Nora Roberts Land takes place in a little town called Dare, Colorado, where protagonist Meredith Hale’s family has been running an internationally acclaimed newspaper for generations. The ink flows through her veins just as thickly as the rest, and hr pen hand itches.

Meredith is a 30-something recent divorcee who returns home to her little town after living in New York since college. Her ex-husband, a slimy journalist who married her for the Hale name, claims that their marriage fell apart because Meredith read too many Nora Roberts romances and it gave her an unrealistic expectation in their marriage. Now, Meredith is ready to take back her confidence and find love again in the form of an article about finding her own Nora Roberts love story right in her home town. Her ex-husband, however, is worried about what truths may emerge, given his recent bid for a US Senate seat.

In comes Tanner McBride, foreign war correspondent and newest employee to Meredith’s husband. Breaking with their contract, Meredith’s husband blackmails Tanner into taking on a new mission: Go to Meredith and break her heart, thereby sabotaging the article. Of course, things never work out as planned, and Tanner and Meredith have more than just ink on paper in common. Can they make things work out in the midst of a town crisis and betrayals?

What I liked

First off, if you are a Nora Roberts fan, you will love this book. Not only is it peppered with references to Roberts and Robb books, but the style is eerily reminiscent, and sets up a path for a series that could have been a famed Nora Roberts trilogy.

That being said, Ava Miles does very well herself as a writer. The plot is interesting, with a hint of intrigue that is unexpected, and the characters are fleshed out. Tanner and Meredith’s romance never feels forced, and their interactions are well interspersed with other characters.

What wasn’t so hot

Meredith’s character has a lot of insecurities, which is to be expected, but does not always make her a likeable character. The characters around her, especially her sister Jill, also have glaring character flaws that make them very real, but annoying to read. This isn’t a complaint on my end, but one to be wary of: This is not a book for the cynic or realist. Good luck is abundant in the little town of Dare, and it’s wonderful to read if you enjoy a suspension of disbelief into a wonderful small town life.

Perfect book for a light read in the sun as you think about love and all the fun stuff that comes with it. Four waves out of five!