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Birthright

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 11,584 ratings · 358 reviews

When five-thousand-year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the small town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical and into a whirlwind of adventure, danger, and romance.

While overseeing the dig, she must try to make sense of a cloud of death and misfortune that hangs over the project-fueling rumors that the site is...more

Hardcover, Large Print

Published June 1st 2003 by Thorndike Press (first published January 1st 2003)

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Dec 22, 2008 Isis FG rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: romantic suspense fans

Recommended to Isis FG by: favorite author

Shelves: author-nora-roberts, favs-reread, favs-all-time, genre-romance-suspense, reviewed, stars-5

This is another one of my favorite Nora Roberts books, which I say about most of the books of hers that I review. But with her having written so many, it makes sense to have a lot of favorites. Regardless, this is a favorite, though I know more than a few fans didn't care for this one. I enjoyed it a lot, though, for several different reasons.

Birthright is a story that starts out in the past with a young mother, Suzanne Cullen, taking her young son Doug and her infant daughter Jessica to see San...more This is another one of my favorite Nora Roberts books, which I say about most of the books of hers that I review. But with her having written so many, it makes sense to have a lot of favorites. Regardless, this is a favorite, though I know more than a few fans didn't care for this one. I enjoyed it a lot, though, for several different reasons.

Birthright is a story that starts out in the past with a young mother, Suzanne Cullen, taking her young son Doug and her infant daughter Jessica to see Santa at the mall. When Doug gets upset, she turns her back for a moment, and when she turns back, Jessica is gone. The story then shifts thirty years to the present where a construction crew is prepping a site for a development when bones are found. Tests indicate they are thousands of years old and archaeologists Callie Dunbrook is brought in to excavate the site. In her kitchen several miles away, Suzanne Cullen is doing some baking when she sees and interview with Callie on the TV and is struck dumb. Callie has a striking similarity to herself. Suzanne knows in her heart that she has finally found the daughter stolen from her so long ago. But when she goes to see Callie, Callie tells her that she wasn't adopted. Or so she thought. Turned out, her parents had kept a huge secret from her. Now Callie's life is thrown upside down by secrets and lies suddenly coming to light. If that's not bad enough, the anthropologist called into work with her at the site is none other than her ex-husband, Jacob Graystone. They'd had a blazing hot romance, gotten married and it had all fallen apart because of lack of communication and lack of trust. Now they are together again, and both have to face the fact that they both still love each other. And to make matters even more complicated, someone apparently doesn't like Callie poking into her past because people are ending up dead and there is a serious threat to her life. What started out a simple archaeological dig turned into so much more.

One of my favorite parts of this story is the whole archaeology/dig site thing. I was and anthropology minor in college so I find the subject fascinating. I liked reading about all the stuff Callie and Jake were doing on the site and all that. Roberts did a great job with that part of the story.

Aside from that, I really liked Callie and Jake. Callie's a little bit of an atypical heroine in that she's kind of bitchy and sarcastic, brutally honest, pretty much a total tomboy and not always the nicest person around. Which you'd think would make it hard to like her, but I found it more refreshing than anything else. And at heart she's a good person, she just goes her own way. Jake is pretty much her perfect match because he can give as good as he gets. They've got a great chemistry together. I loved how Roberts wrote their relationship together. At first they kind of circle each other as you'd expect 2 exes to do. But then you get to see them grow and change, work through what went wrong with their relationship and work to make it right this time around. You could really feel the love between them. And one of my favorite parts of the book is the thing at the very end, when Jake reveals an interesting tidbit to Callie - I won't say what. I thought it was the perfect way to seal their relationship and it was rather amusing.

Another plus on the romance side of the story is the secondary relationship between Lana Campbell (town lawyer) and Doug Cullen (Callie's birth brother). It's rather amusing to read. Lana kinda steamrolls Doug, who has no idea what hit him. But it's sweet to and a nice addition to the story.

There's also a great emotional level to the story as Callie tries to reconcile her past and her present. How she tries to deal with the fact that she now has two families. You really get a feel for how difficult it all is for her, knowing how much Suzanne wants her daughter back but Callie feeling so disconnected from her. Roberts wrote that part of the story very realistically.

On the suspense-plot front, two thumbs up. This part of the story focuses on Callie trying to figure out who kidnapped her and why all those years ago. And who, in the present, is trying to stop her from finding the answers. It's a very twisting and turning plot that was well-written and well thought out. And it definitely kept me in the story.

So on the whole, I loved all the different parts of this book. And nothing comes to mind as something I didn't like. I pretty much just enjoyed it all. If you like romantic suspense books, or are a Nora Roberts fan, then this is definitely a book I'd recommend.(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quando é descoberto um esqueleto num terreno em construção, a arqueóloga Callie Dunbrook é imediatamente chamada ao local.

Enquanto procura escavar informações sobre o passado da comunidade que ali viveu, Callie começa também a perscrutar sobre o seu próprio passado, isto quando descobre a sua verdadeira mãe e quando reencontra a verdadeira mãe e quando reencontra o ex-marido, Jacob Graystone.

Mais um livro muito bem construído de Nora Roberts, que nos prende a atenção do início ao fim. Os cenár...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Steve Lindahl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like stories that include romance, but I don't read very many books that specifically fit into the category of romance novels. I have, however, read a few Nora Roberts novels and enjoyed them. So when I was browsing through the NC digital library a couple of weeks ago, I picked Birthright by Nora Roberts as my next choice. I wasn't disappointed.

Birthright is the story of a woman (Callie Dunbrook) who discovers she was adopted and had been kidnapped from her birth parents when she was an infant...more I like stories that include romance, but I don't read very many books that specifically fit into the category of romance novels. I have, however, read a few Nora Roberts novels and enjoyed them. So when I was browsing through the NC digital library a couple of weeks ago, I picked Birthright by Nora Roberts as my next choice. I wasn't disappointed.

Birthright is the story of a woman (Callie Dunbrook) who discovers she was adopted and had been kidnapped from her birth parents when she was an infant. Although her adopted parents led her to believe she was their natural child, they were unaware of the crime and were victims along with Callie’s birth parents and Callie herself. Even though the plot is about finding the truth and seeking justice, the story is more about adjusting to a difficult situation than the crime itself.

There are multiple plots going on in Birthright including the story of an archaeological dig near Antietam Virginia that isn't appreciated by some people in the community and, of course, two budding relationships. One of these is between Callie and her ex husband. The other is between Callie's lawyer, Lana, and Callie's newly discovered brother, Doug. The first is about overcoming past mistakes and a history of mistrust. The other is about discovering someone new. All the plot lines interweave wonderfully while adding to and commenting about each other.

Although in some ways this book could be considered a mystery or, especially toward the end, a thriller, it is primarily a romance novel and there are many sex scenes. What I found interesting is that the sex in Birthright has nothing to do with power or manipulation or dominance. It is all about mutual attraction and love. Contrast this with the scenes in books such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Fifty Shades of Grey or Once Upon a Secret (Mimi Alford’s JFK memoir) and it is a nice change.

I had some issues with some of the choices the characters made in the story. For example, there were college students working the dig who continued to work and even camped out on the site after a murder occurred there. I didn’t think that was realistic, even if there was an emphasis on the importance of the project. But the book is well written and a good read, especially for anyone who enjoys the genre.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul(less)

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Nov 26, 2011 Molly Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-books

What I love about Nora Roberts is her focus on connections and relationships, whether they are families, lovers, friends, whatever. It's absolutely central to every story. In her trilogies, there are always 6 main characters: 3 men, 3 women. Obviously, they will pair up, but there are also deeper connections made within the group. The conflict or mystery of the plot will not get solved until all the characters work together, and there's always a part of the story that each pair works on together...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dr. Callie Dunbrook is an archaeologist. When she is called back from sabbatical to head the Antietam Creek dig, she knows it is the opportunity of her lifetime. Finding a 5,000-year-old human skeleton in Woodsboro, Maryland is just too fantastic to believe. It is such a great scientific discovery, but as Callie will find, it is to become even more of a self-discovery that she could have ever dreamed possible.

Once on site, Callie learns that her ex-husband, Jacob (Jake) Greystone will be the lea...more Dr. Callie Dunbrook is an archaeologist. When she is called back from sabbatical to head the Antietam Creek dig, she knows it is the opportunity of her lifetime. Finding a 5,000-year-old human skeleton in Woodsboro, Maryland is just too fantastic to believe. It is such a great scientific discovery, but as Callie will find, it is to become even more of a self-discovery that she could have ever dreamed possible.

Once on site, Callie learns that her ex-husband, Jacob (Jake) Greystone will be the lead anthropologist on the dig. She is very upset because their divorce was anything but agreeable. However, he is one of the best, if not the best anthropologist in the country, so he has earned and deserved the job. Except for sparks flying with her ex-husband, all goes well on the project until Suzanne Cullen sees Callie during an interview with the local TV news. Suzanne is convinced that Callie is her daughter who was stolen 28 years ago, when “little Jessica” was only three months old. Things begin to get even more complicated when the landowner of the Antietam Creek dig is murdered. He had planned to build houses on the site until the bones were discovered. Why was he sneaking around the dig site? Who would want to murder him, and why? Could Callie possibly be the same Jessica that Suzanne Cullen has been seeking all these years? How can Callie fulfill her responsibilities as head archaeologist without killing, or at least maiming her ex-husband?

This is the first Nora Roberts’ book I have read. If her other books are anything like this one, I have a lot of enjoyable reading to catch up on. This book is excellent. The writing is wonderful. The character development and the plot are first rate. I am not usually one who cares a lot about romance but the author did attraction/repulsion so well in the story that it was truly complimentary to the plot and enhanced the characters’ personalities. The mystery piece of the story was spun as well as any master storyteller could weave the threads.

Unfortunately I wasn’t expecting a lot when I began to read BIRTHRIGHT. Some really well known authors have sorely disappointed me lately. Since I have never read anything by Ms. Roberts before, I was really afraid it would only be more of the same. What a refreshing experience! What a joy to read! To top off everything else, the author makes it look so easy! The words flow so smoothly and the characters are real enough to touch. She made me care about the characters and how the story would be resolved. I can’t say enough good things about the book so I will just say read it for yourself. You will be glad you did.
(less)

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Nov 22, 2008 Kitty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: guy-meets-girl, adrenaline-rush

This was just a really great story. The first two chapters are a little confusing, as several different characters and story lines are introduced, but by the third chapter, all the pieces fell into place and I was hooked. There's really more than one story going on, but they all fit together beautifully. Romance, suspense, mystery, action, lots of surprising twists... I hate to say any more because I think I liked the book even better because I didn't know what to expect.

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Dec 20, 2009 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I realized that there were a group of NR single titles that I plain old missed. So I decided over the next two weeks to try to read through them.

I actually liked the premise of this story. An archaeologist, Callie Dunbrook, is assigned to a dig in a small town. As it turns out, she is seen on the news by a woman whose daughter was snatched at the mall 28 years ago. Suzanne Cullen, the distraught mother who has never given hope that she'd find her daughter, is convinced that Callie is her daughte...more I realized that there were a group of NR single titles that I plain old missed. So I decided over the next two weeks to try to read through them.

I actually liked the premise of this story. An archaeologist, Callie Dunbrook, is assigned to a dig in a small town. As it turns out, she is seen on the news by a woman whose daughter was snatched at the mall 28 years ago. Suzanne Cullen, the distraught mother who has never given hope that she'd find her daughter, is convinced that Callie is her daughter.

Callie is shocked to be confronted with the idea that the loving parents who raised her may not be her biological parents. And if that isn't bad enough, incidents that may bring the dig to a stop are beginning to escalate, including murder.

So the story starts out very strong and all the main characters are great with some especially strong supporting characters. In some of her later single titles, NR has created some female protagonists whom I've had a very hard time liking. I didn't mind Callie but I think with her I am seeing the start of the trend of the prickly female protag that populates quite a few of those later books. The hero Jake is much better. I really liked him. But again in later NR books I've tended to like there heroes better than the heroines as a rule.

The story about the black market babies is actually quite engrossing and if the thrust of the story has remained there and the tracking down of the people involved in it, it would have been a much stronger book.

But this book features an archaeologist and an anthropologist so in true NR fashion we have to learn a bit about those fields. Unlike Black Hills, at least I didn't feel like I was being given wholesale, data dumps in inopportune times. But still there was a lecture-y feel sometimes in those passages that sometimes interrupted the flow of the story.

My biggest peeve with the book though is how Callie and Jake always manage to speak in the terminology of archaeology no matter what they are talking about. Thoughout the book they are discussing tracking down all the clues about the black market baby operation and they continually use the argot of their profession. At one point Callie and Jake are discussing their lack of progress in tracking down the ring-leader of the black market she says,
"I think we missed something, some detail. So we go back and sieve the spoil."

And in another conversation about the ringleader when they find out he has died , Callie is depressed that they've lost their best lead. But Jake tries to keep her motivated and he says,
"You know where he was living. Find out what he was doing there. Who he knew, kept in contact with. How he lived. Explore his stratigraphy and extrapolate your data from the layers."

It just kept throwing me out of the story, this need to couch everything in the language of archaeology.

It was an ok book but NR has written much better.(less)

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Oct 02, 2011 Amy A rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another good read for me from Nora Roberts. Her books are like comfort food. There's nothing too series and I can always count on the HEA at the end. True, Nora Roberts does follow a pattern with a lot of her books, but at this point, since I haven't read a lot, I find it more comforting than annoying. Some times I just like that I know what to expect and I can count on that.

Callie, I found to be a pretty good heroine. She's independent, strong-willed, intelligent and stubborn, and she...more

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May 28, 2011 Nina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, murder-she-wrote, romantic-suspense, small-town, summer

Working in a library you notice the authors who write a lot of books. And you become intrigued by these authors with such enormous catalogs. So, while shelving I come across a LOT of Nora Roberts. Being a romance fan, you hear her name come up quite a bit. So I've taken to trying the ones whose blurbs catch my attention, and this one about a couple of hot tempered archaeologists finding themselves in a town exxploding with secrets starring their head excavator, Callie, the sort of girl with a sa...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, steamy

This book became one of my favorite Nora Roberts books. Roberts explores multiple sides of the kidnapped child and depicts all those conflicting feelings so well! Unfortunately, I left this review too long and have forgotten much of what I wanted to be sure to say about it.

Quick summary based on my unreliable memory: the villains were a bit one-dimensional when it all comes together. That said, it kept me guessing throughout and not in a cheap way, either. I loved the exploration of Callie and J...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was really good... I was surprised.

Archaeologist, Callie Dunbrook, knows a lot about the past...but not her own past. Then she is recruited to investigate some bones found at a construction site and things she never thought she needed to know come crashing at her.

She was kidnapped/stolen while she was an infant in a stroller out with her Mom and toddler brother visiting Santa. But, Callie never knew that, she has only known 1 mother and 1 father...the 2 people who raised her and she loves t...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Loraine Alcorn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished Birthright and found it to be a very good romantic adventure with lots of murder and intrigue.
This story starts when archaeologist Callie Dunbrook is called to a construction site where 5000 year old remains have been found . Naturally she and her team start digging but not everyone wants her or her team interrupting construction . Besides from the usual site problems Callie also soon learns that not only was she adopted but she was also kidnapped from the very same town she is n...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Jenny Delandro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, cop-fbi-thrillers, author-nora-roberts-j-d-robb

I am working my way throught he books by Nora Roberts...

A big Thank you to Rebecca or recommending that give NB a try!

I started this book last night and finished today!!

(view spoiler)...more I am working my way throught he books by Nora Roberts...

A big Thank you to Rebecca or recommending that give NB a try!

I started this book last night and finished today!!

(view spoiler)
I liked how it finished in this book and there is no hints of extra stuff that will come out in a book sometime in the future.
I hope that this story is based on the fertile imagings of Nora and not on fact bacause that would be horrific... beyond speculation.

It is a great read and I guarantee that once you start reading it you will not be able to stop!
(less)

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Aug 15, 2010 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-books-read

It's been a while since I've read Nora Roberts, so I was due. I liked this romance/mystery a lot. Cassie is an archeologist who is excavating a Neolithic settlement discovered by when a real estate developer starts bulldozing. Personal complications ensue when her ex-husband is hired to work on the dig and when a local businesswoman identifies her as the daughter kidnapped as a baby. Then the developer is murdered at the dig site. As is true with all Nora Roberts' books, everybody ends up living...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-f, romance, mystery

Not a huge fan. Too many story lines going on, too implausible a set of coincidences bringing everyone together. I didn't like the way the baby stealing was dressed up by the baddies as being visionary and morally right; reminded me in feel of a J D Robb more than a Nora Roberts. I could see Eve tackling something like this.

I was rolling my eyes over the complete lack of involvement with the police wrt the kidnapping until late on and then anything the police was doing (wouldn't it be FBI who g...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Sakhi Harish rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nora Roberts fans, romance-suspense lovers

Shelves: romance, strong-women, mystery-suspense

I enjoyed reading Birthright. I had made this pick because of the promise of a premise of archaeology. Two strong women and a good story. The romance had a little bit of bitter-sweet side to it. Archaeologist Callie Dunbrook has to manage a site under threat, a past that she isn't sure she wants to find out about and her irritating (but as we know, incredibly sexy) ex-husband. A nice story, though it lacked the usual build up of a 'now-what' that is there in a story with good suspense.
Still, whe...more

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Jun 25, 2009 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is fantastic for many reasons. First of all, it is a mystery. While I'd predicted the right group of people to contain the perp., I did not correctly predict the actual perp. Well done, Nora Roberts!

The second reason that this book is fantastic is because it has a theme that runs through it about empathy and awareness of how other people are feeling. This is something that I see less and less of in modern America and something we could use a bit more of.

The third reason this book is fa...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nora Roberts fans

Shelves: contemporary, heroines-that-left-me-conflicted, oh-hot-hot-hot, written-in-the-stars-couples, romance, plain-sexual, heroes-i-like

This was, sometimes, a difficult book to read because of the theme – even though I am not a mother myself, I am looking forward to the day when I have a son and a daughter of my own. Once again, and even though I am not a mother, I almost couldn’t bare the anguish felt by Suzanne.
I can’t even possibly imagine what I would do if blood of my blood was taken from me, right under my nose. Everyone suffered with this situation but this was particularly difficult to Callie’s real mother – Suzanne.
I wa...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first Nora Roberts book I read. This book involves a woman who is an archeologist and her ex-husband. While working on the same dig site - which is said to be cursed - there are a number of murders happening, and many rumors spreading. The woman finds herself looking for more than just ancient bones. She starts searching for the truth about herself. She realizes - with help-that she was adopted, who her real parents are, and a great deal of other things she didn't know about who she...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Tracy Walters rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was another of Nora Robert's rather enjoyable reads. The story was somewhat interesting and the characters were pretty fun. The thing that I found that was REALLY intriguing is the fact that this book was written in 2003 and one of the main characters in the book was named "Douglas Edward Cullen"....there is also a lawyer with the last name of 'Carlyle'.....this line in the book just make it all come together: 'It's connected, to everything I told you about Carlyle, the Cullens.' Does...more

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Aug 25, 2009 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-fun

Until now, I'd avoided popular writers, such as Nora Roberts out of pure snobbery. However, after realizing grad school and several years of teaching had put me off of reading (and fried my brain), I started seeking books with good plots--and not too much else to analyze. Just the first few pages of this book drew me in. I felt--as far as a story that centers around a good plot--that this was a well-written book. It's a bit predictable, especially with relationships, but it's always enjoyable. I...more

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Jun 16, 2011 TaniaM rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nora-roberts

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

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Sep 24, 2009 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rom

This initially reminded me of Crichton's Next because there was a whole passel of people who were introduced who were all connected. Roberts revealed the connection much more quickly, however.

Interesting book. I liked the fire between the two main characters, but it was interesting to see how many romances were twining up. Even more interesting to me was how this was not one book, one genre. It started off as an history/sciencey story (archeology, anyone?), and then became a romance (big surpri...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, romance

I'm sure that people with more archaeology clues than me could find all sorts of issues with Nora Roberts' Birthright, wherein much of the plot is driven by finding a several-thousand-year-old burial site near the small town of Woodsboro. But really, this is all background to the main plot of this story: Callie Dunbrook discovering that the parents who raised her are not really her parents, and that in reality, she was born to different parents entirely and kidnapped from them when she was a bab...more

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Apr 22, 2013 M— rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, reviewed

The secret adoption/kidnapped baby plot was pretty cool, but I couldn't stand the lead romantic pairing. Having divorced characters fall back in love with each other is cool -- it makes a break from traditional romances -- but having the hero announce at the epilogue they don't have to get remarried because he never signed the divorce papers in the first place, oh those long years ago? Not cool. And additionally makes the heroine appear dumb as dirt for never realizing this.

I kind of want a sequ...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Joan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very suspenseful and, at the same time, a good romance story. I'm a sucker for reconciliation stories, and this was a good one. I love this quote from chapter 14: "...she wondered where she and Jake might have ended up if they'd tried a couple of other paths the first time around. If they's taken time to be friends, to talk about who they were instead of assuming they knew....What if instead of that last blowup where they'd accused each other of everything from stupidity to unfaithfulness, where...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Leya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book

This is one of those rare books by Nora Roberts that I didn't read when it was first released. I've been considering reading this one for a while now, and finally got around to it. Yeah!

Not only was there the mystery involving the dig site but there was also the mystery regarding Callie's adoption/possible kidnapping. There are times that one mystery is more important than the other but in this case they are both equal in importance. It had the usual things I look for when I'm reading Nora Rober...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Elizabeth Owens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Nora Roberts book I have read. Yeah, I know, where have I been? But after reading only nonfiction for years and writing 5 nonfiction books, I haven't been into fiction until recently.
I was very impressed with her turn of the words. She is an excellent writer and engaging. The story line was unique (archaeology) and made me wonder how much research she had to do. The love/sexual tension between the two main characters was funny and really nice. I liked the couple very much. It w...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Elizabeth Nesbit-comer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This time Nora takes us into the work of Archeology. Am I the only one that loves this author because each book takes us into another profession that the characters absoluetly love. I may not be as into Archeology as some of the other professions she has explored (Search and rescue dogs and Firejumpers are so far my favorite :) ), but I still loved the characters and loved the underlying mystery surrounding stolen babies and money adoptions.

side note : Nora sister and brothers talking about th...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Carin Koch rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a child I've always been interested in how exactly we as humans had come to be and how we our ancient ancestors had lived and survived so long ago. Thus I was very excited to come across this excellent book about a young woman who lived a seemingly normal life finds out about a deep, dark secret of her true past. Encased with rediscovered love, murder and mystery, Birthright's definitely a must-read, especially if you enjoy palaeontology paired with romance and the practices of kidnapping bab...more

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About Nora Roberts

aka
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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 Birthright

“[She] knew there were women who worked successfully out of the home. They ran businesses, created empires and managed to raise happy, healthy, well-adjusted children who went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard or became world-renowned concert pianists. Possibly both.

These women accomplished all this while cooking gourmet meals, furnishing their homes with Italian antiques, giving clever, intelligent interviews with Money magazine and People, and maintaining a brilliant marriage with an active enviable sex life and never tipping the scale at an ounce over their ideal weight...

She knew those women were out there. If she'd had a gun, she'd have hunted every last one of them down and shot them like rabid dogs for the good of womankind.” — 77 people liked it

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