Nora Roberts is a legend, and there's a comfort when you read her books. There's familiarity, but you also know that you will be entertained. It's like eating chocolate cake with a twist. This novel is exactly like that.

In this novel, Identity, Morgan is an extremely independent woman who is trying to put down her roots. She goes through a devastating incident that not only derails her plans but also loses her friend in a very gruesome manner. She is not safe, and she starts rebuilding her life with the help of friends and family.

It's been a while since I read Nora Roberts, and I enjoyed this book. However, it could have been a little shorter. I had to plod along in some parts of the novel because it seemed a bit repetitive. Having said that, no one does the genre of romantic suspense like Nora Roberts.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this book.

4.5

I've read a lot of books by Nora Roberts and I usually like them but her last few were either a hit or miss. But I loved this one a lot.

It starts right off with us getting to know Morgan and her plans which go horribly awry. I loved her journey to find herself again, discovering what she's really looking for. Her mother and grandmother were great characters.
I loved the Jameson family, every single member and that's so lovely to have a large close family.
If I had any complaints it would be the finale of the villain's demise. But overall I enjoyed the book too much to complain about it.

This book wasn't my usual genre and so it wasn't a book for me. And so I will leave it at that.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This book is classic Nora Roberts. I seriously felt like I was reading one of the novels that first got me into the romance genre. This book was extra special to me for so many reasons but I will summarize by saying this is one of my favorite’s of Nora’s. For other fans, it was on par with Shelter in Place and The Witness. I don’t know if it was the similar vibe or if I just liked it the way I liked those two novels.

Miles is the typical broody, works too much, third generation family business, leading man. Morgan is so many things. She starts as the hard working, knows what she wants and how to get there heroine we all know and love. But when the world is knocked out from under her, she has to dig deep, and yes, retreat home, to settle. But the best part was watching her blossom again. To claim back her life and find that what she thought she wanted might look a little different after all. She has the inner grit and spirit of the best of Nora’s heroines and I honestly would love to meet her in real life.

So how did this one feel so special? My last name is Albright, I’m from Michigan which is mentioned in the book. This is the first ARC I’ve been approved for from Nora Roberts. And she was my very first romance read, probably my first 20 because I read almost exclusively NR before I branched ' out. I blame Nora for my ridiculous expectations of the leading man for my own life LOL.

I received an ARC of this book in return for my honest review. It just so happens, I loved it!

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 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.

I really enjoyed this book! Such a great read and a thriller for sure! I really liked all the characters. I was really shocked at how easily her identity was taken from her. Overall great read but was longer than it needed to be in my opinion.

Identity
Nora Roberts
Narrated by January LaVoy
#2023AudioBookChallenge

Nora Roberts’ latest stand alone is a story within a story, a blend of women’s fiction and suspense. Nora’s protagonist Morgan is amazing, she’s down to earth, honest, reliable and what she endures is horrifically tragic but it’s the fact that she just keeps putting one foot in front of the other that will make the audience root for her while wondering if they would ever be able to endure it. The villain is pure evil and every reader or listener will hope for his demise to be as painful as possible. Then there are Morgan’s ladies, her mom and grandmother who are perfect for their roles as supporters with just enough family drama to add a bit of angst yet the audience will know they are always in Morgan’s corner. The police/FBI role is almost its own tale with interesting, empathic, hardworking agents trying to find this sadistic killer and put an end to his reign of terror and this master storyteller’s savvy way of entwining both plotlines is flawless. Then of course, there is as always, a love story, a slow burner that may catch the audience off guard if they didn’t read the blurb, but with a bit of time and Nora’s wonderful way to weave a tale it will become obvious why Morgan and Miles work. The frightening seemingly never-ending identity theft drama is so authentic and coupled with the bone chilling serial killer case makes this fast paced, intense novel absolutely unputdownable! The read will appeal to a wide audience range, both men and women and the fans of Lisa Gardner or Patricia Cromwell.


Growing up an itinerant Army brat all Morgan Albright ever wanted was roots so after finishing college she made it happen. By working two jobs, as an office manager for a construction company by day and a bartender by night and rooming with her bestie Nina to help pay the bills Morgan is able to buy a small house and start planting those roots. The last thing she’s looking for is love but when Luke, a handsome IT guy who’s only in town temporarily shows interest she may be up for a fling so to find out she and Nina decide to host their first dinner party and invite Luke and Nina’s boyfriend Sam.

Then one night after work Morgan comes home to find the house she loves ransacked and worse Nina the sister of her heart, murdered.

But that’s just the beginning.

Starting with a visit by a couple of FBI agents who tell her a story about a serial killer named Gavin who choses his victims very carefully, murders them, steals their identity then changes disguises and moves on to his next target. Worse Nina isn’t who he was after she was just in the way, Morgan was his real target and when they tell her to check her accounts the nightmare continues when she realizes she has nothing but a sinking hole of debt and seemingly no way to climb out of it.

The last thing Morgan wants is to give up but with little other choice she accepts her mother and grandmother’s offer to move in with them in Vermont. But she makes sure they both know this is only temporarily until she gets back on her feet. Soon she realizes with a job she loves and the support of her ladies she’s starting to plant roots again, then Gavin kills another woman but this time makes it clear he’s not done with Morgan, and the nightmare continues.

Nora Robert’s does not disappoint! Nora is caught up in a murder and identity theft incident . Nora Robert’s truly draws you into the story. I was turning the pages so fast to see what was going to happen next. Sumner is coming, so this will be a perfect beach read! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I wanted to like this book. It had a great concept and beautiful cover. It started off really good and by chapter 3 I was all in! The problem is I don't think Morgan is that relatable, interesting or likable enough to follow her life in the next state through so many pages. Maybe if Morgan and Sam had blossomed into a relationship, it would have been nice to follow that dynamic. I felt they had chemistry. However, Morgan seemed like an entitled individual who was afforded many opportunities due to her family and family connections. She had people to believe that she worked so hard to get where she was when in reality, she received an inheritance that set up to have a comfy life. Then when she goes back home to live with her mom and grandmother, once again it is through her grandmother's connections that she was able to get her new job and through her grandmother's money that she was able to get a new car and pay off her bills. She loves to say how hard she has worked to achieve all she had but the girl is being fed the silver spoon and owes her career to good old nepotism.

Personally, I preferred the chapters on Gavin, which I found very interesting, but unfortunately, there were not enough. There were way too many chapters on Morgan, and they seemed very long. The reading felt more like a task than one of enjoyment. Morgan just wasn't that interesting to follow her day-to-day life. I kept reading to for Gavin and to found out what he would do and what happed to him.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and Net galley for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review. Although this book was not for me, it appeals to many of the other Netgalley reviewers, and is likely to appeal to many other avid readers.

IDENTITY is a new Nora Roberts book that walks the Romantic Suspense line but still has the hallmark NR romance staples. I read this arc in a day. The first chapter felt a little 'tell'-y but it sets us up for what is a very very good novel about Morgan Nash Albright, a bartender (Nora loves a specialty trade) who runs afoul of an opportunistic serial killer who steals identities and money from the people he kills. When her roommate gets dead instead of her, Morgan has to deal with the fallout of his intrusion in her life and move back home with her mother and grandmother. This book muses on what it means to put down roots, and what it means to find your identity in a place, in people.

Nora Roberts books have a lot of things but there are several trademarks: the hero or heroine has a special job and you are going to learn all about it (in this case, bartending), the small towns are big into the arts (the DREAM let me move to this town), Ms Nora loves a craftsman and hard worker in a man (same), and the characters who are new to the scene get quickly drawn into the community that cares for them and appreciates them as people. I teared up SEVERAL times during the book and maybe that's because I'm getting a cold but I think it speaks to the fact that Ms Nora knows what she's doing. I've read other romantic suspense books of hers and I liked this one very much because it didn't leave me super stressed. The tension is there and it's a good tension but it doesn't keep you from enjoying Morgan's romance with Miles and appreciating her rebuilding her life. I liked the message the book sends--even when horrible things happen, you will make it to the other side, and you will grow, and you will thrive.

I would give this book an enthusiastic 4.5 stars.
Heat level: 3 for on page scenes but not what I'd consider particularly explicit.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy. This is my freely given honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for allowing me to read a book by Nora Roberts. This was the first time that I read a Nora Roberts book and it wont be my last. This book was full of suspense and action, It could characterize as a thriller. It is a standalone it may keep you wanting to turn the pages.
The Main character Morgan is forced to change her lifestyle and when she is targeted by a person who wants to steal her identity.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

Morgan has finally found a place to grow her roots which she’s always craved after constantly moving around her entire childhood. She has goals for her new house, so she works 2 jobs gets a roommate who becomes her best friend. She decides to relax a little and enjoy a date with Luke, a guy who is visiting her town on business and hangs out with her while she tends bar.

However, Morgan comes home one day and sees her roommate/best friend dead and finds out her identity has been stolen, her bank account drained, and now she is in massive debt. The FBI let her know it was Luke, real name Gavin, and that this is not his first time and he had meant to kill her instead.

After many months of trying to dig herself out of this financial hole, she decides she has to sell her house and move back home with her mom and grandmother in Vermont. She has to start over.

She gets a job managing the bar at a nice resort owned by the Jameson family. While she’s rebuilding her life, she starts to make new friends and realizes there may be something between her and the oldest Jameson sibling, Miles. But when the FBI inform her that Gavin has killed again and will eventually come back for her, she must realize she is not alone here, and she has so many people in her life now that will do everything in their power to protect her, but will that be enough?

It’s been a little while since I read Nora and wow, how I’ve missed her! This book was such a great reminder why I love her so much and how she got me into romance many years ago.

I loved this book!! The suspense aspect definitely keeps you on your toes and keeps things exciting, but it’s the relationships that I fell for through the entire book. I loved the side characters!!! Morgan’s mom and grandmother and their support and love. The entire Jameson family and their protection over Morgan had me falling for ALL of them.

Highly recommend for a romance/suspense vibe! Thank you to NetGalley and ST MARTINS PRESS for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was an exciting thriller of a book! It’s a well written book and I really liked all the characters. I was really appalled by how easily her Identity was stolen. It really made me so mad for the unfairness of it all.
I did enjoy the story but I felt like it was a bit too long.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I know that Nora Roberts can spin a story, but this one caught me completely off guard. I was completely absorbed into this book from the first few pages. You know what is eventually coming, but the buildup is fantastic.

Morgan Albright is a highly ambitious young woman, and she has a life plan that she intends to accomplish in as short a period of time as possible. She works two jobs and is stashing money away as quickly as she can make it. She rarely socializes except with her roommate, Nina, until one night in the bar where she tends bar she meets a charismatic man, Luke. She decides he is harmless and Nina talks her into inviting him over for a dinner party one night. He is handsome, kind and considerate, or so she thinks. Her world is shattered when she arrives home late one evening to find the back glass broken and the dead body of Nina. She soon finds out that he has taken more than her friend's life. He has stolen her identity, according to the FBI agents who show up at her door. He ruins her financially, but the FBI agents believe he will be back to kill her. He is a narcissistic con man and serial killer whose actual name is Gavin. She was the one that got away, and they do not believe he will be happy with killing Nina. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Morgan Albright is not your average woman. She has a strength inside of her that allows her to pick herself up and move forward with her life, but she will be looking in the rearview mirror for the rest of her life. It is a cat mouse game from that point forward. We see Morgan rebuilding her life in Vermont while living with her mother and grandmother. Then there are chapters interspersed throughout the book from Gavin's point of view. He is leaving a trail of bodies everywhere he goes. So, there is really no mystery here except for the question of when will he get back to her. Just the mere thought of Gavin and what is doing notches up the tension and suspense.

I loved the character of Morgan. She is strong willed and ambitious. The entire Jameson family stole my heart with their close knit family relations and their desire to make their business a success. The whole premise of this story is actually quite terrifying in that it could really happen. Nora Roberts really knows how to pull the reader into her stories so that you actually live there with the characters until you close the book. I almost sighed at the end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An interesting book centered around the protagonist and antagonist involved in an identity theft. Unfortunately this situation felt all too plausible. I enjoyed reading how Morgan rebuilds her life. I did find the description of the identity thief lacked nuance. I recommend to any fans of Nora Roberts.

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for making an ARC available in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been reading Nora Roberts for years and am always so excited when she publishes a new book. Identity was no exception! Nora has a way of writing that brings you right in and makes you feel like you are right there with her character. In Identity, I got to know her leading lady , Morgan, as she goes through something so overwhelming and painful that many people would just give up. But the book continues and shows how much resolve and strength can bubble to the surface in someone when their back is to the wall. Sprinkle in a love story , rebuilding of family ties and a great dog and you’ve got another great book from Nora Roberts on your hands !

3.5/5⭐️

I’ve always been a fan of Roberts, especially her JD Robb persona. But this romantic suspense was just too long. 450 pages may not sound lengthy, but the middle was slow and unnecessary in parts.

A young woman saving up to own her own bar has her identity and dreams stolen and her bf murdered by a cyber thief/psychopath. Starting over she relocates to live with her mom and grandma, finds a great job, great guy and regains her strength and confidence because she knows he’s coming for her as his only mistake in his murdering spree.

While it has the romance (though the male lead is annoyingly alpha), the suspense (mostly towards the end) and Roberts’ signature blunt writing style (also annoying at times), I just was not able to get into it as I usually do her books. Still, not a bad read overall.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the free early arc of Identity for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Morgan is finally settling down in a good neighborhood with her friend Nina as a roommate. But her world comes crashing down after she meets Luke. Luke, the cute IT guy. Luke, the man who she's been dating. Luke, who she let into her life. Luke, who stole her identity and killed her friend and ruined her live... When the FBI gets involved, Morgan quickly realized Nina was not "Luke"'s intented victim...
The premise of this romance/thriller was very interesting, but it fell flat for me. It's told in 3rd person, and the POV changes make it hard to follow at times. The pacing felt weird, which made it very hard to get into. I personally prefer shorter chapters, and it would've been interesting if they alternated the POVs this way. I would've liked to see more of Gavin's side of the story and less of Morgan's day to day, I feel it would've made it more thrilling. It could also have been edited a bit, I feel like there are 100-150 pages too many. I usually love Nora Roberts' work, but this one was not for me.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has always longed to settle in one place, and so when she gets the chance, she buys a house in a nice, quiet, residential neighborhood... even though it means working two jobs and taking a roommate in order to pay the mortgage. She loves her life, working as an office manager for a family owned construction company by day, bartending by night, and spending her spare time with her friend and roommate Nina. Then one day, a handsome stranger walks into the bar while she is working and says he is in town on business for a couple of months. He starts coming in frequently, and she really enjoys his company, so she lets her guard down and accepts a date with him. The date goes well, so she invites him to her house, where she and Nina host their first dinner party. A few days later, when Nina is home sick with a cold, an intruder breaks in, steals a few pieces of jewelry and some cash and then kills Nina. Afterwards, Morgan finds out the devastating truth....she was the one that let the monster into their lives, and their home. The person who broke in and killed Nina was Luke, the man from the bar she had been dating, and not only that, the intended victim was her. As if that wasn't enough, he had planted malware on her computer during the dinner party, and had stolen all of her financial information and her identity. "Luke" is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder. Soon, bankrupt, and nowhere else to turn, she flees to her mother's home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn't flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn't forgotten the one who got away.
This was one of my favorites of all of the thrillers this author has written. Gavin made a very convincing con artist and sociopath. I really liked Morgan and her "ladies" as she called her mom and grandmother. Morgan had a lot of tenacity, and didn't just curl up in a ball and give up like most people would in her situation. Of course I have to give a shout out to Howl, who fell in love with her instantly, and after all that time of refusing to play fetch with Miles, immediately fetched the ball when she threw it. That definitely made me smile. If you are a fan of thrillers, then you need to put this at the top of your TBR pile. It is a nail biter!

Former Army Brat Morgan has finally settled down in a friendly neighborhood. Her roommate, Nina, helps pay the bills and Morgan has a job as a bartender. But one night, Morgan and Nina host a dinner party, where an IT guy named Luke attends. From that point on, Morgan’s carefully built new life is shattered. Nina is found dead, Morgan’s car is stolen and items area stolen from the house. It turns out Luke wasn’t just an IT guy, but a con man. The FBI informs Morgan that he was actually after her, so Morgan flees in an attempt to start over again. But will Luke forget about the one who got away?

Nora Roberts always writes a great story, and this one is no different. The fast pace, chilling storylines and Morgan’s determined personality make the chapters fly by. Though this one didn’t stand out to me as much as some of her others, it was still an exciting read.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Nora Roberts for the ARC! “Identity” releases May 23.