** spoiler alert ** I read Birthright when it was first published in April 2003. I rated it 4 stars then, and because it's by Nora Roberts, my favorite author, I was looking forward to reading it again. I treated myself to the Kindle edition to read on my iPod, which is my preference. Nora writes in such a way that I pretty much always want to read something of hers.

Birthright is well paced with just the right amount of archaeology and anthropology mixed in to let the reader know what drives the characters and to set it apart from Nora's other books. There is a rather complicated story line, but straightforward writing kept me on track. The relationships of several couples are covered; all at different developmental stages - new (Lana and Douglas), revisited (Callie and Jacob), rekindled (Suzanne and Jay), and long lasting (Elliot and Vivian). The cleverly written banter is a joy to read whether it was of the friendly or playfully adult variety. There is all matter of suspenseful and dangerous goings on - murder, poisoning, explosions, fires, and then good old sleuthing. All of this makes for a first rate romantic suspense. I am thrilled that I revisited it!