There was a period a few years ago when I read a lot of this author's books (as I may have mentioned a couple of times before), but since starting my blog, I have come across few of the new works that worked as well for me. Finally, I am happy to announce that I felt very nostalgic about this one. It is a sweeping saga of the kind that the author does really well. 

It begins with a boy from Ireland and the way the first chapter wound I was not sure on whom the main section of the story would be based. We end up at the great-granddaughter of our first entrant. It is a pleasant ride to see the various family members and their ties to each other before the actual story begins. I, for one, definitely did not complain. When Caitlyn Sullivan is ten, the unthinkable happens that is to set the tone of her next few decades. As a child from a famous and loving family, this incident shook all of them. I saw the minor twist coming, but given the tone of the narrative, I think we are meant to see it coming. We see decades of her life pass with change and growth through it all. The title has a deeper meaning that is explored during the unwinding of the tale. There is nothing new or shocking in the storyline. Nothing will take you by (too much of a) surprise, but this is one of those odd times that it is a good thing. Excellent writing, three-dimensional characters and a pretty unique variety of jobs. All of the previous factors brought together mean a very entertaining book. After ages, I sat with a Nora Roberts' book from start to finish in two sittings. It is not a small one, and therefore the sessions were of several hours each, but it feels satisfying to get to the end.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my reading experience and my acquaintance with the author's previous works.

A young girl. A famous family. But all the glamour in Hollywood isn't enough to shield the girl from her childhood coming to an abrupt end, when she is ten years old.
Cate, of the Sullivan clan, is kidnapped from her great-grandfather's luxurious home in Big Sur. Her wits help her survive the ordeal. Her family - father, grandparents, great grandmother - all band together to cocoon her, so she grows up in love and safety. Even as she tries to ensure her past remain in her past, someone is refusing to play ball. From creepy calls in the night to frequent airing of the story in the press, poor Cate is never allowed to walk away from someone else's greed. How does she cope? Does she manage to make a decent life for herself? Or will she continue paying for someone else's crimes, for ever?
After a couple of books that failed to hit the mark, celebrated author Nora Roberts gets back into the swing of things with Hideaway. Strong-willed, yet tender, heroine. Irish, yes, Tragic past. Cool-headed and buff love interest. Great family, Plenty of banter, in Roberts' signature choppy descriptive style. Writing for as long as she has, you do see shades of her other heroines in Cate, in Dillon, in the minor characters. Even the story is comfortable and dare I say, predictable to a degree.
So why should you read this? Because the author makes you care - for the Sullivans, the Coopers, the surrounding cast of characters - and what happens to them. It hardly takes any time for you to get invested in their lives and you want to know if Cate made it out okay, what kind of man does Dillon grow up to be, are Hugh and Lily going to retire for real this time etc.
Definitely worth a read.

I usually read Nora Roberts as J. D. Robb so I had the expectation of a good read. I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed the style of writing which had me gripped from the first page. Intriguing storyline which sped you along and before I knew it, the book ended, unfortunately! Loved it!

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for allowing me to read and review honestly.

I enjoyed this story. It has a lot of interesting characters and together are adding for a fast-paced, suspenseful book with a few twists and a splash of romance.
Childhood trauma is never easy to live with but Cate is looking forward to doing something more meaningful with her life in her twenties. The past is catching up and there’s a beautiful love story with a boy,now a man that helped her in the past but also a very bumpy road as someone wants revenge and they are on her at every turn of the street.
Why not five stars? I felt like many moments and parts in the middle of the book were a bit unnecessary or dragging. I can’t really say I like any of the characters, maybe Lily, she was just like the aunt you hate but trust with your darkest secrets.

This is my first novel by this prolific author. It is a well written story about families and their different relationships. The first half of the book kept my interest by the book seemed to fizzle out.

I'm a nig fan of Nora Roberts and I wasn't disappointed loved it, read it start to finish in one day, highly recommended.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads class this as a Romance . To be fair they want their heads read , their bumps fely and an appointment with some realistic help. This book is MUCH MORE than a romance, this is a sweeping family saga, a mystery, thriller suspense a mountain of a book that is both irreducible to its composite parts and more than the sum of those parts . This is the best Nora roberts Book I have read and let me just add beter than any JD Robb book which is only Nora Roberts under another name. YOU MUST read this book.

The blurb will tell you the storyline but to be honest the book is much more than the blurb tells you. I love the characterisation Caitlyn refuses to be bowed under the dreadful events in her life; Dillon is just unctuous. Red and Mic are dogged and reliable. Okay her dad, her grandparents are just bit players in this immense saga but it doesn't matter.

I cannot praise this book enough there is not a spare word, not a moment when my heart was not in my mouth. I nearly stayed up all night to read it. I am also currently reading The Thorn Birds and believe me this is up there with that classic.

romance pshaw this is not a romance this is a book to write home about (less)

Hideaway. Norah Roberts

Caitlyn Sullivan, a child star comes from Hollywood royalty. At the age of ten at a memorial for the head of the Sullivan dynasty, Caitlyn is kidnapped and held in a brutal fashion. $10,000,000 is demanded for her return. But a resourceful child, she escapes into the night and stumbles across the Coopers,, a family who will become her saviour and life long friends.

What follows is even more traumatic as the family realise who the kidnapping is planned by. Cate will have trust issues for a long time. We follow her to Ireland and then back to Hollywood and New York before returning to Big Sur and the scene of her abduction. In Hollywood she takes up acting again but once the press get their teeth into her, life becomes more and more unbearable. Moving to Nw York enables her to be herself again. She takes college courses and falls in love but once more the past comes back to haunt her. This all takes up a big part of the book as her life and emotional development are chronicled.

Back at Big Sur she feels at home and reconnects with the Coopers. Dillon, the son, who first found her cowering in the kitchen is now a rancher. He’s interested but Cate has been burnt once too often. Can she trust him or anyone enough to develop a relationship that involves the heart?

So Cate is home and begins to relax. She develops her voice over career - one she loves to engage in. Slowly she begins a friendship which becomes a relationship; she makes friends and enjoys her life. But the threatening phone calls which have plagued her since Hollywood start up again and her nightmares resume as the book builds to its taught climax.

Although not my favourite Norah Roberts, this is a good story with likeable characters and well drawn villains. There is a good sense of place and some interesting backstory about voice over work. However, I would have preferred more development in the final third of the book. There are some chilling moments in this book but there is also joy and laughter. A good read.

Unfortunately I found this cliched formulaic and full - the characters were bland and everything was predictable.

It was a pleasant enough to read, but it had no depth and I didn’t feel fulfilled by it as a novel,

Hideaway is a book filled with family value and love. I enjoyed that aspect of it. Nora Robert always has a great way to make you feel the bond and trust between a family unit or the relationships and friendships she builds throughout her books. I loved the homely feeling I had every time Cate was at Big Sur or at Dillons family Ranch. However although I enjoyed this book due to those aspects, overall I was a bit disappointed. I didn't find the book to be very suspenseful, from the outset it was obvious who the villains of the story where and many parts where a bit predictable. I found the beginning very exciting and enjoyed the relationships built throughout. I think the book was slightly drawn out towards the end. Overall an enjoyable easy read.

I usually love Nora Roberts ‘voice’ and stories, but while I enjoyed some elements of Hideaway, I just couldn’t get into it properly. For me, the opening section with the kidnapping went on too long, and (at least some of it) could have been better handled as flashbacks in order to increase tension. I was also disappointed by the ending, as it felt anti-climatic, with some action ‘off screen’ and there was one character in particular whose POV I would’ve wanted to see (I won’t say anymore - no spoilers!). There was also less suspense than I was expecting.

On the other hand, the warmth, emotion, and family-centred relationships that Nora Roberts does so well were all there, and those were the parts I really enjoyed, as well as the lovely relationship between Dillon and Cate.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for the ARC.

Caitlyn Sullivan comes from a very wealthy family and because of it she makes the subject of kidnapping when she was a child. As a clever girl, Cate manages to fool her abductors and escape. She stops at a farm and the boy living there finds her all scared and bruised. After announcing the police and her family, Cate is taken back home, however, her memories come all together and by putting piece next to piece she helps the authorities to capture the culprits.
After years, she decides to leave the pressure of the big city and comes back to the place which gave her nightmares for a long time. Even though she saw Dillon and his family throughout the years, Cate discovers now that she has new feeling for the boy who helped her at her worst.
This book was supposed to contain suspense, as Nora Roberts usually delights her readers with her writing, but the storyline is much so as expected to happen since it’s revealed a lot of details from the beginning.
This book is a steady read and I thank NetGalley for this ARC.

Nora Roberts has to be one of the smoothest writers in the world and this book is no exception. Caitlin Sullivan is 10 years old and part of Hollywood Royalty. She is kidnapped from a family memorial party and the perpetrator is someone very close to her. She is feisty and manages to escape and find her way to Dillon Cooper's kitchen, frightening him to death as he is having a midnight snack. The story moves on over the years to Ireland, New York and back to LA, Terrible things happen, putting Cate and her family in danger and although we know who the villain is, the story is compelling and totally interesting. Loved it. Nora does it again.
Thanks for the free copy in exchange for a review.

I like Nora Roberts books and this was the perfect antidote to pressures of the modern world. The central theme is always a romance but with added drama.
In this novel Caitlin Sullivan, part of the Sullivan acting dynasty, is kidnapped aged nine and the repercussions of this ripple throughout her life. I loved the characters and was hooked to the story to find out what would happen next. An easy and enjoyable read.
Thanks to Little, Brown book group and NetGalley for an SRC in exchange for an honest review.
#Hideaway #NetGalley

Nora Roberts definitely knows how to write a gripping read and this is also a reason why her books always go to the top of my tbr pile. Another fantastic read with strong women at its heart.

Cate Sullivan comes from an acting dynasty starting with her great grandfather and great grandmother, grandfather and father so when she is 6 it’s a natural thing for her to star in a movie with her family.. with no spoilers something happens to Cate when she is 8 years old that turns her world upside down and carries through her life. She tries to escape this event but it becomes more and more difficult when someone won’t let it drop but with the help of her loving family and Her friends she has to face up to this.

A fascinating read , I feel I have learned something about voice over work and I always get a very clear picture of the setting as it feels so real. Loved it!

I have read many Nora Robert’s books over the years but this did not feel like a Nora Roberts book. It felt like it had been written by someone else. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when you pick up books from certain authors, you do so expecting a certain style. It was still a good read, but not up to the exceptionally high standards that I have come to expect from this author..

Wow, Nora roberts never disappoints. A wonderful story of family, loyalty, jealousy and triumph. Complete with twists that you don't expect and wonderful multi generation characters that you can relate to and hope for. A long time fan and this lives up to her back catalogue of excellence.

Wow a real page turner, Poor Cate had a tough life with everything thrown at her, with twists and turns along the way to keep the pages turning, really enjoyed this book.

Enjoyed reading this latest book by Nora. Its the perfect beach read or, the perfect lockdown read given the present situation. Its good to escape for a few hours and this book us the perfect way to do it. Recommended for both old and new readers.

Nora Roberts always writes enjoyable books with either a romantic suspense or a family saga with romance and layered characters. This is much more the latter. It felt overly long to me and did not have the usual unputdownable elements of her usual work.