Rising Tides, and Inner Harbor, by Nora Roberts

Well, it's been years since I threw over the internet and television to just sit on my couch and read for 48 straight hours to get to the end of a series. My critiques are mostly superficial -- if I'd written it I'd have added more angst, or kept the same narrator through all three books, or not had EVERYONE propose on the last page of the book (as the ten-year old character said, "All you guys do is get married.") -- but the books are compulsively readable and totally enjoyable.

The second in the series set off all kids of anti-feminist alarms in my head, but the moral of the book turned out not to be "She has to let her giant manly boyfriend protect her and stop being so proud" and instead was "She has to tell her giant manly boyfriend to go fuck himself until he realizes that she is a grownup, too, and also SHE proposed, HA!" I didn't enjoy this one as much, but that's because true-love-since-childhood-with-mousy-women-and-damaged-men doesn't resonate with me as much as (book 1) fiery women going nose-to-nose with firey men, or (book 3) shy and unloved women find family and love. Speaking of which, the brother in book 3 was pretty meh and without character, but the woman was great; she went from being utterly irritating and frustrating to wonderful and sympathetic.

Rising Tides: Grade: C
Inner Harbor: Grade: B

originally posted 2006