Come Sundown: A Novel

Hoo-boy. The Bodine/Longbow family are strong, tight-knit, and they live their lives the way they want to live them. Well, except Alice, I guess. But that was absolutely not her fault, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and that wrong place ground her down until she barely knew herself anymore.

But before we get to Alice's story, we have Bodine and the family back on the ranch. Bodine is smart, sassy, and knows what she wants out of life. When Cal comes back to Montana after years away, Bo sees a lot she still likes about him. Only now it's not just a school girl crush, but something a whole lot deeper. So those two dance around one another to see how well they fit now that they're adults. (And in the background, the other Longbow siblings have their own romances going on which was A LOT of fun to watch.)

Then Alice reappears and she's not the 18 year old who set out with a dream in her heart. Frankly, she's a mess after years of abuse and mental conditioning to be the type of woman her captor wanted her to be. It takes time and the love of her family before glimpses of the person she used to be starts to emerge.

Straight up, Nora Roberts tells wickedly good stories about strong families and the ties that bind them as they face the things life throws in their direction. The Bodine/Longbow clan are stellar both as a family unit and as individuals. thumbs up

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

The chapters switch back and forth between the present and the past, building the Longbow story. It's a family story covering generations who now run a resort and dude ranch in Montana. One daughter disappeared over 25 years ago this is Alice's story.

If you can get past the story of Alice's kidnapping, torture and abuse it's a great read. I found myself skimming over her chapters because the horrific verbal, sexual, and physical abuse was too overwhelming.

However, it's a romance in the alternate chapters mainly focusing on Bo and Cal, however also feature her brothers Chase and Rory. The description of the land, sunrises and sunsets makes them come alive. You are transported to this ranch by the author which provides a magnificent story of love, family and resilience. Just short of 5 stars due to the graphic nature. I read for enjoyment and some parts of this novel were too hard to stomach.