3.5★s
Legacy is a novel by best-selling American author, Nora Roberts. Adrian Rizzo has grown up fatherless: for her first seven years, her father was unaware he had a daughter; when, at seven, her relationship to him was leaked to the press, he died during a violent assault on her mother, after he had attacked Adrian.

But Adrian has never felt the lack of him: her mother may be busy building a career and business, but she has always had her nanny, Mimi, and loving grandparents, Dom and Sophia. If her relationship with her mother is a bit cool and unconventional, it has made her independent enough to make her own fitness DVD before she has even turned seventeen. And the private school nerds who were there for the start-up of her business are still her friends.

But ever since her first successful exercise DVD, there have been death threats, poems that always arrive in February. Her famous mother tells her it’s the price of being a public figure, but Adrian remains uncomfortable with the annual Ugly Valentines, even moreso when the threat is directed at her grandmother after Sophia joins her for a live-streamed exercise session.

Two sudden tragic deaths see a radical change in Adrian’s situation, putting within her radar the now-nicely-grown-up green-eyed boy on whom she had a tiny crush when she was seven. Raylan Wells is the older brother of her best friend Maya, now returned to her grandparents’ home town in Maryland, the location of her idyllic childhood summer vacation.

Raylan is a successful graphic novelist, a widower with two young children. When he spots tall lithe Adrian in her running gear, he’s immediately inspired to create a new character. And then Raylan’s dog falls in love with Adrian’s.

While it throws a line to comic book fans, this novel is clearly aimed at fitness enthusiasts: there are so many descriptions of exercise routines they will have the eyes of the average reader glazing over.

The blurb seems to be somewhat misleading: the reader will probably expect a novel of romantic intrigue, but this is mostly the story of a woman making a career, a life, with family and friends; the romance element, when it finally appears about two-thirds in, is rather perfunctory; fans of this author’s romance novels will find it disappointing.

Until the last quarter, the intrigue aspect seems more like an aside than a major part of the story; the reader’s first guess about the poet is probably the right one. The background Roberts lays for the story is syrupy sweet and Hollywood happy, but lengthier than necessary. Good detective action in the final 15% gains it an extra half star. Perhaps a novel trying to be too many things at once, this is not Roberts best work.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and St Martins Press

I normally love Nora Roberts but this one feel a little flat for me. I didn’t enjoy the fitness storyline as it felt a bit fat shaming and inauthentic. The also didn’t really pick up on chemistry between chemistry between the leads.

Legacy is a typical Nora Robert’s book with some mystery, intrigue and romance. This is a book for all of the true Nora Robert’s fans. I won’t repeat the synopsis since you have all read that by now. Adrian is a strong female character who has hit some rough spots but goes on with her life and makes it better. She has some great friends and of course there is the proverbial romance. I’m not a fan of Roberts, although I used to be. It is a fast read if you want something light.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. Opinions are my own.

I have always loved Nora Roberts’ books. However, in the beginning of this book, my attention often wavered, because this book was often bogged down by unnecessary details. There are too many long meandering parts that are unimportant and slow down the story.

In the first two parts of this book, Ms. Roberts includes too many details. She opens the book by recounting the childhood of the main characters. This is important and interesting information, but she includes too many unnecessary incidences that tend to slow down the story.

The author has this same issue in Part Two when she slowly explains how Adrian met her life-long friends. They all help her single-handedly outdo her mother’s exercise videos, and she becomes a bigger success than her mother. This is another important part of the story.

There are many important incidences in the first two parts that are unfortunately overshadowed by these unimportant, boring details. I wish Ms. Roberts had scaled down some of the details and focused more on the parts that are necessary to the story’s romance and intrigue.

Unfortunately, the main plot drags out very slowly throughout the book. The actual conflict doesn’t escalate until two-thirds of the way into the book. Also, the romance between Arden and Raylan doesn’t really begin until around that same time.

Part Three is fantastic and full of intrigue, action, danger and conflict, - the type of qualities I expect from a Nora Roberts book. The “bad guy” is one of the most evil villains I have ever read, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And, Adrian and Raylan finally get to be a couple. At that point, I could barely put the book down.

This story would have greatly benefitted by reducing the unnecessary details in Part One and Part Two, and heavily concentrating on the important and more interesting parts of the story.

However, in the end, my favorite parts of the book revolve around the love story between Sadie and Jasper, the dogs of Adrian and Raylan!

I don't know why I never read a book by Nora Roberts so I was excited to finally get to it. The story started with a bang. On the day Adrian met her father he tried to kill her. After that it was just a quiet and nice story. Adrian was sent to live with her grandparents in Traveler's Creek after the incident where she found her best friend and helped in the family pizza restaurant. Adrian's mother, Lina, had built a fitness empire around herself and growing up Adrian was sometimes part of her videos. When she was about to turn 17, starting a new school, she found some nerdy, tech friends and tried her hand at doing her own kind of videos which took off and she had her own empire going on. Yearly she would get a threatening poem in the mail that her mom said was just part of being a celebrity. For the most part I liked all of the characters. At times I felt like Adrian pushing the fitness and health on everyone was just a bit much. I probably am a little bit in love with Raylan and even though Teesha, Monroe, Hector and Loren were a huge part of her life and business they weren't well defined as characters, same with Raylan's. We would get a small glimpse into their lives and I'd want to know more but nope, not this time. A big part of the story was the youth center Adrian was building to memorialize the Rizzo Family but I don't know if it's done or not. Last I heard she was picking out tile. Life went on until probably the last 85% of the book when the thriller part came into play but by then I was ready for the book to be over.

Will I read another book by Nora Roberts? Absolutely and I would recommend this to a friend. I would love to live in Traveler's Creek.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this compelling story.

This is a classic Nora Roberts book. She excels at creating characters that feel real. They all have their own flaws that make them come alive off the page. Within a few short paragraphs readers are hooked and eager to know what will happen to their new friends. Roberts deftly weaves different storylines and points of view all while progressing the plot with relentless energy. There is plenty of suspense throughout the book and the ending neatly wraps up all the various storylines.

Nora Roberts never disappoints, and this newest novel lived up to her legacy! Definitely more of a contemporary romance with a little suspense thrown in. Loved the characters, the plot development, and the detailed setting,

Legacy by Nora Roberts is an enjoyable romantic murder mystery. Adrian' Rizzo's only memory of her father is when he tried to kill her and her mother when she was seven years old. How does this event impact her life and future relationships? With the support of her family and a tight circle of friends, Adrian becomes a successful fitness entrepreneur. Will Adrian find romance and continued success, or will a stalker put an end to all her dreams? This book is a fast read for a lazy summer day.

Legacy was just an okay read for me. While I enjoyed Adrian and Raylan's story, the suspense was lacking. I was able to figure out who was sending the death threats early in the book and kept waiting for a plot twist.

2.5 STARS

I am such a huge fan of Nora, and it breaks my heart to give her book such a low rating. Sadly, this book continued a pattern of her last few romantic suspense that left my feeling disappointed. I adored both Adrian and Raylan, but they were lost in the overwhelming backstory, which could have been told in less than half the pages. The "suspense" aspect was an afterthought; it felt predictable and underdeveloped.

I still adore Nora and will continue to read her works. However, I will be more likely to use the library and save my $15 for more noteworthy reads.

I started out upset with the book because I didn’t like the mom, Lina. She was too career driven that she ignored her daughter. But I ended up really liking the book because I liked the daughter, Adrian. She made a great life for herself in small town Maryland at her grandparents house where she ended up falling in love and creating an exercise empire of her own. The death threats over the years in the form of poems kept the story interesting and creepy right until the end. Nora Roberts is a great storyteller!

Nora Roberts used to be a go to author for me but I have not read one of her books in years. This story was a little hard for me to review because it is mostly just a long winded story of Adrian Rizzo and her life starting as a child. Growing up, her family consisting of her mom, Lina, her Rizzo grandparents, her nanny, Mimi, and her mom's publicist/manager, Harry. Her biological father was a married professor whom her mother had an affair with while a student. He was killed when she was a young girl and he attacked Adrian, Lina, and Mimi. Lina provided Adrian's needs but her Mimi, and Lina's parents gave the love and nurturing that a child needs.
As an adult, Adrian is following in her mom's footsteps as a fitness guru with videos and a blog. As Adrian becomes a success, she also acquires a stalker who consistently sends threatening poems. Lina had her share of negative letters as well. The protocol was that they made copies, sent them to Harry, the local police, and FBI. Their lives go on. It is part of the success. Adrian makes friends along the way as part of her career and they become part of her family. This story covers Adrian's life over the years, full of ups and downs as normal life. Her life moves from New York to the small town of her grandparents and slows down but her career doesn't slow. Her life settles in and she is happy, especially as some of her friends move there too. But the suspense of the stalker amps up as the story goes on. I enjoyed the grandparents as they were loving, supportive and down to earth; they passed their Italian legacy on to Adrian in many ways-love of family, eating, cooking, and sense of community. The dogs and kids stole the show in funny ways. There is a love element eventually and ended on a good note but not before the suspense get intense.
I received a complimentary ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

I used to read every novel Nora Roberts published, but for some reason, in the past few years, I have missed a few that are on my TBR, but with an overwhelming number of wonderful books and authors out there, my TBR pile has far exceeded my reading, which is quite fast but not fast enough. With LEGACY, Nora Roberts has reminded me about all the things I love about her novels.
LEGACY is a balanced combination of romance and suspense with beautifully developed characters. Adrian Rizzo is a strong, driven, independent woman who has surrounded herself with diverse and wonderful group of friends. Her love and loyalty to all the people that are a part of her life are front and center. I love the way Roberts has developed the friendships in her life, especially the bonds with her two best female friends. She is smart, genuine, accomplished, and had found her place in life. Her grandparents gave her a foundation during her younger years, and their importance is constant for her. The way Roberts develops both her character and Raylan’s, as well as their relationship isn’t rushed which makes it all the more believable.
There is a reason that Roberts is well-loved by her fans. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to Nora Roberts, LEGACY is not to be missed. It is time for me to tackle my TBR.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#Legacy #NoraRoberts #StMartinsPress

One of my favorite authors and a woman who I feel can write anything and make it work. This book was no exception. We follow Adrian from little on, and to see how she grows even through all that happens to her is telling of the kind of author this is. I felt the story held my interest, not her best work but one i would still recommend.

Legacy is the latest by Nora Roberts. I went in expecting romantic suspense but it ended up much slower-paced than I was anticipating and came across as more women's fiction. Overall it was still enjoyable but got a bit heavy on the details.

I loved the way the story builds and how the reader is introduce to the lives of Adrian and Raylan. We get to see into their past and how it shapes their futures. Roberts also present these characters to be bold, strong, and independent. I think the readers will thoroughly enjoy these characters and the mystery the surrounds them as their lives cross paths and the building of their relationship.

I was giddy to get a review copy from NetGalley. While this book weaves a great story with great characters, this will not be a Nora book I revisit. It’s truly personal preference, but this book has some seriously sad and depressing moments. Chapters 7-9 are brutal and some may call other parts of the book poignant, but I just found them dark and sad.

Nora knows how to write sweeping sagas that span years, but I’ll stick with more of her upbeat stories.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

This was my first Nora Roberts book and certainly won't be my last.
I thought this was a family drama saga but it turned out to be so much more.
This romantic suspense had the perfect combination of romance, suspense, loveable characters and settings. Even the dogs who are spoken about throughout the book are lovable.
Most of this story could have been cut down but I really enjoyed the more "back stories" of the characters. A very enjoyable read.
Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press and the Author Nora Roberts for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5*

It's been quite a few years since I read a Nora Roberts book, especially one of her romantic suspense stories, but it's almost like coming home once you dive in. While Legacy isn't one of my favorites, it was still an enjoyable, suspenseful read. Although I kind of suspected who was behind the poems almost from the get-go, it was an entertaining, at times heartbreaking, journey to the climax.

Legacy was more emotional than I expected, and there was a point I almost called it a day because of a certain plot point, but I'm glad I kept going.
While the mystery was the main storyline, Ms. Roberts has a way of intertwining multiple stories in one, blending them so that they all come together in the end.
I enjoyed the multi points of view in this book, it helped bring the story, and the romance, full circle.

Nora Roberts always delivers on her romantic suspense novels and Legacy did not alter the path of success. She provided the reader with a good story, likable characters, and an interesting mystery. So why was I left feeling like it could have been so much better?

Legacy was easy to read and I enjoyed the story. In my opinion the relationships between Adrian and her mom and then again Adrian and Raylan lacked emotional depth which made it hard for me to connect. The first on purpose, Adrian and Lina were not supposed to be close. After the altercation with her father Lina dumped Adrian off with her grandparents and the contrasting warmth they displayed showed just how much their daughter lacked that maternal warmth. How I felt about the sub-plot and subsequent love story with Raylan might be my own peccadillo. I really liked him with his first wife and their love was so deep. Despite my liking Adrian, it was hard for me to see him fall for her when his circumstances had changed. As a side note his kids and dog were so lovable and funny and really rounded out Raylan’s story.

Sometimes when you figure out the whodunnit half way through a novel, and the sub plots are good but not great, you are just reading to reach the final page and not really to feel every emotion your main character will feel. That is was happened with me in this novel. I liked it, but I’ve read so many better books by this author that I was disappointed at the same time. These mixed feelings are why I only gave this book a 3.5 rating. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.