achieve just the right balance between both the romantic and the suspense aspects of the storyline. Come Sundown started off with an horrific abduction that will end up sending shock waves through an entire generation of a local family. And as we followed Alice through the years of captivity my heart broke for her. Unusually, I found Alice's plot thread the more engrossing of them all, more so than the blossoming relationship between Bodine and Callen or the voice of a sadistic psychopath looking for his next victim. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it when the sparks flew between the resort manager and her newest employee, because I most certainly did, just that I was always desperate to get back to Alice.

The meaning of family was very much at the heart of Come Sundown and the scenes of normality amongst the family members at meal times and at family occasions contrasted with the solitude and loneliness suffered by Alice. There were some very tough scenes to read when "Sir" used not just physical but mental cruelty against her so be warned. His character scared the hell out of me mainly due to how socially acceptable some of his views are becoming. Sadly, I found his actions incredibly believable after many similar cases recently.

As a prolific reader of Nora Roberts I have to say that all the ingredients I have come to expect were present here in Come Sundown. There was romance, strong-willed and determined women, sexy cowboys, horses and a murder mystery to solve as well. There were plenty of twists and turns plus a large cast of characters where everyone was a suspect at one point or another and I have to say the denouement did come as a bit of a surprise to me! I certainly wasn't expecting that!

There was another romance heating up within the large Longbow family and it made me wonder if we will revisit the family in future books. They were an intriguing bunch so I would be more than happy if this were the case!

Confessions out of the way first. This is my first Nora Roberts book. I know. What rock have I been living under, right? But as first books go, I think that I chose pretty well and the author's easy writing style will ensure that I'll be back for more.

This was a story with a very distinct tone. Not flash or loud. The suspense was quite subtly teased throughout the narrative, such that I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

There was quite a cast of characters to wrap one's head around, but each was very distinctly described. But not only that, the story was told from multiple points of view, and although initially a little confusing, I felt that this constant changing assisted in keeping the reader somewhat on edge.

The narrative was peppered liberally with mini reveals and misdirections which made the ultimate reveal all the the more surprising.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

This was my second foray into the works of Nora Roberts and I loved it. It had action and romance and a vast cast of characters. You had a shared history and strong family ties and all these things I love seeing in books all there and it could end up being a hot mess but Roberts knows what she’s doing and just creates this very real world and I loved it.

Come Sundown is set in Montana at the Longbow ranch and resort. Several generations of Longbow family live on the ranch and it’s a family run business. Bodine is running the resort side and loving every minute of it when back comes Callen Skinner, her on again off again childhood crush and her eldest brother’s best friend. One might think that this is a simple romance, but there is also the mystery element in the form of girl’s getting killed in the area which one deputy with a grudge is trying to pin on Callen, and it brings up old wounds for the Longbow clan as it is a reminder of Alice, Bodine’s aunt who disappeared before Bodine was even born. It is a romance and a mystery… or more a mystery and a romance and it’s utterly brilliant.

I have been wanting to read more Nora Roberts for a while. I mean, the woman is a household name and synonymous with romance, a genre I like to think I’m pretty well read in so when I got emailed about her latest release I was excited. I mean, she is less about straight romance, at least in this one, instead, this is romantic suspense and I loved that the book had a bit more beef to it. I wanted to know who was killing these girls and I really wanted to know what happened to Alice. I was hooked within a couple of chapters and it was all because of the mystery.

The romance in this is good. I loved the will they won’t they slow burn thing which happened between Callen and Bodine. I mean, Callen was blatant about his interest and willingness to wait for it to happen and it was great. But they weren’t the only couple. Like I said, there is a large cast of characters and a large extended family in here, both Bodine’s brother, Rory and Chase, also had romantic interests and it was fun seeing each of the siblings pursue these romances in their own way. I loved how Chase was so round about with it. The man would have taken ten years to get his act together but he was head over heels as soon as that first kiss happened.

I do have to say, I struggled to keep track of everyone at first. I loved this large extended family all lived together in various properties and that the ranch and the resort had staff who were basically family as well… but I struggled to keep them straight in my head as they are all thrown at you quite quickly. It was like starting a new job and knowing you’re never going to keep track of everyone. I got there eventually, but it took me a while. It didn’t help that there were several different POV throughout and keeping track of the switches was difficult. Those are my only gripes, though.

As a whole, this was a great book. I mean, the mystery element wasn’t the best. It took me a little while but I’d guessed the killer pretty quick. I know that’s not the main focus and really the motivation for it and everyone finding out what I’d already guessed was brilliant. I didn’t think I’d have been interested in a book set on a horse ranch and resort… horses aren’t really my thing, but damn if Nora Roberts didn’t make me care. I finished the book happy and wanting to watch myself some westerns. That’s kind of impressive.

Nora Roberts is one of my all time favorite authors, so every time I start a new book written by her my expectations are high. And she never disappoints. Never. I really, really liked how the mystery and the romance is lightly woven into a wonderful story about love and hope and evil and madness. One has to think how there are people out there having the same ........ values. Living after what they say is their god given right and putting down women in the name of the bible. My heart broke with every beating, rape and indoctrination Alice had to face. All the babies she never got to see grow up. I so hoped for a happy end for her, finding a way back to her family, seeing her kids again. Well, I got some happy end and this felt more real. Not everything is ever perfect. If you like a story set in beautiful mountains, with cowboys and strong women, filled with romantic, combined with a well written thriller, this is your book. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK!

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

I loved this family saga from Nora Roberts. It was absolutelu unputdownable and I would love to read more about the family.

I have read Nora Roberts books before and enjoyed them.
I never find them too demanding but with the best concoction of spices to get your mouth watering to read more.

This one was with no exception.

We have back and forward events which are not difficult to keep abreast of.

Nora Roberts once again shows us the ability of human nature.
Love, patience and healing despite the hurt, pain and sadistic happenings.

This is told over four generations so quite an expanse of time.

It's a wonderfully captivating read.

Thank you to Little brown book group via Net Galley

When Alice is abducted on her way home there are reverberations for years to come in the Bodine household.

If you’re not a Nora Roberts fan there’s every danger that Come Sundown will appear formulaic and predictable. If, like me, Nora Roberts is your guilty pleasure then Come Sundown contains every element you could possibly hope to see and more.

Firstly there are tall attractive men in jeans, especially Callen. Mixed with the strong feisty women like Bodine, there’s a sexual chemistry with love and romance guaranteed.

There’s great drama in the plot of Come Sundown, with vulnerable women abducted, abused and killed so that no-one is really safe and every one is a suspect, making for an entertaining and exciting read as you try to work out who’s next and who dunnit! Nora Roberts has that Christie-esque technique of making the perpetrator someone seemingly innocuous who was hidden in plain sight all along and I love that element to her stories.

Come Sundown contains all those themes I expect too. Nora Roberts covers friendship and rivalry, love and passion, feminism and relationships, childhood and adulthood, family and home with genuine warmth. However, in Come Sundown, there are more controversial issues raised so that added depth occurs too. ‘Sir’ is a white supremacist uncovering uncomfortable attitudes of sexism, racism and religious fanaticism that, as an outsider to America, have a horrible fascination. I believed in his character totally so that the passages where he appeared genuinely made my flesh crawl.

I really, really, enjoyed reading Come Sundown. I loved the pun in the title as events unfold when Callen returns to the Bodine establishment on his horse, Sundown (who is also a character in his own right), but the denouement of the story is when sundown arrives too. I enjoyed every aspect of Come Sundown as sheer, reliable, Nora Roberts escapism. A highly entertaining read.

I really loved The Obsession when I read it last year, I really loved the author's style of writing, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Although they are completely different stories, they are both very character driven and, anyone who knows me, knows that I do love character driven books. Again, the book drew me in right from the start, I connected with the majority of the characters from the off and neither let me go right up to the end.
It's set in Montana at a four generation family run ranch and resort. Our main character is Bodine Longbow, a very driven woman who runs the resort side of things; the ranch being run by one of her brothers. But like most families, there is a darkness in their past. Bodine's aunt Alice ran off when she was a young woman and, after a small amount of communication from her new life, disappeared for good many years ago. We as readers know a bit more about her story and her family also get to know eventually when she turns up out of the blue in a rather worrying state both mentally and physically. Add into the mix, a bit of romance courtesy of Callen, a blast from Bodine's past who comes home at about the same time that someone is targeting and killing women. Is it coincidence, or is he involved, and what has it to do with Alice's sudden return some decades after she was last heard from, if indeed anything? Is the family strong enough to stand together in all this adversity?
It all sounds a bit convoluted and disjointed but the way the information is imparted, the timelines that merge and diverge, drip feeding information to the reader at just the right times, made this a very easy book for even someone like me to follow. I tend to get lost in such books, but never in this one.
I loved the fact that, even though the storyline was strong, it was made stronger by the wonderful characters who played it out. All of them, main and supporting cast, were so well drawn and totally credible, faults and all, that I believed in them totally and that reinforced my connection with pretty much all of them from the off. I especially felt for Alice and I found the parts after she had returned to be quite emotional and very well described. I also loved the family interaction throughout the book. Whether it be Alice reconnecting with her sister, Bodine reconnecting with her childhood crush, the other blossoming relationships and how they developed, the grandmothers still being active and ruling the roost, or just the scenes of family life; squabbling, cooking, eating, working. And when I say family,I include several non-blood family in this description, as indeed the author does herself.
As the action ramped up towards the end, so my heartbeat increased as I finally learned the truth of it all, shocking in parts, a bit obvious in others (one big cliche that I have to brag that I spotted) but the ending, when all was said and done, was completely satisfying.
I've already touched on the romance, and there is quite a bit of it in this book but not too heavy and not too much so the book became unbalanced. But then this is a romantic thriller so you'd expect a fair amount and the thriller elements kept me going as I occasionally glossed over the romance.
All in all, a good solid read that ticked all my boxes and left me satisfied. Just one question though, where do I find a resort like that in this book, I'd really love to book me a couple weeks there?

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The book is set in Montana on a family ranch which has also become a rural resort. There is mystery, murder and of course love interests that are a little too mushy for me. The mystery of who is Sir kept me reading. I would recommend this to others who want a light murder mystery novel as it does not have too much gore or explicit sex scenes. This was my first Nora Roberts book and I would choose to read and suggest others as the writing style makes it a pleasant journey.

I've read many stories by this author , from her sweet romances to her incredible futuristic In Death series and every so often she pens a romance suspense that drags the reader in with a compelling and often heart rending mystery. Yes this is one of those but at its heart it's the story of a family surviving , renewing and ultimately overcoming tragedy.
This book in many ways is split in two as we get flashbacks detailing what happened to Alice and then fast forward twenty five years to today and the family she barely remembers. Alice was taken but unfortunately no one knew for sure what really happened to her . Alice was a dreamer with hopes and ambitions so her disappearance and subsequent absence left certain family members resenting her and now her name is seldom spoken, yes Alice is just a distant memory.
Fast forward to present day and Alice's sister Maureen has grown up children of her own who help run the families ranch. Bodine and her two brothers have made their ranch a huge success but Bodine still has fond memories of her first crush Callen and guess what? Callen has returned and finally recognises that there's something pretty special between Bodine and him. Yet this is a slow burn romance that somehow takes second place as something sinister is happening with young women getting attacked and Callen is in the frame !
This story is set in the rolling hills of Montana and there's a sense of a slower pace permeating this book with adorable scenes featuring horses that add such sweetness to offset the deeply moving tragedy within this story. For this reader it was Alice's story told in flashbacks that really captured my imagination . The abuse, the horrors endured by her completely gripped me and if honest meant I wasn't that interested in the relationships growing in the present day. That doesn't mean it felt disjointed as the family were central to the plot but frankly no matter how much I tried I just wasn't pulled in by the modern day romances going on. For this reader it was Alice and the revelations of what happened to her that truly drove this story and as a killer is revealed amongst their midst it appears that history is repeating itself .
Heart breaking suspense and yet there's a feeling of hope. At times I felt certain things superfluous and it could have ( in my humble opinion ) been a little shorter . I did have suspicions about a certain character which proved true but still found the end to be satisfying.
This voluntary take is of an advance copy I requested and these thoughts and comments are my honest opinion

RECEIVED AN ADVANCED READER COPY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I really enjoyed this book, even though there were some really quite dark and sad bits in it, mostly to do with the 'missing' Alice. The story flipped between the past and what happened to Alice (starting in 1991) and the current running of the ranch and resort in the present day.

The Bodine ranch and resort is run by the Longbow family who have owned it for generations (the Riley/Bateau/Bodine/Longbow line), with Bodine Longbow heading it. It's quite a big business with various things going on and lots of family and staff working there. There are a couple of side romances going on during the story, which balances the story out nicely, lighter moment as well as the darker moments of Alice's story and a couple of murders, although there is always a line of suspense running through it as you're never sure when something else will happen.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but once you get into the book it gets easier. Some of the characters were really horrible, and others were so nice - I really liked Jessica's character, she could easily have had a book on her own.

It was a definite page-turner and I found myself thinking about the story even when I wasn't reading it, just waiting to find the time to jump back in to find out what happened next! Of course it is a Nora Roberts book so I would expect nothing less from this very talented author.

ARC received from: Netgalley

Rating: ★★★★★

Trope: Cowboy, Suspense

Chemistry: Simmering

One-Sentence Summary: Family, romance and mystery in cowboy land

Review: A Nora Robert standalone romance can usually be guaranteed to deliver:

✔ A strong, independent Heroine
✔ A rugged, handsome Hero
✔ A dark secret/trauma from the past
✔ Family drama
✔ A beautiful setting
✔ Adorable animals

Come Sundown delivers all that and more!

For a start you get 3 romances for the price of one:

♥ Callen/Bodine – I loved how naturally things moved for them and how well Bodine understood him like when he went to the bar looking for a fight, she didn’t try and stop him and just insisted on being there to support him.

♥ Chase/Jessica – Chase and his shyness was just the sweetest. I love how determined Jessica was to take charge.

♥ Rory/Chelsea – we got to see the relationship between these two the least but I really liked what a standup young man Rory was, especially with his Aunt.

Family dynamics are key to this book and they are one of the main reasons I didn’t want the book to end – from the Grammies to Maureen/Sam to Clementine the cook and all the periphery characters in the resort. Roberts has a way of making them all so dynamic and real. Ditto the setting, I felt like I was right there on the ranch with the characters and the horses (especially Sundown). I never wanted to leave.

And then the “mystery” part of it. Gosh reading those chapters when Alice was in captivity. That was hard. So so heartbreaking, even when she is found and reunited with her family …. still really pulled at the heartstrings. I won’t spoil how it all wraps up but needless to say there is a Roberts-esque twist ….

Finally, for those of you thinking that this book sounds a bit like Montana Sky then I also thought the same thing. Montana Sky was one of the first Nora Roberts novels I read so I am very hazy on the details but as far as I am concerned, Roberts could write a whole In Death length series set on a ranch in Montana and I would happily read every single last one of them.

This was everything I ever wanted in a Nora Roberts romance. If only she can be persuaded to leave the paranormal stuff behind and focus on some good old straight-up romance I would be extremely happy and not having to wait a whole year for her next book like this.

Four generations of the same family run the successful Bodine Ranch and Resort .

Bodine Longbow runs the Resort , with the help of a large staff , like clockwork ...... now the crush from her teens , Callen Skinner , has returned to work with her brother on the Ranch .
Within weeks of Callen's return , on a ride with Bodine ,they find the brutally beaten body a bartender from the the Resort .
The local Deputy , with a lifelong grudge against Callen , is determined to find him responsible for the death , especially when another body is found .
However the deaths are a result of a dangerous mind , one who believes that his life is all about controlling women .
The race is one to identify him before more women are killed .

A woman is soon found on the edge of a road , alive, but showing the signs of long term torture and abuse ...... she is soon identified as Bodine's long lost Aunt Alice - missing for +25 years, long assumed dead .

Where has she been ? Who has held her for so long ?
Her mind is traumatised and she fears 'Sir' will come to punish her again , to take away her babies .

It takes all the family working together to find the killer and resolve who had kidnapped Aunt Alice and why .

Another great book from this prolific Author .

*** No Spoilers ***

Excellent! In Come Sundown Roberts returns to the American West and cowboy country and does so with a thrilling romantic suspense.

The protagonists are primarily the Bodine-Longbow family and those associated with them and their businesses (a cattle ranch and a resort), whilst the mystery concerns young women from the area who are being kidnapped and murdered and the prodigal female of the family, Alice Bodine who is found 25+ years after going missing and reveals she has been held captive by a fanatic the entire time.

I'll begin by saying I'm a huge fan of Roberts' work. I think there is a excellent reason why she is one of the most successful and prolific writers working today, and that's because she's just that good!! In spite of the fact that Montana and cowboy country are both familiar settings for her, I thought the tone of this story was quite a departure from her other novels. The pacing was much slower (particularly with regard to the central romance) and I thought all the better for it. It suited the plot and the characters and made the storyline more convincing.

I don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to give the story away, however it is worth noting that there are references to several sensitive subjects (particularly rape) that could be an issue for some. As always Roberts isn't too graphic but the events and their aftermath are a very major plot point.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone, looking for an absorbing mystery with a lovely romance winding through it.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review *

A good story has you hooked from the first page, and this is a good story. Gut wrenchingly horrible ,bitter sweet and full of heartwarming ,feel good moments.

Nora Robert is one of my favourite contemporary writers so I was beyond excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley.
I loved this book. It has all the components that makes a book enjoyable - strong, well developed storylines, part romance, part thriller; interesting and very realistic characters; a steady pace which keeps you reading to find out how this ends. I particularly loved the strong family bonds through the various generations.
Worth reading if this is your genre.
4.5****