TBR Challenge 2011 - I'm using the TBR Challenge to make myself clear out some books that have been on my to-read shelf for a long while. Hidden Riches has been on my list since January 2010.

Dora's quick wit makes this book. Nora Roberts does a great job writing her, and writing the interactions between Dora and Jed. Jed is a complex character, but even though he acts like a jerk on several occasions, he isn't an unlikable person. In fact, his struggles are some of the most realistic I've seen in romance novels. I'm glad Jed admits his feelings for Dora, at least to himself, before the crisis at the end. That added believability to the HEA.

The plot has suspense but it's not a mystery. The readers know all along what's going on, and the suspense comes from how it's all going to play out. The suspense was a success for me. I enjoyed how the details were unraveled for the readers. Dora's emotions and reactions after scary events seemed believable. In newer novels the norm is a superwoman who is fearless and often reckless. Dora was no doormat, but she had realistic reactions to being in danger.

not a big mystery romance reader but this was okay. also nora roberts has apparently written more than 200 novels what the hell is wrong with her.

Another fantastic Nora Roberts romance/thriller!

3.5 stars!

I just love Nora's talent to write just about any genre. This is an romantic thriller. It's written in 1994 and I honestly didn't think I'd like it for that reason, but the opposite happened. I loved how it took me back to the 90's! The quaint little antique shop was the perfect setting for this story. Oh and Jed, I loved his character growth!

Now off to read another one of Nora's books; The Witness.

The audio version of this makes it unique.

"Loves a gift and can certainly be refused. Refusing doesn't destroy the gift, it simply puts it aside."

Isadora Conroy is an antique's dealer with a new tenant/neighbor, Jedidah Skimmerhorn. Jed is a former police captain with the Philadelphia police department who is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD when he moves into the apartment above Dora's shop. When there are a couple of break ins at the shop right around Christmas time and then a man breaks into Dora’s apartment and attempts to rape her all while demanding the return of a picture, Dora and Jed team up to find out what is going on. They uncover a string of robberies and murders all leading back to a lot items Dora purchased from an auction house. Now Dora and Jed join in with his old police partner to investigate a smuggling ring with ties to a businessman on the other side of the country. A great suspense story taking place around the holidays. To hear a full discussion of Hidden Riches listen to Season 3, Ep. #17 "Nora Roberts: Hidden Riches" of Romancing the Shelf, a Nora Roberts podcast: https://romancingtheshelf.libsyn.com/

I may have to give up on Nora Roberts. I really liked "The Witness" and the "In Death" series, but I have just read so many novels where nothing happens and I don't give a shit about the characters. Blah.

Isadora (Dora) Conroy is a Philadelphia antiques dealer with thespian roots as her parents and brother are seasoned actors and performers. When she travels to Virginia and buys a specific lot of items from a local dealer, she unwittingly places herself in the crosshairs of some extremely dangerous smugglers. Meanwhile, she’s rented the unit next to hers to prickly Jed Kimmerhorn, a former Philadelphia Police Department captain who comes in handy in a number of ways, especially when trouble comes to town.

I’m a collector and for years visited local antique shops wherever I traveled so I liked Dora almost immediately. There’s so much to learn from dealers and Roberts did her homework, as usual, in developing this character who was a fantastic collector. Her theatrical family added a lightness to balance the brutality of the villains in this story and provided context for her personality. Jed is also a multilayered character, coming from two blue blood families but choosing law enforcement as a career choice. A tragic event had him voluntarily leave a force that desperately wants him back. These two weren’t the perfect match and their sparring made things more interesting.

I enjoyed the story but the romance aspect showed its age, somewhat. Jed was a little too rough for my sensibilities, reflecting what was popular in the genre during that timeframe but no longer something you want to see. However, I loved their banter and combined sleuthing, which really advanced their relationship. I also chose to listen to the story but this was one I should have read. The narrator’s depiction of Dora made her sound silly and frivolous, which diminished a woman I found extraordinary. While her performance was otherwise compelling, every time she took up Dora’s voice, she threw me out of the story. My recommendation is to opt for the printed or ebook version as this was a good and suspenseful story with great crop of characters. 3.5 stars

Posted on Blue Mood Café