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River's End

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 7,946 ratings · 243 reviews

Olivia's parents were one of Hollywood's golden couples-until the night her father destroyed their home and took her mother away forever. Now, years later, Olivia is forced to recall those horrifying events and discover the truth about her childhood.

ebook, 480 pages

Published May 1st 2000 by Jove Books (first published 1999)

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Sep 16, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, owned-books, nora-roberts, romance, 5-stars

Aproveitei uma promoção fabulosa da Feira do Livro do Continente e comprei «A pousada no fim do rio». Não tinha grandes espectativas. Gostei da sinopse, fiquei interessada em ler mas não criei muitas ilusões à volta da história. Ainda bem porque adorei completamente esta história de Nora Roberts.

O livro está dividido em 3 partes, a primeira com o nome Olívia, segunda Noah e terceira O Monstro, em que cada uma destas personagens é o centro da narrativa.
Julie McBride e Sam Tanner, vivem uma vida d...more Aproveitei uma promoção fabulosa da Feira do Livro do Continente e comprei «A pousada no fim do rio». Não tinha grandes espectativas. Gostei da sinopse, fiquei interessada em ler mas não criei muitas ilusões à volta da história. Ainda bem porque adorei completamente esta história de Nora Roberts.

O livro está dividido em 3 partes, a primeira com o nome Olívia, segunda Noah e terceira O Monstro, em que cada uma destas personagens é o centro da narrativa.
Julie McBride e Sam Tanner, vivem uma vida de sonho, têm fama, fortuna e amor. Olívia, personagem central da história, é a filha que resultou desta vida de sonho. Mas quando aos 4 anos de idade, esta encontra a mão brutalmente assassinada aos pés do pai, nada será o mesmo para esta criança. Olívia vai viver para junto dos avós em Washington, onde passa a sua infância resguardada pela floresta e esquecendo o passado. Olívia é uma personagem forte mas ao mesmo tempo muito frágil. O seu passado molda as suas relações pessoais, torna-a fria para quem não é da família, não se deixando encantar por ninguém, com medo de ter um fim como o da mãe.
Noah Brady, filho do inspector, Frank Brady, que tratou da condenação de Sam Tanner por 20 anos de prisão, é jornalista e desde cedo se fascinou pelo caso que mais abalou o seu pai - o assassinato de Julie MacBride, querendo escrever um livro, onde esclarece todos os porquês. Noah, no meio de todo este enredo, apaixona-se por Olívia de uma forma que não estava à espera, tornando-se, para mim, a figura central da história. Ao inicio não simpatizei muito com o Noah, com as suas atitudes, mas com o desenrolar da narrativa, constata-se facilmente a grande personagem aqui criada por Nora Roberts. Ele é forte, persistente, calmo, protector e o homem perfeito para Olívia. É ele que conduz toda a narrativa, todas as pequenas evoluções de Olívia, muito fechada para as relações amorosas e para as relações com o passado. Não só consegue quebrar a fechadura com o passado de Olívia como de toda a família McBride. Noah, é sem dúvida a personagem que mais evolui com a narrativa e a faz evoluir.
Sam Tanner, é um a personagem curiosa, fácil de odiar mas que deixa sempre uma pequena ponta de dúvida ao leitor, sobre o assassino de Julie. O decurso da sua vida é surpreendente e ao mesmo tempo assustador.
(view spoiler)
A vida é aqui muito importante, a vida de todos os seres vivos da natureza, que nos são apresentados como tendo uma razão para a sua existência, a vida do ser humano, à qual ninguém tem direito de retirar.
É um livro cheio de vida, leiam-o!(less)

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Jun 22, 2011 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mystery, audiobook

After reading a few too many lackluster, hard to get into and hard to stick with until the end novels this one reminded me of all the reasons I use to buy Nora Roberts books the minute they were released (can't do that anymore). Her characterization just grabs me from the first page and her books are difficult to break away from.

The book starts out when Olivia, the heroine, is only four and her storybook life with her beautiful movie-star mom comes to a horrific end. Olivia is the only witness t...more

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May 14, 2013 Mónica Silva rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Neste livro estamos perante a fórmula do sucesso de Nora Roberts: drama, amor, ação, mistério, redenção… Talvez por isso esta estória peque pela pouca originalidade, pois, para quem já leu muitas obras desta autora, acaba por não trazer muito de novo.

O casal principal é minimamente cativante, o que permitiu que me dedicasse a esta leitura, apesar da previsibilidade. A protagonista, Olivia, possui uma personalidade complexa, misturando inoc...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

O que à partida parece mais um caso de violência doméstica que resulta na morte de um dos cônjuges, neste caso a mulher, poderá não ser assim tão óbvio. Olivia, 4 anos, presencia um crime: o pai com uma tesoura em punho e a mãe estatelada no chão, sem vida, e à sua volta um rasto de vidro partido e sangue, muito sangue.
Relata mais tarde à polícia o que viu e Sam, o seu pai, é condenado a 20 anos de prisão.
Sem mãe e com o pai preso, os avós reclamam para si a guarda da neta, apesar de deixarem tr...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Julianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A friend from church recommended this book to me. As soon as I started listening to it, I realized I had read it before some years ago. It was still gripping and entertaining, all these years later. And when I came to the end, I was surprised again!

Olivia was only four years old when her mother died. The monster came, and the frightened child hid in the closet. The policeman found her there. She remembers only a few details of that night. Years later she meets the policeman again with his family...more

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Dec 01, 2009 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

Olivia MacBride and her parents, a fairy-tale Hollywood family, had everything--fame, fortune, and love. But when 4-year-old Olivia awakens one night to find her mother brutally murdered and her father, Sam, standing over her corpse, the little girl's dreamland dissolves before her very eyes.

Whisked away to the sanctuary of the Olympic Peninsula by her grandparents, Olivia learns to bury the past deep within her. Determined to protect herself from painful memories, Olivia limits her life to the...more

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Feb 13, 2013 HÜLYA YILMAZ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bu kitabı herkesin okumasını istiyorum..Yıllar önce Kelebek yayınlarından çıkmış ilk Nora Roberts Kitabı Nehrin Sonu..Her şey var bu hikayede aşk,cinayet,hırs,ihtiras ve aile ilişkileri içinde harmanlanmış muhteşem bir hikaye..
Romanda çok ünlü film yıldızı olan annesinin annesinin hayalet tarafından öldürülüşünü gören dört yaşındaki bir kız çocuğunun olayın etkilerinin hayatını nasılda etkilediğini görmek beni çok derinden etkiledi..Cinayet zanlısı olarak babası baş şüphelidir..Aynı gece hem ann...more Bu kitabı herkesin okumasını istiyorum..Yıllar önce Kelebek yayınlarından çıkmış ilk Nora Roberts Kitabı Nehrin Sonu..Her şey var bu hikayede aşk,cinayet,hırs,ihtiras ve aile ilişkileri içinde harmanlanmış muhteşem bir hikaye..
Romanda çok ünlü film yıldızı olan annesinin annesinin hayalet tarafından öldürülüşünü gören dört yaşındaki bir kız çocuğunun olayın etkilerinin hayatını nasılda etkilediğini görmek beni çok derinden etkiledi..Cinayet zanlısı olarak babası baş şüphelidir..Aynı gece hem annesi hem babasından olan bu küçük kız olayın tek tanığıdır...Bu tip bir olayı normal bir insan bile üstünden atamazken küçük kız Olivia için hayat hiç de kolay olmayacaktı..
Ve Noah o gece Olivia'yı saklandığı yerden çıkaran Frank Brady'nin oğlu idi..Polis çocuğu idi bu olay babasını çok etkilemişti..O da televizyonda gördüğü dört yaşında gazetecilerin karşısında kulaklarını tıkayıp korkan o ufacık kızı hiç unutamayacaktı..
Olay olduktan sonra babasını annesini hiç göremeyen Olivia büyük annesi ve büyük babasının korunaklı yuvasında izole olmuş bir şekilde yaşamaya başlasa da olayın etkilerinden kurtulması kolay değildi..
Geçen yıllar içinde yolları Noah ile yolları kesişen Olivia'nın ilk aşkı NOah'tı kalbini kıran da o olur..Yıllar geçse başka hayatlara savrulsalar da birbirlerini hiç unutamayan bu iki genç insanın yollarını kesiştiren Olivia'nın babası Sam Banner olur..Aradan yirmi yıl geçmiştir..Noah gerçek cinayetleri araştırıp yazan bir yazar olmuştur..Sam onu arayarak cinayeti yazmasını ister ölmek üzeredir son arzusu hapiste değil dışarıda ölmektir..Kızını o yıllar içinde hiç görmemiştir..Noah'da yıllar sonra OLivia ile tekrar görüşmek ve araştırma arzusu ile bu teklifi kabul eder..Ama işi hiç kolay değildir...
Yıllar önce Olivia ile arasında olan olay yüzünden bu işe biraz çekinerek de baksa onu tekrar görmek onu çok da heyecanlandırmaktadır..Babası artık emekli olmuştur bu olay ile ilgili kitap yazmasına pek de olumlu bakmamamktadır..Ona göre herkes yeterince acı çekmiştir...

Baştan sona kadar kitabı merak içinde katil kim diye okudum..Katili baştan tahmin ettim sandım ama yazar beni tam anlamı ile ters köşeye yatırdı..Ve çok etkileyici bir final...Her şey film gibiydi sanki film seyrediyordum..Bu kitabın tekrar basımını yapılamamsı çok büyük bir eksiklik...Bence bu kitabı herkes okuyabilmeli..Tavsiye ederim..(less)

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Jan 21, 2011 Laura de Leon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, romance, blogged

This book was 3.5 stars for me. In deciding whether to list it here as 3 or 4 stars, I decided to round down, since my standards for Nora Roberts are pretty high.

I actually liked the first half quite a bit.

The book took its time setting up the primary romance, starting when Olivia was only 4 years old, and revisiting her at her first meeting with Noah when she was 12 (no romance) yet. Their next meeting (when she was 19) was full of sparks, which lead to some burns, and a refusal of all contact...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-books-with-reviews

River's End is one of the best books I have read by this author, an excellent murder mystery and a good love story. With a strong, yet flawed heroine, and an equally strong yet flawed hero, the pace is fast and the story is interesting. It takes us on a 20 year journey. At age 4, our heroine's Hollywood mother is murdered by her Hollywood father.Litle Olivia was the only witness. Our hero (10 at this time) follows the case as his father is the detective assigned to help convict the Hollywood fat...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Natasja rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who loves a good Nora Roberts book.

A life altering story of murder, betrayal and a dark secret kept for almost 20 years by a person closest to Olivia McBride.

Livvy was four years old when her father was incarserated for the gruesome, drug induced murder of her mother. The tearful testimony of a four year old made sure that he was convisted of the murder. The sentence, twenty years, the first fifteen without the option of parole.

Twenty years later she still only knows the bits and piecies she's been able to learn from her aunt. S...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Lacey Louwagie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mystery

This book had a lot in common with Nora Roberts' book Black Hills, which I really enjoyed. Both centered around a romantic couple that met in childhood and fell in love as adults; both featured a female protagonist who threw herself into a career with the natural world to avoid emotional entanglements; both included long-distance relationships [in which the man moved for the woman]; and both had a psycho-killer who endangered the female lead as a main antagonist.

All felt handled with more dexter...more This book had a lot in common with Nora Roberts' book Black Hills, which I really enjoyed. Both centered around a romantic couple that met in childhood and fell in love as adults; both featured a female protagonist who threw herself into a career with the natural world to avoid emotional entanglements; both included long-distance relationships [in which the man moved for the woman]; and both had a psycho-killer who endangered the female lead as a main antagonist.

All felt handled with more dexterity in Black Hills, which makes sense since it was written about 10 years later. But River's End was an enjoyable read. Although the murder mystery plot wasn't my reason for selecting this book, it did keep me guessing right up to the end. I liked the main characters and thought Nora handled Olivia, the female protagonist, especially well, portraying her trauma-induced panic attacks and avoidance of human company believably and sensitively (Olivia was witness to her mother's murder when she was a child). Most of the central characters were well-developed, but a few secondary characters were so stock that they made me cringe, in particular the male lead (Noah's) "hippie" mother (tofu for every meal! save the whales! buy organic!) and his "crazy" ex girlfriend. But Olivia's father--the prime suspect in her mother's murder--is especially intriguing and oddly sympathetic, especially as he emerges from 20 years in prison.

Although Olivia's parents were both Hollywood stars, it's handled in a way that doesn't feel too gratuitous, and Olivia's own shunning of a life in the spotlight keep the story anchored in reality. I also respect how long Roberts spent developing the characters (over half the book) before giving much focus to the inevitable romance between them. However, there were a few nuances I found unbelievable, particularly Olivia having too many detailed memories from the young age of four. I also thought the story (particularly the romance, once it did get started) dragged out for a little longer than it needed to. So while it wasn't the best NR I've read, it was an enjoyable, quick read that felt a notch above run-of-the-mill fluff.(less)

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Sep 14, 2012 Cata rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, emprestados

2,5 estrelas

Este livro foi-me emprestado pela minha prima Adriana (obrigada!) e sei que, mais cedo ou mais tarde, ela acabará por ler isto (provavelmente..) e não sei se o que tenho a dizer a afectará ou não. Não gosto de escrever o tipo de opinião que estou prestes a escrever quando alguém me empresta ou dá livros, porque às tantas a pessoa até pode ficar triste, o que é perfeitamente natural.

Por isso, antes de mais gostaria simplesmente de dizer que já li livros suficientes da Nora para lhe re...more 2,5 estrelas

Este livro foi-me emprestado pela minha prima Adriana (obrigada!) e sei que, mais cedo ou mais tarde, ela acabará por ler isto (provavelmente..) e não sei se o que tenho a dizer a afectará ou não. Não gosto de escrever o tipo de opinião que estou prestes a escrever quando alguém me empresta ou dá livros, porque às tantas a pessoa até pode ficar triste, o que é perfeitamente natural.

Por isso, antes de mais gostaria simplesmente de dizer que já li livros suficientes da Nora para lhe reconhecer mérito como autora e para que ela seja uma das autoras que apraz ler no que diz respeito aos romances contemporâneos.

Passando à crítica propriamente dita, já li um número considerável livros na minha vida. Bons e maus. Livros que me fizeram rir. Ou chorar. Ou revirar os olhos. Ou que me levaram à loucura, a ponto de os querer jogar contra a parede- mas não os joguei; faria uma coisa dessas. Livros que me faziam sentir algo.

Há esses livros, e depois há este. Este que, quase na sua totalidade, me deixou indiferente. Mais ou menos como naquelas vezes em que uma pessoa está tão dormente que não sente absolutamente nada. Li-o de forma fria e impassível, coisa que nunca me tinha acontecido antes.

As descrições das árvores, plantas e animais não ajudaram. De facto, acabei por ler essas partes na diagonal, uma vez que não tiveram qualquer tipo de interesse para mim.

Exprimir por palavras o que achei do livro é fácil. Atribuir-lhe uma classificação... nem por isso. Foi nesta parte que me deparei com maior dificuldade. Não lhe ia dar 1 estrela porque não o odiei, nem o abandonei. 2 estrelas também não era o indicado: não foi daqueles livros que não gostei apesar de ter lido até ao fim, nem uma grande decepção face às expectativas. 3 estrelas não era justo: não foi um livro agradável apesar de haver aspectos a melhorar, nem um livro muito bom com uma personagem que desprezasse tanto que reduzisse o prazer da leitura, nem tão pouco um livro "razoável". Que classificação se atribui a um livro que não nos afecta minimamente?!? Acabei por optar pelas 2,5 estrelas, apesar de sentir que não lhe faz justiça.

Para finalizar, enquanto o lia, comentei em tom de brincadeira que estava desligada do livro 90% do tempo mas que podia ser pior, que o livro podia ser exasperante. Depois pus-me a pensar e coloquei-me uma questão que nunca antes me havia colocado e para a qual ainda não tenho resposta:O que é que realmente é pior: um livro que odiamos e que nos leva à loucura, ou um livro que não nos faz sentir nada?(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family, romance-mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Setting:
Beverly Hills mansions; River’s End camp and forests of Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Theme:
Love; violence; drugs; justice vs miscarriage of justice

Characters:
Olivia MacBride: age 4, has been loved by her mother and father – they read her stories and play with her, they dress up and go to parties, but daddy becomes sick (using drugs) and doesn’t live at home, she visits dad with aunt & uncle as chaperones… and then she hears fighting, goes to find mom, plays with mom’s jars and lotion...more Setting:
Beverly Hills mansions; River’s End camp and forests of Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Theme:
Love; violence; drugs; justice vs miscarriage of justice

Characters:
Olivia MacBride: age 4, has been loved by her mother and father – they read her stories and play with her, they dress up and go to parties, but daddy becomes sick (using drugs) and doesn’t live at home, she visits dad with aunt & uncle as chaperones… and then she hears fighting, goes to find mom, plays with mom’s jars and lotions for a bit (which is the biggest clue that dad was not the one who killed her mom – too much time passed from the fighting to finding her dad over her mom), goes downstairs and sees dad holding scissors over her dead, bloody mother, and she runs and hides in her closet with her stuffed animals, where Detective Brady finds her 2 hours later – she goes to live with grandparents in Washington, where she is insulated from the pain – homeschooled, more isolated than not, her parents are never discussed, but she is well loved and she loves her home and the nature… age 12 finds things of parents in attic, and writes letter to the detective who made her feel safe inviting him to come to the lodge… she hears some of the truth of her parents, meets his son Noah and forms a bit of a crush… age 19, university student studying naturalist stuff… a bit of a loner… and adult Noah shows up, and he breeches her defenses, and she has fun with him and falls in love with him… and almost has sex with him until she sees his notes on her family, and she sends him away… and at 25, has opened her naturalist center at the resort and manages the tours… she is determined to be independent (not like her mother and father), she loves nature, she is lonely… she has suppressed her memories of ‘that night’.

Noah Brady: at 10 saw how his dad was affected by the MacBride death and the little girl… he sees her on TV when she ran outside (to the reporters delight) calling for her mother and it is an image he never forgot… at 18, is charmed by the girl she has become… at 25 he is disillusioned with the politics of a crime journalist, and he decides to write a true crime book, and wants to start with the MacBride, and thinks to start with Livvy – but is floored when he sees her, and her innocence – and takes her out to dinner, and dancing, and flirts with her… but beyond a few kisses he wont’ do more until he tells her the truth of his visit… but she finds his notes before he tells her the truth, and he is forced to give up this crime at her anger and refusal to listen to him… at 31 he has 2 successful crime books to his name, and is contacted by Sam Tanner, who wants to tell his story – a story Noah has always had in his heart, and he decides to pursue it and all who were involved.

Sam Tanner: a gorgeous, successful movie star who plays freely (drinking and drugs), but falls in love with the beautiful Julie… and they marry and have a daughter… and he has a few movies with mixed reviews while his wife is outshining him… and he gets back into drugs, and starts to accuse his wife of having affairs… until she kicks him out and files for divorce… and strung out he goes home one night… and Julie is dead… and after serving 20 years for her murder, he has 2 memories of the night – one where he goes in anger to see her, and fights, and stabs her repeatedly with the scissors… and one where he goes over because he is lonely, finds the gates and door open, goes into the parlor and finds her dead, he pulls the scissor out of her and holds her trying to bring her back, he sees his daughter and calls after her, and searches the house for her until the police (whom he called) get there and arrest him. He spends 20 years in jail (5 more years because Jamie and Frank meet parole board and block his parole)… but has a brain tumor, and is let out to die outside.

Frank Brady: the detective who investigates Julie’s death… he finds little Olivia who immediately is embraced in his heart… though at first not convinced Sam did it, he investigates thoroughly and finds no one else, and is convinced a drugged Sam did do it. He responds to a 12 year old Olivia’s letters, and stays in contact with her, answering her questions honestly. He’d always hoped his son would follow in his footsteps, and is disappointd in the author – slightly feeling as if his son were too much on the other side of the letter….

Julie MacBride: beautiful inside and outside – making a name for herself in Hollywood, loves her husband and daughter; initiates a divorce in the hope of forcing her husband to get the help he needs…

Aunt Jamie Melbourne: Julie’s twin, yet not quite as pretty, or talented, or lucky…. (we wonder if she could be the murderer). She is Julie’s agent… and continues to work with as an agent with her husband once her sister died – becoming quite successful. But she has a righteous anger toward Sam (both because of his behavior before her sister’s death, and then that he was the murderer of her sister). She loves LIvvy, and wants to care for her but with her husband’s push, sends her to live with her grandparents – keeping her safe from the news (both seeing it and being in it)

Uncle David Melbourne: Seems to be the perfect husband… supportive of his wife, goes to the woods with her even though he hates nature… a father figure for Livvy… but it’s a 20+ year façade – as he went to Julie to confess his love for her, saying he only married her sister to be close to her, and as she is divorcing, it is their time to be together… but when Julie says no, and tries to send him away, he murders her, and then makes it look like her crazed husband did it. And covered his tracks too well… until Sam is freed from prison, and Noah starts to collect information on a book about what happened, and he is afraid Olivia will remember something to implicate him.

Summary:
Though Olivia is the focal point of the story, and we feel for the child, the girl, the college student, and the adult, Noah is the catalyst of the story… the one that takes the rest of the characters past themselves to their better, more peaceful selves. He listens without condemnation to each of the ‘players’, pushing them on their points of view gently… and though he screwed up with college aged Olivia, Olivia has had his heart in some measure since he saw her on tv as a baby, and saw how his father ached for her… An unapologetically for doing his job, he persistently yet gently pushes her to stop hiding from her past, and to embrace the truth and her full strength… and him…
(less)

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Jan 17, 2013 Valen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most part of the book was amazing, it was the type of plot that got me hooked with NR's books in the first place and then came the ending and it fell flat for me. I'm really sorry to say this but Livvy was stubborn as hell. And then when Noah starting pushing away she just jumps straight back begging him to not walk away. I mean I get it, that Noah's getting a little bit annoyed and pissed at her stubbornness when she tried pushing him away again but the way it was handled, it felt really rushe...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audiobook

This is the Nora that I know and love. She has a wonderful way of telling a story. I loved this book. It was fun to see Olivia and Noah fall in love. Having Noah be the first to admit it only sweetened the story. The book follows both of them at different points in their lives and how the tragedy of Olivia's mother's murder affected them.

I did have a suspicion as to who killed Julia from the beginning. I was happy to see that I was right in the end. So, the ending wasn't a surprise for me. Some...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Cheryl Landmark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was another entertaining read by Nora Roberts. She's a very prolific writer with a knack for description and characterization. Her descriptions of the lodge and the rain forest were utterly compelling and vivid.

For the most part, I liked Noah and Olivia, although I found their romance so dizzying and aggravating that it made my head spin at times! Olivia's emotions were all over the map--backing off, giving in, backing off again, while Noah just kept bulldozing ahead with stubborn determina...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was disappointed in this book. It's a weird mix of Nora Roberts and JD Robb. (I know they're the same author, but they're definitely different styles.)

I found the precipitating 'incident' disturbing although I understand how it was needed to frame the rest of the story. Then I found the rest of the book an odd blend of 'mystery' and romance with the romance almost an afterthought.

On the upside, I had read this book before and KNEW the twist at the end. Yet, I still ended up reading the entire...more

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Feb 20, 2010 Fbeatriz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, mistery

À semelhança do Recife, este livro está dividido temporalmente. Começa com a infância traumática da personagem principal pelos 4 anos e depois salta quatro vezes na acção, aos 4 anos, aos 12, durante a faculdade da Olivia e 6 anos depois.
Este livro tem muito de policial, com um crime pelo meio que se vai tentar descobrir o que realmente aconteceu e, de certo, muito surpreender.
Não abandonando completamente o estilo dela, que não, a autora coloca neste livro muito mais carga emocional, violênci...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, family-drama, mystery, romance, romantic-suspense, suspense, stand-alone

4 STARS

Olivia's parents were once the golden couple in Hollywood until one night her mother is murdered and her father is arrested. He is sent to prison and she grows up in River's end with her maternal grandparents. Sheltered from Hollywood and her past Olivia is horrified when Noah wants to write about the day that caused her so much pain. Noah, the son of the homicide det who charged her father, is now a true crime writer and this case has haunted him through the years as has Olivia.

This nov...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book! I am so proud that I for once knew who the killer was. Towards the end I wasn't so sure, but yes! I got it. I enjoyed the "cat and mouse" game with the story line of who the killer was, and with the romantic part. I like that she didn't have Olivia and Noah jumping in the sack the second time they met. I loved how their relationship evolved. I have always liked how Nora Roberts in all her books that I have read so far, describes everything so vividly. I felt like I was running...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Waterfall rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, nora-roberts-j-d-robb, own, romance, books-in-dublin

This is perhaps the weakest Nora Roberts book I've read to date - and I still enjoyed it! The twist was half painfully obvious and half completely out of left field with no hints whatsoever, and thus in my eyes not a huge success. However, she still got me with a red herring, and the characters and their interactions were enough to keep my interest even if the plot was a little weak.

There are two things that Roberts does very well that also contributed to this book, and that is children and trau...more

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May 14, 2013 Nabila Amr rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mittlerweile habe ich sehr viele Nora Roberts-Bücher gelesen und dies hier ist eins der schlechteren Bücher. Das Buch an sich ist kein schlechtes Buch, aber bin besseres von Nora Roberts gewohnt. Die Geschichte ist sehr schön: die Hauptfigur verliert mit 4 Jahren ihre Mutter und ihr Vater wird dafür verurteilt und wächst bei ihren Großeltern auf. Auch bei diesem Buch kommt Spannung auf, allerdings nicht so wie in den anderen NR-Bücher. Auch kommt die Liebesgeschichte hier erst ganz zum Schluss....more

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Aug 06, 2011 Jonetta rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not your typical mystery or suspense but it has all of the elements to make it a really good story. Olivia is as complex as they come but Noah was the perfect man to help her tear down the walls she built to cope with the tragic circumstances of her childhood. While a suspect was imprisoned for the murder of Olivia's mother, you're never quite certain if the right person was brought to justice and this book takes you the distance.

To say anything more would ruin the experience for other r...more

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May 22, 2011 Shelby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I was really desperate to read a book this week. Can't afford to run out and buy a new one, and the trip to the library ( with two small children in tote) was out of the question. So I dug around and found this book. Dated in 1999....but like I said...desperate! So I pulled it out of the cabinet, dust and all. As soon as I began reading this book I couldn't put it down. Another fantastic read from Nora Roberts! I loved the characters, the story, and the vivid details that really made you see...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Merissa Sheppard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is only the second of Nora Roberts' books that I have read but I am fast becoming a fan of her way of writing, which I didn't think I would to be honest! This is the story of a senseless murder, a young daughter who witnesses part of it and how it impacts both her, her family and others that were involved. The story spans over 20 years and is exceedingly well written. The pace of this book is just right, it doesn't leave you with "slow" bits where you could get bored but also isn't so fast...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Angel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

really liked it

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Jun 22, 2012 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Olivia, her parents both movie stars, witnesses her Dad's drug addiction and the murder of her mother. She is whisked away to Washington state where she is raised by her grandparents and finds comfort in nature. The policeman who rescued her when she was 4 has a son that now writes true crime novels and he has always been fascinated with the Olivia story. he looks up Olivia intending to write the story, but they find themselves falling in love. The mystery of the real killer unfolds. Typical Nor...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Laura Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ah-mazing-5-stars

I love Nora. Simple, unconditional love.

The book starts out with four year Olivia, the heroine, and her fairy--tale life comes to a screeching crash when her beautiful movie-star mom gets killed. Olivia is the only witness, and her movie-star father, a man with a drug problem and jealous streak a mile wide, is locked up for the alleged stabbing. She's then taken to live with her grandparents where she's raised in the woods, secluded from prying Hollywood reporters where they all try to forget th...more

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May 25, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, meu, saida-de-emergência

Começo esta minha opinião já a dizer que este é o melhor livro da Nora Roberts que já li!

Este livro agradou-me de muitas maneiras.

- Pelo facto de podermos acompanhar a vida e o crescimento das personagens ao longo dos anos, o que me fez embrenhar ainda mais na trama e na dor e felicidade de Olivia e da sua família a tal ponto que me esqueci do facto que eram personagens e não pessoas reais de carne e osso.

- A forma como a autora escreveu este livro, sem os floreados românticos exagerados e com...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Nandini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well River's End is a mystery/suspense + romance novel. What made me feel so good was, it wasnt an over dose of romance. It was natural, subtle, romantic and seemed soo real. It held so much understanding, hardships, pain and yet a lot of joy and love.

Olivia McBraid, pampered 4 year old daughter to hollywood's golden couple, Sam Tanner and Julie McBraid, finds her mother killed by a monster with the face of her beloved Daddy. How her life changes after that had me feeling for the little baby wit...more Well River's End is a mystery/suspense + romance novel. What made me feel so good was, it wasnt an over dose of romance. It was natural, subtle, romantic and seemed soo real. It held so much understanding, hardships, pain and yet a lot of joy and love.

Olivia McBraid, pampered 4 year old daughter to hollywood's golden couple, Sam Tanner and Julie McBraid, finds her mother killed by a monster with the face of her beloved Daddy. How her life changes after that had me feeling for the little baby with all my heart. I am not a person who likes tragic stories as in stories with a very tragic ending. But when a book with a happy and pleasant ending has a tragedy of its own, when there is a lot of pain, i love reading it just because i can connect to the person in pain and consider myself how lucky am i to not go through that character's loss. Olivia had me feel sympathy, grief and a lot compassion towards her. My heart went out to the little girl. A girl who has no answers to why her life changed so. But everything changed when she met her rescuer's handsome son Noah. I loved how she fell in love with him instantly, yet it scared the hell out of her. Its understandable WHY she was soo scared. A girl who lost her mommy at the age of 4 bcoz of love, scared d hell out of her.

Noah Brady is the handsom hunk and son of Frank Brady and Celia Brady. Frank is the cop who discovered the 4 yr old olivia hiding in her closet. The little girl's eyes which got to him. The little girl who found the protection within him. The only girl who lived with him in his heart even after 20 years. I know a world doesnt have so many good people. But, sometimes, perfection does happen. Maybe this one was a perfection, but not entirely. What olivia lost, she got them through Noah and their families. Noah is a guy with a lot of understanding. I really did wonder if he has done pshycology to know her every inch. But no, thats not why he knew her. Its because he has always loved her, connected to her for 20 years from the age of 10. The little girl who cried with her hands on her ears on the TV had stuck to him for 20 years. And when love came in, it was only she who mattered.

It was one beautiful story about how they come together, how they solve their differences. Noah is surely an ultimate lover. And Olivia is the only one who deserved him, who needed him. Only he could have loved her the way he did.

I give a 4/5 rating. Why? Because i knew from the start who the damn murderer was.

PS: If there is anything weird about the review, kindly ignore. I just copied this from my blog and did not take time to go through it.(less)

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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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