Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Honest Illusions

Honest Illusions
Honest Illusions
Author: Nora Roberts
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


This book started out fine, but by the middle I was rolling my eyes, and by the end I was actively cursing it.

Main problem: Romance between two people who grow up together like siblings. Ick! Second problem: Contrived, cartoonish villain. Third problem: Story about jewel theives who justify grand larceny by telling themselves (and the reader) that it's OK because rich people can afford to replace the jewels and the insurance will cover it anyway. Also, there is absolutely no tension in any of the jewel heist scenes because they never get caught and nothing ever goes wrong and they never have the tiniest bit of remorse about any of it. I don't demand that a story where theives are the main characters have a lot of moralizing, but a wee bit of realism wouldn't have hurt.

I'm disappointed because everyone says Nora Roberts is the queen of romance novels and yet I found this book facile, creepy, and boring.