** spoiler alert ** Nora Roberts is hands-down the most popular author among patrons at my library, so after morning after morning of making fun of her books while sending them off on inter-library loan I told my co-workers I was going to take one of her books home and try it. I figured the worst that would happen is that I'd have more fodder for our daily Nora-bashing. And though I was afraid to say it to them, I also wondered if maybe legions of Nora Roberts fans were onto something I was missing.

The first book I read of hers was the first Bride Quartet book, Vision in White. I liked that one so much - Carter, in particular, was my kind of guy, even if Mac wasn't always my cup of tea - I started to read her JD Robb series. After falling in love with Roarke, and with Eve, and even a little bit with Mavis, I tried some of the re-releases of her old books, and though they felt somewhat dated, I found even those charming. So even before I read this book, I was slowly creeping toward becoming a full-fledged fan, to the point that I told me nay-saying co-workers I'd been wrong to make fun.

But this book, Bed of Roses, is the one I would call the turning point. This is the first Nora Roberts book that made me shed actual tears.

I think Emma is my favorite of the Vows women. I wouldn't say that I am much like her anymore - in fact, I'm still trying to decide which of the women I align myself with - but I think she represents a side of me, the side that worries a man will leave when he realizes that she wants the marriage/kids/picket fence scenario. And unlike other romance heroines I've encountered in my first forays into the genre, who are damaged in some way, or overly virginal to the point of seeming like children, or turned off to the idea of love, Emma is very much up for a romance. And the only thing "wrong" with her is that she wants so much, and doesn't know how to ask for it the right way. I felt like she was a real person, with real feelings, and I wanted so badly for her to have what she wanted. In the first book, it was Carter I cared about, because he was the nerdy one, but in this book, I was rooting for the heroine 100% of the time.

When she and Jack kissed for the first time, I was thrilled for her, and when things came crashing down as they do in Nora Roberts novels, I was so sad. And because I loved Emma so much, the happy ending felt better than it did in the first book.

Other strengths of this book lie in the supporting cast. Even when it's not their turn to fall in love, the women of Vows are such interesting people and such good friends, you wish you could have them plan your wedding, or at least hire you to arrange some flowers. And the guys - Del, Jack, Carter, Mal - I'd have crushes on all of them if they were real. So it's safe to say I'll be back for book 3, and of course, 4, and I'll be disappointed when the quartet comes to a close.