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Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 25th, 2021

448 Pages

Synopsis: The #1 New York Times Bestselling author presents a new novel of a mother and a daughter, of ambition and romance, and of a traumatic past reawakened by a terrifying threat…

Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was  the day he nearly killed her—before her mother, Lina, stepped in.

Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend—and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend’s ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina’s footsteps, but intent on maintaining creative control. And she’s just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren’t close, but they’re cordial, as long as neither crosses the other.

But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving—the postmarks changing but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins… (Goodreads)

Many of you know what that I’m a fan of Nora Roberts from the reviews I’ve written for some of her previous books. She’s an author I’ve come to rely on for exciting stories with complex yet relatable characters and steamy romance. While Legacy isn’t destined to be one of my favorites by the prolific author, I did enjoy it and finished it in two days.

There were a few things that prevented this from being a perfect read for me. First, there was the protagonist, Adrian, who I had mixed feelings about. She’s one of those strong female characters that Robert’s is famous for writing, but in this case there are a few times that her strength veers into obnoxious pushiness, particularly in regards to her health and fitness business. The romance winds up being sizzling, but the usual build-up that you find in a Roberts book is missing here due to the sheer volume of details and side stories. The mystery villain was a tad predictable, and like the romance didn’t truly make a full on appearance until the second half of the book. However, all that being said, all the characters come across as being very real, the romance, once it made an appearance was as passionate as I’ve come to expect, and the climax and ending were thrilling and utterly satisfying.

After finishing this I can tell you Legacy is a story told in three parts. The first looks at Adrian’s childhood and her relationship with her mother and grandparents. The second focuses mainly on the adult Adrian her business, and how it impacts the relationships she has. The third finally does a deep dive into the romance department and the mystery, and this of course was my favorite part of the book. As I said, I don’t think Legacy is one of Roberts’ best, but it’s still an entertaining and worthwhile read that I have little doubt will please her legions of fans. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, (here’s my one and only spoiler), as fans already know, Nora Roberts usually has dogs in her stories, and Legacy has two that will capture your heart. And, nothing bad happens to them!