Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It has been years since I read a book by Nora Roberts and I am so glad I did not pass up the opportunity to read this one. I went into it completely blind and expected a regular romance novel. Boy was I surprised when things took a huge turn around Chapter 3! It quickly became a mystery/suspense when Morgan came home from work to find her best friend and roommate murdered. The story follows Morgan as she loses everything she's worked for and has to move to Vermont into a house with her mother and grandmother. She begins to rebuild her life while working as a bartender/manager at a local resort but all the while she is getting updates that her roommate's murderer is still at large and she is his big target. She was the one that got away and it's driving him crazy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the amount of romance that was sprinkled into the story. I loved how we got to know so many characters and I especially loved Morgan and her ladies. This book covered so many genres in such a perfect way. It was borderline psychological thriller in the last chapter and I could not put this book down. The ending gets its own separate 5 star rating.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time!! I had a hard time putting this book down! Would love more books based on the Jameson/Nash family members!!

I wish to thank NetGalley St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to preview this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness this is an incredible book! I have been a fan of Nora Roberts for a long time and this is by far her best story. It begins with a young woman, Morgan, working hard as a bartender with dreams of someday having her own bar. She owns her own home and shares it with her best friend. She meets a handsome charismatic IT man named Luke. All is well until she discovers he is a murderer and identity theft criminal and she is his target. Be prepared to take this journey with all of the great twists and turns and the fear that Morgan has that Luke will find her and come back to finish what he started. Nora writes a lovely romance for Morgan and a very special four legged friend. She makes Luke a terribly frightening character. Morgan’s family and friends gather around her to protect her and the reader is 100% involved in this book. In this day and time when identity theft is real, this book made me more aware of how to protect oneself against such things. I highly recommend it to lovers of women’s fictions, romance novels and especially people who love a riveting crime story.

The first half kind of dragged but things picked up. I like that Robert's creates strong women and this book was no exception. I look forward to a sequel with other characters that were hinted at. Consistent as always is Nora Roberts.

Copies provided by the publisher and NetGalley

A suspense filled story of life, family, roots and love.
From the horror of losing her roommate and her life as she knew it being destroyed by a psychopath with tech skills...to a trip back home to her Mother and Grandmother and the family home in Vermont
Morgan never felt safe from him. Waiting for him to come after her and knowing he would.
This was a great story.
I couldn't put it down.

I was so excited to get this ARC that I dropped my other books and started reading. It did not disappoint. I laughed and cried. I enjoyed it so much. Nora Robert’s always writes a good thriller/romance.

I have been an avid Nora Roberts reader for as long as I can remember. I know that I can always rely on her for a compelling read and she did not disappoint with Identity. The complex layers of this story kept me engaged the entire time.

We know who the villain is right away (the information is in the blurb). This story is more about the main character, Morgan, overcoming what has happened to her, reconnecting with her family and finding love. She has been shaped by her past but makes moves to take control of her future. I found her likable and relatable; she is someone I would want to be friends with.

Morgan moves to Vermont to live with her grandmother and mother. The dynamic between these three strong women was one of my favorite things in this book. The mother and grandmother own a gift shop/wine bar that I would love to visit one day. Morgan could have easily worked there, but she wants to make her own way. She gets a job as the bar manager at the premier resort in town and finds another family there.

Miles Jameson and his family run the resort in town. They are another fantastic cast of characters that add depth to the slow courtship between Morgan and Miles. The evolution of their relationship felt organic and was a joy to watch while danger loomed in the background. The suspense was there, but it never overshadowed Morgan's personal story, which I enjoyed.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Nora Roberts, romantic suspense or family series. I know that I will be adding it to my list of rereads.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC

Loved this book. Nora Roberts excels an creating strong independent women or developing her women characters into those strong independent women. Some challenges knock you down but what you do to get back on your feet makes all the difference. There is no shame in getting help and this book Identity shows that. As Morgan works on finding who she is, she also discovers that sometimes the plans we lay out for ourselves may look different once living life gets involved. The setting was created beautifully and though I would take a page from Morgan's book and nope a lot of things mentioned, the characters came to life and I could see them enjoying the experiences. My only complaint about this book is the bossy men. I would love to see the table turned where the women tell the men what they should be doing when they face an unknown foe.

Nora Roberts is an old favorite of mine. She does a wonderful job creating a strong female protagonist and surrounds her with a supportive cast of characters. The characters are likable and relatable but imperfect which is the best type. While I enjoyed the characters, there were a lot of them and at times it was hard to keep track especially of the big Jameson family. I also wondered why there were so many characters needed unless she is going to make this a series and give some of the secondary characters their own book? I know she does this a lot but it seemed like unless that was the case, it wasn't necessary to have so many.

The plot has a very slow burn to it and there was a lot of it. She does an amazing job including details about every aspect of the book from the Morgan's job to the thoughts of the serial killer. Similar to the amount of characters, I wondered if we needed that much detail? This book was on the larger side and at times I was waiting for the action to occur. It was good, just long.

Overall, Nora Roberts is a very talented writer and this was an amazing story. I just wonder if there was too much "stuff" getting in the way of the pace of the book. I highly recommend for Nora Roberts fans and anyone who loves romance and suspense. It's definitely worth checking out.

Wow! Great book! I absolutely loved reading this one! This book had it all! It had high suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, serial killer, FBI, and a crazy mother humper! Lol The storyline was so very interesting and definitely kept me glued to my Kindle! This book was such a heart pounding crazy ride! I loved it! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Definitely don't miss out on thus one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

She knows what she wants, and is working hard to get it….and he takes it all in an instant.

Morgan Albright spent her childhood forever moving from place to place; her father’s Army career had her family continually relocating, then after her parents’ divorce her mother drifted from place to place, trying to forge a new life. As an adult she has chosen to set down roots in a neighborhood near Baltimore. She has bought a small house, taken in a roommate named Nina to help meet expenses, and works two jobs to set aside enough money to fix her house up the way she wants it. Her daytime job is with a family run construction firm, where she has learned skills to do some of the needed work in her house herself. Her nighttime job as a bartender brings in good money, and she enjoys being in an environment full of fun and social interactions. Her life plan hasn’t allowed much time for a social life, but she’s happy….she has a home she loves, money in the bank, and a wonderful group of friends who are like family, especially in NIna. So, when a good looking guy named Luke comes into the bar where she works one night and is a little flirty, she flirts right back. He comes back a few more times, fits into the crowd of the regulars, so when he finally asks Morgan out on a date, she accepts. Another date follows, and Nina suggests that Morgan invite Luke to join them and Nina’s boyfriend Sam at their house for dinner one night. Another good night, with everyone getting along well…but a few days later, tragedy strikes. Morgan returns home from work one day, and finds that her home has been broken into…and Nina, sent home from work sick, has been killed by the intruder. Broken glass, missing money and jewelry, even Nina’s car is missing, and the worst is yet to come. Someone has used Morgan’s identity to take out massive loans, open and run up charges on new credit cards, and empty Morgan’s own accounts. It doesn’t take long to discover that the person who has destroyed Morgan’s life is none other thank “Luke”, and she is far from his first victim. Devastated by Nina’s death at the hands of someone Morgan invited into their home, and struggling to hang on to the home she has worked so hard to own, Morgan finally has to admit defeat. She sells the house, pays off the mounting bills, and reluctantly heads to her grandmother’s house in Vermont. Living with her mother and grandmother, in need of a job, Morgan is at rock bottom. But the work ethic and determination that had brought her so close to her dream have not been fully extinguished. Soon she is running the bar at a high-end resort in town, making friends, and reestablishing bonds with her family.
When Morgan was interviewed by the FBI, she learns that not only has Luke bilked other successful young women of their assets, he has always left them dead. She is the only one of his targets who lived. And that has not set well with Luke. He isn’t quite ready to finish the job with Morgan, but he knows that he will. That he must. And he makes sure that Morgan knows that he isn’t done with her yet….new credit cards are opened in her name, jewelry taken from her turns up on the bodies of his latest victims. The FBI is on his tail, but he is able to stay one step ahead of them. Morgan is working hard to rebuild her life; she again has a job she loves, is making new friends, is even taking defense classes to be ready to defend herself if and when Luke returns. And then there’s Miles Jameson….grandson of the owners of the resort where she works, owner of a goofy but lovable dog, and a house with actual turrets. Oh, and he’s hot (it is a Nora Roberts book, after all!). Neither was looking to fall in love, but it seems to be happening anyway. Can Morgan trust enough to love? Can she keep herself, as well as her mother and grandmother, safe from a violent predator who has a score to settle?
Nora Roberts’ heroines have, to quote Lou Grant, “spunk”, and Morgan has it in spades. She isn’t looking for a man to save her, or to give her the life she wants…she will do whatever needs doing to get her life back under her own control, including getting fit and strong under the tutelage of fitness coach Jen, aka “the Terminator”. She works on her issues with her own family, and enjoys getting to know the large and close-knit Jameson clan. In the end, she will need to draw upon people skills learned as a bartender as well as the defense techniques she has developed, as well as the precautions put in place by the FBI, the town sheriff, and her family and friends, to face a showdown with the psychopath who wants to finish the job he started back in Baltimore. Fans of Nora Roberts will definitely appreciate Identity, and if for some reason you have never read one of her books (is that possible?), then think of Debbie Macomber, Julie Garwood, or Sandra Brown. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and recommend it to lovers of romantic suspense. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the advanced reader’s copy.

I think everyone would agree that Nora Roberts can do no wrong with her books!!! She always executes beautifully the plot and characters development and it's what always brings me back to her books. Plenty of suspense and a little romance making it a perfect combination of a book you just can't put down!! I read it in a few hours because I just needed to keep going & going!!! Highly recommend this book :D

Firs, thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book. It has been a long time since I started a book that I could not put down. This was such a good book.

I received an advance copy of Identity by Nora Roberts via NetGalley for review. Identity follows Morgan Albright while she reclaims her life back after falling prey to identity theft and her best friend being murdered for it. Morgan returns to her roots in Vermont and moves in with her mom and grandmother to begin again. As she begins to feel good about herself, her family, and her directions, the person who stole her identity begins to target her again. With the help of her mom and grandmother as well as her boss and lover, Miles, she fights to protect what is hers.
Ms. Roberts follows her signature 3 act strategy when writing her summer release. Everything falls in line predictably. While with other writers, this becomes boring, Ms. Roberts throws out unique, strong, capable characters to entertain us. It isn't the primary couple that keeps the book moving but it's the spry grandmother who wears a "I DISSENT" shirt or the guilt POWER (not trip) that Miles' mother uses on him and he in turn uses on Morgan.
I did have 2 issues with the book however
1. I work for a credit union and have help many out of fraud issues and kept shaking my head that certain items were not covered. I am fully aware that these items would never have moved the story and therefore not useful but I kept looking for them and that is on me not the writer.
2. The 3rd act felt too rushed. I was expecting it to happen sooner and with more action but it didn't come till very late.
All an all, I greatly enjoyed reading this book and will keep available for a reread. I would actually rate 4.5 stars.

This book, where to even start. To preface, I’m not a long time follower of Nora’s writing but this was amazing. This book played like a movie. Morgan our lead is written is such a way that should be relatable for every woman. She truly is her own hero and that resonates in our world today.

The romance is honest and real. Miles is everything you want in a male protagonist. He is strong but he still lets Morgan be Morgan. This mystery will chill you to the bone not because it’s the scariest but that it could be real. Like in the book, the helplessness that I felt for Morgan made me feel so vulnerable.

Honestly this book is probably a 4.5. I haven’t read a five star read but this comes as close as I’ve read in a long time.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Roberts is at the top of her game with her latest book, Identity. I have been reading her books for many years, more than I want to admit to, and she always keeps up with current happenings and this book is no different. Identity is an intense story about identity theft and murder, and how deeply it affects the victim who is left to pick up the pieces of her life. I was so engrossed in this story that I read it until 2 am until I realized I had to work the next day but picked it back up the next evening and read it until I finished. Nora Roberts is the queen of suspense and with a great romance thrown in!

Office manager by day and bartender by night, Morgan Albright is a busy woman. She owns a small house in Maryland and has big plans to renovate her home as well as other ambitions. When she meets and befriends a handsome and likable man, Gavin, at the bar suddenly all her plans are flushed away. One night upon her return from work, she finds her roommate and dear friend, Nina, dead and strangled in their home. What happens next makes the nightmare even more unimaginable when she realizes that she is responsible for letting the monster in and that he also emptied all her accounts as well as taking loans out on her home.

Devastated, she returns to her grandmother’s home in Vermont to lick her wounds and try to rebuild her life, but it seems Gavin isn’t done with her yet. I loved this story and give my thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, as well as NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave it five fabulous stars!

OH! MY! GOSH! This was so fantastic! Plenty of suspense and a little romance. I could not put it down but also was afraid of what would happen next. I haven't read a Nora Roberts book in a long time but this one has me jumping at sounds. Have tissues near for the crying.

Morgan moved around a lot when she was young because her dad was in the military. After the divorce, her and her mother still moved a lot. Morgan always wanted roots so she finds it in Baltimore. She works two jobs and bought her own little house. She gets a roommate, Nina. When she meets a guy, Luke, at her bar, they go on a date and she fixes dinner for him. When Nina comes home early because she's sick, and Luke is there. He kills Nina and takes Morgan's car. Luke is a serial killer and is killing women who look like Morgan and taking their identity and all their money. She loses everything and moves back to Vermont with her mother and grandmother. She gets a bar managers job at a resort and starts to rebuild her life. She meets one of the owners, Miles, and they start a relationship. Luke is crisscrossing the country and is making his way to Morgan, whom he blames for his bad luck. But it will not be as easy as he thinks to kill Morgan.

* Voluntarily read and reviewed for Netgalley *

4.25 STARS

Despite being an avid reader, “Identity” is actually the first Nora Roberts book I have read to date. While the intriguing premise is what initially drew me in, it was the unfolding of the storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Romantic suspense if one of my favorite genres, so I welcomed this author’s unique spin within a category of books that I am deeply familiar with. Her writing is clear and concise, and her characters are well-developed and aptly flawed in every way that counts.

That said, however, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, while the ending felt rushed and anti-climactic. The author played it “safe,” in my opinion, most likely writing to her specific audience, while my personal tastes veer a little darker. Hence, the 4.25 star rating instead of 5.

Still, this specific assessment didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of my first Nora Roberts book or deter me from devouring it in just one sitting. “Identity” is definitely a book I’d highly recommend.

Nora Roberts has the ability to draw you in, making you feel like you’re sitting with a good friend who is telling you the story. This story is no exception. Before I finished the first half of the book, I took turns feeling happy, then wanting to crawl under my covers and cry for the rest of the night. The problems the main character faces could happen to anyone, which helps the reader develop a connection. The ups and downs, the challenges she faces, will have you on the edge of seat, while still letting you see. Her growth and strength. Suspenseful and poignant, I found myself unable to put it down. I highly recommend.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Identity
By Nora Roberts
Pub: 5/23/2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
I loved this book. Hated to see the story end. Sad fact this type of crime is more common than not and Nora Robert's did a great job telling Morgan's story after her identity was stolen and lost everything along with her best friend. Loved all the character's and loved seeing Morgan make a very strong and accomplished comeback. Loved the romance between Morgan and Miles and of course Howl.
Enjoyed reading about the family and how they all came together to be there for Morgan.
Highly disliked Luke but he was that necessary evil to make this work. When a writer can make the reader feel so much emotion about the characters you know it's good, okay not good, it's great! Just disappointed about the goat. I will say no more on that.
Highly recommend!