Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Review -- Savor the Moment

Savor the Moment
By Nora Roberts
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 27, 2010






I have finally—finally—read my first Nora Roberts books. I know, I know . . . I consider myself an avid romance reader and never read La Nora. Well, I have remedied that and I’m so glad I did. I was a bit hesitant because Savor the Moment is the third book in a series, but thank goodness for friends! A friend (and die hard Nora and J.D. Robb fan) loaned me the first two books in the Bride Quartet series to read before this one. Suffice it to say, I adore this series!

Laurel McBane and her three best friends own and run one of the premier wedding planning companies in Connecticut called Vows. The girls have been friends since childhood and played “Wedding Day” every chance they got while growing up. They turned their passions of weddings into a very successful business with Mackensie as the photographer, Emma as the florist, Parker as the coordinator, and Laurel as the baker/pastry chef. In the first two books, Mac and Emma found “the one” (in Vision in White and Bed of Roses, respectively) and became engaged, though Laurel holds no such expectations for herself. After all, she been in love with Parker’s older brother Delaney, an Ivy League lawyer, for as long as she can remember and he considers his sister’s friends as his sisters, too. Plus, she believes that Del is too far out of her league.

Del asks Laurel if she can make a cake to welcome back one of his paralegals from maternity leave and of course, she says yes. But Del makes the mistake of trying to pay for the cake when he picks it up, which insults Laurel. For her, it’s the last straw and in the heat of the moment, she kisses Del.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you can either tell me or take it out on somebody else.”

“You want to know what’s gotten into me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’ll show you.”

Maybe it was the champagne. Maybe it was just the mad. Or maybe it was the look of baffled annoyance on his face. But she went with the impulse that had been bubbling inside her for years.

She grabbed him by the perfect knot of his elegant tie, jerked him down even as she gripped a handful of his hair, and yanked him forward. And she fixed her mouth to his in a hot, sizzling, frustrated kiss, one that gave her heart a jolt even as her mind purred:
I knew it!

She threw him off balance—she meant to—so his hands came to her hips, and his fingers dug in for one gloriously heady moment.

She threw herself into that moment, to exploit, to savor, to absorb. Tastes and textures, heat and hunger, all there for the taking. She took exactly what she wanted, then shoved him away.

“There.” She tossed her hair back while he stared at her. “The sky did not fall, the world did not end, neither of us was struck by lightning or beamed straight to hell. I’m not your damn sister, Delaney. That ought to make it clear.”

She strode out of the kitchen without a backward glance.

Aroused, astonished, and still considerably annoyed, he stood exactly where he was. “What was that? What the hell was that?”


Since they’ve known each other since they were kids, Del and Laurel agree to date (sans sex—at first) to see where that kiss might lead. Naturally, it eventually leads to sex (including a sexy, hot workout scene!) and they soon discover that even though they know a lot about each other, there’s always more to learn.

And there’d been something about the way she’d touched his face—just that simple, understanding gesture, that had something inside him shifting. He wasn’t sure what it was, what it meant, or what it meant that every time he looked at her now he saw something new, something else.

How could you know someone all your life, and still discover something new?


As much as Laurel wants to be with Del, she still has her doubts that she’s good enough for him. Can Del prove to her that she is everything he wants and needs?

Savor the Moment is a great addition to the Bride Quartet series. Of course, it stands completely on its own, but I relished the little things that you pick up from having read the other books in the series first. I will say this about Nora Roberts—she writes the relationship between friends, whether it’s guys or gals, extremely well. She doesn’t just tell you that they’re friends, she shows you through the characters’ interactions, dialogue, and gestures. She allows the reader to feel as if they are a part of the group and I love that. Just as with the first two books’ heroes and heroines, Laurel and Del were perfectly matched. Readers also get a pretty good idea of who Parker will be paired with and I will say that I cannot wait for that book! Thankfully, Ms. Roberts writes fast and we won’t have long to wait. In the meantime, enjoy Savor the Moment!

~Andrea

25 comments:

  1. Love the review Andrea!
    A good friend lent me the first two books in the series and they were excellent reads. I look forward to this one as well. Must agree that Nora Roberts does friendships extremely well. I tis the interaction between all of the characters that really sucks me in!

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  2. Very good review Andra... you really make me wish I had the book in my hands. I hope it won't take too long to arrive, I've expecting this one for what feels like an eternity.
    In the meantime I love reading reviews..thx !

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  3. Andrea, I am still trying to get over the fact that this is your first Nora read. Now that you have had a sample (you started with a real winner), look up the Sisters Island Triology.

    My copy of Savor the Moment is on the way, I got the email yesterday so hopefully it will be waiting on me when I get home tonight.

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  4. Great review, Andrea! Congrats on finally reading your first Nora.

    I have the first two books in this series and am looking forward to getting the third so I can read them all together. I'm so happy that Nora has returned to the straight contemporary!

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  5. Thanks, Cyndi. Yes! You got it exactly right--it is the friends' interactions that sucked me in, too. Nora is a master!

    Emmanuelle, believe me, it will be worth the wait. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I know, Dianna! I told the other gals that I was ready to take the plunge. LOL! My friends Jessica (the one who loaned me the books) also recommended the Sisters Island trilogy....along with several others!

    Thanks, PJ. I was excited and had good reason to be. I will be buying this series when they're released in mass market paperback so I can read them again and again. :)

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  7. SQUEE!! Yay, you finally read Nora.

    Welcome to the dark side, Andrea! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one. Uh...I didn't read the review because I'm sooooo excited for this book and want to be utterly unspoiled.

    *rubs hands together*

    Now you need to read the Chesapeake Bay saga, and then The Three Fates, and then....

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  8. LOL, Kati! It took me long enough, didn't it? My friend highly recommended the Chesapeake Bay saga. It will be the next series from Nora that I will read. ;-)

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  9. Andrea, now that you've started reading NR, you know you have a HUGE backlist to work throught right? ;) Especially when you add in her category romances from her Silhouette days!

    I second the recommendation for the Chesapeake Bay series. I also loved Montana Sky, Birthright, and Carolina Moon if you want some stand alones instead of series.

    But what a great review! I got a copy of STM yesterday and tore right threw it. I LOVED Del taking her shoes hostage to force her to meet and talk with him about that kiss in the kitchen. And yes, I loved the friendship between her, Emma, Mac, and Parker, and that's what really makes this series great for me, as well as the friendship between Del, Jack, and Carter, and Parker's potentional hero. I can't wait for Parker's story! I had a hard time warming up to her at first because she was just all business, but we get to know her better in STM and now I love her and want her story NOW.

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  10. Andrea, I'm so glad you finally drank the Nora "kool-aid!" LOL There's no turning back now---soooo many books to glom!

    Like Kati, I didn't read the review--don't want to "spoil" the book which I will be reading ASAP.

    Nora is the maestro of friendships!

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  11. I've only read a few Nora books myself, but I'll definitely be reading this series soon! :)

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  12. L, that is exactly why I hadn't read Nora before--because her backlist is so extensive! LOL! Thanks for the other recs!

    Oh, I also loved the part with Laurel's shoes. Just. So. Cute! And I hear you--Parker's book can't come soon enough!!!

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  13. Gannon said: Andrea, I'm so glad you finally drank the Nora "kool-aid!" LOL There's no turning back now---soooo many books to glom!

    LMAO! I know--I'm scared! A good scared! Haha!

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  14. Trisha said: I've only read a few Nora books myself, but I'll definitely be reading this series soon! :)

    Oh, I know you will. ;-)

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  15. My copy is shipping to me today and it's killing me waiting for it to arrive! I should have just planned to go to the store, but at least this way maybe I can get through the work week and have time to enjoy it once it arrives!

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  16. Great review, Andrea!

    Guess now I am the only one who hasn't read a Nora book. Maybe one day when I finally have some free time I will give one a try :-)

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  17. Andrea, I'm so excited for you! Your first Nora! Ok, now if Gannon and I could only get you to read J.D.Robb - I'm telling you girl - you will have 30 great books to read and a hero and heroine to dream about.

    I've just started this one... thanks for the great review.

    And Buffie - we'll bring you to the dark side yet!!

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  18. Take the plunge, Buffie! You'll love the Nora waters!

    Andrea, I agree with the Chesapeake series recommendation. It's my favorite Nora (single title) series, closely followed by the Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy and Born In trilogy. Then, of course, there are all of her Harlequin families who own my heart, like the MacGregors. Most (maybe all) of their books have been reissued in multi-story books.
    See how much fun you have ahead of you? :)

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  19. Enjoy it, JWZ1978!!

    Thanks, Buffie. If and when you do read your first Nora, I highly recommend this series to you. Seriously, you'd love it.

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  20. LOL, Marisa! Nora has a long enough backlist without adding her J.D. Robb books in the mix. Heh. We definitely need to bring Buffie over. Bwahahaha!

    Thanks for more recs, PJ!

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  21. Andrea said...
    I know, Dianna! I told the other gals that I was ready to take the plunge. LOL! My friends Jessica (the one who loaned me the books) also recommended the Sisters Island trilogy....along with several others!

    That series is what got me started on La Nora, I have since read anything and everything she has written. The thing that gets me about her is no matter what she writes it never seems to be like a formula, you know what I mean? I don't know how she does that with as many books as she has written. She was also my first taste of the para normal.

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  22. I have read those first 2 books and they were good, now will have to get this one to see what happens to the last girl...

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  23. Have read and enjoyed her books for years. Like you say, she shows you who these characters are and pulls you into the story. Her quick little harlequin style books or the longer novels, the series or stand alone, they are all good.

    Glad you finally found her. Good review.

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  24. Enjoy it, Mary Ann!

    Thanks, librarypat. I am soooo glad I discovered Nora!

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  25. I haven't read the 3rd bk of the Bride Quartet, so could someone tell me if Laurel is the one with commitment issues? In bk #2, Jack really pissed me off with his commitment-phobia and way he hurt Emma. Are the tables turned in this book (I hope)? And, Chesapeake Bay series is awesome, as well as MacGregors and Stanilanski series. You have to read the MacKade Brothers!

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