The Witness by Nora Roberts
Putnam
Contemporary, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0399159121
Reviewed by Miranda




As a teenager Elizabeth Fitch’s first attempt to gain her independence from her overbearing mother turned bloody.  Now she goes by the name Abigail Lowery.  She lives a quiet life in the Ozarks with her faithful dog Bert.  She likes this controlled setting.  It makes it easier to accomplish her goal of punishing the people that forced her into hiding.  Abigail may have taken all the appropriate security measures to protect her home, but she may not be able to protect her heart when one small town sheriff decides to barge into her life.

Sheriff Brooks Gleason loves his town and the people in it but there is one citizen that intrigues him more than most.  Brooks can’t help but notice the aloof woman that recently moved to Bickford.  She is beautiful and he wants to know all the secrets she’s keeping.  Brooks makes it his mission to slowly work his way into the life of Abigail Lowery.  Will he be the man to crack Abigail’s steely exterior? Can Abigail learn to trust someone else with all she’s hiding? More importantly can they survive when her past comes back to haunt them?

Nora Roberts cements her status as a romance goddess with her latest superior love story, The Witness.  Have any of you ever had that experience when you begin reading a new book and it’s so good that you try to actually stall the reading process to make the fantastic story last longer?  Well, that is exactly how I felt about The Witness!  The Witness is such a phenomenal read that I wish I could get more of this stunning romance.   Ms. Roberts had me terrified and crying in the first few chapters.  I was completely sucked into this tantalizing story from page one.  The scenes written by Ms. Roberts are so incredibly powerful it is impossible not to become utterly enthralled!

I’m am entirely in love with these characters!  Abigail is such a complex woman and it is wonderful to get a glimpse of the teenager she was and the woman she grows into.  To see what has driven her to become the woman she is now is amazing.  Ms. Roberts does a great job of making this character come alive on the pages.  Abigail’s steely standoffish behavior could come off as cold but Ms. Roberts manages to make her a character you want to get up and cheer for.  Brooks’ is a sweet and strong hero!  He made me melt with his charm and his ‘never give up’ personality.  I love the way that Brooks works his way into Abigail’s life.  The desire between these two is palpable.  I cannot get enough of them!  I also love the plot line surrounding his job as sheriff and what happens in the town.  We get a great taste of Brooks’ indelible character during this.  I just love Brooks’ family as well.  Ms. Roberts has definitely penned some memorable characters in The Witness!

If you like suspense the beginning of The Witness will absolutely take your breath away!  I think what is so unbelievably magical about Ms. Roberts The Witness is the fact that she turns a well-known trope into a sensational original.  The Witness transcends all others by grabbing the reader with its intensity and keeps you enamored with its beautiful romance and magnificent prose.