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Blue Smoke

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 16,412 ratings · 464 reviews

Reena Hale is an arson investigator who steps into an inferno of madness when a man begins to haunt her life with astring of horrifying crimes.

Mass Market Paperback, 440 pages

Published May 30th 2006 by Jove (first published 2005)

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Aug 25, 2007 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic_suspense, maryland, contemporary_post_1945

BLUE SMOKE (Romantic Thriller-Baltimore-Cont) – G+
Roberts, Nora – Standalone
Putnam, 2005- Hardcover
When Reena Hale was 12 years old, events lead to her family's restaurant being burnt by an arsonist. With that, Reena was determined to become an arson investigator with the Baltimore police. Other fires have touched those know to Reena, but now it has become very personal and very dangerous.
*** I am a huge fan of Ms. Roberts work and applaud her moving more into stories where the emphasis is more...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Susana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nora-roberts, 2012

Em primeiro lugar tenho de dizer que adoro a escrita de Nora Roberts. Mas é como tudo, gosta-se mais de uns livros do que outros. E por vezes a avaliação depende da disposição com que se está para ler um determinado género de livro. Dito isto, e após o último livro que aqui saiu da Lisa Gardner, enjoei o género. E este fumo azul, está mais para o triller do que para o lado do romance. Por isso tenho de dizer que foi um pouco difícil manter-me interessada no livro, porque já estou enjoada de ler,...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Alyssa marked it as i-ll-get-back-to-you · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2011-read, adult-romance, mystery-suspense, dnf, gave-up-on, only-okay

Oh god.

One of my biggest pet peeves in literature?

STORIES THAT TAKE MORE THAN 50-PAGES TO GET SOMEWHERE.

Blue Smoke has kept my attention, sure. The fire is interesting, and Reena is pretty cute.

But.

I understand that the rest of this book is going to be about Reena's ADULTHOOD.

SO WHY THE HELL ARE WE STILL HANGING AROUND HER IN FIFTH GRADE ON THE 50TH PAGE?

And these are LONG, DETAILED pages, guys.

I'll get back to this when I have enough time to dawdle.

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Uma fumarada de prazer!
Dos livros individuais de Nora Roberts, «Fumo Azul» está definitivamente entre os melhores: aos onze anos de idade Reena presencia o incêndio que destrói a pizzaria da família…e que condicionará toda a sua vida futura. Agora, vinte anos depois, alguém se esconde por detrás do fumo, algures, à espera de uma oportunidade para matar…

Gostei especialmente da oportunidade de seguir a protagonista e a sua família ao longo de vários anos, presenciando verdadeiramente a história, o...more Uma fumarada de prazer!
Dos livros individuais de Nora Roberts, «Fumo Azul» está definitivamente entre os melhores: aos onze anos de idade Reena presencia o incêndio que destrói a pizzaria da família…e que condicionará toda a sua vida futura. Agora, vinte anos depois, alguém se esconde por detrás do fumo, algures, à espera de uma oportunidade para matar…

Gostei especialmente da oportunidade de seguir a protagonista e a sua família ao longo de vários anos, presenciando verdadeiramente a história, os «traumas» de Reena, o que nos leva a criar uma ligação muito especial com as personagens.

Como é habitual, Roberts centra-se na família - e desta vez, uma barulhenta família italiana - com fantásticos momentos de interação entre pais, filhos, irmãos, cunhados, primos, sobrinhos…bem, como disse: uma família italiana!
Com personagens tão fortes e um enredo tão vastamente pormenorizado, é certo que as descrições de cenário ficaram ligeiramente aquém do habitual…mas desta vez saímos a ganhar com isso: o ritmo do livro é extraordinário, sem qualquer momento aborrecido, e há imensa ação especialmente graças às magníficas descrições de combate ao incêndio.

O suspense mantém-se apesar da previsibilidade da identidade do criminoso e Nora consegue manter o leitor colado ao livro, não só à tensão central mas também à evolução da família de Reena, especialmente avanços nas vidas dos seus irmãos, e ainda à vida amorosa da protagonista…incluindo o tão doce romance com aquele que só pode ser um dos melhores protagonistas masculinos de Nora Roberts: Bowen Goodnight!

Depois de tantos livros, Roberts ainda consegue empolgar-me com o simples desenrolar de um romance! A frustração que me ficou dos vários momentos em que se cruzaram sem que Bo conseguisse chegar a ela a tempo cresceu e fermentou até ao momento em que finalmente Reena e Bo se conheceram - momento esse que é absolutamente delicioso!

Como é costume, Roberts não termina verdadeiramente a sua narrativa, deixando o futuro em aberto para nós completarmos… e nem todas as personagens conseguem o seu «Felizes para sempre»…

{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/(less)

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Dec 09, 2008 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Prior to reading a book, especially when I have several other books to read on my "to-read" shelf, I check out Amazon.com's reviews. There were quite a few positive reviews for this book but more than a fair share of people slamming the book for one reason or another. Not certain what I was getting into, I read the book with lowered expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

When she was eleven, Reena watched her parents' Italian restaurant burn. It was arson, the culprit went to jail, and Reena...more Prior to reading a book, especially when I have several other books to read on my "to-read" shelf, I check out Amazon.com's reviews. There were quite a few positive reviews for this book but more than a fair share of people slamming the book for one reason or another. Not certain what I was getting into, I read the book with lowered expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

When she was eleven, Reena watched her parents' Italian restaurant burn. It was arson, the culprit went to jail, and Reena found her life's work - investigating arson fires. The novel starts when Reena was eleven and in the first couple of hundred pages follows her at various points in her life as tragedy takes the life of her boyfriend, an almost boyfriend, and another fire is set to frame her. The isolated incidents take place over the course of 10 years, so while it is obvious to the reader that Reena is being singled out, it is not obvious to her.

At thirty-one, Reena buys a house next door to Bo Goodnight (great hero, but seriously horrible name, how high of a cheese factor can you get?). Bo has glimpsed Reena through the years at various points, once at a party, another time at the mall, once in traffic, but he has always been thwarted from actually being able to meet no matter how hard he tried to reach her. One of the highlights of the book is Reena stepping out into her back yard and meeting Bo for the first time. This is a funny, endearing scene that really had me liking Bo.

For those who are fans of J.D. Robb, this book will be a fun and great read for you. I'm a Nora Roberts fan, and I am also the first to admit that not all of her books are winners (the Key trilogy was unreadable). "Blue Smoke" is a fun book and an entertaining read. Reena has a large family that she is close to and spends a lot of time with, people in the neighborhood know her, and reading about her life and her neighborhood was enjoyable.

The romance is enjoyable, too, with two characters who do not treat each other horribly or get into stupid misunderstandings or fight for no reason. I particularly like to read romances where the main characters are not stupid or mean with each other, and this is a great example of that. The most believable romance stories to me are the ones where the characters like each other, respect each other, and have a fairly easy going relationship with each other. This novel illustrates the joy of that type of relationship.

In reading the unfavorable reviews, I think that Nora Roberts is in a very difficult position. There are many people who love the familiarity in a Roberts novel, the known happily ever after, the type of hero and heroines she writes, the kind of families she showcases. I think that when she writes books with these signature elements some people really enjoy them and some people wail "She's in a rut!"

However, when she branches out and does something different with her novels, as she does here, the reverse happens, people are upset that they had to read almost 200 pages before the main romance kicks in, while much of the book is relegated to solving a mystery that the readers have solved from page one.

None of these factors really dulled my enjoyment of the book. I tend to like Roberts' work, especially when she does something out of the ordinary. She writes well and even the beginning parts that I knew ahead of time would contain tragedy were extremely entertaining to read because Roberts is simply an excellent writer. I enjoyed the book immensely, in part due to the big family, the friendships, and sense of community she imbues this novel with.

I'm pleased that Nora Roberts continues to write different types of novels without paying too much attention to the criticism she receives. She can't please everyone, but her popularity shows that she does please the majority of people the majority of the time.

If you do not like her J.D. Robb books, give this one a pass, but for those who enjoy reading Roberts for her excellent writing, you will enjoy "Blue Smoke".(less)

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Feb 01, 2013 Mafi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pt

Se há algo que adoro na Nora Roberts é que ela é uma grande contadora de história, a fórmula até pode ser sempre a mesma, mas ninguém pode negar que os livros desta autora são entretenimento puro.

Opinião completa aqui.

http://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogsp...

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Mar 13, 2013 Mushanga Vandenbussche rated it 4 of 5 stars

Toen Reena Hale klein was zag ze hoe het restaurant van haar ouders afbrandde voor haar ogen. Ze probeerde de onderzoekers te helpen met het zoeken naar de dader en dat is wat haar inspireerde om ook politieagent en onderzoeker te worden.
Het vuur blijft haar echter achtervolgen in haar leven. Haar eerste vriendje stierf in een brand en een ander vriendje werd doodgeschoten en dan werd zijn auto in brand gestoken. Hoewel er een connectie zou kunnen zijn tussen al deze gebeurtenissen merkt Reena...more

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Aug 07, 2008 Celia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

I loved all the intrinsic events taking place and the family bond the Hale family has. I loved the mystery and drama in this book. I literally stayed up all night reading this one.

In 1985 Baltimore Catarina "Renna" Hale was attacked by her neighbor twelve year old Joey Pastorelli and would have been raped if the neighbors didn't intervene. Reena's father fought with Joey's abusive dad and that night, the Hale's family pizzeria, Sirico's burns to the ground. Police find enough evidence to arrest...more

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May 03, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: jens-personal-read

When Catarina "Reena" Hale was eleven years old, she watched with her family--father Gib, mother Bianca, sister Francesca, sister Isabella, and brother Xander--as their family business, Sirico's, burned to the ground. The case came to a swift conclusion, when the father of a boy who had attempted to assault Reena is picked up for arson. The family rebuilds their business, their family ties stay strong, and their love and respect in the neighborhood grows.

We fast-forward to Reena in college, whe...more When Catarina "Reena" Hale was eleven years old, she watched with her family--father Gib, mother Bianca, sister Francesca, sister Isabella, and brother Xander--as their family business, Sirico's, burned to the ground. The case came to a swift conclusion, when the father of a boy who had attempted to assault Reena is picked up for arson. The family rebuilds their business, their family ties stay strong, and their love and respect in the neighborhood grows.

We fast-forward to Reena in college, where she's finally decided to lose her virginity to Josh, a fellow student who yearns to be a writer. After her sister Bella's dream wedding, Reena has sex with her boyfriend, returns home, and later discovers that Josh has died during a horrific apartment fire--after supposedly falling asleep in bed with a lit cigarette.

Again, fast-forward. Reena is still in training to become an arson investigator, her life-long dream. She's a member of the police force, has worked actual fires with her fellow firefighters, and now needs to finish her training. A firefighter she was thinking of dating dies in an apparent robbery, shot and left in his burning truck.

Still farther into the future, Reena is a full-fledged arson investigator, and tragedy finds her once again. Only days after earning her gold shield, Luke, a boyfriend whose marriage proposal she turned down, has his Mercedes burned sky-high, and of course Reena is the main suspect. After she's cleared, she's only more determined than ever to make fire her job--to find out who sets it, and why, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Then she meets Bowen "Bo" Goodnight, her new next-door-neighbor, and feelings and emotions get jumbled up with the fires that seem to dog her every step. Because someone has made her their vendetta, and will stop at nothing to make sure that his own brand of justice is served.

I loved BLUE SMOKE! Although it took me four days to read, weighing in at 437 pages and spanning twenty years, the book is a wonderful mix of engaging family saga, taut police/arson procedural, and down and out thriller. I don't agree with the other reviewers who said this book was "horror" or that Ms. Roberts delved too deeply into the mind of the killer--most romantic suspense (and this is definitely one of those books) these days go more into the who, how, and why and less on the fluff. I commend Ms. Roberts for another winning story, one which I was sad to see end. I loved reading about the Hale family and their extended relations, and I'm sure you'll be as enthralled by them as I was.

**I have to also say that BLUE SMOKE reads a lot like Nora Robert's alter-ego, J.D. Robb, in a lot of instances. Some of the short sentences, rapid-pace dialogue, and out-loud ruminating are reminiscent of Eve Dallas, but that only adds to the allure of BLUE SMOKE, instead of taking away from it. Kudos on another winner! (less)

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Jul 12, 2008 Haylie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: romance

Really good book! it was kinda slow in the beginning and it kept skipping ahead to different years and events but in the end it was a really good book! Soo glad my grandma got it for me and *Spoiler* I was glad that Bo and Reena had a happy ending!!!

I recently watched the movie to this book, it was a good movie and most of the events were correct but it wasn't really all that good compared to the book. First, the movie totally left out Bella and in the book she played an important character. Al...more

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Oct 29, 2008 MaryAnn rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Other escapist adults

I listened to all 14 CDs of this book. Though it ran out of gas a little towards the end, it was Robert's usual good, compelling story. I think it is interesting how she explores different fields, like arson and fire fighting, through her characters.
I appreciate the less graphic sex scenes and her strong women characters. I could have definitly done with out the one intimate encounter in the back yard swing. (Who does this stuff? And doesn't leave the scene crippled.)

You have to wonder about th...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 23, 2008 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

I really liked this book.

It centers around a big Italian family living in Baltimore; they own a pizza place and they live right down the street.

One day thier lives change forever; a neighborhood boy and his dad burn down the pizza place to get revenge on thier family.

Even though the father goes to jail and the son goes into a detention center, they do not stay locked away forever.

The family, especially Reena (the youngest daughter) continues to be haunted by the those 2 people for a long time.

Th...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Misti rated it 4 of 5 stars

this was one of my favorite Nora Roberts books in the last few years!! I loved the main characters and I loved the build up to them...I also cried with the family and that's a rare occurence, so I guess I was 'drawn in'!

Storyline:

When Catarina "Reena" Hale was eleven years old, she watched with her family--father Gib, mother Bianca, sister Francesca, sister Isabella, and brother Xander--as their family business, Sirico's, burned to the ground. The case came to a swift conclusion, when the fathe...more this was one of my favorite Nora Roberts books in the last few years!! I loved the main characters and I loved the build up to them...I also cried with the family and that's a rare occurence, so I guess I was 'drawn in'!

Storyline:

When Catarina "Reena" Hale was eleven years old, she watched with her family--father Gib, mother Bianca, sister Francesca, sister Isabella, and brother Xander--as their family business, Sirico's, burned to the ground. The case came to a swift conclusion, when the father of a boy who had attempted to assault Reena is picked up for arson. The family rebuilds their business, their family ties stay strong, and their love and respect in the neighborhood grows.

We fast-forward to Reena in college, where she's finally decided to lose her virginity to Josh, a fellow student who yearns to be a writer. After her sister Bella's dream wedding, Reena has sex with her boyfriend, returns home, and later discovers that Josh has died during a horrific apartment fire--after supposedly falling asleep in bed with a lit cigarette.

Again, fast-forward. Reena is still in training to become an arson investigator, her life-long dream. She's a member of the police force, has worked actual fires with her fellow firefighters, and now needs to finish her training. A firefighter she was thinking of dating dies in an apparent robbery, shot and left in his burning truck.

Still farther into the future, Reena is a full-fledged arson investigator, and tragedy finds her once again. Only days after earning her gold shield, Luke, a boyfriend whose marriage proposal she turned down, has his Mercedes burned sky-high, and of course Reena is the main suspect. After she's cleared, she's only more determined than ever to make fire her job--to find out who sets it, and why, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Then she meets Bowen "Bo" Goodnight, her new next-door-neighbor, and feelings and emotions get jumbled up with the fires that seem to dog her every step. Because someone has made her their vendetta, and will stop at nothing to make sure that his own brand of justice is served.
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May 15, 2013 Hobby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective, mystery, romance-suspence, supranatural, pinjam

Books “PEMUJA API”
Judul Asli : BLU ESMOKE
Copyright © 2005 by Nora Roberts
Penerbit Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Alih Bahasa : Julanda Tantani
Cover by Marcel A.W.
Cetakan I : Februari 2010 ; 632 hlm
Rate : 3 of 5

[ Warning : SPOILER –ALERT ]

Catarina ‘Reena’ Hale berusia 11 tahun ketika musibah aneh terjadi pada keluarganya. Sirico’s – restoran piza warisan keluarga ibunya dan kebanggaan keluarga besar mereka di wilayah Little Italy Baltimore, terbakar menjelang tengah malam. Hasil penyelidikan yang dila...more
Books “PEMUJA API”
Judul Asli : BLU ESMOKE
Copyright © 2005 by Nora Roberts
Penerbit Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Alih Bahasa : Julanda Tantani
Cover by Marcel A.W.
Cetakan I : Februari 2010 ; 632 hlm
Rate : 3 of 5

[ Warning : SPOILER –ALERT ]

Catarina ‘Reena’ Hale berusia 11 tahun ketika musibah aneh terjadi pada keluarganya. Sirico’s – restoran piza warisan keluarga ibunya dan kebanggaan keluarga besar mereka di wilayah Little Italy Baltimore, terbakar menjelang tengah malam. Hasil penyelidikan yang dilakukan oleh Inspektur John Minger, menemukan bahwa kebakaran tersebut disengaja, dan tak lama kemudian sang pelaku ditangkap dan menjalani hukuman yang cukup lama. Pelaku tersebut adalah Mr. Pastorelli, yang sebelumnya bertengkar hebat dengan Gibson Hale – ayah Reena, yang murka akibat ‘percobaan pelecehan seksual’ yang dilakukan oleh Joey Pastorelli terhadap Reena. Peristiwa tersebut cukup mengguncang keluarga Hale, namun berkat kekuatan serta kasih sayang keluarga mereka, kehancuran restoran justru membuka jalan baru bagi masing-masing anggotanya.

Tujuh tahun kemudian, Reena yang sedang menjalani masa kuliah di Universitas Maryland mendapati kehidupan baru yang menyenangkan. Bahkan cowok yang disukainya, Josh Bolton, akhirnya muncul dan mengajaknya berkencan. Ia kini berusia 18 tahun, sibuk membagi waktu kuliah, bersenang-senang dan tetap menjalin hubungan erat dengan keluarganya. Apalagi menjelang pesta pernikahan kakak keduanya Isabella yang akan menikah dengan Vince – putra pengusaha kaya raya. Sedangkan Francesca – kakak tertua, sibuk membantu kegiatan restoran keluarga mereka. Adiknya Alexander, menjalani kuliah kedokteran. Namun masing-masing tetap merupakan bagian keluarga besar Hale serta kerabat Itali yang tak pernah memutuskan hubungan satu sama lainnya. Kemudian terjadi kembali musibah mengerikan, John Bolton tewas akibat kecelakaan aneh yang disebabkan oleh puntung rokok yang menyala dan menyulut tempat tidur serta seluruh kamar apartemen yang ditempatinya. Reena patah hati pada usia 18 tahun dan peristiwa itu merubah pandangan terhadap masa depan yang akan ditempuhnya.

Bowen ‘Bo’ Goodnight berusia 20 tahun, ketika ia diajak sahabatnya Brad untuk ikut serta dalam pesta yang diselenggarakan oleh kawanan mahasiswa. Bo bukanlah salah seorang pemuda yang suka menghabiskan waktu luang dengan berhura-hura. Pada usianya ia justru telah mencari nafkah untuk menghidupi dirinya sendiri. Masa hura-hura terakhir dialami saat ia masih SMA. Ketika kedua orang tuanya berpisah, ia memutuskan menjalani pilihan hidupnya sendiri, yang disukainya, menjadi tukang kayu yang handal. Meski ia enggan datang ke pesta, apalagi di tengah kawanan mahasiswa yang tidak ia kenal bahkan percakapan mereka cukup asing bagi dirinya, ia tak ingin mengecewakan sahabat karibnya. Rasa enggan itu berubah ketika mendadak ia melihat sosok gadis yang membuatnya ‘terpaku’ bagai hilang ingatan. Gadis cantik dan menarik yang sekejab berada dalam pandangannya, kemudian lenyap tanpa jejak, meninggalkan kenangan tak terlupakan di benak Bo. Kenangan itu disusul dengan tragedi yang ia ketahui beberapa hari kemudian, ketika sebuah kebakaran aneh terjadi di gedung apartemen salah seorang kenalannya. Dan kebakaran itu membawa korban, pemuda bernama John Bolton yang pernah ditemuinya sekali saat berkunjung ke tempat kenalannya. Kenangan akan diri John Bolton serta tragedi yang menimpa pemuda yang relatif masih sangat muda ini, merubah pemikiran Bo akan masa depannya.

( more about this book, check on my review at here : )
http://my-mystery-readings.blogspot.c...
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Feb 12, 2013 Kerra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: murder, law-related, heart-felt-mystery-thriller

I loved this book! It connected with me in a way that I didn't think was possible. I know that most of the Nora Roberts books that I read do connect with me in an amazing way, but this book I wasn't really expecting to connect with me that much because I don't really read a whole lot of law enforcement based books. In this book Renee is a police officer but a arson investigator too. I loved how I really felt connected to this character. Mainly because we had a lot of things in common and I reall...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nora gets points right off the bat for doing something a little different from her last book, which centered around a broken, dysfunctional family. This one is about a close-knit family, the Hales, running Sirico’s Italian Restaurant in Baltimore. It begins when 11-year-old Reena Hale spots a fire in her family’s restaurant late at night and sounds the alarm. Loser neighbor Joe Pastorelli was responsible for the blaze, set in retaliation for harsh words exchanged between him and Reena’s father,...more Nora gets points right off the bat for doing something a little different from her last book, which centered around a broken, dysfunctional family. This one is about a close-knit family, the Hales, running Sirico’s Italian Restaurant in Baltimore. It begins when 11-year-old Reena Hale spots a fire in her family’s restaurant late at night and sounds the alarm. Loser neighbor Joe Pastorelli was responsible for the blaze, set in retaliation for harsh words exchanged between him and Reena’s father, after Joe’s son Joey sexually assaulted Reena one day. Pastorelli gets sent to prison, severely upsetting already disturbed young Joey, who idolized him.

The story then fast-forwards a few years and stops when Reena is in college, falling in love for the first time. Her joy is short-lived when her lover dies in a fire in his own bed, and she starts to think that fire is defining her life. The story then skips quickly over spans of years, stopping for a few chapters now and then to focus on Reena’s progress in becoming an arson investigator, and visiting with her big, noisy, idyllic family. In fact, for the first part of the book, the story is more about the entire Hale clan than just Reena. Each snippet of time, however, is defined by tragedy in Reena’s life, all somehow touched by fire.

Time finally stops in the present day, when Reena has been a fire inspector for several years, and is moving into her new house. She meets her next-door neighbor, Bo Goodnight, who saw flashes of her over the years, but never met her. Bo had always fancied himself in love with her, and meeting her just brings it to fruition, so he pursues her immediately. She falls for him, too, but there’s an arsonist in paradise. Someone keeps setting fires and leaving a trail for Reena to follow, but it takes her awhile to figure things out, and even longer to finally nail the culprit. Meanwhile, Baltimore is going up in flames and anyone Reena loves is in danger, especially Reena.

The Hales are engaging people, side characters are all well-drawn, and the climax builds slowly, drawn out to the very end. If I have one complaint about this book, it’s that everyone in the Hale family is too well-adjusted. Even while everyone is in danger, through fights, infidelity, and loss, they are all always on an even emotional keel. Dysfunction is nonexistent, except for the bad guys, who go way off the scale.

While not Nora Roberts’ best book, this one is very good. I guess the best word for it is solid. Nora is at her peak, and it shows.
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Aug 07, 2012 Fiary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reena, remaja berusia 11 tahun ini tidak menyadari bahwa penampilannya menggugah remaja puber dan memicu kebencian serta obsesi sang pemuda untuk menghancurkan Reena.

Secara perlahan dan melalui waktu yang bertahun-tahun, semua yang Reena sayangi terluka, rekan kerjanya terbunuh, bahkan pacar pertamanya meninggal dalam kebakaran. Perlu waktu yang lama bagi Reena untuk akhirnya menyadari siapa pelaku dibalik semua ini.

Beruntung Reena mempunyai ayah-ibu yang harmonis, kakak2 yang saling menyayangi,...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Catarina ‘Reena’ Hale is the daughter of Gibson and Bianca Hale, who run Sirico’s, a landmark pizzeria in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. When Reena is eleven, she wakes up with a stomachache and goes outside to see that her family’s restaurant is burning. The culprit is Joe Pastorelli, whose son, Joey Jr, had attacked Reena recently. He goes to jail and his family leaves the neighborhood. Sirico’s is built again, but Reena is touched by the fire. She decided to be an arson investigator a...more Catarina ‘Reena’ Hale is the daughter of Gibson and Bianca Hale, who run Sirico’s, a landmark pizzeria in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. When Reena is eleven, she wakes up with a stomachache and goes outside to see that her family’s restaurant is burning. The culprit is Joe Pastorelli, whose son, Joey Jr, had attacked Reena recently. He goes to jail and his family leaves the neighborhood. Sirico’s is built again, but Reena is touched by the fire. She decided to be an arson investigator and never loses sight of this goal as she is growing up.

Tragedy by fire continues to be a theme in Reena’s life. All of her relationships, starting with her first lover are touched by fire. The reader knows these are intentional, but since they are so far apart, none of the characters, including Reena, connects them as anything but unfortunate circumstances.

Meanwhile, as Reena’s life continues, she is unaware of her affect on Bowen ‘Bo’ Goodnight. He spots her at a college party, but can’t get across the room soon enough to meet her. He becomes a carpenter who does custom work and repairs, but he spots her three or four more times, always in the distance or otherwise out of reach.

Their lives finally intersect when Reena buys the house next door to Bo. Though she is initially wary of him, his friendly nature wins her over and they are soon a serious item. She brings him home to her family, who approve.

That’s when the fires start again and this time they’re serious. The arsonist begins to contacts Reena, starting fires, leaving taunting clues, threatening Bo, her family, and ultimately, her.

It’s an interesting romance because the two protagonists don’t meet until several chapters into the book, but it works. The best parts are the family scenes. I prefer Nora Roberts’ blue-collar romances where family is the center and people have normal jobs. Reena’s family is very stereotypical Italian-American (her father has ‘forgotten’ he isn’t), but in a good way. The Hales and their offshoots are loud, chaotic, in each other’s business, and very, very loving.

Bottom-line: I liked it a lot. I even found myself laughing out loud and forcing people to listen to bits of it. If you like romance, Nora Roberts is a bestselling writer for a reason, even for non-romance readers. However, it isn’t a mystery. Well, it might be, but if the ending is a surprise to you, you’re probably not that bright and I feel sorry for you.
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Aug 19, 2011 Marion Marchetto rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action

While I haven't read every one of Ms. Roberts works I must state that I have read quite a few. I absolutely adore her way with words and the way she moves a story along without being obvious. Since many other reviewers have given a synopsis of this book I will limit myself to comments on the whole.

Fully rounded characters were what first grabbed my attention. It is through the central character's interaction with those around her that we learn of the events that have brought her to the present...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Georgina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been reading a lot of Nora Roberts lately. I do prefer her contemporary romance/suspense to her urban fantasy but I feel the novelty is beginning to fade for me.

While I appreciate the immense detail Roberts gives us, showing an incredible amount of research in different areas, whether it be a location or a person's profession (in this case, arson investigation), I feel it takes away from the story itself, and the endings are too hurried. In Blue Smoke, she gave an enormous amount of descrip...more

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Apr 01, 2010 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nice easy read. I haven't read Nora Roberts in a while, but to me this book was a little different than others. It focused more on the story and less on the romance. The story is about Catrina (aka Reena, Reene, Cat, etc.) who at the age of 11 watches her family pizzeria burn down by fire. It instills in her a passion to learn why and how fire works, and the people who set them. As the back of the cover will tell you, Reena has a person from her past that won't leave her alone (ie the "bad" guy)...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Meily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nora-roberts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It was great. Real great though it frustrated me at some points. Nora Roberts did good though I had already known about the perpetrator in the second incident. Saw a pattern from that. I had even thought that the first fire in Sirico, the origin of all fire happened around Reena had the second arsonist. Sure the Pastorelli Sr was one of the arsonist, I had also thought that Pastorelli Jr involved in the fire. He burned the dog afterwards after all so I figured he helped his father burn down Siri...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Erin Bone Steele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: like-junk-food

This is a quick, fun read. Other things to know: This book has a smart, hardworking, pretty heroine. It has a big, happy, vibrant Italian-American family. It has the right balance of crime, murder, friendship, and sex. (I suspect this is what keeps Roberts on the top of all the best-seller charts.) It will make you want to go to a baseball game just for fun. It has a happy ending. I'm certainly willing to forgive its flaws (there are some fairly predictable plot points, after some slower spots t...more

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May 20, 2010 Angelic Zaizai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-suspence-paranormal, nora-roberts

Whaaat.. romance lagii ?? hihihi
jangan khawatir, novel Nora yang tebel2 sih, kadar romancenya bisa dibilang amat sangat sedikit..

dan gw suka deh, sama buku ini
soalnya tokohnya dari keluarga Italia..
tau dong hebohnya keluarga besar Italia yang punya restoran pizza..
seru aja ngeliat relasi mereka..
sebagai orang dari keluarga kecil, kadang2 sih pengen punya keluarga heboh gini
tapi keliatannya lebih banyak pusingnya kali ya haha
ga ada lagi urusan pribadi, semua urusan keluarga
restoran kebakar.. ad...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Vera Neves rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Fumo Azul é um pouco diferente dos livros de Nora Roberts. Vão sendo relatados vários acontecimentos ao longo de uma década, que à partida nada teriam em comum, mas que o leitor vai perceber que não será bem assim.
Renna é uma menina quando na escola Joey, um colega, tenta agarrá-la e rasga-lhe a roupa. Quando o pai de Renna confronta a família do jovem, está longe de imaginar a guerra que acaba de comprar.
O incêndio do restaurante italiano da família é apenas o início de uma vingança que passará...more

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Feb 22, 2008 Megan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book is the reason I wish I could stop reading once I realize I can't stand any of the characters. But I can't. Somewhere deep down, I don't want to give up. I just keep hoping that somehow, someway, the book I am reading will get better. In this case, it never does. It's just gross, and graphic, and violent.

I've decided I'm not a big Nora Roberts fan. I think she's a sell-out.

Don't read this. You've been warned.

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Oct 07, 2007 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

10/15/05 #180
TITLE/AUTHOR: BLUE SMOKE by Nora Roberts
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Romantic Suspense, 2005, 437 pgs
COMMENTS: Reena is from a big Italian family. When she is 11 their family pizzeria is torched. From this Reena developed a passion for fire, growing up to become an arson investigator. Telephone threats are leading to neighborhood fires that are personally directed at Reena and her family.

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Feb 09, 2012 Cata rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: emprestados, 2012

Já pensou no que aconteceria se provocasse um sociopata com uma afeição particular pelo fogo?
Se ele voltasse anos depois para se vingar discretamente, deixando atrás de si um rasto de crimes horrorosos sem que você conseguisse fazer a ligação?
E se de repente ele mudasse o seu modo de agir e começasse a lhe dar pistas?
O que aconteceria quando conseguisse "unir os pontos"?
O que aconteceria quando percebesse que ele está perto, a observá-a? A seguir todos os seus passos?
E como sentir-se-ia quando...more

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Aug 01, 2008 Ginny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

Events and persons from our childhood can determine our interests and careers later in life. Reena saw her family's restaurant burn when she was a young girl and the fire investigator treated her with respect and became her friend. She lost her boyfriend in a fire and now she is a fire investigator in Baltimore. Is there someone out to get her, because suddenly the fires are becoming personal.

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Jan 12, 2009 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, reviewed

Reena witnesses her family's restaurant burn at age 12 and from that point on she becomes obsessed with fire and the effect the fire has on the people's who lives are touched. When she gets older Reena studies to become a fire inspector and trains as a smoker eatter firefighter. Fire continues to touch Reena's life though bring up the question is how close Reena stays and is touched by fire is it coincidence or is someone trying to get to her through the fires. If they are trying to get to Reena...more

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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)

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Quotes from Blue Smoke

“Why couldn't the merciful God turn down the sunlight so it wasn't blasting like a red furnace against his aching eyes? Because he'd worshipped the god of beer, thats why. He'd broken a commandment and worshipped the false and foamy god of beer. And now he was being punished.” — 45 people liked it

“Dinner's in one hour. If you're not back, sitting at the table, I'll beat you all unconscious with a spatula.” — 15 people liked it

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