Black Hills - Nora Roberts

I just finished listening to this a few days ago. I liked it but I think I prefer her trilogies better. It's a fairly simple reason why too. I just like getting to know the characters more thoroughly in a series. Nora Roberts writes complex characters, especially her female leads and I feel that some of them need a longer story arc to shine.

Lil was one of those characters. Dr. Lillian Chance set her mind to her life's work when she was just a child. It was fascinating to read through her childhood and young adulthood to see that purpose solidify. There was a man though. There's always a man. :o) His name was Cooper Sullivan and he was troubled as a kid. A product of a broken home, his grandparents provided the stability he longed for. He became a cop in defiance of his father's wishes and then resigned after a terrible accident over which he had no control.

Lil and Coop came together early in their 20s, too early perhaps. It didn't last. Couldn't as he had something to prove to people. Mostly himself. When he came back in his 30s, he'd proven "it" whatever it was. His new focus was to work on the farm, the only place he'd ever considered home after his grandfather was unable to do so.

As it happens, Lil came under siege because of a misguided man. They had a connection in his mind, as warped as it was. He threatened her and all she'd built. The refuge where abused animals were offered sanctuary. Her staff. Herself. Her family. All threatened due to their connection with her.

As usual, there's suspense and romance in a Nora Roberts novel. All told with that special something Ms. Roberts brings into her stories. They make me wish I could write like that. Maybe someday.