My top five Nora Roberts books... I think.

Nora Roberts can't possibly be human. It's way more likely she's a machine and the jokes on us. I mean, is there anyone else in the world that has written more books? It's just not normal! Appreciated? Yes. Normal? Absolutely not.

Anyway, these may or may not be my five favorite NR books. Who the hell knows? I've read so many in the last 15 years, it's hard to remember.

"Reece Gilmore has come a long way to see the stunning view below her. As the sole survivor of a brutal crime back East, she has been on the run, desperately fighting the nightmares and panic attacks that haunt her. Reece settles in Angel's Fist, Wyoming - temporarily, at least-and takes a job at a local diner. And now she's hiked this mountain all by herself. It was glorious, she thought, as she peered through her binoculars at the Snake River churning below. Then Reece saw the man and woman on the opposite bank. Arguing. Fighting. And suddenly, the man was on top of the woman, his hands around her throat... Enjoying a moment of solitude a bit farther down the trail is a gruff loner named Brody. But by the time Reece reaches him and brings him to the scene, the pair has vanished. When authorities comb the area where she saw the attack, they find nothing. No signs of struggle. No freshly turned earth. Not even a tire track. And no one in Angel's Fist seems to believe her. After all, she's a newcomer in town, with a reputation for being jumpy and jittery-maybe even a little fragile. Maybe it's time to run again, to move on... Reece Gilmore knows there's a killer in Angel's Fist, even if Brody, despite his seeming impatience and desire to keep her at arm's length, is the only one willing to believe her. When a series of menacing events makes it clear that someone wants her out of the way, Reece must put her trust in Brody-and herself-to find out if there is a killer in Angel's Fist before it's too late."

Okay, so the synopsis is just about as long as the book, but peeps? Reece is my most favorite tortured soul ever. And Brody? Such a jerk. But, you know, in the best he-actually-really-loves-her kinda way. I'm sure a therapist would have a lot to say about my attraction to assholes, but I'm sure it's not an opinion I'd willingly pay for. Moving on...

"The daughter of a world-renowned magician, Roxy Nouvelle has inherited her father's talents- and her penchant for jewel thievery. Into this colorful world comes Luke Callahan- an escape artist who captures her heart- and keeps secrets that could shatter all her illusions..."

I went through a phase years ago where I could not get enough of the hot, thieving con-artist type books. This was a good one. So was Sidney Sheldon's If Tomorrow Comes, which I read in a day. And so was...

In the stratosphere of A-list celebrities, Adrianne was an A-plus. Beautiful, wealthy, elegant, she lived the kind of glamorous life that most could only envy—since they didn’t know the private tragedy and the dangerous truth. For her pampered-rich-girl pose was just a carefully orchestrated façade that she was ready to drop when the moment came to right the wrongs of the past. And with The Sun and The Moon—a fabled necklace that is within her reach—the moment has come. At first it seems no more than an accident of fate that brings a man like Philip Chamberlain into her life now of all times. But men like Philip aren’t prone to accidents. Handsome, charming, enigmatic, he seems privy to secrets she’s spent a lifetime concealing. Who is Philip Chamberlain and what does he really want from her? These are questions Adrianne must answer, because to trust the wrong man now could cost too much.

Philip was sexy. Then again, so was Adrianne. Although, I'm not sure if that had anything to do with looks and personality so much as it had to do with the hot thievery thing. Did I mention I really found the jewel heisting thing, um, hot? (I'm starting to repeat myself, aren't I?)

Marine archeologist Tate Beaumont finds herself thrown together with salvager Matthew Lassiter, eight years after he brutally crushed her first stirrings of young love, as they again attempt to locate Angelique's Curse, an amulet heavy with jewels and history, tainted by blood and madness. An earlier expedition ended in betrayal and tragedy, changing both their lives forever and leaving their families inextricably entwined. Matthew has an agenda of his own: to draw out Tate's former employer, the unscrupulous and mysterious millionaire responsible for killing his father and maiming his uncle--who will stop at nothing to get his hands on Angelique's Curse. Tate and Matthew find themselves circling each other warily, each unsure of the other's motives, yet drawn together by passion and danger beneath the azure waves. The Reef is an entertaining read, delighting readers with its meticulous research and detail, but it fails to adequately develop the tension between its lead characters caused by the love neither trusts can overcome the past.

The Reef was one of the first NR books I read. I loved it. (Of course, that's why it's on the list, right?) It was so fun and exciting. And I love how she can take me back to the past without boring the hell out of me. And then there's the fact that I'm a total sucker for first loves. Sigh.

Emma McAvoy may have grown up in the limelight, but some secrets are hidden in a darkness no light can reach. Now on the verge of a successful career, and having fallen in love with the man of her dreams, Emma is looking to the future. Yet it’s the past that is about to catch her from behind. For Emma, her childhood had been almost like a rags-to-riches fairy tale—until the tragic night that changed her family forever. But what Emma thinks she knows about that terrible night and the man she’s about to marry is only half the truth. The other half is locked away in the last place she’d ever think to look: her own memories. It’s a mystery a handsome and relentlessly driven homicide detective needs to solve in a case that’s haunted him for years . . . and a secret someone will kill to keep.

Of course the first NR book I read makes the list. I mean, this is what started the love affair! This book stayed with me for a long, long while after I finished it. I was so in love with the McAvoy family... Emma, her dad, the band... The way Ms. Roberts writes about family, well, it's one her greatest strengths. I always find myself wanting to be apart of them. Not that I don't love my own family ('cause I do!), they're just not as cool.

When Jack Mercy died, he left behind a ranch worth nearly 20 million dollars. Now his three daughters-each born of a different mother, and each unknown by the others-are gathered to hear the reading of the will. But the women are shocked to learn that before any of them can inherit, they must live together on the ranch for one year. They are sisters...and strangers. Now they face a challenge: to put their bitterness aside and live like a family. To protect each other from danger-and unite against a brutal enemy who threatens to destroy them all.

In high school, I had a friend. Yep, just one. (I transferred high schools in the middle of my freshman year and Tara was the only girl I knew.) (It was seriously tragic.) Hanging out at her house one afternoon, I discovered her mom had a shelf full of Nora Roberts and she was all about letting me borrow them. Montana Sky was on the shelf, but it looked, well, boring. It wasn't until I had finished everything else that I finally gave into reading it. And it's been in my top five six ever since.

(On a side note, I should mention I did not take into consideration any of the series that Nora Roberts has written. There are so many good ones I thought they'd deserve their very own post... some day.)

Fun fact: Zuyen has never read a book by Nora Roberts. I'm determined to get her to read one. If you're an NR fan, which book would you suggest be her first?