Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island Trilogy # 3) by Nora Roberts

Face the Fire was a great conclusion to what has been a highly entertaining series. The story, the setting, the characters... I loved every piece of these books.

Mia is a really intriguing character. I love how Roberts was able to portray her as an infallibly strong and confident character in the first two books, and then realistically show the reader her weaknesses when it came time to tell her story. It made her seem more real, and yet never weak. Plus, the fact that she, a) owns a bookstore, b) lives on a quaint little island, c) has a house and gardens over looking the sea, and d) has an incredible shoe selection means that I basically want to be her. It's like my dream life.

Sam was just delicious. His desire for Mia and the way that he knew her, even after all that time, was just about the sexiest thing I've ever read about. Their connection was palpable.

One of my favorite parts about this series, was how Roberts wrote the relationship between the characters that were not involved romantically. I loved the scenes between Mia and Mac, or Nell and Sam. It was a great way to drive the group bond home.

Face the Fire definitely had a much stronger paranormal feel than the first two books. Where they dealt with evil in human form, this took more imagination. It was certainly creepy and may have caused one small nightmare during my read through.

I wish that there was a way for me to peek into the future of these characters just to see how it all turns our for them. I really enjoyed this series and look forward to another NR book soon.

Heaven and Earth (Three Sisters Island Trilogy, book # 2)

After really enjoying Dance Upon Air, I was excited to dive back into the World of Three Sisters Island and the lives of its characters. Even though I had just finished Nell and Zack's story, I was excited to see how Ripley's part played out, because she had been such an independent and spirited character in the first installment.

When the story started, I was hooked immediately. Geeky and clumsy Mac had me intrigued from the beginning and I loved him right through the entire book. I think he was the perfect, calming, rational yin to Ripley's yang.

I have to say that my enjoyment of the book faltered in the later chapters due to Ripley. My patience for her attitude and arrogance started to wear thin and she really began to annoy me. Her back and forth feelings about her powers started to get old. I hope that in the next installment, she's a little more at peace with them.

My only other wish for the book is that we got a little more of that small-town, cutesy island feel. I really adore the setting and would like to read more about it.... have it remain an integral part of the book.

But at the end I can say that I truly did enjoy the book, even if not quite as much as the first, and I am excited to finally hear Mia's story. In my opinion, it has the potential to be the best of them all.

Dance Upon Air by Nora Roberts (Three Sisters Trilogy Book # 1)

Whenever I need a quick read that can carry me through a rainy weekend or a bout of sickness.... Nora Roberts comes through. I can always count on her to write something that will keep me entertained and that's hard to put down. Dance Upon Air was no exception. Roberts crafted a charming, yet mysterious setting, likable characters and a storyline that grabbed me right from the beginning.

I think I was even more drawn to this story than some of her others given that I have a long harboured desire to live on a tiny island (hence my recent attempt to transfer to the University of Prince Edward Island) so I could easily imagine the settings as they were described, the little cottage, the house on the cliffs.... all of it is what I want someday.

I've always had a little fascination with Witchcraft as well, so I found many of those aspects very interesting. Roberts wrote about them in such a way that they didn't overshadow the story or throw it into the "fantasy" genre. I felt it was basically a romantic suspense, with a little paranormal thrown in for good measure.

I especially liked the conflict in this story. The abused wife on the run, taking her life back and finding happiness is a plot that I love to read.

Was it a great work of literary fiction? No. Was it predictable as all romances are? Yes. Did I love reading it anyway? Absolutely. I'm already working on the second book in the series and can't wait to spend some quality time with it.