There’s a reason why Nora Roberts is as famous as she is. She writes a story that is full of emotion, grabs you from the beginning and won’t let you go. She twists your emotions, letting you think everything will be okay—then it’s not. Yes, as many will say, her POV is all over the place, and yet, the writing is so intense that you don’t notice it most of the time. You just keep reading.

In this book, we are taken on a rollercoaster ride with Morgan Albright. She’s an army brat who never really put down roots, until now. She has a house in a nice neighborhood near Baltimore and she and her best friend/roommate Nina work hard to make their place one that works for them. She’s never had a serious relationship—she’s never had time. But when handsome IT guy Luke chats her up, she makes time.

Then everything goes wrong. It turns out Luke isn’t what he says he is. He’s a con artist named Gavin and serial killer. But he missed with Morgan, killing Nina instead. Morgan becomes the one who got away, and he can’t have that.

Meanwhile, Morgan has lost everything—her savings, her car, her home, her best friend and is forced to move in with her mother and grandmother in a small town in Vermont. She gets a new job and settles into life…but the specter of Luke/Gavin hangs over her. Even when she falls for a new guy, Miles, Gavin is still out there. Still after her.

This is an intense story. The author gives us plenty of breaks to show us how Morgan’s new life is shaping up—then brings Gavin in again just to let us know he’s still on the hunt and things aren’t as rosy as we want to believe.
But this is a romance so you know it all works out in the end…but getting there isn’t easy!

Recommendation: Definitely pick this book up! You won’t be disappointed. There’s romance, there’s suspense, there’s a HEA that satisfies. Nora Roberts does it again. And we love her for what she does so well.

Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Identity is a mystery, a thriller and a romance all wrapped up in one book.
I loved it! It was so well written and engaged me the whole way through. Keeping me up late when I should be sleeping.
I loved how Morgan was able to rebuild herself and how focused she is. She's such a good role model.
The family that she has and the family that she makes is also such an integral part of who she is and what makes her a stronger person.
Definitely worth your time to read.

Former Army brat Morgan Bright has a plan - to put down roots and own her own bar. She's been seeing Luke, an IT guy who she met at her bar tending job. Unfortunately, Luke is a con man who steals her identity, her savings and murders her roommate.
The FBI enters the picture - Luke, real name Gavin Rozwell, is a serial con man and murderer. Morgan was the one who was supposed to die - her roommate was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With nothing left to tie her to the place, she decides to move to Vermont where her mother and grandmother live. While Morgan begins to rebuild her life working for a family resort run by the Jameson family, she is aware that she will not be safe until Rozwell is caught.

Another great romantic suspense novel from Nora Roberts.
#NetGalley #StMartins #NetGalley

An evocative thriller with a bone-chilling psychological narrative, and a slow burn romance that gave the perfect amount of spice!

This was my first Nora Roberts read, and I was not disappointed. I wasn’t sure what I thought of her dialogue/inner monologue at first, but she completely hooked me after the first chapter where she switched to the killers point of view. Roberts places you directly inside the mind of a psychopath, a narcissist, and what fuels someone like that to kill. It’s a terrifyingly accurate depiction, and very well done at that.

On the other side of the story, I adored the small town vibes and the family dynamic of the Jameson’s; their loyalty and successful, generational business. A family anyone would be proud to be a part of. Same with the mother-daughter relationships between Morgan and her mother and grandmother. These are characters you’ll fall in love with immediately, and the lives they live together.

Morgan, our main character, is one of strength, perseverance, and the courage to start over despite the odds stacked against her. You will be rooting for her the entire time!

Then of course there’s the romance between Miles and Morgan - a strong emotional connection with just enough spice to keep things interesting! I was absolutely obsessed with their storyline and his character in general.

This was a fantastic read that won’t be my last from Nora Roberts! I’d highly recommend!

Morgan Albright has always dreamed of putting down roots. Having grown up in a military family, she never really had the opportunity to settle in or make friends. Even after her parents divorced, her mother was always on the hunt for something better, moving her and her daughter from place to place.

As an adult, Morgan works two jobs so she can realize her dream once and for all--a permanent home where she can settle in, make friends, and make memories. She buys a fixer upper and uses her connections at the construction company where she works to learn how to make much needed repairs and updates. Her roommate, Nina, works at a garden center, and helps Morgan create an outdoor space they can both enjoy.

Everything is going according plan. So much so that when Morgan meets a seemingly nice guy, she is finally willing, with Nina's prompting, to see him socially. But things are not always as they appear to be and what happens next is going to keep you on the edge of your seat and turning pages. Morgan's life is forever changed and the reader is right there with her. Nora Roberts has once again written a thriller with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing and characters that readers will root for.

Publication date: May 23, 2023.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I have read every book that Ms Roberts has written (this includes books by J. D. Robb) and this is probably one of the best. It includes suspense, romance, and family ties. Morgan and Miles were one of my favorite couples. They weren’t your typical sappy lovers but both had their heads on straight and handled any problems with a straight, forthright manner. The secondary characters were just as enthralling and the family dynamics in both the Nash and the Jameson families were something to strive for. This was one of the best individual books that Ms Robert’s has written, as we know that any of her series can’t be beat!

This was so good! I absolutely love Morgan’s character. Strong, smart woman who doesn’t take sh** from anyone and doesn’t let a serial killer take everything. I want to stay at that resort and dine in that restaurant and then drink at that bar! Sounds so lovely.

A solid 4 stars for Nora Roberts' latest book. Morgan finds herself needing to move back home to Vermont to live with her mom and grandmother. Identity mixes Nora Roberts' ability to write a wonderful mystery with a wonderful romance while showing Morgan's strength. This is one of my favorites and reminds me a lot of Shelter in Place. Do yourself a favor and don't read much about this book before you read it. I would have liked the element of surprise in the first part of the book.

Huge fan of Nora's books and this one did not disappoint! Identity is a romantic suspense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat but enjoying the "life goes on" moments while you're waiting for the final showdown. The sense of family unity and beautiful areas portrayed in this story made me want to abandon my life and live inside the book. It never fails! Most of her books make me feel this way. It's classic Nora Roberts style. She is immensely skilled at writing a good, heartfelt story and characters that you can't help but love. I could not put this book down! I was mesmerized. Another great read by Nora!!

Thank you to the author, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest opinion!

Having never read a book written by Nora Roberts, I expected it to be a love story and wondered why it was classified as a mystery/thriller. With that thought, I was not at all disappointed - it is indeed a love story despite the plethora of murders and a pursuit by two intelligent FBI agents. The story details the importance of family and a respect for strong women in both normal and less than ideal circumstances.

Despite this novel better described as women’s fiction and my ability to predict what was going to occur, I enjoyed reading this fairly well written novel and thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

Loved it!!!! Just enough suspense to keep you wondering when the next thing would happen but enough breathing space for the characters and story to develop. I think what I loved the most is the shift from the man being the only support and hero. She found a whole village to lean on to get her through and then was her own hero through the lessons and power she gained from the entire support system she had.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Nora Roberts is always on my list of must be read books. She is one of my favorites and her books are always a pleasure to read

Identity did not disappoint. Full of suspense and romance and perfectly crafted.

Her characters are ones we grow to love, hate or love to hate. The characters, of the grumpy Miles, Morgan and Gavin are my favorites.

The plot is developed at a great pace and the story if identity theft is one we can relate to in this day and age.

Highly recommend. Add it to the top of your must be read list!

Another summer, another Nora Roberts single title romantic suspense novel. Like several of her other recent releases in this genre (most notably Legacy), the romance and the suspense are awkwardly integrated. One minute Nora is detailing the minute details of the male MC's home décor, and the next she is inside the mind of a deranged serial killer who steals his victims' identity before murdering them. It's like her sweet Inn Boonsboro trilogy (The Next Always et al), scrambled with one of her more disturbing J.D. Robb books.

Morgan, traumatized by the events in the first four chapters, arrives in Vermont as a scared, haunted, and exhausted woman. But once she secures a job as bartender/manager at the swanky resort in town she quickly demonstrates her competence, as well as her courage as she gradually reclaims her life. Unfortunately none of the secondary characters have as much depth. Our hero Miles is handsome, brilliant, and a bit overbearing (but only in an endearing way). His family members, who own and manage the resort where Morgan works, all get along harmoniously. Morgan's relationship with her mom and grandma is all sweetness and light, and although there are hints of previous emotional distance between Morgan and her mother, everything is resolved in one conversation. The love story goes from zero to sixty in just a few pages, and from there it's pretty much smooth sailing. No third act breakup needed when you're trying to avoid a serial killer.

The novel does read quickly (especially if you're skimming through the design, garden, and wedding porn sections), and although most of the suspect tracking work is done by two FBI agents, the inevitable showdown between Morgan and the murderer is taut and exciting.

I've been reading Nora's books for 40 (!) years now, and although I don't love this particular genre of hers I will probably still be there for the next one. And the next J.D. Robb. And the next paranormal trilogy.

ARC received from Net Galley for objective review.

Identity by Nora Roberts Romantic suspense with a strong female lead (Morgan), a dreamy hero (Miles), a lovable dog, loving and caring relatives (The Ladies), and an evil antagonist (Gavin). Classic Nora Roberts.

Thank you to Net Galley, Nora Roberts and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to preview the book.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

One of my favorite authors and she definitely did not disappoint in this Romantic Suspense. Nora provides attention to detail and you feel as if you are right there within the story.

Morgan and Miles meet at work and Morgan is looking for a fresh start after an identity fraud rips her world apart. Miles comes off as a distant person and Morgan tries to figure out how he operates.

As they work closely together a relationship forms but danger is still lurking and someone is still coming after Morgan to finish what he started and planned.

Great read!

IDENTITY
BY: NORA ROBERTS

About 4.5 Stars

This is my first introduction to the very talented Author Nora Roberts, whose new book, called, "Identity," is impressively written. I was so grateful to receive an ARC of hers, because my best friend from High School told me back in 2009, that she was a favorite of hers. I knew Nora Roberts wrote a lot of books, and was a best selling Author, but until I read this fantastic one called, "Identity," I now understand why she is so popular. First of all, when I requested this I hadn't read the synopsis, so I went into it totally blind. I expected it to be a light type of reading experience involving family, and romance. It was exceptionally well written, and one that far exceeded my expectations. Nora Roberts has keen insight into humanity, as evidenced in her ability to create captivating characters, and her plot development is equally remarkable.

The beginning started out describing Morgan as a focused, and responsible young woman, who after graduating college having majored in Hospitality, and Business working two jobs who was reaching her goals. She had bought her own home, and met her housemate named Nina in a gardening center who helped her pay the mortgage by moving in and they became close friends. Morgan was described as growing up as an "army brat," I surmised that her father probably was in the military, and that it meant a lot to Morgan, to put down roots. She had plans to renovate her home, worked for a construction company by day, and a bar tending job at night. I was impressed by the fine details that I was learning about bar tending, which I thought Nora Robert's must have researched, so I was quickly absorbed, as I realized that my instinct to pick this book was going to be a much more in depth rewarding reading experience than I initially thought.

After reading about the successful dinner party between Nina, her serious boyfriend Sam, Luke the well dressed, handsome, charming, IT guy, Morgan met at her job, I was thinking how he and Morgan were likely to develop a relationship. Suddenly, as I was reading about how Luke broke in and brutally murdered Nina I had chills, and had to go back and reread what I had just read. I was jolted and shocked while he described how he had hacked into Morgan's accounts, and how quickly he stole her identity, savings, charged up her credit cards, absconded with hundreds of thousands of dollars by already having taken the funds from a home equity loan. My heart's pounding out of my chest thinking about how sadistic and what a psychopath he was by targeting her because of how she looked physically. He was the scariest Serial killer I have ever come across in a novel before. I read thrillers all the time, but I wasn't prepared for him to do what he did. For the rest of the novel, I had goose bumps whenever I read about him. He constantly changed his appearance, and picked out women who looked like his mother, who he also murdered. While Morgan was mourning the death of a close friend, he was able to slip away leaving her with a visit from the two Special Agents from the FBI telling her that he meant to murder her. Nina was home sick, and he murdered her, because she was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Morgan hates Winters as do I, and she had to move in with her mother, and grandmother whose home and business sounded interesting in Vermont. The community was intriguing, and sounded like it was an ideal place to live. Morgan got a new job as the manager at a high end resort bar tending. The family owned business that owned the resort, were all kind and worked well together. I admired Morgan's work ethic. She was good at her job and a relationship developed with one of the men in the family who looked out for her, but was also her boss.

I think that the character development was stunning and very clever. I was glad for the respite between the sections with the Serial killer, which I would have liked to be more frequent, which alternated with the longer sections of the strength of Morgan's courage and determination to rebuild her life. After, everything that she went through, she was successful at not letting it defeat her. She was kept informed by the FBI that she was the only survivor of that sadistic Serial killer. Despite the FBI Agents warning her that he would try to kill her, she was able to continue with moving forward with living a productive life. She was empathetic towards others and professional while doing her job. I knew within the first few pages that I was going to love this novel. The genre is hard to classify because it had a romance between Morgan and her boss, that seemed to develop without a gradual build up. It was also the creepiest and scariest thriller when it switched to the parts of the serial killer. It is one that once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. I loved the relationship that Morgan strengthened with her mother. By understanding how hard it was for her mother after the divorce, it showed Morgan's maturity. I can see why Nora Roberts is so popular with my Terrific reading experience, and I'm so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this early. I highly, highly recommend this and I will look into reading her previous standalone novels.

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Nora Roberts and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my wonderful ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Identity #NoraRoberts #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I have been a long time Nora Roberts fan and I always devour her books.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy!!

When I started this book, I rolled my eyes. Another story abou5 a woman in trouble and the rich guy comes to her rescue! But I kept reading* and as always, I loved this story!

I enjoyed the characters and the setting and the storyline!
Thank you for another great book!

I’ll start by saying I’ve read many Nora Roberts books over 20 years. A few of her books are ones that I happily re-read. This probably won’t be one of those.

Things I didn’t like:
- Choppy dialogue with multiple speakers that made it hard to distinguish who was talking.
- The ending was very abrupt. I would have hoped it had lasted longer. I was disappointed that there was so much build up for such a short release.
- I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Morgan and Miles.
- “Her ladies”

What I did like:
- Morgan’s journey and growth after Nina’s death and the foil it served against Gavin’s decline.
- The emphasis on family, both made and inherited, which serves as a theme in Nora’s books.
- The description of the setting in Vermont. I was itching to go.

All in all, this would be a fine beach read. I’ll be re-reading Midnight Bayou or the Three Sisters Island trilogy for my favorites. I was very excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an honest review.

I was so lucky to get this early thru Net Galley. It is a wonderful story of unfathomable loss at the hands of a true psychopath. But Morgan regroups and rebuilds with the love and support of her family and the family she gains from of all places a job doing what she loves.

I doubt I've missed a single book in the popular "Eve Dallas" series this author writes as J.D. Robb, but to the best of my recollection this is the first I've read that she's penned as herself. And my reaction is weirdly mixed; while I enjoyed it thoroughly - to the point of not wanting to put it down - in other ways it kind of made me crazy.

The story is a mix of romance and suspense starring Morgan Albright, who tends bar at night after her day job to earn enough money to refurbish the small house she bought in Maryland. At the bar, she meets - and takes somewhat of a liking to - a friendly, uber-considerate guy named Gavin. Not only does he steal her identity and wipe out her entire financial life, he's a monster who kills her beloved roommate Nina, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Morgan then learns from the FBI that he's a suspected serial killer, and it's likely she was to be his next victim.

In financial free-fall and owing thousands of dollars - I guess her bank and credit card companies had no fraud protection - she heads to her mother's home in Vermont, where her grandmother lives as well. There's a backstory there, too, but all seems to be rosy now as the other two women - "My ladies," as Morgan calls them - take every opportunity to assure Morgan how great she is and how much they love her. Their local "connections" help Morgan land a posh job managing the bar at a nearby upscale family-owned resort.

Hanging over her head, though, is the realization that Gavin is a psychopath who isn't finished with her; she's the one who got away, after all, and he will stop at nothing to get her back. That, in her view, threatens the job she loves and complicates her budding relationship with the resort family's eldest son, Miles, who isn't the most pleasant of characters in his own right. But here, too, Miles, Morgan's "ladies," all the family members who run the resort and all but one of the employees constantly reassure Morgan that she's smart, beautiful and far too valuable to be thrown to the wolf who hasn't found the door (yet).

The rest of the story tracks the romance and the killer's progress in working his way to Morgan - and of course, you'll get no details from me on those issues. The whole thing held my attention throughout, even if I did quickly tire of an excess of dialog, mostly arguments over who's more perfect, or who loves who more and lengthy explanations of why good bartenders know so much about so many things (hint: yes, there's a ton of repetition). The ending didn't come as a big surprise nor increase my fondness (or lack thereof) for any of the characters, but it was satisfying nonetheless. All in all, it's an enjoyable read - with the end result that I'm looking forward to the author's next book. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.