Friday Memes: Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.

The Friday 56: Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

This is a fun meme hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader.
If you have to improvise, that is okay.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post at the Link here.here.

I'm re-reading the entire In Death series by Robb and I'm currently on book 10, "Witness in Death". The quote is from PAGE 56  in the large print paperback.

Nora Roberts/JD Robb 2019 Release SChedule!

It's that time again! Nora Roberts has released her book schedule for next year. The list includes new books and reprints. Pull out your calendar and add in the books you are anticipating.

2018 Nora Roberts/JD Robb Book Schedule

Nora Roberts has released her book schedule for next year, including new books and reprints, for both of her author identities. ALL DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. The source for the schedule and image is Nora's newsletter.

Nifty's Review of Human in Death: Morality and Mortality in J. D. Robb's Novels by Dr. Kecia Ali

Publisher: Baylor University Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 26th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchasesreed to  made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Kecia Ali's Human in Death explores the best-selling futuristic suspense series In Death, written by romance legend Nora Roberts under the pseudonym J. D. Robb. Centering on troubled NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire tycoon husband Roarke, the novels explore vital questions about human flourishing.

Through close readings of more than fifty novels and novellas published over two decades, Ali analyzes the ethical world of Robb's New York circa 2060. Robb compellingly depicts egalitarian relationships, satisfying work, friendships built on trust, and an array of models of femininity and family. At the same time, the series' imagined future replicates some of the least admirable aspects of contemporary society. Sexual violence, police brutality, structural poverty and racism, and government surveillance persist in Robb's fictional universe, raising urgent moral challenges. So do ordinary ethical quandaries around trust, intimacy, and interdependence in marriage, family, and friendship.

Ali celebrates the series' ethical successes, while questioning its critical moral omissions. She probes the limits of Robb's imagined world and tests its possibilities for fostering identity, meaning, and mattering of human relationships across social difference. Ali capitalizes on Robb's futuristic fiction to reveal how careful and critical reading is an ethical act.

2017 Nora Roberts/JD Robb Release Schedule

Woo Hoo! It's that time again when Ms. Roberts shares her release schedule for the next year. I love this look at what's coming up and planning my reading (and reviewing) around the release dates. As always the info is in graphic form and dates are subject to change.

Bea Reviews Festive in Death by J.D. Robb

Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
Series: In Death #39
Format Read: Large Print Hardcover
Source: my local library
Release Date: September 2014 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit*  | Barnes & Noble | Wheeler Publishing
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Eve Dallas deals with a homicide—and the holiday season—in the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn't count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who'd been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler's enemies, she's also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband's upcoming holiday bash.

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year's 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

Nora Roberts/J.D.Robb 2016 Release Schedule

It's that time again, time for the Nora Roberts release schedule. It is, of ourse, subject to change so doublecheck her site for updates.

Bea Reviews Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb

Series: In Death #37
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
Format Read: Large Print Harcover
Source: my local library
Release Date: September 4, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | Wheeler Publishing
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

In the latest suspense thriller in the #1 "New York Times" bestselling series, the year 2060 is drawing to a close in New York City and loved ones are coming together for Thanksgiving. But sometimes the deepest hatreds seethe within the closest relationships, and blood flows faster than water...
Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for this season. Hosting Roarke's big Irish family for the holiday may be challenging, but it's a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood.
Other couples aren't as lucky as Eve and Roarke. The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned--and heartbroken by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son. Twenty-six-year-old Jerry hadn't made a great impression on the bosses who fired him or the girlfriend who dumped him--but they didn't think he was capable of this.
Turns out Jerry is not only capable of brutality but taking a liking to it. With the money he's stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry's going to strike next.

2015 Nora Roberts Release Schedule

It's that time again; time for the Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb release schedule. I love that she shares this with her readers and so early. Of course, dates are subject to change so be sure to double check on her site when looking for info on a book. Click on the image below to go to her site.

Quote-Tastic #60 You Have No Shame or Guile

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

Another month, another J.D. Robb quote. :D I do love her In Death books. While this one wasn't my favorite, it had some good quotes. Eve is a sneaky, clever woman who understands how people think. In this scene, she is telling her police partner, Peabody, how to get her grandmother to mail her some homemade chicken soup. 

"I'm totally charged up again. Maybe I should go buy a gallon of that soup. No! I'll e-mail my granny, and I'll sweet-talk her into sending me some."
 "You have no shame, or guile." Eve led the way out, still sipping her soup. "You e-mail her and tell her you just had some soup that's as good as hers - subtext, maybe better - and it made you think about her, blah blah. How good it was, on a cold, crappy day in New York, yadda, yadda. She'll cook up a batch and ship it out to prove hers is better."
Peabody slid into the car, stared at Eve. "Have you met my granny, because that exactly what she'd do. That's brilliant."

Related articles

• Quote-Tastic #58 If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
• ARC Review + Quote-tastic(6): Sturdy poles and hairless peaches - Slow Hand by Victoria Vane
• Recommend JD Robb's Festive In Death

Quote-Tastic #54 Kindred in Death by JD Robb

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

Time for more quotes from the In Death series by JD Robb aka Nora Roberts. This book had so many good quotes it was hard to choose. Most of these are from early on in the book and involve Eve and Roarke's cat Galahad.

 

She'd died and gone to heaven. Or better, because who knew if there was really good sex and lazy holiday mornings in heaven. She was alive and kicking...Eve Dallas, murder cop and ass-kicker, sprawled naked across her husband, who'd just given her a nice glimpse of heaven. She figured she'd given him a good look at it, too....

***

She felt the thump on the bed that was their pudgy cat, Galahad, joining them now that the show was over. 
She thought: Our happy little family on a do-nothing Sunday morning. And wasn't that an amazing thing? She had a happy little family -- a home, an absurdly gorgeous and fascinating man who loved her, and -- it couldn't be overstated -- really good sex.

***

He managed to get around the cat to draw her down for another kiss, then hissed.
"Why the hell doesn't he go down and pester Summerset for breakfast?" Roarke nudged away the cat, who kneaded paws and claws, painfully, over his chest.
"I'll get it. I want coffee anyway."
Eve rolled out of bed, walked -- long, lean, naked -- to the bedroom AutoChef.
"You cost me another shag," Roarke muttered.
Galahad's bicolored eyes glittered, perhaps in amusement, before he scrambled off the bed. 

***

"If you're not already what he wants, why is he making over you?"
"That's logic -- and self-confidence, and just doesn't apply to that first rush of romance, especially at sixteen. Just think back to when you were that age."
"I didn't care about any of that when I was sixteen. All I cared about was getting through the system and into the Academy."

Have you read any of the In Death books? What did you think?

Related articles

• Quote-Tastic #53 Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice
• Bea Reviews Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

Bea Reviews Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

Publisher: Thorndike Press
Series: In Death #10
Format Read: large print paperback
Source: my local library
Release Date: August 14, 2000
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

It is 2059, and New York City homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas's husband, Roarke, is producing a revival of Agatha Christie's thriller Witness for the Prosecution. On opening night, when the villainous character Leonard Vole gets his just deserts, someone substitutes a kitchen knife for the prop knife, and the actor, Richard Draco, is stabbed through the heart. Trouble is, in time-tested British mystery fashion, everyone in the cast had good reason to despise Richard, a misogynist who seduced and discarded beautiful young women, including one whom he knew to be his daughter. It's up to Eve to solve the case, an emotionally difficult task as she is no stranger to incest herself: she was beaten and raped by her father before she managed to escape him. As Eve fights to keep her head above water, she tries to bond at a deeper level with Roarke, so that her future will heal the pain of her past.

2014 Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb Release Schedule

Yes, it's that time again, time for the Nora Roberts release schedule. Below is a graphic for her schedule next year. Prefer written format? Go to her site or click on the image.

Related articles

• Book Review: Nora Roberts, Dark Witch (elizabethannsalem.wordpress.com)
• THE SEARCH by Nora Roberts (writefulreader.wordpress.com)
• The Next Always (Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy, #1) by Nora Roberts (loveisastateofmind.wordpress.com)
• Montana Sky by Nora Roberts (loveisastateofmind.wordpress.com)
• "Naked in Death" by J.D. Robb (anafichesdelectures.wordpress.com)

Quote-Tastic #18 A Giant Hug and A Big Sloppy Kiss

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. 

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier!

Just grab the button and put up your post :) 

Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.

This week's quotes are from "New York to Dallas" by J.D. Robb. It's part of her In Death series which I love. I borrowed this one from my library. I love this series so you're sure to see more quotes from the books! :D In the first quote, Peabody is nervous about publicly being awarded a medal and then her parents arrive. The second quote is from right after the ceremony.

"Don't, don't. You'll make me cry, and I'm not allowed to. Under orders."

"So we heard." Tossing back her long, dark hair Phoebe stepped over, gave Eve a hug and a kiss on the check. The quick laugh said she knew the display of affection embarrassed Eve. "You look formidable in uniform. And sexy. Doesn't she, Sam?"

"She does."

She got another hug and kiss, right in her own bullpen. Free-Agers, she thought, they just had to spread the love. 

**********************************************

The milling began-shoulder slaps, handshakes. She caught the glint in Peabody's eye, and fired one back. 

"No hugging. Cops don't hug."

Peabody tracked her gaze to Strong, currently being hugged by another cop.

"She sustained injuries."

"Okay, but in my mind you're getting a giant hug and a big, sloppy kiss."

"Keep it in your head or you'll sustain injuries."

Lol, Eve just doesn't handle emotion well but I'd want her on my case if something happened to me.

Quote-Tastic #17 Not done yet

Anna at Herding Cats & Burning Soup has created a new weekly meme. Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.  

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier!

Just grab the button and toss up your post :) 

Want to join along? Click on the link above. Leave me a link in your comment and I will check out your quotes! Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.

This week's quote is from "Loyalty In Death" by JD Robb, part of her series, In Death. I love this series so much. Two of the secondary characters, Peabody and McNab, cops like the main character Eve, are involved. They're having makeup sex in this scene.

 They'd finally made it to the bed. Peabody wasn't altogether sure how they'd managed to get from the elevator to his apartment to his bed without killing each other, but that's where they were. The sheets were hot and tangled, and even now when McNab rolled weakly off her, her body pumped heat like a furnace.

"I'm not done yet," he said in the dark with a voice that hitched. 

Peabody snorted, then began to laugh like a loon. "Me, neither. What are we, crazy?"

"A couple of more times, we'll be dead."

Have you ever read the In Death books? What do you think?

Guest Review of JD Robb's Treachery in Death

Publisher: Putnam

Release Date: February 22, 2011

Series:  #32 in the In Death Series.

More Info: Amazon



Today we have a guest review from an acquaintance I'll call Nifty. I met Nifty at Patricia Briggs' discussion board. Nifty is an avid reader and when she's not reading or working, she is playing with her dog, Bandit.

Book Blurb:

In the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon, Eve Dallas tracks down those who break the law-including the ones sworn to uphold it.

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective - good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret. 

My Thoughts:

Unlike other books in this series, Treachery in Death is light on the mystery - we know who the bad guy is, and what the crime is, from the first chapter – and doesn’t seem to have the heft and evilness of some previous plots.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes the plots of the In Death books can be over-the-top – not just evil, but eeeevil – and in this case, it’s a straight-forward police procedural that brings the focus back on the team, their skills, and their principles.  Merely knowing who the bad guy is isn’t enough.  Eve still has to gather evidence and build a case and move with care in doing so, considering that the bad cop is a ranking officer of the NYPSD and the daughter of a highly respected former commander. This investigation has to be 100% above-board and air-tight.

Most of the story moves at a lightning pace.  Eve uses the homicide of one of the bad cop’s weasel as her foot in the door, and from there it’s just connecting the pieces.  And if she has to shake a few trees to see what kind of rotten fruit falls down, so much the better.  We all know how much she loves to get in the face of the villains she has targeted.
Eve's personal story doesn't get a whole lot of attention, but there's a humorous scene with Eve, Bella, and Mavis – who is tagged for a bit of con-work -- and a sweet scene between Roarke and Eve. The most significant personal aspect for me was actually professional also: Eve muses on how the type of woman she is sets the tone for the type of cop she is, but also the type of BOSS she is.  Also, every In Death story comes with at least a little focus directed at one of the (many!) secondary characters, and in this book, that particular spotlight is focused on IAB rat Don Webster.

I thought the tightness of the story suffered just a bit at the very end - the last 70 pages or so - and the climax could have used a bit more punch. But overall I found this one to be really enjoyable and kind of rewhetted my appetite for these characters and this series (which had begun to wane in the last couple years).