TRR's Blog Hop--Romances That Inspire Me

On any number of levels, Nora Roberts Land, by Ava Miller, is an inspiration. When I first heard about it, I thought, what a clever hook, to tie yourself to Nora's name. You'd be sure to show up on lists that your wouldn't otherwise, you'd probably be invited to Nora's Bookstore in Boonsboro, MD for the annual booksigning event. Hell, she'll probably even carry your book in her store! What's not to love about this setup? As a writer, I wished I'd had the inspiration for it instead of Ava.

Here's the premise: The heroine's ass of an ex-husband blamed Nora Roberts and her books for creating an idealistic world where man and woman love each other unconditionally. No wonder they couldn't make a go of their marriage. No one could be the kind of romantic hero that Nora creates in her books. Clever, and examples of some of Nora's finer heroes leap off the page to remind the reader of what is being referred to. Okay, it was a great hook, and kudos to Ava. Still kicking myself for not having thought of it first, I began to read Ava's story.

She didn't need Nora.

This book is so well written, I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. My Nook ran out of juice, and rather than plug it in and wait a few hours, I plugged it in and kept right on reading. The twists and turns as the hero and heroine explore what is really important are the heart of the story. It's kind of like the cover. Nora may have opened the door, but Ava led me into her world.

It's on my current "highly recommended" list. For more favorite and inspiring books, hop on over to the next blog:  TRR's Blog Hop