Sanctuary – Nora Roberts

Sanctuary – Nora Roberts

Photographer Jo Ellen Hathaway thought she’d escaped the house called Sanctuary long ago. She’d spent her loneliest years there, after the sudden, unexplained disappearance of her mother. Yet the sprawling inn on an island off the Georgia coast continues to haunt her dreams. And now, even more haunting are the pictures someone is sending her: strange close-ups and candids, culminating in the most shocking portrait of all—a photo of her mother—naked, beautiful, and dead.

Now Jo must return to the island, and to her bitterly estranged family. With the help of Nathan Delaney—who was on the island the summer her mother disappeared—Jo hopes to learn the truth about the tragic past. But Sanctuary may be the most dangerous place of all.

My Review of Sanctuary

I generally have a love/hate relationship with Nora Roberts. I either find her books absolutely wonderful, or I roll my eyes and inwardly cringe at how awful it is. This one, for once, was in the middle.

Jo is a famous photographer, haunted by the past when she used to live on an island on an estate called Sanctuary. 20 years ago her mother suddenly disappeared. No explanation. No word from her again. Everyone assumed she had run away. But Jo received some photographs of herself. Someone is stalking her. And among those photographs was the image of her mother, naked and most definitely dead. In an attempt to unravel the mystery, Jo returns to her childhood home and attempts to reconnect with the remainder of her estranged family.

I will cut this book some slack. It was written in 1997. Although the 90’s were amazingly awesome, they were filled with overt sexism and gender stereotypes. So before I chastise Ms Roberts for betraying her own sex with the over-the-top damsel-in-distress roles where the woman gradually succumbs to the macho male hammering away at her reserves, I will remember that this was written in the 90’s.

I listened to the audio version and I must admit I enjoy a Southern drawl. And although the scenes where the character was thinking were extremely distracting because they turned into this echo sequence, it was still a lovely accent.

The writing was great, the romances were sweet, despite the sexism. But in the last quarter of the book I was just so over the stupid decisions the characters were making. I have complained about this in some of her other books, but the decisions are just cringe-worthy! WHY ARE YOU LEAVING THE HOUSE ALONE WHEN THERE IS A KILLER AFTER YOU?? Oh thats right because you are a mere female who thinks she must be overreacting. Sigh.

The ending was quite an anti-climax for me. It didn’t live up to the rest of the book. I figured out the “twist” right at the start, so there was no surprise in it for me. And some of the scenes just had violence and rape in it which seemed were there just for the hell of it. So trigger warning!

Would I recommend this book?

It had some great moments, a little bit of humour, quite a lot of romance and some raunchy scenes. But overall it was a big MEH for me. If you are after a romantic suspense, you can do better!

(2.5 / 5) (rounded down to 2)

I purchased Sanctuary at my own expense on audible.

If you enjoy Sanctuary, you may enjoy:

HOME

Sharing is caring!