Well, this is a different genre than the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance stuff that I've been reading for the past couple of years, but I had this book/series recommended to me and I have to say that...I LOVED it!

It's an extremely well-written book for starters. J. D. Robb, a.k.a Nora Roberts, has written around 170 novels so far, and it shows here in the skill and polish of her storytelling. I had no idea who the killer was until the big reveal (I normally pride myself on being able to spot them a mile off, but I was left guessing right until the end), and the journey to get to that end was thoroughly enjoyable, in more ways than one.

I've read quite a few crime novels in the past. When I was finding my feet as a reader and not really sure what genre to read, I read all the Stephen King books (as you do) and I also used to be a big fan of Patricia Cornwell. So the crimes in this book (although violent and disturbing) weren't a complete shock to the system.

The futuristic element I found really interesting. It had me thinking of movies I've seen such as Demolition Man (what the hell do you do with the three seashells?), The Fifth Element, and Total Recall. All of which I've enjoyed and which had similar futuristic themes. Robb could have easily gone OTT with those details, but she didn't. They added flavour, nothing more.

I think one of the main reasons I like reading fantasy novels, is that anything can happen. With these novels being set in the future, there is still that same fantasy-like element happening, because even though all the robots, androids and hover vehicles are meant to be real within the story, for us the reader, it's all still make-believe and it's a lot of fun to imagine such a future world.

Most of the stuff that they have doesn't seem all that far-fetched to me for 2058. A lot of it is just advancements on stuff we've already invented. I mean, we already can operate things by voice command, just not as many things as they do in these books (I really want an AutoChef that makes me tea and toast on voice command too! It's so unfair).

As for the romance side of things. This is where this book made me really happy. I think I might have just found a new Book Boyfriend (of which I already have several: Bones, Wrath, Curran and Barrons to name but a few). Roarke...ah lovely Roarke. I can't wait to find out more about this enigmatic man. He's a billionaire (which can never hurt), and he's completely open and honest about the fact that he's been bowled over by this prickly, stubborn lieutenant, Eve Dallas. Who doesn't seem to trust anyone. Least of all him.

"Roarke, what's going on here?"

"Lieutenant." He leaned forward, touched his lips to hers. "Indications are we're having a romance."

Eve is a very likeable character. She's clearly got some issues and a terrible back story that we will no doubt learn more about in the upcoming books, but she's trying, for Roarke's sake, to put them aside so she can be with him. I can' wait to see how this develops.

Here is my mental picture of Eve (a.k.a the chick from Quantum of Solace)



Willowy? Check. Choppy hair? Check. Whiskey coloured eyes? Kinda check.

So, to sum up, I loved this book. I am slightly daunted by how many more books are in the series, but as long as the standard stays this high, I'm in for the long haul.

5 stars! ★★★★★