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Author: Nora Roberts
Book Information
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 99
Rating: 72

ISBN-13: 9780399154911 - ISBN-10: 0399154914
Publication Date: 7/8/2008
Pages: 464

Book Description:
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And that's exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother's farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin.

Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. An actress with a tumultuous life, Janet entertained glamorous guests and engaged in decadent affairs -- but died of an overdose in this very house more than thirty years earlier. To this day, Janet haunts Cilla's dreams. And during waking hours, Cilla is haunted by her melodramatic, five-times-married mother, who carried on in the public spotlight and never gave her a chance at a normal childhood. By coming east, rolling up her sleeves, and rehabbing this wreck of a house, Cilla intends to find some kind of normalcy for herself.

Plunging into the project with gusto, she's almost too busy to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer -- but his lanky form, green eyes, and easy, unflappable humor (not to mention his delightfully ugly dog, Spock) are hard to ignore. Determined not to perpetuate the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford's quirky charm, but she can't help indulging in a little fantasy.

But love and a peaceful life may not be in the cards for Cilla. In the attic, she has found a cache of unsigned letters suggesting that Janet Hardy was pregnant when she died -- and that the father was a local married man. Cilla can't help but wonder what really happened all those years ago. The mystery only deepens with a series of intimidating acts and a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may -- like her world-famous grandmother -- be cut down in the prime of her life.

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Top Member Reviews

Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) from BLOOMINGTON, IL wrote on 7/20/2008...

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

I loved TRIBUTE so much that I stayed up late two nights in a row to finish it. Then I was depressed that I had finished it so quickly!

This latest offering from Nora Roberts really does have everything I've come to love in her writing: mystery, romance, great character development, and a truly interesting storyline.

With the added fun additions of flipping houses, hosts of HGTV shows, graphic novelists, actresses and screen legends, and high school English teachers, all branches of career and life are covered.

This really is a book for your keeper shelf. You'll fall in love with Cilla and Ford, you'll agonize over the dual mystery of Janet Hardy's death and the current terror that the main character is facing, and you'll laugh-out-loud at the wonderful chemistry and dialogue between the hero and heroine. I would really like to read more about this couple in the future -- they're just really down-to-earth people that you come to respect and admire by the end of TRIBUTE.

Maybe we can get an update on their lives when Ms. Roberts writes Steve and Shanna's story? (Hint, hint!)


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Melanie H. (MELNELYNN) from ELMENDORF AFB, AK wrote on 11/15/2008...


Cilla McGowen was raised in the spotlight. Her Grandmother was the famous Janet Hardy; a child star turned Hollywood actress and famous singer. Her mother, Dilly, wasn't quite as famous as Janet but managed to stay in the Hollywood spotlight all her life. From a very young age Cilla was thrust in front of the cameras by her mom. She was part of a successful TV show, made a few records, but by the time she was an adult she was pretty much a has-been.

Happy to be out of the public life, Cilla now makes her money flipping houses; it is a labor of love. Finally getting her hands on her famous Grandmothers long neglected farm, Cilla is rehabbing to make herself a home. Questions surround her Grandmothers too early death and as Cilla repairs the house, she seeks answers. But someone doesn't want Cilla around and is making things very difficult for her, her friends and workers. Finding a friend and an unexpected love in her graphic novelist neighbor, Ford Sawyer, Cilla gets some much needed TLC.

This is a lengthy new novel by Nora Roberts, but amazingly enough I flew through 451 pages, easily, I absolutely loved it.

What Nora does better than anyone is create unforgettable and magnificent characters. This book is filled with people who are written so well, you can see them so clearly and you feel like you know them. Every character in this book added something to this story; love, sex, fear, annoyance, growth, laughter, and sadness. You get as invested with the side characters as you do with the main characters. I love that about her work

Cilla is a heroine not without flaws; she's both hard and soft and has been emotionally drained. She's personable and knows her strengths and weaknesses. I found her extremely relatable. Ford was funny, charming and sexy as hell. It took me all about a page to fall for him and his crazy dog.

The story is strong and takes the reader through past and present day at the farm with clever little visits from the Grandmother. Uncovering the secrets of the past and dealing with the danger of the present lead you through a suspenseful and gripping read. I admit I knew whodunit pretty much from the start, but Nora added a little something extra that threw me off and added plenty of surprise at the end.

This book has everything; a solid mystery, a love story, humor and healing. I really enjoyed it. I am also one of those HGTV junkies that enjoy house flipping and rehabbing and I got a total kick out of the demo and rehab of this house. It was fun to watch it change and I had no trouble picturing the results.