New Review Policy and Some Southern Charm

Bless your heart - phrase used by Southern women to excuse themselves for speaking ill of someone else.  As in "She's as ugly as a mud fence, bless her heart."  (Urban Dictionary)

All my attempts to review Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts felt like they should end with "bless her heart".  Not that it's a bad book - I enjoyed it.  It's just that it's Nora Roberts and this is bestseller number 4,295,974.  There's really nothing left to say.

Even the professionals, while not panning the book, struggled to say something original.

Publishers Weekly: "Roberts fans can expect another bestseller." 
Barnes and Noble:  "Nora Roberts at her best."
Library Journal:  "another enthralling romantic thriller"
Kirkus Reviews:  "hair-raising smoke-jumping sequences along with the obligatory thrills, sex and a mystery even the greenest armchair sleuths will be able to solve"

So, I am implementing the Prolific Author Review Policy on our blog.  In future, when I read the newest link in a well-known author's chain of bestsellers - unless it is a total break from their usual style - I will not be writing a full review.  Rather, I'll just let you know that the author is still alive, I read their book, all is well.  It will save you the hassle of skimming past my review and hitting delete, bless your heart.