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adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This isn't my usual Nora Roberts fare, but a dear, late friend of mine really wanted me to read it, so for her I did. Taking place over the span of decades, Sweet Revenge is one part heist, one part romance, and one part tragedy. Adrianne's mother, Phoebe, is a tragic character. She is described as kind but naive and she was treated horribly by Adrianne's father. That part of the story was a heartbreaking one and stays with you throughout the remainder of the book. Adrianne is a complicated character. She's seen things a child should never have to see and had to take on a caretaker role for her mother before even reaching adulthood. As a result, she's closed-off and strong-willed. I actually liked that she stood on her own so strongly. Philip, while in many ways an interesting counterpoint to Adrianne, just comes across a bit too overbearing. His interference veers away from caring and into the realm of bossing way too easily. On top of that, the romance aspect didn't have as much depth as I've come to expect from Nora Roberts's other works. Overall it was an intriguing read (I hesitate to say "enjoyable" due to some of the subject matter), but wasn't my preference for a Nora Roberts reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Suicide
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this simply because it's Nora Roberts and it involves a heist or two. It's a book that doesn't age well. The main character, Adrianne, grows up the child of a Middle-Eastern king and his American actress wife in a fictional, very religiously-strict Middle Eastern country. The attitudes put forward about Islam are very outdated and over-the-top. But Adrianne is an interesting character. She acts like a rich socialite, but in reality she is a very successful jewel thief. And her ultimate target is the necklace her father gave her mother and kept after their escape.
She gets a little bit of help from Phillip, a retired jewel thief who figures out who she is and really invites himself onto her job through blackmail. But really, she didn't need his help. She could have pulled it off all on her own because that's the sort of badass character she is.
So thumbs up for being a good romantic suspense with a solid heist, thumbs down for outdated attitudes.
She gets a little bit of help from Phillip, a retired jewel thief who figures out who she is and really invites himself onto her job through blackmail. But really, she didn't need his help. She could have pulled it off all on her own because that's the sort of badass character she is.
So thumbs up for being a good romantic suspense with a solid heist, thumbs down for outdated attitudes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Islamophobia
Minor: Suicide