Review: The Liar

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When her husband Richard dies in a freak accident, Shelby Pomeroy is devastated. But his death reveals a horrible truth - Richard was a liar and a cheat. Now Shelby is left with the consequences - huge, terrifying debts and mounting proof that her late husband betrayed her in every conceivable way.
Heart-broken but unbowed, Shelby is determined to fix her problems - if only for the sake of her gorgeous little daughter Callie. Returning home to Tennessee and the family she thought she'd lost for ever, she discovers a new sense of strength and freedom. And hope, too, in the handsome form of carpenter Griffin Lott - a straight-dealing man who couldn't lie to her if he tried.
But not everyone is thrilled to see Shelby Pomeroy back in town. And when a shocking act of violence is traced back to Richard's shady business, it becomes clear that she is not safe from him, even in death. With her life in danger, Shelby must face the lies of the past - or lose everything.

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: April 2015

Mature content: yes

Review: Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors, but I still can't bring myself to give 5 stars to The Liar. It's interesting, though, to see how a certain author evolves in its writing, and Nora Roberts is no exception. I loved her earlier romance novels (a bit cheesy when I re-read them today, but then I was a lot younger myself too), fell in love with her romantic suspense, and now I'm still trying to get used to her latest books, which are all and none of the above at the same time. Yes, there is romance, yes, there is suspense; but, all in all, they seem to be some sort of epic descriptions of a group of character's lives. In a way, it's interesting, because us, readers, feel like we are living with the characters, but the downside is that we are bombarded with so much detail that it's tiring, not to mention a lot harder to follow the main plot. 

What I liked about The Liar:

- the plot. I've seen some people complaining that this was a predictable book. It was, in a way. But then, what romance novel isn't? Although I could guess the general direction of the book from the first pages, there were so many twists and turns in the story that I was still hooked.

- most of the characters, especially Griff

- the happy ending and the implicit life lessons

What I didn't like:

- the length of the book. This has got to be one of Nora's longest (the Kindle version has over 500 pages!). I wish the author had cut back on those slower moments and endless details for the story to flow more easily. 

- some of the characters seemed a bit overly stereotyped, like Melody and her small town envy

- the relationship between Callie (Shelly's daughter) and Griff doesn't seem very credible. Callie is three (going on thirteen) and never socialized a lot (from Shelly's own words) and she had a mostly absent father (so not a lot of male influence). Griff is a strange man when they meet for the first time, so I wouldn't expect her to flung herself into his arms the way she did. I know my daughter wouldn't, not now and not when she was three, so this sort of ticked me off throughout the book.

All in all, The Liar is an interesting book. There's more suspense (or just twists and turns in a complicated plot) than romance (although there is a much deserved happily ever after), and I still recommend it. Just brace yourself because it's a long, long book and there's a lot of info to process if you want to keep up. 

Have a wonderful weekend!