Name: The Collector
ISBN: 9780399171086

Nora Roberts

Witnessing an apparent murder-suicide during a job, professional house-sitter Lila Emerson is recruited by the alleged perpetrator's brother, talented artist Ashton Archer, to help uncover what really happened. By the best-selling author of Whiskey Beach. (romance). Simultaneous.

The Collector

★★★★☆ 
3.50 

In a suspense/romance book like this, I will always loved it when it has the right amount of 'dangerous/knifepoint/bloody/bruised-body' climax on it. It always makes me giddy everytime I'm reading at how the main characters protect each other despite the literal life threatening antagonist. Their actions when they're worried, the concern wrapped in fury when something dangerous happened. I know, it's inappropriate choice of word. Giddy. But I really did feel that way. 

This is my first time reading a work from Nora Robert. No concern toward the story premise. Not a major one, on that matter. Like I said, I liked books with this kind of premise. But, and the major BUT!! Her writing style, I just cannot get used to it. I'm used in reading a book with a focused point of view. Consistent. 

I've read books with a lot of perspectives from a lot of characters in just a single book but it always have established point on who's who. But with this book, I was just so confused for the most part because I cannot be sure who's HE and SHE the author's referring to. The POV just bounced from the character to the next character without giving a warning. One moment, it was Lila's mind who's rambling. After just a sentence or two, I'd suddenly backtracked because it seemed like it was not Lila anymore. And it really wasn't because it was already Ash's mind I am already reading. 

I don't know about Nora Roberts' other works, but I'll still give her the benefit of the doubt because other than the confusing POV and minor abrupt moments, I enjoyed the whole story. Especially Lila's nonsense rambling when nervous and Ash's intense way of looking at his girl.

Patricia Nelson

Not one of her best but I enjoyed this book. I liked the art slant and the information about the Faberge eggs.

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!
Original review can be found at Booknest.

I’m not usually a binge reader. I like to have multiple books going at one time and swap between them so I don’t burn out or get bogged down. But anytime I pick up a book from Nora, I just devour it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new book or one I’ve read half a dozen times. There’s just something about her writing that is completely addicting to me, and I can’t put it down until I’m finished. The Collector was definitely no exception. Even though I’ve read it in the past, I somehow managed to forget a lot of the details, which is rare for me. So this felt almost like a new read, which was fantastic. And it just might be one of my favorite standalones from her.

“Fictional people are people, too, otherwise why would we care what happens to them?”

Lila Emerson is a professional house sitter and an author of young adult werewolf novels. She lives her life out of a couple of suitcases, and she’s just fine with that nomadic lifestyle. Until she witnesses a murder one night, and her life changes forever. The brother of one of the dead, Ashton Archer, tracks down Lila to get some closure on his brother’s death. Ashton is an artist, and an incredibly talented one. He’s also the linchpin for his incredibly large, incredibly wealthy family. Lila doesn’t quite know what to do with him, but she’s determined to help him solve his brother’s murder. This quest leads them on an intense journey through the art world as they search for a priceless piece of Russian art that disappeared over a hundred years ago.

“Love leaves a mark that doesn’t erase easily.”

I love the romance here. Lila is a modern gypsy, roving wherever life takes her. And with her little multitool, some WD-40, and some duct tape, she can fix just about anything. Ashton is very much locked down, with a gorgeous home in the middle of New York City that I could seriously visualize. He’s famous for his incredible paintings of women re-envisioned, but cooking and home repair are totally beyond him. Lila likes to make her own way and not depend on anyone. Ash is used to taking charge and taking care of everyone. Both are artists in their own right, but their temperaments and outlooks on life are vastly different. But they adjust to one another, and build a beautiful relationship. And there’s a secondary romance here that was just as adorable, between Lila and Ash’s respective best friends. The whole book and the four main characters were just so cute, that I smiled through the vast majority of the book.

“A man can own with ignorance, but can’t possess without knowledge. I know what’s mine.”

I also really enjoyed learning more about Russian art history. Something I always appreciate about Nora is her portrayal of art in all its forms, and the artists that create it. She has a wonderful way of describing paintings and sculptures and music and writing, where the care and creativity involved in producing it really shines through. She has a fantastic grasp on what it takes to create, and the feeling that creation inspires during the process. I’m just always so impressed with her descriptions and imagery, and how much heart she puts into her character. And there’s something about reading her work that never fails to inspire me, to make me feel like my dreams are achievable and that my talent and my life are enough. Some authors make me feel like less when I read their work, but Nora always makes me feel like enough and more. Which is why she will always and forever be one of my very favorites.

“Art is another song that must be sung. Whether the song is of woe or joy, of love or despair, of war or serenity, it must be sung.”

When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn't capable of violence--against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarefied circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession.

Lora Zheleva

b.andherbooks

Fluffy, fun Nora Roberts. Thanks for the Star Wars references in this one, but some of the heist-y details were a bit of a stretch.

Lynn Braden

As always, Nora Roberts has created quirky, interesting characters inhabiting an engaging, well-researched plot. Each time I read one of her books, I get the feeling that she finds something interesting to research and then creates a story to go along with it. This time, the storyline follows a missing Russian Faberge egg that gets the main character's brother killed. The female main character witnesses this murder in the style of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. This is a well written and executed story that reads quickly and is enjoyable.

Nicky Morgan

Lorena

Shay

Brittany Reynolds 

Tina Rawls

Charlotte Gunn 

Tameka Young

Lila Emerson is fascinated by other people's lives. As a house-sitter, she loves looking after the glamorous, sophisticated homes she could never afford herself. And as a writer, she enjoys watching the world go by, dreaming up stories for the people she sees from her window. But then one day she witnesses something only too real - the brutal and shocking murder of a young woman living across the street in New York. And now, because of what she saw, Lila's own life is in immediate danger from an audacious, single-minded assassin who kills for profit and for pleasure. With the police following a false lead, Lila is on her own. Her only hope is to team up with Ashton Archer, an artist with his own complicated reasons for getting involved. Lila wants to trust the passionate, quick-witted Ash - but is she letting her feelings blind her to his motives? Either way, Lila will never watch from the sidelines again...

The Collector

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