“Fictional people are people too, otherwise why would we care what happens to them?”
Lila Emerson, THE COLLECTOR by Nora Roberts
The Collector by Nora Roberts released in 2014 and I finally picked up my copy — I know, I know, took me long enough, right? Not going to waste a lot of preamble. I loved it. I may have my new favorite Nora Roberts heroine in Lila Emerson. She’s quirky, self-sufficient, compassionate, and can kick some ass when needed.
The story opens with a glimpse into Lila’s slightly unconventional life. She’s a professional house-sitter and writer of young adult werewolf novels. She also loves to look through binoculars out the windows of the home where she’s sitting — sounds weird, but actually it makes a lot of sense for this character. When looking out the window one night, Lila witnesses a murder/suicide and everything changes. Upon leaving the police station after giving her statement, she meets the victim’s brother.
Ash Archer has a huge family and is used to taking care of everyone, it’s what he does. He’s also a talented artist whose half-brother was just murdered. At first he wants to talk to Lila to find out what she saw, but then he finds himself drawn to her. As an artist, he wants to paint her. As a man, he wants to explore the possibility of a relationship. However, they both find themselves in danger as they look closer into the murder of Ash’s brother. Their investigation draws them into a world of priceless Russian antiques and lands them on the hit list of a soulless assassin.
With The Collector, author Nora Roberts effortlessly weaves a tale of intrigue and romance, while peppering it with well-placed wit and intense action seasons. She escorts us through New York City and takes us all the way to Florence (by private plane, of course) and back again. We get to know and love not only Lila and Ash, but their closest friends Julie and Luke.
There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book and it’s one I’m certain I’ll reread it. I really, really liked Lila and a huge thank you to Nora Roberts for creating this character.
Looking for more titles by Nora Roberts? Check out her official website here.