What do you think?
Rate this book
The Stanislaskis #5
Waiting for Nick
Don’t miss the next book in the classic Stanislaskis series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts.
Frederica Kimball has three goals now that she’s moved to New York City: find her own place, become a Broadway lyricist and get Nick LeBeck to fall desperately in love with her. Though Nick has always treated Freddie like a little sister, he can’t help but notice the strong, passionate and head-to-toe-gorgeous woman now standing in her place. Perhaps everything he’s ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined…
Originally published in 1997.
Frederica Kimball has three goals now that she’s moved to New York City: find her own place, become a Broadway lyricist and get Nick LeBeck to fall desperately in love with her. Though Nick has always treated Freddie like a little sister, he can’t help but notice the strong, passionate and head-to-toe-gorgeous woman now standing in her place. Perhaps everything he’s ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined…
Originally published in 1997.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1997
1518 people are currently reading
3339 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,209 books59.6k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews
March 4, 2020
"Waiting for Nick" is the story of Freddie and Nick.
So our h is the adorable girl from Natasha's book, and our H is the rebellious step brother from Rachel's. Being distant cousins and a part of Stanislaskis clan, they have known each other for a long time. The h has worshipped the H forever, which soon changed into love as she matured. He is now a famous songwriter, and she has made it her life's goal to be his work as well as life partner. But with him always thinking of her as a little girl and distant sister, what would it take to change his feelings for her?
I LOVED Freddie in the first book, and was so estatic when I realized that she got her book. Relentless yearning is one of my favorite plots, and this could have been just fantabulous. However, I was let down by the callous attitude of the H, who just came off as immature to me. The h was sweet and totally in love, but I was not sold on the H's feelings. I ADORED the whole Stanislaskis clan interaction and get togethers, and the familial scenes were much more endearing than the ones between our MCs. Overall an average read.
Safe? SWE?
3/5
So our h is the adorable girl from Natasha's book, and our H is the rebellious step brother from Rachel's. Being distant cousins and a part of Stanislaskis clan, they have known each other for a long time. The h has worshipped the H forever, which soon changed into love as she matured. He is now a famous songwriter, and she has made it her life's goal to be his work as well as life partner. But with him always thinking of her as a little girl and distant sister, what would it take to change his feelings for her?
I LOVED Freddie in the first book, and was so estatic when I realized that she got her book. Relentless yearning is one of my favorite plots, and this could have been just fantabulous. However, I was let down by the callous attitude of the H, who just came off as immature to me. The h was sweet and totally in love, but I was not sold on the H's feelings. I ADORED the whole Stanislaskis clan interaction and get togethers, and the familial scenes were much more endearing than the ones between our MCs. Overall an average read.
Safe? SWE?
3/5
January 31, 2023
I'm so sad for Freddie that she's stuck pining after such a ween like Nick. But I guess the heart wants what it wants
June 30, 2008
This is one of my favorite Nora Roberts books to go back and reread when I want a good dose of sweet romance. I just really enjoy all parts of this book. I think part of that is the fact that Freddie and Nick aren't new characters. Freddie was first introduced in Taming Natasha (Stanislakis #1) and Nick in Falling For Rachel (Stanislaskis #3). It's great to see how the characters have grown up and are now finding their own loves. I especially enjoyed seeing Nick become a happy man after having such a troubled youth.
I love the storyline of the book - how Freddie is all grown up now and has decided it's time Nick took notice of her as a woman and not as a little girl. She knows what she wants and goes after it with a vengeance. It's fun to read. It's also great how Roberts connects this book with Nick's past. It creates a nice full circle to everything.
And it's great to catch up with all the other Stanislaskis. Roberts created a great family unit with them. As an added bonus, she brings the O'Hurley family back for a special cameo and you can see how they are all doing.
The only thing about this book that bugged me was the fact that Roberts changed Freddie's appearance. In Taming Natasha, where Freddie is introduced as a five year old little girl, she has wispy, straight very blonde hair. There's even a part where Spence tells Natasha that Freddie wants curly hair like Natasha. But then in this book, Freddie has frizzy, red-gold hair. It bugged the heck out of me. It just wasn't Freddie. That was the only thing about the book I disliked. Otherwise, I loved it.
I love the storyline of the book - how Freddie is all grown up now and has decided it's time Nick took notice of her as a woman and not as a little girl. She knows what she wants and goes after it with a vengeance. It's fun to read. It's also great how Roberts connects this book with Nick's past. It creates a nice full circle to everything.
And it's great to catch up with all the other Stanislaskis. Roberts created a great family unit with them. As an added bonus, she brings the O'Hurley family back for a special cameo and you can see how they are all doing.
The only thing about this book that bugged me was the fact that Roberts changed Freddie's appearance. In Taming Natasha, where Freddie is introduced as a five year old little girl, she has wispy, straight very blonde hair. There's even a part where Spence tells Natasha that Freddie wants curly hair like Natasha. But then in this book, Freddie has frizzy, red-gold hair. It bugged the heck out of me. It just wasn't Freddie. That was the only thing about the book I disliked. Otherwise, I loved it.
June 27, 2020
Reseña completa en mi blog: https://elsentirdeunlibro.blogspot.co...
January 7, 2022
Waiting for Nick
3 Stars
Freddie Kimball has been in love with Nick LaBreque for as long as she can remember. As a talented lyricist, Freddie seizes the opportunity to work with Nick on his new musical project. She is determined to convince him that she is something more than the younger step-cousin he has always seen her as.
While Freddie's strength and determination to fulfill her dreams whether they be personal or professional are charming, she can also be quite manipulative, and this only serves to undermine her appeal.
Nick is also a problematic hero. His selfish and immature tendencies were apparent in Rachel and Zack's book, and they have only become more annoying in his own story.
Despite these issues, they do have great chemistry and their bickering and banter is entertaining.
As always, the cameo appearances by the other Stanislaski's are wonderful and characters from one of Nora's earlier series, The O'Hurley's, also play a role in the story. I have not yet read any of these, but am intrigued by the pairings and will get to them during my ongoing read of Nora's backlist.
Overall, not the strongest installment in the series, but it has its moments.
3 Stars
Freddie Kimball has been in love with Nick LaBreque for as long as she can remember. As a talented lyricist, Freddie seizes the opportunity to work with Nick on his new musical project. She is determined to convince him that she is something more than the younger step-cousin he has always seen her as.
While Freddie's strength and determination to fulfill her dreams whether they be personal or professional are charming, she can also be quite manipulative, and this only serves to undermine her appeal.
Nick is also a problematic hero. His selfish and immature tendencies were apparent in Rachel and Zack's book, and they have only become more annoying in his own story.
Despite these issues, they do have great chemistry and their bickering and banter is entertaining.
As always, the cameo appearances by the other Stanislaski's are wonderful and characters from one of Nora's earlier series, The O'Hurley's, also play a role in the story. I have not yet read any of these, but am intrigued by the pairings and will get to them during my ongoing read of Nora's backlist.
Overall, not the strongest installment in the series, but it has its moments.
April 19, 2022
This is one of Nora's perfect family categories. The reason it works is that Freddie is a determined, brat, because if she wasn't, she'd be too perfect and it would be annoying and she and Nick wouldn't suit at all. And Nick is just the right combo of surly, protective, and dumb.
March 6, 2020
I am so glad that Nick got his own book! And, Frederica ("Fred"). Of course, you knew it was going to be her! Just adorable. ;)
September 7, 2019
I reread this book for August's TBR Challenge, which is "Kicking It Old School."
The only criteria for 'old school' here was being published 10+ years ago, so that opens up so many possibilities. I had a whole list of books I probably 'should' have read by now or ones I wanted to read, but my library kind of sucks when it comes to availability and there's always a wait list, so honestly I ended up reading this because it's relatively short and it was available.
I am wary about reading or rereading books that are going on 20+ years old now, but I was a Nora Roberts devotee for many years. I don't know why I stopped reading her books. I mean, part of it was probably because I mostly used to read what was available to me, hence having read so much of my grandmother's paperback collection. I also got older and was able to branch out and discover other authors, and I really gravitated more toward historical romance.
A nostalgic part of me still loves Nora Roberts. But I've intentionally left a lot of her books to memory. And some of the ones I have ventured to reread have had mixed results with me.
But unfortunately, this book is dated in other ways, too. Not just the fact that Nick smokes indoors no matter where he is (so gross--I say this as someone who grew up around smokers) or the fact that Ukraine is referred to as 'the Ukraine' (which, uh, wasn't used anymore by the time this book was published so what the hell). There is just something about the style and the tone that I can't connect with at all anymore. But to name the main issues I had with this book:
1) The heroine, Freddie, is extremely hard for me to relate to. I've read plenty of romance novels with well-off or even spoiled heroines with whom I don't relate on that level. But Freddie's pampered lifestyle just makes her come off as very sheltered and immature. It's not that the book never picks up on this--Nick is uncomfortable with some of her overt displays of wealth--but the problem is that Freddie never matures. She ups and moves to NYC, stays in an expensive hotel, has no issue finding a nice one-bedroom apartment, buys whatever furniture she wants, all while chasing her dream to be a songwriter alongside Nick, a Broadway composer. She never has to face concerns that most people her age (having finished college) face moving into the 'real world.' It's irritating and off-putting for me as a reader.
2) The hero, Nick, has this 'treat her like she's a child who can't make her own decisions' complex. Regardless of how immature Freddie came off to me, this made it hard for me to believe their developing relationship, moving from best friends and 'cousins' via marriage, to having a sexual relationship. His issue is also that he doesn't feel he's good enough for her because of his background. I found NR's attempts to write a 'tough' streetwise character who was once in a gang kind of...laughable. I'm not sure if this is something that would be true in other books, but here, it's just awkward and one giant mess of bad stereotypes.
3) There are several descriptions of some of the female characters as 'exotic Gypsies.' Yeah, no. Let's not. It is a racial slur, and writers need to stop using this word in their books. (And 'exotic' while we're at it.)
4) Too many secondary characters appear in this book. I've read this whole series, but it's been a long time, so I found all the names and relationships very confusing. It could presumably be read as a standalone, but the sheer number of secondary characters and their huge family tree was overwhelming. And added to that, characters from her O'Hurley series also appear. It's a shame, because I've always thought one thing NR excelled at were the family sagas. But here, the family weighs the book down.
5) Stylistically, it bothered me that the book shifted POVs so often. This is something I've noticed in her older novels--I don't know if I've just forgotten this is a thing she did (does?) or if I've been unlucky in the few I've chosen--but I can't stand it. I don't mind shifting POV between protagonists, but from literally one paragraph to the next, you'll have a different character's POV. It's clunky and confusing.
I'm sad to say this book, and the rest of the series, are being moved to my 'do not read again' pile.
The only criteria for 'old school' here was being published 10+ years ago, so that opens up so many possibilities. I had a whole list of books I probably 'should' have read by now or ones I wanted to read, but my library kind of sucks when it comes to availability and there's always a wait list, so honestly I ended up reading this because it's relatively short and it was available.
I am wary about reading or rereading books that are going on 20+ years old now, but I was a Nora Roberts devotee for many years. I don't know why I stopped reading her books. I mean, part of it was probably because I mostly used to read what was available to me, hence having read so much of my grandmother's paperback collection. I also got older and was able to branch out and discover other authors, and I really gravitated more toward historical romance.
A nostalgic part of me still loves Nora Roberts. But I've intentionally left a lot of her books to memory. And some of the ones I have ventured to reread have had mixed results with me.
But unfortunately, this book is dated in other ways, too. Not just the fact that Nick smokes indoors no matter where he is (so gross--I say this as someone who grew up around smokers) or the fact that Ukraine is referred to as 'the Ukraine' (which, uh, wasn't used anymore by the time this book was published so what the hell). There is just something about the style and the tone that I can't connect with at all anymore. But to name the main issues I had with this book:
1) The heroine, Freddie, is extremely hard for me to relate to. I've read plenty of romance novels with well-off or even spoiled heroines with whom I don't relate on that level. But Freddie's pampered lifestyle just makes her come off as very sheltered and immature. It's not that the book never picks up on this--Nick is uncomfortable with some of her overt displays of wealth--but the problem is that Freddie never matures. She ups and moves to NYC, stays in an expensive hotel, has no issue finding a nice one-bedroom apartment, buys whatever furniture she wants, all while chasing her dream to be a songwriter alongside Nick, a Broadway composer. She never has to face concerns that most people her age (having finished college) face moving into the 'real world.' It's irritating and off-putting for me as a reader.
2) The hero, Nick, has this 'treat her like she's a child who can't make her own decisions' complex. Regardless of how immature Freddie came off to me, this made it hard for me to believe their developing relationship, moving from best friends and 'cousins' via marriage, to having a sexual relationship. His issue is also that he doesn't feel he's good enough for her because of his background. I found NR's attempts to write a 'tough' streetwise character who was once in a gang kind of...laughable. I'm not sure if this is something that would be true in other books, but here, it's just awkward and one giant mess of bad stereotypes.
3) There are several descriptions of some of the female characters as 'exotic Gypsies.' Yeah, no. Let's not. It is a racial slur, and writers need to stop using this word in their books. (And 'exotic' while we're at it.)
4) Too many secondary characters appear in this book. I've read this whole series, but it's been a long time, so I found all the names and relationships very confusing. It could presumably be read as a standalone, but the sheer number of secondary characters and their huge family tree was overwhelming. And added to that, characters from her O'Hurley series also appear. It's a shame, because I've always thought one thing NR excelled at were the family sagas. But here, the family weighs the book down.
5) Stylistically, it bothered me that the book shifted POVs so often. This is something I've noticed in her older novels--I don't know if I've just forgotten this is a thing she did (does?) or if I've been unlucky in the few I've chosen--but I can't stand it. I don't mind shifting POV between protagonists, but from literally one paragraph to the next, you'll have a different character's POV. It's clunky and confusing.
I'm sad to say this book, and the rest of the series, are being moved to my 'do not read again' pile.
March 24, 2016
Not too long ago I posted a Top Ten Tuesday about my favorite books featuring musicians. And in that post, I mentioned Waiting for Nick by Nora Roberts, part of The Stanislaski series written quite a few years ago. And naturally, I just had to re-read Waiting for Nick and loved every minute of it.
Nick LeBeck is a composer for Broadway. He's successful, but he's had a troubled past (which you can learn about in Falling for Rachel), and has quite a chip on his shoulder because of his past. Nick's step brother, Zach, married Rachel Stanislaski years ago, and brought the Stanislaskis into Nick's life. Which is how he met Freddie (Frederica), who is the step daughter of Rachel's sister. It's odd, but it doesn't feel gross in the story. They are not related in the least.
I love Freddie. Freddie moves to New York with a very specific plan. She's had a happy life growing up. Her father is a famous composer, and Freddie is now determined to make it in the industry as a lyricist. And she wants to work with Nick. And maybe she wants more with Nick. Freddie's determination is really admirable. But as much as she wants to get together with Nick, she's not obnoxious about it. And she also doesn't let Nick walk over her.
Nick is an interesting guy, and I do really like him. He loves the Stanislaskis so much, and thus, he tries to push his attraction to Freddie away (because he doesn't feel good enough for her). But that doesn't really work. Sometimes Nick can be a bit mean, but he isn't afraid of apologizing. And I was SOOOO rooting for Freddie and Nick to get together.
There are a few signs that Waiting for Nick is a bit dated. The biggest one is that Nick, the hero of the novel, is a smoker. I can't think of one romance written in the last 10 years (maybe more) where the hero or heroine is a smoker. But besides that, Waiting for Nick is a fantastic contemporary romance read. It's filled with a lovable heroine, a tough, but sweet hero, and a loving family that you can't help want to be a part of.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
Nick LeBeck is a composer for Broadway. He's successful, but he's had a troubled past (which you can learn about in Falling for Rachel), and has quite a chip on his shoulder because of his past. Nick's step brother, Zach, married Rachel Stanislaski years ago, and brought the Stanislaskis into Nick's life. Which is how he met Freddie (Frederica), who is the step daughter of Rachel's sister. It's odd, but it doesn't feel gross in the story. They are not related in the least.
I love Freddie. Freddie moves to New York with a very specific plan. She's had a happy life growing up. Her father is a famous composer, and Freddie is now determined to make it in the industry as a lyricist. And she wants to work with Nick. And maybe she wants more with Nick. Freddie's determination is really admirable. But as much as she wants to get together with Nick, she's not obnoxious about it. And she also doesn't let Nick walk over her.
Nick is an interesting guy, and I do really like him. He loves the Stanislaskis so much, and thus, he tries to push his attraction to Freddie away (because he doesn't feel good enough for her). But that doesn't really work. Sometimes Nick can be a bit mean, but he isn't afraid of apologizing. And I was SOOOO rooting for Freddie and Nick to get together.
There are a few signs that Waiting for Nick is a bit dated. The biggest one is that Nick, the hero of the novel, is a smoker. I can't think of one romance written in the last 10 years (maybe more) where the hero or heroine is a smoker. But besides that, Waiting for Nick is a fantastic contemporary romance read. It's filled with a lovable heroine, a tough, but sweet hero, and a loving family that you can't help want to be a part of.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook
August 14, 2018
3.5 stars. It was good; could have been a lot better if Freddie wasn't so immature and such a weird manipulating/stalker. She wasn't all bad, and I appreciated that throughout she was always giving Nick time and wasn't being pushy in that sense, but she was a bit over-the-top and some of her volatile reactions and actions seemed more like those of a 17- or 18-year-old, not a 25-year-old.
Nick overall was great; I always love the reformed bad boy (who doesn't?!). He also could have been more mature in terms of giving her praise for the work she was doing and her contributions to the score, as opposed to being withholding and sometimes petty. They both did that though, with Freddie once or twice saying surprisingly mean things to him. The plot ploy of the last barrier was legitimate in this instance, and so well-done; .
Nick overall was great; I always love the reformed bad boy (who doesn't?!). He also could have been more mature in terms of giving her praise for the work she was doing and her contributions to the score, as opposed to being withholding and sometimes petty. They both did that though, with Freddie once or twice saying surprisingly mean things to him. The plot ploy of the last barrier was legitimate in this instance, and so well-done; .
December 26, 2011
Rating 3.5
I enjoyed this quite a bit, we met Nick when he was a teenage delinquent but now he's grown up and a composer and so is Freddie( the adorable six year old in Taming Natasha), who has been in love with him since forever. She moves to New York with a plan to make Nick fall for her, he's a composer and she a lyricist and she wants to make him see her as a woman, and Nick fights hard not to but ends up falling anyways. But Nick still carries a lot of baggage from his old days and messes up, trying to not confront his feelings but he does at the end. Freddie was pretty great, responsible, sweet and knew how to stand up for herself.
I loved catching up on the other family members as well and their brood.
I enjoyed this quite a bit, we met Nick when he was a teenage delinquent but now he's grown up and a composer and so is Freddie( the adorable six year old in Taming Natasha), who has been in love with him since forever. She moves to New York with a plan to make Nick fall for her, he's a composer and she a lyricist and she wants to make him see her as a woman, and Nick fights hard not to but ends up falling anyways. But Nick still carries a lot of baggage from his old days and messes up, trying to not confront his feelings but he does at the end. Freddie was pretty great, responsible, sweet and knew how to stand up for herself.
I loved catching up on the other family members as well and their brood.
October 5, 2013
The whole "kissing cousins" thing got to me. The fact they were cousins - regardless of half, step, partial, whatever...they were referred to as cousins and it bothered me. I stuck it out because I really try to finish the books I start. Removing the cousins, the story was just okay.
March 8, 2023
É tentador sentar aqui e listar todas as questões dos livros da Nora Roberts, especialmente em hindsight. Mas ela é tão boa com conflitos de terceiro ato!!!!! Eu nunca vou deixar de amar.
December 24, 2018
A book/series of Roberts that I read a lot as a teen, and re-reading now I can say it remains overall an enjoyable read.
In this book Roberts gives us Nick LeBeck and Frederica (Freddie) Kimball. Nick I really, really liked as a character and he and Freddie overall work as a couple. As characters they come from different backgrounds, having to distinctly different pasts, Nick has an understanding/awareness of the world which is not as rosy as Freddie's - in part due to her privileged and cosseted childhood and his troubled teenage years.
Freddie, I liked as a character, but she is a heroine that lives in a bubble shaped by a life of privilege and wealth, so I didn’t find myself able to relate to her in certain ways, but luckily, she never comes across as horribly obnoxious and I liked her determination.
Reading this now, there are parts of the book which feel dated, but it remains a good read.
In this book Roberts gives us Nick LeBeck and Frederica (Freddie) Kimball. Nick I really, really liked as a character and he and Freddie overall work as a couple. As characters they come from different backgrounds, having to distinctly different pasts, Nick has an understanding/awareness of the world which is not as rosy as Freddie's - in part due to her privileged and cosseted childhood and his troubled teenage years.
Freddie, I liked as a character, but she is a heroine that lives in a bubble shaped by a life of privilege and wealth, so I didn’t find myself able to relate to her in certain ways, but luckily, she never comes across as horribly obnoxious and I liked her determination.
Reading this now, there are parts of the book which feel dated, but it remains a good read.
January 21, 2020
Книга за една жена, която е отчаяно влюбена в приятеля от детството си. Но това не е просто едно увлечение. А чувство, което пази в сърцето си от 15-годишна.
Той е бивш уличен хулиган, участвал в най-страшните криминални банди.
И какво става след като мъжът, когото обичаш не те иска до себе си, само и само да те предпази от този живот на постоянна опасност. Тя знае, че той е далеч от тези неща вече, но ще може ли да го убеди в това? ❤
Той е бивш уличен хулиган, участвал в най-страшните криминални банди.
И какво става след като мъжът, когото обичаш не те иска до себе си, само и само да те предпази от този живот на постоянна опасност. Тя знае, че той е далеч от тези неща вече, но ще може ли да го убеди в това? ❤
January 29, 2015
Gosto imenso deste casal! Um bom livro - aliás a série é toda muito gira!
Read
February 7, 2017/reread/
August 15, 2019
An entertaining read but I think not the best by NR.
An unrequited love story: a quirky/sassy h in pursuit of a (former but not too much) bad boy.
He fights against the attraction for her with no chance of success...
There is humor, chemistry and a decent background story: they become business associates as composer/lyricist for a new musical.
I did not read the other stories in the series so I could not fully appreciate the hints to other
characters' stories in the mix.
Unfortunately I expected something more - but a decent read, anyway.
An unrequited love story: a quirky/sassy h in pursuit of a (former but not too much) bad boy.
He fights against the attraction for her with no chance of success...
There is humor, chemistry and a decent background story: they become business associates as composer/lyricist for a new musical.
I did not read the other stories in the series so I could not fully appreciate the hints to other
characters' stories in the mix.
Unfortunately I expected something more - but a decent read, anyway.
July 9, 2023
wasn’t a fan of this book. if the next one is going to be as disappointing as this one, then the series picked with the first generation of stanislaskis.
the majority of the book was frustrating and painful to read. i was afraid freddie would get hurt when nick eventually rejected her.
the majority of the book was frustrating and painful to read. i was afraid freddie would get hurt when nick eventually rejected her.
“But he hadn’t held her. Not the way she so desperately needed him to.
She wondered if he ever would.”
March 26, 2025
⭐⭐💫
El más flojo de la saga,o tal vez yo esta esperando mucho más. Porque desde que me presentaron a Nicolas en el tercer libro,y su interacción con Federica.,deduje que iba a ver un libro dedicado a ellos.
Pero a la historia le falto profundidad,es decir para el personaje de Nicolas que hubiera pasado 10 años no simbolizo nada. Seguía con los mismos traumas de la primera vez que lo vimos.
El más flojo de la saga,o tal vez yo esta esperando mucho más. Porque desde que me presentaron a Nicolas en el tercer libro,y su interacción con Federica.,deduje que iba a ver un libro dedicado a ellos.
Pero a la historia le falto profundidad,es decir para el personaje de Nicolas que hubiera pasado 10 años no simbolizo nada. Seguía con los mismos traumas de la primera vez que lo vimos.
February 18, 2018
Good as always
It was great to see Nick and Freddie together in this book. I was happy to see how well Nick had grown up. I was worried about him after Zack and Rachel's story unfolded.
It was great to see Nick and Freddie together in this book. I was happy to see how well Nick had grown up. I was worried about him after Zack and Rachel's story unfolded.
April 14, 2023
My beautiful late nan owned every single one of Nora’s books.
So when she moved in with us for her last few years we spent the time reading our way through every single one together.
Granted they are not the type of books I like to read, but they were still really good and sweet.
So when she moved in with us for her last few years we spent the time reading our way through every single one together.
Granted they are not the type of books I like to read, but they were still really good and sweet.
September 27, 2018
I think this is in a dead-heat tie with Convincing Alex for being my least favorite of the series, and I think I can thank the heroine for this one too. Freddie Kimball, the adorable child from the first book in the series, is now a 24-year-old and has been crushing on Nick LeBeck (the delinquent from the 3rd book) since she was 14. She is finally ready to move to New York, steamroll him into being her music-writing partner which will put them in perfectly close proximity so she can begin to seduce him into loving her. She's determined to make him see her as a desirable woman, rather than a needy little cousin. To some degree she succeeds, but Nick has had a rough live and once it touches Freddie's life, the guilt sets in. He wants to protect her and he doesn't want to hurt the only family that has ever shown him love.
Ugh. The virgin heroine who has puppy loved the hero since she was 14 and has now planned out their life together. All she has to do is get the hero to fall in love with her. I guess I always look at girls and guys like this as pushy...there's going after what you want and then there’s planning it out as if it’s already happened. Freddie has pretty much already named hers and Nick’s kids before they’ve even kissed. And I kinda don’t get where the confidence is coming from because they’re cousins (not blood-related or anything) and they’ve always treated each other as such. I think a lot of this comes from immaturity - Freddie is a really immature character who seems to be play-acting at maturity. I mean, their night out at the restaurant..she takes Nick out to a fancy restaurant (when he’d rather not dress up and go some place less formal), not because she wants to make HIM happy, but because she wants to flaunt her wealth and elegance...look at me, I’m drinking wine...see how mature I am? She’s doing her best to show off her sophistication and maturity, but it ends up having the opposite effect and she comes across as juvenile. And this doesn’t really change...I don’t feel like she ever ACTUALLY matures. This is evident when she has her tantrum there at the end and storms off back home and unloads on Nick's sister-in-law...um, no, find a neutral party, otherwise you risk his relationship with that person. We see it too when she gets icy-cold and all butthurt when she found out that Nick had a date and he’d told the woman about his young little cousin. She throws a tantrum because the guy she wants to marry (not that he knows that yet) has a girlfriend and still treats her like the immature girl she is. You don’t get to go after someone, try to seduce them and then get upset when that person is already involved with someone (whether it was true or not). Freddie was awfully pushy and presumptuous...and because she went in like that, I kind of wanted her to fail. She was borderline arrogant about being able to get Nick and I didn’t like it much. I didn’t connect to her and didn’t really route for her. Girl needed some life lessons so she could grow up some more.
Now Nick, the former bad boy (who was NEVER actually bad, just hurt and confused and susceptible to peer pressure), is awfully confused about feeling sexual urges for Freddie but still not able to let go fo the “she’s just a kid” thoughts in his mind. Not only that but jumping into bed with a “family member” when you were a late arrival to said family and the absolute shit storm that would create if he messed things up are a pretty valid deterrent to avoiding that action (not that Freddie EVER gave any thought to Nick’s position or what he stood to lose). Nick had absolutely no one to love him until the Stanislaski's entered his life and they were the first people to accept him...so to risk making them mad or giving them a reason to push him away would be crazy for him to do. I didn’t really blame him for trying to keep Freddie in her box. And we see evidence of just this after he’s broken things off and Rachel, his sister-in-law, takes sides and comes and chews him out. Funny she doesn’t want to hear his side of things, just gotta tell him he’s wrong and that Freddie scheming to make him fall in love with her is “flattering” not creepy. Add to that, you’ve got Nick being uncomfortable with money and equating it to worth, so he doesn’t feel worthy of Freddie anyway and his life touches some really bad, shady people that could (and already were) dangerous to Freddie. He has worries...I don’t like the dump-you-to-be-noble stuff, but I kind of felt for him. Freddie I didn’t feel sorry for at all. But maybe that’s because I was determined not to like Freddie by that point, so I was majorly biased towards seeing Nick’s side of things. Let’s hope the last one in this series is a significant improvement over the last two and that I can continue to keep all these characters straight. All the original siblings have kids now and I’m getting confused by all the names! And then you add in the O'Hurley crossover in this story and I was in over my head.
Ugh. The virgin heroine who has puppy loved the hero since she was 14 and has now planned out their life together. All she has to do is get the hero to fall in love with her. I guess I always look at girls and guys like this as pushy...there's going after what you want and then there’s planning it out as if it’s already happened. Freddie has pretty much already named hers and Nick’s kids before they’ve even kissed. And I kinda don’t get where the confidence is coming from because they’re cousins (not blood-related or anything) and they’ve always treated each other as such. I think a lot of this comes from immaturity - Freddie is a really immature character who seems to be play-acting at maturity. I mean, their night out at the restaurant..she takes Nick out to a fancy restaurant (when he’d rather not dress up and go some place less formal), not because she wants to make HIM happy, but because she wants to flaunt her wealth and elegance...look at me, I’m drinking wine...see how mature I am? She’s doing her best to show off her sophistication and maturity, but it ends up having the opposite effect and she comes across as juvenile. And this doesn’t really change...I don’t feel like she ever ACTUALLY matures. This is evident when she has her tantrum there at the end and storms off back home and unloads on Nick's sister-in-law...um, no, find a neutral party, otherwise you risk his relationship with that person. We see it too when she gets icy-cold and all butthurt when she found out that Nick had a date and he’d told the woman about his young little cousin. She throws a tantrum because the guy she wants to marry (not that he knows that yet) has a girlfriend and still treats her like the immature girl she is. You don’t get to go after someone, try to seduce them and then get upset when that person is already involved with someone (whether it was true or not). Freddie was awfully pushy and presumptuous...and because she went in like that, I kind of wanted her to fail. She was borderline arrogant about being able to get Nick and I didn’t like it much. I didn’t connect to her and didn’t really route for her. Girl needed some life lessons so she could grow up some more.
Now Nick, the former bad boy (who was NEVER actually bad, just hurt and confused and susceptible to peer pressure), is awfully confused about feeling sexual urges for Freddie but still not able to let go fo the “she’s just a kid” thoughts in his mind. Not only that but jumping into bed with a “family member” when you were a late arrival to said family and the absolute shit storm that would create if he messed things up are a pretty valid deterrent to avoiding that action (not that Freddie EVER gave any thought to Nick’s position or what he stood to lose). Nick had absolutely no one to love him until the Stanislaski's entered his life and they were the first people to accept him...so to risk making them mad or giving them a reason to push him away would be crazy for him to do. I didn’t really blame him for trying to keep Freddie in her box. And we see evidence of just this after he’s broken things off and Rachel, his sister-in-law, takes sides and comes and chews him out. Funny she doesn’t want to hear his side of things, just gotta tell him he’s wrong and that Freddie scheming to make him fall in love with her is “flattering” not creepy. Add to that, you’ve got Nick being uncomfortable with money and equating it to worth, so he doesn’t feel worthy of Freddie anyway and his life touches some really bad, shady people that could (and already were) dangerous to Freddie. He has worries...I don’t like the dump-you-to-be-noble stuff, but I kind of felt for him. Freddie I didn’t feel sorry for at all. But maybe that’s because I was determined not to like Freddie by that point, so I was majorly biased towards seeing Nick’s side of things. Let’s hope the last one in this series is a significant improvement over the last two and that I can continue to keep all these characters straight. All the original siblings have kids now and I’m getting confused by all the names! And then you add in the O'Hurley crossover in this story and I was in over my head.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2025
I gave it a three only because I like the series. This book felt more like an update than a storyline.
Nora has definitely developed as a writer :)
Nora has definitely developed as a writer :)
April 1, 2020
I had a tough time getting into this book. I didn’t really fall in love with the characters.
June 3, 2021
A handful of years after Convincing Alex, Nora picks her Stanislaski family series back up with Nick and Freddie's love story in Waiting for Nick. Freddie Kimball is moving to New York City with a plan. She’s going to convince Nick LeBeck to, first, take her on as his music writing partner and, second, to fall in love with her. Freddie has been in love with Nick for years, and she’s ready for him to see it too. Nick has been desperately ignoring his secret desires for Freddie for years, and the close proximity is making him jumpy and edgy. He keeps pushing her away, but eventually the dam breaks. Nick starts to realize how much Freddie means to him, but just before he’s about to confess his love, his past walks in the door. If you've read the other Stanislaski books, you can't help but love this one as you've already watched these two characters grow up. Highly recommend! To hear a full discussion of Waiting for Nick listen to Season 3, Ep. #5 "Nora Roberts: Stanislaskis Part 3" of Romancing the Shelf, a Nora Roberts podcast: https://romancingtheshelf.libsyn.com/
December 30, 2022
The hero is a smoker
The heroine, 24-year-old Freddie, and the hero, 30-year-old Nick, are both extremely musically talented. Freddie has been madly in love with Nick and determined to marry him someday ever since she was 13 and he was 19. They initially met, and have known each other for 11 years, due to the fact that his stepbrother and her father both married a Stanislaski sibling. The forced proximity trope that brings Freddie and Nick together in this “friends become lovers” story is that the two of them collaborate, her as the lyricist and he as the composer, on a score for a Broadway play.
At the point that this book was published in 1997, New York City had not yet amended the Smoke Free Air Act of 1988 to include banning smoking in restaurants and bars, which did not happen until 2002. Along with the lack of cell phones and the Internet, it really dates this story that Nick lights up a cigarette in a restaurant and at the bar that he helps run for his stepbrother—which is also constantly filled with smoke from the customers.
In addition to smoking, Nick also lives like a pig in the apartment above the bar, which has accumulated a decade of debris by the time of this story. It is hard to credit that the obsessively clean and tidy Freddie could stand to spend up to 10 hours every day in his apartment working together, or tolerate how bad he smells and how his mouth must taste like an ashtray whenever she kisses him. Not only that, their first sexual encounter—and the loss of her virginity, no less—occurs in his bed, on sheets that haven’t been changed since who knows when. Ugh.
The heroine, 24-year-old Freddie, and the hero, 30-year-old Nick, are both extremely musically talented. Freddie has been madly in love with Nick and determined to marry him someday ever since she was 13 and he was 19. They initially met, and have known each other for 11 years, due to the fact that his stepbrother and her father both married a Stanislaski sibling. The forced proximity trope that brings Freddie and Nick together in this “friends become lovers” story is that the two of them collaborate, her as the lyricist and he as the composer, on a score for a Broadway play.
At the point that this book was published in 1997, New York City had not yet amended the Smoke Free Air Act of 1988 to include banning smoking in restaurants and bars, which did not happen until 2002. Along with the lack of cell phones and the Internet, it really dates this story that Nick lights up a cigarette in a restaurant and at the bar that he helps run for his stepbrother—which is also constantly filled with smoke from the customers.
In addition to smoking, Nick also lives like a pig in the apartment above the bar, which has accumulated a decade of debris by the time of this story. It is hard to credit that the obsessively clean and tidy Freddie could stand to spend up to 10 hours every day in his apartment working together, or tolerate how bad he smells and how his mouth must taste like an ashtray whenever she kisses him. Not only that, their first sexual encounter—and the loss of her virginity, no less—occurs in his bed, on sheets that haven’t been changed since who knows when. Ugh.
May 15, 2016
Waiting For Nick is one of the Stanislawski Family series by Nora Roberts. As usual, Nora has made the characters and incidents flow logically and clearly.
Frederica (Freddie) Kimball always knew what she wanted and knew how to go about getting it- Usually she was successful. This time she has her work cut out. She is in New York City around relatives to again meet up with her cousin-by-marriage Nick Stanislawski. She wants to collaborate with him on the score of the newest film he is working. She wants him to fall in love with her in his spare time. Is it too much to ask that her wishes be granted?
Nick Stanislowski is a bartender and piano player by night and a writer after he wakes up the next morning. He writes music for stage productions and usually works with a lyricist to add words. His lyricist is not available for this work. He desperately needs someone to work with. Freddie is more than capable of doing the job, in fact, she is inspiring. However, the feelings that seem to come from nowhere are beginning to run his life for him. He is fighting it all the way.
Will he manage to stay a step ahead of Freddie.
Frederica (Freddie) Kimball always knew what she wanted and knew how to go about getting it- Usually she was successful. This time she has her work cut out. She is in New York City around relatives to again meet up with her cousin-by-marriage Nick Stanislawski. She wants to collaborate with him on the score of the newest film he is working. She wants him to fall in love with her in his spare time. Is it too much to ask that her wishes be granted?
Nick Stanislowski is a bartender and piano player by night and a writer after he wakes up the next morning. He writes music for stage productions and usually works with a lyricist to add words. His lyricist is not available for this work. He desperately needs someone to work with. Freddie is more than capable of doing the job, in fact, she is inspiring. However, the feelings that seem to come from nowhere are beginning to run his life for him. He is fighting it all the way.
Will he manage to stay a step ahead of Freddie.
January 23, 2011
Loved it, I'm a fan of the stanislaski series, Alex and Bess's story was my first ever romance novel! <3 (yes. i felt the need to punctuate that with a totally cheesy unnecessary heart:D)
Generally, if you've read the previous stories, then i have to admit it follows the same formula. Freddie was an interesting heroine, and Nick was your average angsty male protagonist. Actually, i think the auther put more into freddie's character than Nick's, but maybe because she figured out we'd already been introduced to him in an earlier book?
I also felt like the ending was rushed, and *spoiler alert!though it really isn't if you read previous books from this series* Nora Roberts, not every Stanislaski hook-up needs to end with a ring, it's okay if we're left with the prospect of marriage, we know it going to be happily ever after!
All in all, I enjoyed this story enough to end up with a smile at the end of it.
Eh, romance novels. My guilty stash of non-ending happiness. almost like choclate, even!
Generally, if you've read the previous stories, then i have to admit it follows the same formula. Freddie was an interesting heroine, and Nick was your average angsty male protagonist. Actually, i think the auther put more into freddie's character than Nick's, but maybe because she figured out we'd already been introduced to him in an earlier book?
I also felt like the ending was rushed, and *spoiler alert!though it really isn't if you read previous books from this series* Nora Roberts, not every Stanislaski hook-up needs to end with a ring, it's okay if we're left with the prospect of marriage, we know it going to be happily ever after!
All in all, I enjoyed this story enough to end up with a smile at the end of it.
Eh, romance novels. My guilty stash of non-ending happiness. almost like choclate, even!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews