Can you believe that I have never read a Nora Roberts book before? However, I saw others posting about this book, and after reading the description, I was intrigued. Was this a love story? Was it a thriller?

Morgan Albright has grown up without roots but finally settles outside of Baltimore in her own home, with a fun roommate and two jobs she thoroughly enjoys. She is full of hopes and dreams and saving up to finance them. She even meets a gorgeous guy and feels like life is going her way. That is until she comes home one day to find something tragic happened to her roommate. Morgan’s life is torn apart, and soon she must move to live with family to protect herself and figure out what she will do next.

This book kept me captivated the entire way through. The author built a main character who expressed her good or bad feelings and made them real to the reader. I loved seeing how she developed in her personal and professional life throughout the book.

Review will be posted to Instagram, @read.rest.recharge on May 9, 2023.

Identity by Nora Roberts was the perfect blend of romance and suspense. When Morgan Albright has her identity stolen by a con man who now wants her dead, she moves back home with her mom and her grandmother. There she meets Miles who will do whatever it takes to protect her. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Nora Roberts for this advanced copy of the book!

I loved this book! It was an excellent balance of crime drama and romance. Identity theft is such a horrible thing to happen to people. Experiencing just how Morgan’s hurt and frustration regarding her identity being stolen fueled her determination to still live her life despite being hunted by the horrible human being kept me engaged from cover to cover. Except for the identity thief, I adored all of the characters. They were well-developed, and their interconnected relationships felt authentic.

This story is so hard to describe as it has romance but it isn't a romance, it has mystery and psychological thriller, yet it's so much more. We see Morgan coming home to Vermont after a serial killer murders her roommate and steals her identity. With the help of her mom and grandma, she manages to start to rebuild her life. The warmth of family is a thread that runs through the book. After getting back on track in her life, she starts a relationship with Miles, whose family owns the resort at which she works. Their families are intertwined in friendship and this comes in handy when Gavin, the serial killer, starts leaving messages for her. Happiness cannot be fully felt by Miles and Morgan as the threat is a constant presence that hangs over them. It is a subtle threat that flows throughout the story and while you smile at the snappy dialogue, humor and happiness, it is there. This is a long story and is hard to find a stopping point, but it is separated in parts and each chapter has quotes that hint at what is to come. A must read that will have you second guessing being friendly to strangers no matter how nice they seem. You just never know.

Can the worst thing to happen also be the best thing to happen to someone?

As a child who spent her life always on the move, Morgan just wants to plant some roots. She has worked hard to get a home of her own. When a smooth talking man comes around, her life changes. Not only does he steal her identity, he takes the life of her roommate/ best friend. Now, with her mother and grandmother, Morgan begins to rebuild her life. She has a job she loves and a new romance. But will the past come back to finish the job?

This book pulled me in from the start. I absolutely loved it!

Love Nora Roberts! Read this book in 2 days! People are not who you think they are sometimes! Yes, the ending may me cry! This is a story of what could be your neighbor or friend. Highly recommend this book and plan on doing nothing till you finish it!

Identity is Nora Roberts doing what she does best. It has characters that readers care about, an intriguing storyline, gripping suspense, and, of course, the HEA. It also left me hoping to see these characters return in future books... perhaps a Jameson trilogy. Swoon!

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First Nora Roberts dnf. This book had SUCH potential. The main plot happened in the first two chapters and moved so fast that I felt nothing. No sympathy for the dead best friend because it felt like they met five minutes ago. Then chapters upon chapters of her boring banter with her family. The beginning moved too fast and then the character development in between the climax moved sooo slow. I wanted more Gavin chapters. The MMC was boring and I couldn’t even tell half way through that he was the love interest. I’m sad because this had such potential and I’ve read every NR book to date.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this earc

I’m a huge fan of Nora Roberts and read most of her books.

But this is the second time with her newest release that I felt that the book was just so unnecessary long? Honestly some of these scenes could have been taken out completely and the story would still be the same.

I liked the mystery/series killer part of this book and I think the whole concept could have been so great. But because it took us so long and over a year on the page, by the time we get the bad guy I honestly couldn’t care less.

The relationship between Morgan and everyone else was exactly the same. Like dude. She was friends with everyone around her. Everyone knows and loves he family. She marries her boss/boss’s son. I get that her best friend was killed and all her money was stolen but after that everything fell into to place just too neatly.

Overall, definitely not her best work which made me very sad. Let’s hope I’ll like the next one more.

I received a free copy of, Identity, by Nora Roberts, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Morgan had a terrible experience and is trying to rebuild her life, but the bad guy is coming back for her, to make her pay. This book was hard to read, what Morgan and the other victims went through is horrible.

This isn't my usual type of book, so it was nice to read something a little different. After Morgan's identity was stolen by the man she thought she was dating, she moved home with her mother and grandmother to get her feet back under her. While she flourishes at her new job and life, Gavin still hasn't forgotten about her.

I do wish the story moved a little faster, but otherwise it was a good story and I'd recommend it for people who enjoy romantic suspense/thriller.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There is a reason why Nora Roberts is the #1 romance author in the country. And there is a reason why she has sold over 500 million copies of her books. She is just that good of a writer. And this book did not disappoint! It had everything!

When Gavin, the smooth con-man, murdered Nina, I think I stopped breathing for a moment. And then when he stole Morgan's identity, I felt it down to my inner core. No one should ever have to go through losing everything the way Morgan did.

I don't want to give away any spoilers beyond what is already written in the blurb, but this story showed how a person can come back from all of that horror. It showed how a person can rebuild their life... and all for the better.

The romance didn't show up until halfway through the book, but that was good. I liked the slow buildup. Morgan had to find herself first. And the romance was indeed very, very good. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes romantic suspense.

BONUS STAR ALERT. Hands down one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. This was unputdownable. A unique crazy twisting plot. Characters you get to know and absolutely adore. They are so well done you are literally sad to say goodbye to them. Some of my favourite literary characters ever. Suspense and terror combined with hope and a serious love story make this absolutely perfect.. this will for sure be a reread for me and will be recommended to everyone I know. This book has something for everyone. What an amazing book!

This was a classic Nora Roberts romantic suspense. I haven't read one of these in years, but every time I do read one, I'm drawn in by the amazing storytelling, fully formed characters, and deep relationships.

Morgan has a 5 year plan; she wants to invest in her home, open a bar, and eventually find a steady relationship. But for now, her focus is solely on working and saving money. She has a great roommate, Nina, and two steady jobs; life is on track. When a smooth talking stranger, Gavin, comes into her bar, they indulge in some harmless flirting, until he turns out to be a serial killer who murders her roommate and steals all her money and identity. Morgan is sent reeling and has no place to go except back home to Vermont. There she forms new bonds with her mom and grandmother, gets a great new job, and might be on her way to a relationship, but Gavin is obsessed with the one who got away.

I would rank this book up there with some of Nora's best romantic suspense books. It was engaging and interesting, and it felt current since it dealt with a cyber crime for part of the book. I liked the familial aspects of this book. There were two sets of strong family bonds that were enjoyable to read about. I liked the secondary characters and the normal ways they were worked into the story. There were a couple of things that kept it from being 5 stars for me. 1) The relationship felt like it came out of nowhere. I love a good slow burn, but this one went from almost nothing to sex in one quick hop. Even though it eventually evolved into more, I could have used a bit more build-up. 2) NR's dialogue takes me out of the story at times. It doesn't feel like language people use. This is an issue for me across all of her books, but the storytelling is just so good, I have learned to live with it.

Nora Roberts is so good at her craft. I've listened to some of her interviews, and it's inspiring to see how hard she works. Her books can feel a bit formulaic at times, but she's such a master storyteller and I get swept away every time.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Identity.

I was excited to receive an e-ARC of Identity based on the description. I was looking forward to reading a Thriller by Nora Roberts. I used to read Nora Robert's books all the time years ago but haven't read one in quite a few years. I went into this book thinking it would be a strong thriller. I felt this was more of a romance book with some suspense thrown in throughout the book.

The book starts off strong with more of the thriller/suspense. It soon turns into long drawn out descriptions of Morgan's daily work and life in Vermont. The descriptions of the hotel and area were amazing and made me want to visit a place like this sometime. However, I felt like this was just day in and day out the same thing happening. Meanwhile we saw small glimpses into the life of the "bad guy". I figured out what would happen early on in the book and it took a long time to get to the end.

The book was enjoyable to read but I feel like it could have been shorter. There were also things that started to annoy me reading, such as Morgan calling her mom and grandma "my ladies" as well as being unsure as to who was speaking at times.

Whoa - this book was a nail biter at times. Morgan was a bartender and a customer came in and what she did't know was that he was setting her up for a cyber crime, charges that weren't made by her and eventually her death. It partially goes wrong and a good friend is killed instead. By the time, he is done with her, she has lost everything, so she goes back home to live with her mother and grandmother. She gets a new bartending job and eventually falls in love but this guy is not done with her. He is unraveling though and getting sloppy. The FBI is after him but though he is sloppy, he is tricky too.
The story is very well written and you can picture all the locations and people. I love Morgan's family and how close they become. The family she is working for is great too. They take care of their own very fairly. I highly recommend this mystery/romance

I got this book from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I should start by saying I love Nora Roberts. I have since I was a teen. I really enjoy mystery/romance novels, so I was ecstatic when I was able to grab an early copy of Identity. My FIRST Nora Roberts ARC! (Totally fangirl moment and EEEKKKKed like crazy. My husband just rolled his eyes.)

Morgan is set on putting down roots. She works two jobs and budgets every penny with dreams to make changes to the little home she shares with her best friend and eventually hopes to own her own bar. It is during her bartending job she meets Luke.
Luke, who is smooth, and only in town for a short time, seems like a perfect person to spend time with causally. He turns out to be a con artist who prays on single, independent women, kills them, then steals their identity. Morgan is his next target, but her best friend ends up dead.
One thing I have always enjoyed about Roberts' books is the professions she gives her main characters. Sometimes they make me wish I was in my teens or early 20s figuring out what to do with my life.
Anyways... I like the build-up of suspense with 'Luke' and Morgan. I like the relationship development between Morgan and Miles. The only thing I didn't care for was the ending. It seems too sudden and quick. Like hooray for Morgan, but that seemed too easy... I don't know what I was hoping for and I still will recommend this book. I'll probably end up purchasing the audio as I do with all my favorite Nora books.
Thank you St. Martin Press & Netgalley for my advanced copy!

This was my first Nora Roberts book and this book definitely lived up to all her hype! The concept was very intriguing to me. Morgan learns the hard way what can happen when you are too trusting of the wrong person, she has her identity stolen and in the process her roommate and best friend is murdered. She returns home to try and pick up to pieces of her life, slowly learning to trust herself and everyone else again. However her nightmare isn't over and Gavin still has his sights set on her.

I did feel like this book could have been a little shorter and faster paced, some of the suspense was lost in the length of the book. I did really enjoy having the villian's POV, I always think that adds such an interesting perspective. Morgan is a truly likeable character and I was rooting for her the whole time!

*Slow clap* for Nora Roberts, once again. She will forever be one of my favorite authors because her books hook you, sink their claws in, and won't let you go. Identity was no different and I am so grateful to have received an ARC of this book. Overall, I loved it. The storyline was fresh and interesting and the book took off from the very start. Morgan was extremely likeable and the relationship she and Miles create is adorable. I loved the generational connection between Morgan and her mother and grandmother. The store they created and the relationship between these women fees like it could be a book in and of itself - I would LOVE to read that.

I did feel like the ending of this one was a little rushed - there was so much leading up to Gavin coming to find her, but it wrapped up so quickly that it was like a blip in this extended storyline, which I think was a bit of a miss.

Regardless of the ending being tied up in a pretty little bow, I would 100% read this book again. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

I found this book to be a solid Nora novel, with a few critiques. I liked that a good many chapters were devoted to Gavin, the villain. Often in her books, the perp gets few scenes and a rushed ending. I felt like we really did get to know Gavin and his motivations, as heinous as he was.

The two FBI agents, however, appeared to bumble along, always a step behind. With today’s technology, street cameras and surveillance that they didn’t seem to use to full advantage, I wonder if this was just for the purpose to drag out the chase.

The lead character, Morgan, turns her life around rather conveniently after hitting rock bottom. She has a loving family to help her out, then gets her dream job, a rich boyfriend and all the advantages and support of his wealthy family. But this is happy ending romance, after all.

The book was overly long. Nora tends to get hung up on too many mundane, crafty, HGTV home improvement scenes that take us away from the pacing. While this story could have been a fast paced thriller, it’s not. I did enjoy it, found it hard to put down and still find Nora to be my go-to author when I need a good book to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity for the early read.