Considering Kate by Nora Roberts

Kate Kimball has been on the greatest stages of the world. But she is done with the world of ballet; she just wants to retire home in West Virginia and open up a school. First, she will need to have her building renovated. But Brody O'Connell, her contractor, is infuriating. And handsome. And a good dad to his son.
Brody doesn't want to deal with a stuck-up woman like Kate. His wife was a woman from that world and her family turned their backs on her when she married Brody. But she is different. Decisive as well as beautiful and she fits so perfectly into his life.
This book very much mirrors the first book in the series down to the misunderstandings that occur when our protagonists meet. The frills are different and Katie is much more forward than her mother was but quite a bit of overlap that some readers may not enjoy.

Three stars
This book came out February 1st, 2001
Follows Waiting for Nick
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary
Opinions are my own

Waiting for Nick by Nora Roberts

I think this book might have been a bit better in the nineties but it has always been the least favorite of the series. Freddie is fairly single-minded in chasing Nick denying that he might have a say in their relationship (consent goes both ways, people.) And the end that brings Nick's past in is overwrought. I read it to complete the series but am otherwise not searching it out.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 1997
Follows Convincing Alex
Followed by Convincing Kate
Borrowed as ebook from CloudLibrary
Opinions are my own

Convincing Alex by Nora Roberts

Bess McNee just wants to do a little research for the soap opera that she is a writer on. Dressing up like a prostitute seems like a good idea to create some realism in her characters. She doesn't realize that she might get pushed into picking up a couple of guys. Or that they might be cops. When she ends up at the police station, she is delighted. 
The arresting officer, Alexi Stanislaski, is not so delighted. There have been several women killed lately and he doesn't need some... writer... out making it worse. But she just keeps putting herself in his way. And she might seem a little ditzy but she has a sharper mind than he first sees.
A nice addition to the series. Maybe doesn't age as well as a couple of the other books but isn't egregious.

Three stars
This book came out March 1st, 1994
Follows Falling for Rachel
Followed by Waiting for Nick
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Falling for Rachel by Nora Roberts

When Zack Muldoon rushes down to get his stepbrother out of jail, he doesn't expect the kid's public defender to be so arrestingly gorgeous. Rachel Stanislaski isn't impressed by the big blond man. He might be magnetic but he is also rude. However, the two are tied together with an eccentric judge demanding that Rachel and Zack both be concerned with keeping Nick out of trouble for the next two months. Two months that Nick will be living with Zack and Rachel will be keeping a close eye on the pair. Time they spend together is enough to get them over their initial prejudices toward each other and allow that heat to shine through.
I read these books much closer to the time they came out so I'm not sure what a first time reader would think. There were some thing that were somewhat dated (alpha male, but not an alphahole thank goodness) but overall it is still a good read.

Three stars
This book came out April 1st, 1993
Follows Luring a Lady
Followed by Convincing Alex
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Luring a Lady by Nora Roberts

Mikhail Stanislski is not impressed by Hayward. He's been letting the company know that his apartment building is run down but no one has been responding. So he barges in to the office and is shocked to find that Hayward is not an old man but a young woman. A beautiful woman.
Sydney Hayward is trying to defy expectations. Everyone believes that she will run Hayward for a few months and then tire of it. But this is her legacy and she's not going to let it go. Nor is she going to let it be tarnished by a run down building. When Mikhail says he works with wood, Sydney immediately hires him not realizing that he is actually an artist of some renown. Having Mikhail work for her means that they are thrown into close proximity, especially when one of her tenants gets hurt. 
Mikhail is sort of an alphahole. He's not that way the whole story but he is definitely starts out that way. Sydney on the other hand is an introduction in competence-porn. We don't get a sense of what in her background allows her to step into her family's business and there are some instances of show not tell but we do get to see her excel in dealing with the building, dealing with Mikhail, and even routing a baddie.

Three and a half stars
This book came out December 1st, 1991
Follows Taming Natasha
Followed by Falling for Rachel
Borrowed from Libby
Opinions are my own

Taming Natasha by Nora Roberts

 I know I read this book much closer to the publication date and I think I even carried the series around with me for a few years so it is hard to say how well it holds up but I think overall pretty well. Spencer Kimball, composer and professor, is a little much sometimes but Natasha "Tash" Stanislaski deals with him quite well. She does run a bit from her own past but her family is there to bolster her back to where she belongs. 
Spencer is tired of New York. He grew up there, was a spoiled playboy there, almost missed out on his daughter's life there. He lost his music there. So he moves to West Virginia. And it's there that he meets toy store owner Natasha Stanislaski. First drawn to her by her looks, he soon find out that she is much more than than just her face. She is a vibrant, caring woman who might just change his life.

Three stars
This book came out March 1990
Followed by Luring a Lady
Ebook borrowed from Libby
Opinions are my own