Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sanctuary

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 9,533 ratings · 234 reviews

Photographer Jo Ellen Hathaway thought she'd escaped the house called Sanctuary long ago. She'd spent her lonliest years there, after the sudden, unexplained disappearance of her mother. Yet the sprawling resort off the Georgia coast continues to haunt her dreams. And now, even more haunting are the pictures someone is sending to her: strange close-ups and candids, culmina...more

Mass Market Paperback, 506 pages

Published May 1st 1998 by Jove (first published 1997)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Chesapeake Series Collection by Nora Roberts

Best Nora Roberts Novels

75th out of 135 books — 693 voters

Nora Roberts

26th out of 102 books — 18 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 21, 2013 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense

3.5 STARS

Jo Ellen's mother left the family without word when they were young children and has not been heard of since. Each member in the family has retreated within themselves so that they have become virtually strangers rather than family. When Jo has a breakdown she gathers up what is left of her nerves and travels home to the family-run Inn. She comes to realizes that she is not the only one coming back to the past when she runs into Nathan who once vacationed here in the summer, and Kirby...more

like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Madison Ortiz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nora Roberts' Sanctuary is a book that captivates you from the very first page. Nora Roberts writes this story with wisdom and a brilliant hand. Her vivid detailing of the world around the main characters gives you a picture that you can see, and she lets you into their minds so you feel the emotions the characters do. Jo Ellen Hathaway is a photographer whose mother abandoned her and her family while she was young. They never knew why she left; all they know is that she did. Twenty-years later...more

like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Liz Collins added it

Shelves: nora-roberts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

May 25, 2012 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, 3-star, meu, saida-de-emergência

Depois de ter lido o "A pousada no fim do rio" e ter gostado bastante, este foi quase uma pequena desilusão.

Lê-se bem (como todos os livros desta autora) e possui todos os elementos necessários a uma boa obra, mas parece que ficou a faltar algo.

Jo Ellen é uma fotógrafa de sucesso, independente e emancipada, uma mulher solitária por opção. Mas quando alguém lhe começa a enviar fotos dela, Jo começa a sentir-se perseguida. Uma perseguição que termina num esgotamento nervoso e numa viagem forçada...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2009 Ana rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Nobody

Recommended to Ana by: Nobody

I was in the mood for a murder mystery when I bought this book a few weeks ago. I have read one Nora Roberts in the past (Midnight Bayou) which I really liked. Strangely enough, it was the ONLY one of her books I liked. The very first sentence in this book reminded me too much of DuMaurier's "Rebecca", for a start; a little unoriginal. Then I stumbled across the name of the fictional island in the story - "Lost Desire" - and I just knew this was going to be one heck of a cheesy ride. If you love...more

like · see review

Apr 04, 2009 RNOCEAN rated it 3 of 5 stars

Twenty years after her mother's disappearance, Jo Ellen gets photographs in the mail. They are photographs of her mother: some candid, some close-up, and some of her naked, beautiful, and dead.
Jo Ellen hasn't been back in years. She thought that she had left that house a long time ago. Left the darkness that came over the island off the coast of Georgia and her family's lives when her mother, Annabelle, disappeared. But that island, Sanctuary, is a part of her. It haunts her dreams, and Jo reali...more

like · see review

Jul 23, 2011 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-books-read

Romance + sex + mystery + dysfunctional family + island setting = A great hot-weather read. Norah Roberts doesn't disappoint. It's not great literature, but it's great entertainment. Jo Ellen Hathaway, an up-and-coming photographer, suffers a nervous breakdown after receiving disturbing photos of her long-missing mother. She returns to her family home on an island named Desire (!) off the Savannah, Georgia coast to recover. Her brother Brian, sister Lexy, and father Sam have been maintaining an...more

like · see review

May 29, 2012 Amber Beasley rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mushy gushy women that love romance and also a good thrill.

Recommended to Amber by: My boss.

Didn't care for this book all that much. I liked the plot and the main idea for the story. And I really like the mystery of it. But for one thing, it was a little too easy to figure out. A little too much Criminal Minds, I guess, but I picked up on who the stalker/murderer was pretty easily. Also, the characters were really annoying. They can't decide what they want, who they want. and they're constantly yelling or telling each other off. I understand that that is kind of what the story is about...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Amy A rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was another good book from Nora Roberts. So far I believe this time period in her works (late 90's to early 2000's) is my favorite. I haven't really read much of her later works yet.

Jo Ellen Hathaway is the main character in Sanctuary. Although her family including her father, brother, sister (and their prospective romances) all have their own page time, the story really takes off with Jo.

Jo is a photographer who left her family's island of Desire when she was 18 and rarely goes...more I thought this was another good book from Nora Roberts. So far I believe this time period in her works (late 90's to early 2000's) is my favorite. I haven't really read much of her later works yet.

Jo Ellen Hathaway is the main character in Sanctuary. Although her family including her father, brother, sister (and their prospective romances) all have their own page time, the story really takes off with Jo.

Jo is a photographer who left her family's island of Desire when she was 18 and rarely goes back. Events in the past put a shadow over the family. One that they've all had a difficult time getting through that effects their relationships with one another as well as other people. Annabelle Hathaway seemed like a great mother until one day she disappears without a trace. After the police have conducted their search and come up with nothing the family assumes that Annabelle just decided to leave her life behind, becoming too restless living on an island away from civilization. The abandonment of that situation left a scar across all the Hathaways.

Jo begins receiving photographs of herseld. Figuring it's just a photo enthusiast who wants her to look at their work she brushes it off. Until one day when she receives a package of photos of herself, but there's one that stands out. A picture of her mother dead from so many years ago. This sends Jo into a tailspin and the only thing she can think is to go home to try and figure out the truth.

I liked the whole island setting. It made all the events seem very enclosed with a select cast of characters. Like one of my personal favorites of Roberts' Montana Sky, where that story takes place on a ranch that just seems so closed off from the rest of civilization. The occupants of Desire are definitely closed off from the Georgia mainland. I just think this type of location setting really gives the reader a chance to learn more about the surroundings. Roberts does a great job with that as always.

The sibling dynamic was good, but I was expecting more animosity between them than what was presented. I mean Jo didn't feel like she would be welcome and kept having dreams of being locked out of the house, yet it seems more that people were just neutral about her being back. I guess i was imagining more of a scandal involved in the reasons she left in the first plaec.

The relationships in the book were typical. I would have to say that my favorite was Brian and Kirby's. I liked how she was very attuned to what she wanted and wasn't going to give in so easy when it came to getting Brian to be with her.

Lexy and Giff were the basic "he's loved her since choldhood and is finally confident enough to play the game of getting her". It was a very sweet romance. I liked that Giff really knew Lexy. He saw her for what she was and not what she presented to everyone else. She didn't fool him at all.

I think I wanted more from Jo and Nathan's relationship. I mean it was built up as the main relationship, but with the secrets kept I just felt like by the time Nathan got around to his reasons for coming back to Desire, the relationshiop fell a little flat. Apparently Jo had to struggle to feel comfortable enough to be with Nathan, but I didn't really feel the struggle when I was reading, it just felt like a weak internal debate.

The ending was a long time coming I think. Everything was set up really well and Roberts was sure to take us through minute details, but when the final show-down occured I think it could have used more page time. I mean the confrontation literally took about 5 pages, after being built up for the previous 495 it was taken care of in 5. Also, I had it figured out pretty early who the killer was. I was just waiting to see how it would all play out.

Overall, this is a good book. I love the character dynamics. I loved the setting of the old house on the island being run as a hotel. Roberts does a great job really delving into the art of photography. Despite there being some things that fell a little short of the mark for me, they in no way ruined the book. I think I could definitely go back and reread this someday. Until Then!(less)

like · see review

Feb 06, 2010 Syeda Nessa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everything fell apart for Jo Ellen and her family after her mother walked out of their lives. Jo, her siblings and her father lost the connection they had after their mother left. Twenty years later Jo is a famous photographer and is trying really hard to forget her life previous to leaving home. What makes it even more difficult is that someone is stalking her, taking pictures of her. At first she thought that it was someone trying to get her attention so she can help them break into photograp...more Everything fell apart for Jo Ellen and her family after her mother walked out of their lives. Jo, her siblings and her father lost the connection they had after their mother left. Twenty years later Jo is a famous photographer and is trying really hard to forget her life previous to leaving home. What makes it even more difficult is that someone is stalking her, taking pictures of her. At first she thought that it was someone trying to get her attention so she can help them break into photography; however that illusion changed when a picture of her mother naked and dead was sent to her. After years of trying to forget and stay away from her home, Sanctuary she is now going back to figure out the truth behind her mothers disappearance. Was her mother murdered or is someone playing a trick on her or is she going mad?
When she arrived to Sanctuary she did not receive a warm welcome, but that was not expected. Brian, her brother, is still taking care of the family home turned into inn and Lexy still trying to get famous. Her father is still trying to keep Sanctuary from changing and no one has forgiven or moved on from their mother’s sudden disappearance. Jo meets Nathan on a rainy day. Nathan who is an architect, came to Sanctuary to relive the summer twenty years ago when Jo’ mother vanished. He has secret that may destroy the relationship forging between him and Jo. While Nathan figures out whether to tell Jo or not; two women on the island have disappeared. With the help of Nathan and Jo, they need to figure out if the recent disappearances have anything to do with the past.
This is an excellent novel. You won’t be able to stop reading. You think you know what will happen, but then comes another twist. Not only the twist and turns make it interesting, but lessons we can learn from the novel makes it even better. This novel teaches to not condemn others before you have seen the evidence or heard the truth for yourself. The characters in the novel have to learn to trust themselves and others. This is a hard lesson to learn when all your life you believed you could only rely on yourself. This can be true for real life to because we usually believe what others believe even if our gut tells otherwise. We also don’t think that family cares for us, even though they are the ones who care about us the most. This is what we can learn from this novel and these are wonderful lesson to learn.
(less)

like · see review

Oct 31, 2012 Blair McDowell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews

I’m an avid reader and fan of Nora Roberts. She is, as far as I’m concerned, the Queen of Romance, although there are those who argue that what she writes isn’t strictly “Romance.” If it isn’t, then three cheers for her. She has managed to put out several books a year under at least two pen names, most of which are good reads. This one, Sanctuary, is one of her best.
In it she follows the torturous lives of the Hathaway family as they try to run a small inn on an outer-banks Island off the coast...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Os leitores recorrentes de Nora Roberts hão-de aperceber-se que a autora gota de reciclar alguns elementos de outras das suas histórias. Em «Refúgio», temos mais uma jovem bem sucedida na sua carreira mas cuja vida permanece incompleta. Ameaçada e esgotada emocionalmente, temos então mais uma personagem a regressar às suas origens...mais assassínios misteriosos, mais um romance electrizante - enfim, mais do mesmo!

Aprecio imenso o estilo de escrita de Nora Roberts; quando estou a ler um dos seus...more

like · see review

Aug 16, 2010 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved it. It was great. Full of suspense, love, and mystery just like all of Nora's books. I loved the island setting, too. It was easy for me to paint the image in my mind being a Floridian.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 10, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys contemporary mysteries

Recommended to Mary by: Library Book Sale

Shelves: read-but-unowned, 1990-2009, 89-94, bought-at-a-library-book-sale, contemporary-mystery, hardcover

Jo Ellen is a photographer who sees a photograph of her mother - young, beautiful, naked and unmistakably dead. She suffers a breakdown and goes home to Sanctuary Inn, the bed and breakfast run by her brother and sister. While there, she tries to reconnect with her brother, Brian, and sister, Lexy. Twenty years ago, the siblings' mother went missing, shattering the entire family. When Jo Ellen comes back from the hospital, the picture is missing and while at Sanctuary she meets Nathan who has se...more

like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Ronel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first Nora Roberts novel that I have ever read. And it was quite good. The strange photographs that are sent to Jo Ellen and the the constant mystery and angst of a thriller dragged me in the story and I could not put the book down. Furthermore, all of the characters were very interesting and I loved how she gave side stories to all of the characters and not just the main characters.

On the down side I struggled to understand Jo Ellen very well and so could not really follow her stor...more

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Sangeetha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vaividhya, fiction

I won't say that I loved this book to bits and pieces,but I liked the plot. I also liked the mystery of it. But there were MANY holes in the plot, some characters not totally believable.........and anyone reading this book could tell it was written by a woman, not a man. Some characters were really annoying. They can't decide what they want, who they want. and they're constantly yelling or telling each other off. I understand that that is kind of what the story is about, but it got old after so...more

like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Alicia Williams rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2006

Well, it had to happen, I guess: I finally found a Nora Roberts book I didn't like! I really hate reading about people keeping secrets from each other for the whole book. I don't think it was adequately explained why people believed Belle just left her family with nothing in her possession and no past history of treating them badly. And I had the murderer pegged the minute I read the first sentence introducing him/her. The setting up of another character as the must-be-him murderer was too overd...more

like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Maxine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a good mystery and it does keep the reader wondering (for a while, at least). The crime is unusual, and goes undiscovered for years. Meanwhile a family is slowly torn apart by a betrayal that leaves them bitter and afraid to trust.

While the unraveling of the mystery definitely is compelling, Sanctuary is not Nora Roberts at her best. The characters' often extremely stupid behavior reminds the reader of characters in horror films--the ones who, upon hearing that a psychotic killer is on...more

like · see review

May 05, 2009 Joe Mossa rated it 1 of 5 stars

this stuff glorifies sex and violence against women. why do i have to speak out against this stuff ? people should read faulkner s SANCTUARY . i do not read books about serial killers. i thought this was supposed to be a romance. i read 300 of the 432 pages. graphic sex was depicted 5 times in those pages. i am about to read the autobio of vladimor nabokov. his LOLITA caused a big stir years ago and it is not nearly as sexy as this robert s thing. these people who love her probably go to church...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2012 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

The suspense builds pretty quickly which makes for interesting reading in the beginning. However, formulaic romantic couplings soon take the edge off. The ending is altogether too happy - all of the Hathaways will live happily ever after with their newly-found soul mates -- even poor 'ole Dad. A book that begins with a large amount of promising familial discord should try to end with some as well. To have it otherwise makes the reader feel slighted, as if the author doesn't trust the readers to...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, mystery

I thought this book was a pretty good mystery. I don't know why Roberts feels that she has to cheapen her novels by putting in so many steamy sex scenes. I hate to sound like a prude, but I feel like she just throws this stuff in there to fill pages. It's like when you watch a really good movie and then they just put throw a sex scene or something in that is just totally unnecessary. I think it is tacky. Otherwise, I liked the book, but I did think it was a little long. I started to get a little...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2010 Sue Caldwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very engaging read, first book I have read of Nora Roberts, actually made me want to pursue photography as the main character was a photograper. It was quite heavy on peoples baggage and most not been able to have a healthly relationship/s with family and lovers, but as the story unravels you can understand and smpathise why. A story not easy to forget.

A suspenseful tale of dangerous liaisons and family betrayals. When someone begins sending her disturbing photos, especially one of her long-lost...more

like · see review

Nov 07, 2010 Zibbo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 14, 2013 Chantelle (aka the Blogmonstar) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, crime, mystery, suspense

I love Nora Roberts's suspense titles. This one was especially creepy with a hint of I'm-pretty-sure-I-know-who-the-killer-is-but-then-now-I'm-not-so-sure thrown in to keep you guessing.

Jo Ellen Hathaway is a successful photographer. Someone is sending her photos of herself that she didn't know were taken. One final picture - this time of her long-ago disappeared mother - sets her world upside down. Forced to head back to her childhood home, Sanctuary, for her own sanity, Jo Ellen must also fac...more

like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Jenifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read a few Nora Roberts books before, and it's always taken me several chapters to get into the story, resulting in a couple of flounces. However, Sanctuary held my attention right from the start. I loved the mystery combined with the romance and all 3 couples in the story had great chemistry and some sizzling smexy-times which completely suprised me. While it wasn't graphic, it certainly wasn't fade-to-black, which is exactly the type of author I thought Nora Roberts was. I plan on giving...more

like · see review

Jun 30, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought I loved the book but when I thought about the whole story I was like (O.o).The beginning and ending were awesome what I didn't like was the middle.If you like TOO OVER THE TOP sex scenes then this book is for you....but not for me.I bet that no one in real life has sex like THAT!I mean Danielle Steel simply wrote,"And they made love,"
I was LITERALLY banging my head with the book because it was TOO long.Well may be this one is for people who love erotic books.It's basically about a craz...more

like · see review

May 02, 2012 Sara Gonçalves rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: leituras-2012

Finalmente meti as mãos a este livro para o ler. Por várias vezes li a sinopse deste livro na internet, mas confesso que foi, até agora, a sinopse que menos me atraiu. Ainda assim, na falta de um livro para ler, e estando este livro disponível na biblioteca, e claro, sendo da Nora Roberts, teve que vir comigo para o ler. E ainda bem, porque é uma história que gostei muito de ler.
Este livro fala sobre uma família com feridas, que surgiram devido à suposta fuga de Anabelle, esposa e mãe, à coisa d...more

like · see review

May 02, 2013 Alex Economides rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nora-roberts, authors-p-z, adventure-mystery-crime-thriller, romance

Summary
Photographer Jo Ellen Hathaway thought she'd escaped the house called Sanctuary long ago. She'd spent her loneliest years there, after the sudden, unexplained disappearance of her mother. Yet the sprawling inn off the Georgia coast continues to haunt her dreams. And now, even more haunting are the pictures someone is sending her: strange close-ups and candids, culminating in the most shocking portrait of all—a photo of her mother—naked, beautiful, and dead.

Now Jo must return to the island...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Mafi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pt, library, 2012

Muita gente sabe que sou grande fã da autora Nora Roberts e que um dos meus objectivos na minha vida literária é ler todos os livros dela. No entanto apesar de ser grande apreciadora dos romances de Roberts, afirmo que todos os livros têm a mesma fórmula = romance+mistério+final feliz e que por vezes aborrece-me um bocado, tento não ler muitos livros seguidos de forma a não enjoar, mas desta vez decidi pegar em "Refúgio" logo após ter acabado "Mentiras Crúeis" e talvez devido a isso, não gostei...more Muita gente sabe que sou grande fã da autora Nora Roberts e que um dos meus objectivos na minha vida literária é ler todos os livros dela. No entanto apesar de ser grande apreciadora dos romances de Roberts, afirmo que todos os livros têm a mesma fórmula = romance+mistério+final feliz e que por vezes aborrece-me um bocado, tento não ler muitos livros seguidos de forma a não enjoar, mas desta vez decidi pegar em "Refúgio" logo após ter acabado "Mentiras Crúeis" e talvez devido a isso, não gostei muito de "Refúgio".

A história está bem explícita na sinopse, Jo Hathaway vive atormentada e solitária desde que foi supostamente abandonada pela mãe na infância e decidiu deixar a vida pessoal para segundo plano e dedicar-se à fotografia profissionalmente conseguindo alcançar sucesso na área. O seu pesadelo começa quando recebe várias fotografias sinistras especialmente uma onde a sua mãe aparece morta. Jo decide que é hora de voltar a casa, ao lar onde cresceu de modo enterrar de uma vez por todas os fantasmas do passado.

Este assassinado inicia uma clima de mistério e suspense que a mim não me conseguiu prender até à última página e não é dos melhor casos da Nora. FIcamos sim, curiosas de saber todo o suspende à volta da morte da mãe de Jo, mas já vi a autora a escrever melhor. E a Nora sabe incorporar bem a parte policial num romance, ou não teria uma série de 40 livros com esta vertente (falo claro da série Mortal, editada pela SDE com o pseudónimo de J.D.Robb). Mesmo assim, algumas descrições são de arrepiar.

De modo a alijeirar todo o clima de suspense e como é habitual, há vários romances entre várias personagens que ambientam toda a trama, não havendo um casal principal, todos têm o seu protagonismo ao longo do livro. Eu que fico sempre encantada com as histórias de amor que a autora conta, nem assim consegui ganhar entusiasmo pelo livro. O facto de o final do livro ser completamente previsível e igual a tantos outros, deixa um sabor amargo na boca. A autora prometeu muito mas acabou por morrer na praia.

Concluindo, não há muito mais a dizer, "Refúgio" tem todos os ingredientes para uma boa leitura: romance, amizade, mistério, drama, relacionamentos familiares...apenas não foram explorados como deviam. Não é um livro que deixa saudades. Apenas queria mais intensidade, queria dar 5 estrelas a um livro da Nora! Ainda não foi desta.(less)

like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 Jonetta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jo Ellen Hathaway left her home on Desire Island, a private resort off the Georgia coast, two years ago. She's now living in Charlotte, North Carolina but travels the world as a successful photographer. Jo recently began receiving odd photographs of her, close-ups that point to someone having followed her to many locations. She becomes haunted by them and hits her wall when she receives one that appears to be of her mother Annabelle, dead, and who disappeared 20 years ago. Jo returns home to the...more Jo Ellen Hathaway left her home on Desire Island, a private resort off the Georgia coast, two years ago. She's now living in Charlotte, North Carolina but travels the world as a successful photographer. Jo recently began receiving odd photographs of her, close-ups that point to someone having followed her to many locations. She becomes haunted by them and hits her wall when she receives one that appears to be of her mother Annabelle, dead, and who disappeared 20 years ago. Jo returns home to the house called Sanctuary, to restore herself and hopefully put her demons to rest.

When Jo's mother disappeared, her father shut down and left the care of her, her older brother Brian and younger sister Lexy, to her Aunt Kate. Calling this family dysfunctional is an understatement. When Nathan Delaney arrives at the island where he spent a memorable summer the year Annabelle disappeared, he is immediately drawn to Jo and is determined to tear down her emotional barriers and forge a relationship. It also becomes apparent that the person stalking Jo has followed her to the island.

I enjoyed this story but it took me about 100 pages to get interested. There was a bit too much descriptive detail about the setting of Sanctuary, bogging it down and detracting from the really interesting characters of the story. Maybe this was done because the main character was a photographer and it was important to create visual interest for her subjects but it bored me silly. Once I got past the initial staging, I fell for the characters...the distant brother, the dramatic younger sister, the lovely and well-meaning doctor, Kirby who is crushing on Brian and the childhood friend who has always had a crush on Lexy. There were three romances in play and that was a real treat. I guessed the answer to the mystery pretty early on, which took some of the zing out of the suspense but didn't lessen my enjoyment.

I'm rating the book 3.5 stars because the beginning was just too long and the impetus behind Annabelle's disappearance was a bit flawed in my opinion. Still, I enjoyed the book but would recommend some serious skimming of the beginning if you're not into reading about the topography of a southern resort.

(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Similar story by what author?	3	30	Feb 17, 2013 02:41pm

combine
Other Editions (49)

More editions...

Genres

Romance

336 users

Romance > Romantic Suspense

61 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

57 users

Mystery

47 users

Contemporary

37 users

Suspense

35 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

19 users

Adult

10 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

8 users

Adult Fiction

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Silent Night
by J.D. Robb

About Nora Roberts

aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sopho...more aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to a local public school, where she met Ronald Aufdem-Brinke, her future first husband.

In Augusy 17, 1968, as soon as she had graduated from High School, Eleanor married, against her parents' wishes. The marriage settled in Keedysville, Maryland. Her husband worked at his father's sheet-metal business before joining her parents in their lighting company. While, she worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn't spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After their sons, Dan and Jason, were born she stayed home. Calling this her "Earth Mother" years, she spent much of her time doing crafts, including ceramics and sewing her children's clothes. The marriage ended separating, and they obtained the divorce in January 1985.

In February 1979, a blizzard in forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981 as Nora Roberts, a shortened form of her birth name Eleanor Marie Robertson, because she assumed that all authors had pen names.

Eleanor wrote under the pseudonym Jill March a story for a magazine titled "Melodies of Love".

Eleanor met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Her husband owns and operates a bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland called "Turn the Page Books". Since that time, they've expanded their home, traveled the world.

In 1992, she decided adopted other pseudonym so to publish a futuristic-suspense novels, she first decided to use the pseudonym D.J. MacGregor, but she discovered that this pseudonym was used by another author. In 1995, her first "In Death" serial novel was published under the pseudonym J.D. Robb, the initials "J.D." were taken from her sons, Jason and Dan, while "Robb" is a shortened form of Roberts.

Eleanor has also been known as Sara Hardesty, because when the "Born In" series was released in U.K. it carried that name instead of Nora Roberts. She has since changed publishers.

Eleanor has been plagiarized by another best-selling romance writer, Janet Dailey. The practice came to light after a reader read Nora Roberts' "Sweet Revenge" and Janet Dailey's "Notorious" back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the Internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Eleanor sued Janet Daily. In 1997, Janet, admitted to repeatedly plagiarizing from Nora Roberts' work, and that both "Aspen Gold" and "Notorious" lifted heavily from Nora Roberts's work. Both of those novels were pulled from print after Janet's admission. She acknowledged the plagiarism and blamed it on a psychological disorder. In a settlement, Janet paid Eleanor an undisclosed sum, which Eleanor donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.

A founding member of the Romance Writers of America (R.W.A.), she was the first inductee in the organization's Hall of Fame. She also is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the (less)

More about Nora Roberts...

Books by Nora Roberts

Dance Upon the Air (Three Sisters Island, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Sanctuary

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Sanctuary
avg rating	preview: Sanctuary Goodreads rating: 3.81 (9533 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114141.Sanctuary?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351342765l/114141.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114141.Sanctuary?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Sanctuary by Nora Roberts[/url]

Sanctuary

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website