Cover Image: Legacy: a gripping new novel from global bestselling author

Legacy: a gripping new novel from global bestselling author

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Fantastic Book!!! 5 stars!!!
If you like a book where you become emotionally involved in the characters and and care about what happens to them then this book is for you If you want a quick dramatic thriller and climax than this is not for you. This book is a slow burn taking place over about a 20-year period. The character development in this book is excellent, if at times it seems a bit too good to be true. Premise is young girl whose mum is a fitness guru, the girl then decide start her own exercise business and follows her story through the next 17 years, where once a year she gets a death threat (slow burn).
The audiobook really brought the characters to life with all the different voices. I particularly liked the wee kids. Definitely think I enjoyed it more as an audiobook when I would have if I would have read it for myself as I made it more lifelike and I was a part of their life.

Was this review helpful?

I found this quite slow to start with and it took me dime time to get into, but the story did pick up and the ending was worth the wait.

I wouldn't say this us a thriller, but it's an enjoyable story nevertheless and the narration was great.

Was this review helpful?

I have heard great things about Nora Roberts, but this was my first book written by her, and I listened to the audiobook narrated by January LeVoy.
This was a solid 3 star from me, the main appeal was definitely LeVoy's narration. She was superb, changing her voice brilliantly for the different characters and the maturing voice of Adrian. I loved listening to her.
The plot however, was lacking. I was expecting more of a thriller and ended up with more of a family drama. It was slow paced and very 'wordy' and long winded at times. The characters were likeable and multi-layered.
I would try another Roberts book, especially with this narrator, to see if this is Roberts' writing style.

Was this review helpful?

Brilliant brilliant brilliant. I have never rooted so much for a character in a book I have never cried so much over so many characters in a book I loved it the mandatory was fantastic and had me hooked the whole way through. Thank you Nora Robert’s for a truly outstanding book.

Was this review helpful?

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I just didn’t like the narrator. Their voice was too monotonous which didn’t make me want to carry on listening.

I will keep an eye out for the book version as I think I would enjoy the book.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this audiobook. The narrator, January LaVoy, did a fantastic job putting voices to the various characters. The flow of her narration was excellent. One of my pet hates when listening to audible is when they switch between the male/female voices and it just jars for lack of a better word. There were no such issues here. I especially liked how January changed the voice for the teenage Adrian as she grew to adulthood. The story itself, well it’s Nora Roberts – an author I always feel I can rely on. If I’m being 100% honest I do prefer her books where there is a more mystical element but that is down to personal taste and in no way affected my enjoyment of Legacy. I have to finish by saying that in future if I’m in two minds over whether or not to buy an audiobook the name of January LaVoy as the narrator will be the deciding factor for me.

Was this review helpful?

I confess I do like Nora Roberts :O)

She has the knack of writing characters you can’t help but care for, and Legacy is another great example. In this instance, the suspense and thriller elements stay in the background for most of the narrative, darting here and there, until the big finale. The real focus of the story is instead the lives of Adrian and Raylan, their own journey of self-discovery, of finding their inner core and happiness in the face of adversity. The romance aspect is very light too, Roberts painting instead a picture of various relationships, between parents and children, between couples, and between friends, all in a lovely community. It is a compelling thing, weirdly. Then again, this author’s writing style, while seemingly effortless, always grabs me and doesn’t let go. I don’t mind :O)



I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Hachette UK Audio and to Nora Roberts for the opportunity.

Was this review helpful?

I've given it 4 stars, but it's more of a 3.5 for me. I enjoyed the story itself. Just found it was quite slow,so it was hard to stay interested. Although it's down to personal taste as I know a few people who love Nora Roberts

Was this review helpful?

Legacy - Nora Roberts
Narrated by January LaVoy

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Hachette Audio and Netgalley.

Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

The story spans through many years as we follow Adrian through childhood and into adulthood. Adrian is a fantastic, strong character with a great desire to succeed. This a slow-burn romance with a thriller undertone.

Roberts has written a book that I could not stop listening too. A very descriptive book with very likeable characters. If you enjoy Robert’s writing then this book should definitely be a book that you read this Summer!

Rating 4/5

Was this review helpful?

Wow what an audiobook. I absolutely love this audio such an exciting story full of more twists and turns than you could throw a stick at. The characters felt real and honest and I loved all the family dynamics. Please note this book will make you laugh and cry in equal measure but I really can’t say much without spoiling the story so won’t. Love it and it had great narration from January LaVoy.

Was this review helpful?

"I'll sing and shout to beat the band"
The opening sets the basis for an excitingly suspenseful mystery to follow: Lena, is now a successful business woman, who built her reputation with an exercise series Yoga Baby, based around her own daughter. Adrian's father had been the married-with-two-children philandering English professor at Lena's college who she had left right years before. Suddenly appearing back in her life, he not only tries to kill their seven years old child, he punches Lena's close friend and companion and attacks Lena herself. In the proceess, he himself dies.
Years later, Adrian starts to receive threatening poems, but from whom and why she has no idea.

It is an intriguing premise which could have become an exciting story had it been allowed to feature more fully through the body of the book. Instead, it is Adrian's really tedious life of the oh-so-talented little rich girl adored by everyone (but so sweet and nice!) who makes it big, with three college friends as back up all of who turn out to be mega marvels in their fields, producing her own brand of exercise videos. And, oh, the tedium of the woman, the pushing of her health and fitness regimes on everyone she meets (including, it felt, the readers). For this reader, the happy lovey dovey lifestyles simply did not ring true and not did Adrian. And where was the mystery? Basically, apart from very brief mention of someone being murdered, it was tucked into the final couple of hours of the more than fourteen the book.

Totally bored by Chapter 10 of the 31 an wanting to give up, it was the narration which kept me reading. January LaVoy was superb. She read with emotion, great pacing and modulation. Her reading had clarity and gave life to the characters, her voicings for these numerous protagonists totally individual, distinctive and appropriate. Astonishingly, even the speech of the several children was completely realistic and not the usual squeaky voices frequently assumed. A very fine performance.

So, my first Nora Roberts book and almost certainly my last. Drawn in by the book blurb, and knowing of Ms.Robert's stella reputation, I requested, and was freely gifted, a complimentary preview copy of the Audiobook of Legacy by St.Martin's Press, via Netgalley. Thank you so much. I wish that I had enjoyed it more, that it had been, at most, half the length given that three quarters, at least, of the book seemed to be providing unnecessary background and much more could have been made of Rachel Potter, the P.I. and the one person in the book for whom I felt empathy. She seemed real, unlike most of the other protagonists, despite the time devoted to the characterization of others. Despite being well written, I would definitely hesitate to recommend Legacy to others unless they are fanatical keep-fit devotees

Was this review helpful?

Narrator 5 stars
This narrator did a fantastic job representing all the different characters.

Story 2.5 stars
I'm a bit torn with this book. It took me a really long time to get into it. Usually I start an audio book and I will finish it in 1 session, 2 Max but this one I stopped and started 4 times within a space of two week.
At first it was a bit too fluffy for me. Kind of felt like I was reading Danielle Steel (who I do not enjoy) but the second half of the book was quite engaging.
So basically I didn't like this book, probably won't recommend it but also didn't dislike it. Just feel very nothing about about it.

**due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this as I did not pay for it**

Was this review helpful?

Was drawn into this book immediately and hard to put down. Covering two generations of a family the story unfolded at a good space so that you understood the back story of the main characters. It was a detailed plot which intertwined through the book. Mother daughter relationship features and gradually starts to repair by the final third of the book. I enjoyed the pace and excitement of this book and the narration was excellent. Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced audiobook to review.

Was this review helpful?

You know you have read/listened to a great novel when it finishes and you wish for more, Legacy by Nora Roberts is a great standalone novel , I haven't read anything before I will definitely look out for her future books the story flowed brilliantly all the characters were well written and it was really enhanced by January LaVoy's narration I almost felt like I wanted to go out and buy Adrian Rizzo's DVDs, I can't really tell you much more than the general synopsis as it will give to much away all I will say is Read it or even better listen to it, its great!

Was this review helpful?

Engaging and immersive romance meets simmering thriller. Adrian has a strained relationship with her celebrity mother and wants to make a life for herself, free from her mother's shadow. In doing so, she discovers what is really important to her, develops lifelong friendships, and realises she must also deal with the downsides of fame. Beautifully narrated, the book is quite lengthy as it luxuriates in the great relationships and sense of community Adrian builds.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely book from Nora Roberts. It has a slow burn both with the romance and the main thriller/suspense plot but it made for well rounded characters. She's managed to produce over a dozen characters that have unique voices, back stories, personalities and best of all you care about all of them. That's unusual for a book, which has so many side character.

When i explained the plot to my husband, I couldnt convey why i kept of listening to a few minutes here and there whenever i could, as the draw was Adrian navigating her small town life and thriving within it, feeling much like the Gilmore Girls. Listening to her put together yoga sessions was fun to read and I'm not a yoga/fitness girl. She was so engaging and just a happy place to be.

However I didn't love the ending, the plot was predictable and didn't really bring anything new to a bloated genre. But it was a fun cozy read. Will definitely pick up more Roberts in the future for my Sunday reads.

Was this review helpful?

I tried another Nora Roberts book because of the synopsis, which appeared to be for a thrilling romantic suspense novel. However, a good deal of this story recounts everyday living, with way too much time spent covering the minutia of Adrian's fitness video, workouts and running general errands. The story covers the lives of several characters over a period of 2+ decades and for the most part, I didn't find this book particularly interesting to read. I thought the romance element was lukewarm at best, with a very slow friends-to-lovers theme: the couple meeting when they were kids, spending very little time together, growing up, moving away and having lives of their own - Indeed, until the last third of the book, I had no idea who the romance would involve, since Rylan and Adrian showed no interest in each other romantically before then ....

Then there's the the suspense element, which also didn't feel particularly suspenseful until near the end of the book. Labeling this as a "thriller" or a "romance" is a huge stretch. Not what I was expecting based on the description, but thanks anyway to NetGallery and HarperCollins for allowing me the opportunity to read the book.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first book by Nora Roberts and I had heard good reviews of her. I listened to the audio book version read by January LaVoy who did a very good job having different voices for each character, bringing the story to life.

The story unfolds around Adrian, the main female character, and her complex relationship with her mother. It follows her life and that of her family and friends over a number of years. In the mix is the poems she has been receiving from her teenage days. It is a story of relationships, love, family and suspense all rolled into one.

I did enjoy Legacy although at times I got lost between the back stories and past and present time with the audio version. It had me hooked at the start but then my interest waned after the first third however it picked up pace again towards the end and I was keen to hear how it ended. Everything comes together in the end. I found it an enjoyable listen but would probably have preferred to read it myself as Nora Roberts has a very intricate way of describing everything in detail.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a difficult one for me to review. It was my first Nora Roberts book and I’ve heard great things.

I went into it not really knowing what to expect. The gist of the story surrounds Adrian Rizzo a young girl who lives with her yoga instructor mum who is a bit famous after launching her brand Yoga Baby. The reader then follows Adrian’s life from a young girl living between homes as her mum flies around the country doing tours and signings and things, to a teenager trying to make her own way and finally as an adult settling into life. There is a crime element first with Adrian’s father trying to kill her and later with some death threats she is sent. (Not spoilers this is all in the synopsis). And there is a romance element too.

I didn’t dislike this book it was emotionally provoking, some scenes in particular especially I think because I was listening to the audio made me cry. But it felt extraordinarily long. I was surprised to see it’s only 448 pages as it felt like it must have been closer to 1000, I think this is because Nora Roberts writes about all the minutiae of everything. Example: a guy is going to view a house and the sentence is something like ‘as he wasn’t in a rush he took his time getting the dog lead from the drawer, clipping it to the dogs collar, grabbing some poop a scoop from another drawer, putting on his shoes, tying his laces etc etc etc’ so every scene you kind of get all these really tiny details which makes it feel really long and tedious in places. I did still finish it and felt like I enjoyed it but also that it felt like there was a lot going on!

Was this review helpful?

This is my first Nora Roberts novel and also my first audiobook and I enjoyed them both.
The story revolves around Adrian and how she makes her place in the world with a successful mother, a father who tries to kill her and a supportive extender family
I liked the interconnecting sub plots within the story of friendship, mother/daughter relationships, family loyalty and dysfunction. I'm unsure if it was because it was an audio book but at times I became confused and had to replay a chapter, this could have been due to doing other things whilst listening.

I'm unsure if I'd classify this novel as a relationship or a thriller or a bit of both. Regardless of how is classified it is very detailed and obviously well researched

Was this review helpful?