Wow, another great book by author, Nora Roberts. Identity is due for publication 5/23/23.
Identity is a mix bag... murder suspense, mystery, family drama and romance. It all works. Nora Roberts did her research for this book. It is a slow burn on suspense and romance which kept it interesting.
Morgan was a army brat, as a child she moved around a lot. Now in her mid twenties she is eager to put down roots. She is smart and ambitious, working two jobs, office work for a construction company and evening as a bartender.
Morgan purchased her first home. It is small and in need of updating, but she is thrilled to once be able to plant roots. With the help of her roommate Nina she will be able to save money and work on her home and to save and one day own her on bar.
Morgan meets Luke while working at the bar. After a casual pizza date she plans a dinner party with Luke and roommate Nina and her boyfriend. Life seems to be going great, she has made friends, she's enjoys her jobs, her new home and new boyfriend Luke.
A few days after her successful dinner party. Nina comes down with a bad cold. She tells Morgan she plans to stay home from work and spend the day in bed. When Morgan returns home from work she discovers that her home has been broken in to and Nine has been murdered. Jewelry, cash and her car has been stolen.
Morgan's new boyfriend Luke is actually Gavin. She finds out the FBI have been tracking him and he has a history of targeting a type of women. He is the one that broke in and killed Nina. Gavin cleaned out Morgan's checking account and saving and opened out new credit cards and took out loans in her name.
Morgan makes the decision to sell her home and move to Colorado to live with her mother and grandmother. The FBI reach out to Morgan and let her know Gavin is now leaving pieces of her jewelry at the crime scenes. This is to let Morgan know that Gavin has not forget about her.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read Identity and give an honest review.

I jumped at the chance to read a new Nora Roberts suspense book, and I was not disappointed. Morgan has been the victim of identity theft in the worst possible way, and moves home to try to rebuild her life. I really liked this story, and as with all her books, this was well researched and plotted. It was a quick and easy read, an absolute must for anyone.

After a childhood of moving from place to place, Morgan Albright has dreamed of having a stable home and accomplished her dream by getting her degrees and working little by little to achieve them.

Working two jobs, Morgan has a small home with a yard and a dependable new car. By night, she is a bartender at Next Round, and during the day, she works for a family construction firm as the office manager. She took on a roommate, Nina Ramos, who became her best friend.

Morgan doesn't have time to date, but one of the new patrons, Luke Hudson, gets Morgan to meet him for pizza. He's easy to get along with and likable. Unknown to Morgan, Luke has a very dark side.

When Morgan returns home to find her best friend murdered, it looks like a burglary has gone wrong. The news gets worse when the FBI shows up at Morgan's door and informs her who Luke really is. As one bad hit after another continues to come, Morgan sells her dream home and moves back to Vermont with her Grandmother and mother. This nightmare isn't over!

I was immersed in this story from the beginning, Morgan was good at reading people and intelligent, but sometimes what you see is not what you get. Morgan is resilient wanting to get back to work and with the help of her grandmother and proving her capabilities is back to bartending again. Another family-owned business, where they view their staff as family, and when Morgan has more bad news told to her, and fears she'll be let go, but instead finds a wall of protection, help, and a new love interest. Morgan knows things will not be normal as long as Luke still has her in his sights.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and have voluntarily reviewed this book

Nora Roberts does not disappoint with Identity! Morgan is a strong female character who overcomes a traumatic experience and rebuilds her life when her experience easily could have forced her to hide. Through her relationship with her mother and grandmother and her new work family, the story is capped off with her relationship with Miles. Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

Morgan was working hard and saving her money so she could improve her house she bought, and she had a roommate. Morgan comes home from work one day y and finds her roommate Nina murdered. Nina was murdered by Gavin, a fellow Morgan had dated a f few times. She finds that all her money, jewelry, car and personal identity has also been stolen. Loans are taken out in her name, and she defaults on her mortgage and must return to Maine and live with her mother and grandmother and take a job as a bartender at the local resort and fits right in with the family even so far as to date Miles, one of the sons.
In the meantime the FBI is running all over the country trying to capture Gavin, who always has a mark in sight. And when he is done taking everything he can from them, he murders them.

A good mix of fun times, drama, crime and romance.

I was given this book as an early reader and reviewer.

Love her writing style. Like listening to a friend. Love that she stays fresh even after SOOOOO many novels.
I guess it's true, some things get better with age!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan Albright thought her life plan was working out and she’d have a good future. But when a charming man she was falling for stole everything, she had to start over and turns to her mother and aunt for help.

Has all the usual NR go-to’s, but was just a little too convenient for me. There are ways to lock your credit and I think Morgan should have been able to do that.

Nora Roberts is one of the most prolific contemporary authors alive (like James Patterson — both have written over 200 books). Her latest, “Identity,” is a romantic suspense thriller about a con man who victimizes a 25 year old woman, stealing her identity, money, credit, insurance, equity and murdering her best friend.

Morgan Albright begins as a happy, hard working person, happy homeowner with a cute house (and a list of projects she’s budgeting for) and a great roommate to help with the mortgage. At one of her two jobs, as a bartender, she meets smooth and handsome Luke Hudson, who comes in a few times. And after just one pizza date and a small party dinner at her house, he returns during the day to steal her laptop (and her life), but encounters Nina, not Morgan, unexpectedly home sick, and kills her. The FBI contacts Morgan to tell her this guy is a serial killer named Gavin Rozwell who steals identities of women with androgynous first names AND then their lives — presumably murdering the missing victim. She’s the first survivor since he killed Nina by accident.

Overwhelming debt, guilt, and legal entanglements force Morgan to sell her beloved house at a loss and move to small town Vermont where her mother and grandmother live and operate a family business.

I felt so much pain for hardworking, amenable, energetic Morgan, who didn’t deserve what that psychopath Gavin did to her or Nina. And then I was enraged that Gavin Rozwell considered her the “one who got away” and decided to eventually ruin her, her mother and grandmother in Vermont just as Morgan is employed by another fierce granddaughter/mother/grandmother trio. That awful feeling of oncoming dread was pervasive immediately. Where and when would he reappear? How much ruin is he going to afflict again? Will these trios of strong women destroy him instead? (Grandma has already stated she wants to twist his….off, after re-landscaping the surrounding areas in blue). Please, please, please. Of course, Nora Roberts is known for the satisfying romance aspect, so Morgan does get a chance to find someone the polar opposite of the sleazoid con artist. Someone equally enraged about Rozwell and willing to protect her.

Loved this! Morgan was the perfect heroine and Roberts celebrates the main character’s job as a bartender (a female role not usually featured). 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let’s have a lavender margarita and an apricot colada to appreciate this tense thriller and sweet romance!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES The main character, Morgan, has beautiful green eyes. And her evil pursuer, Rozwell, uses green contacts.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO daffodils are blooming in March, and Nina, who works at a garden center, is planting season appropriate pansies in April.

Thank you NetGalley for the early preview of Nora Roberts Identity! This was two of my favorite genres come together, romance and suspense. Morgan is a total hero in this book who just as she begins to feel that she is a capable adult; comes home to her house and finds her best friend and roommate murdered.

Going thru the emotions is one thing, but finding out it was a man you were starting to crush on that wanted to ruin your world is another.

But as much as he ruined her life and made her uproot everything she worked so hard for, it all becomes clear that she is a fighter and he is the one who has been ruined and her life only gets better and so do the people in it.

A wonderful love story with suspense, thrills and a dog!

TW/CW: Murder, violence, stalking, sex

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and am voluntarily writing an honest review.

Identity is the story of Morgan (Albright) Nash, a young woman who is targeted by a con man/identity thief/serial killer who completely destroys her life but leaves her alive against his will. She is forced to relocate to her grandmother’s home in Vermont and attempts to start her life anew, while knowing that the man is still out there wanting her dead.

The beginning of this book and the premise are great. They first few chapters really dragged me in and they flew by. But after Morgan gets to Vermont…well, let’s just say this book gets slower than maple syrup. At times it’s more a how-to-Bartend book than anything about what’s happened to our characters.

The romance is, unfortunately, very blah and lukewarm. I never really felt anything between them at all.

And the climax of the book, very sadly, was a real let-down.

While there are some good things in this book (I especially liked the chapters where she got into our serial killer’s head) and the writing itself is solid, I was expecting more from this book.

Completely enjoyed this story and I can't wait to purchase it. From the beginning I was hooked with Morgan she works hard and owns her own home. She has a roommate to help pay the bills and works two jobs to stay ahead. Everything in her life drastically changes and comes crashing down on her. She works hard to rebuild her life and not allow it to keep her down.

Good characters and a great read!

There is a reason I drop everything as soon as I see Nora Roberts has a new book coming out. She is the queen of romantic suspense (of all romance?) and I will die on that hill!

Morgan lives a quiet life, bartending in a sweet neighborhood in Baltimore and living with her best friend Nina. Even better-- she meets a handsome, interesting man on the job and soon finds herself inviting him to dinner. Not long after, she finds her best friend dead in the house they lived in and learns she was murdered by none other than the charming IT guy she invited into her life.

Uprooting her life again, Morgan moves back home and lives with her mother and grandmother. She finds another job bartending at an upscale resort owned by the Jamesons, a wealthy, close-knit family. She finds herself spending more and more time with Miles Jameson, the handsome man who insists on walking her to her car every night.

Their relationship begins as Gavin, the man who murdered her best friend, sets his sights on Morgan, determined to take down the one who got away.

This has to be one of my favorite Nora Roberts stories in a long time, and that's saying something because I genuinely love everything she puts out. Morgan's relationship with Miles is built on a steady foundation that keeps getting stronger, and her relationship with the two most important women in her life is equally fortified. She's a badass heroine putting down roots with her own Prince Charming, but in this story, she's saving herself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you for the ARC Netgalley. Unfortunately this book was just not for me. I really struggled through the entire book. I normally really enjoy Roberts books so I was disappointed.

Book Title: Identity
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery/Romance
Pub Date: May 23, 2023
Pages: 448
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

I was a big Nora Roberts fan – read over twenty of her novels. I switched to Psychological Thriller and Romance just didn’t have the appeal it once had.
I heard that her stories have been a bit darker and I thought hmmm sounds like to a good time to give another a try.

Story starts with twenty –five year old Morgan Albright a former Army brat who moved around A LOT. As a recent college graduate she is excited about settled into a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her dream has been to own her own home and her own bar. In order to fulfil her dreams she has two jobs ~ one as Office Manager at a family own construction firm and the other a bartender. Morgan met Nina Ramos at the local garden center and is impressed with her knowledge of plants etc. and it worked out to have her as a roommate which certainly helped with expenses. One evening when Morgan was tending bar she meets Luke, who is flirting with her. They connect and things work out, he seems to blend in with her life perfectly.

However, one day she arrives home to find her back door glass broken, cash and jewelry are missing; her car is gone, and worst of all her roommate Nina lies dead on the floor.
It appears Luke is not who he appeared to be but is really Gavin and is an identity thief as well as a serial killer.
Morgan is fearful that Gavin will come back after her so goes to her mother's home in Vermont. In the meantime, Gavin continues to prey on new victims, but he also hasn't forgotten the one who got away.

This story had me immediately on page one but it did get a bit slow (for me) but I totally had a smile on my face at the end!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 23, 2023

This book needs some serious proof-reading/editing. There are far too many awkwardly structured sentences. Also, it was often confusing as to which character was speaking.

I tried to like the heroine, but just couldn't make it happen. Every time she referred to her mother and grandmother as "her ladies" I pictured some 90 year old referring to her cats! That was an unnecessary affectation.

Other than updating her pop culture references and the crime, this is the same book she's been writing for the last 20-25 years. Ms. Roberts must have just discovered the em-dash. There must have been 50 or more throughout the book. There were 6 on just one page. The sentences were awkward enough without all the dashes. They were distracting and, in many cases, pointless.

Thank you for the ARC of Identity.

#NetGalley#St.Martin'sPress#NoraRoberts#Identity

I haven’t read Nora Roberts in a while and forgot how effortlessly enjoyable her books are. I was immediately sucked into this one as I don’t know much about identity theft and was intrigued by how devastating it is for the main character, Morgan. I wish that had been the focus.

Once Morgan attempts to start over in a little resort town with her relatives, the story shifts into a predictable small-town romance and gets really really slow. I started skimming toward the halfway point just to see what happens with the identity thief. Unfortunately, that character becomes disappointingly cliché, and the big ending was a letdown.

I discovered that Nora Roberts also writes crime novels under the name J.D. Robb, so I might check out one of those as I did enjoy the crime elements in this book.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was gripping from beginning to end. Nora Roberts created the perfect cocktail of suspense, romance, and strong characters. The Nash women were strong, sweet and I loved the dynamic between grandmother, mother, and daughter. Miles is my new favorite book boyfriend - I loved his matter of fact manner and watching his romantic storyline grow with Morgan. Gavin is a psychopath written so well you will be checking over your shoulder as you read.

Nora Roberts does not disappoint with her newest book and I promise you will not want to put this book down. Between the highly tense moments you spend with Gavin to the sweet moments you spend with Morgan, you are guaranteed a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish! Run, as if you’re being chased by a serial killer, to grab this book when it releases in May!

I have never read a Nora Roberts book and I felt it was about time. Sadly, this one was not for me. The story started very interesting, and I enjoy the characters. After 10% was like watching someone’s real (boring) life in real time. Every workday, every drink, every step laid out on the page. After 50% I skimmed a ton. For a book that could have had a lot of drama it was one of the dullest ones I ever read.
Recommended For: Only read if you have read Nora Roberts before, do not start here.

I love Nora Roberts’ stories, and this is no exception. Identity theft is a new theme, and we learn how cruel and inventive con artists can be. The novel is quite lengthy and dragged a bit. I was reading a JD Robb novel at the same time, and the short staccato sentences of the “In Death” books jarred me here, the writing style for the crime novels are not a good fit here in this book.

Because of identity theft our heroine loses everything she has worked so hard for, and the murder of her roommate deepens the loss. Morgan has been lucky though, as this particular Identity thief always kills his target. She learns from the FBI agents that she is only one who has survived. Morgan returns home to live with her mother and grandmother while she decides what path to take moving forward. A large portion of the novel stalls with the endless details of the tasks of bar tending and the day-to-day running of a family-run resort hotel. I honestly missed the cues of which family member she was going to end up with. But I’ll still be among the first to read another Nora Roberts book.

Morgan Albright isan army brat who wants nothing more than to put down roots. She buys a house gets a roommate and is living her best life bar tending by night and office managing by day. All of that is interrupted by a serial killer. Who kills her best friend/roommate by mistake. Morgan is the i.tended victim. To come.back she moves on with her ladies and gets a job bar rent at the local resort. Where she meets Miles Jamison. Where she starts to ser down roots again. But for the said serial killer she's the one who got away.

Nora Roberts has done it again. She has written an exciting and fun story. Full disclosure she is my favorite go ro author. I love her books and this one has become one of my favorites. The characters are fun and loving. Morgan's story of finding herself all while living with a cloud over her head is wonderfully fun and entertaining all at once.