I am in the mood to review this morning and as I sit in the reading room I have a direct line to my book shelf that holds my all time favorites.  Before I blogged, I used to journal everything I read.  I have years worth of notes in three ring binders.  Eventually I hope to transfer them here…. ~ Sheila

Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts:

Leaving you spellbound every step of the way, bestselling author Nora Roberts takes you to Three Sisters Island, where a fabled lighthouse beckons three young women to seek their true destinies.

Meet Mia, Nell and Ripley, all witches, and the enchanting descendants of the island’s founding trio. Nell has just found a new love with Zack Todd; but she’s haunted by her abusive husband, Evan, the man she fled from eight months ago. With the help of her “charmed” confidantes, Mia and Ripley, will Nell be able to stop Evan from destroying the happiness she’s finally found?

My thoughts:  This book will always hold a special place in my heart.  It is the book that started The Bookies Book Club in August 2001.  At the time I had not branched out into a lot of new authors (thus the book club) and so Nora seemed safe for a start.  I have to tell you, this is not your typical Nora Roberts book.  The story line is fantastic!  I love our three characters – Nell, Ripley, and Mia.  This book is about Nell and the abusive husband she finds a way to leave… at least she believes she has.  Nell escapes to the Three Sisters Island where whe meets the strong willed Ripley who works at the ploice station and the magnificent Mia who owns the local book store and coffee shop.

These three together have a bond that Nell knows nothing about, Ripley denies with a vengence,and Mia feels to her core that they are the three sisters of the island.

Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts (book 2)

Ripley Todd just wants to live a quiet, peaceful kind of life. Her job as a sheriff’s deputy keeps her busy and happy, and she has no trouble finding men when she wants them-which, lately, isn’t all that often. She’s perfectly content, except for one thing: she has special powers that both frighten and confuse her-and though she tries hard to hide them, she can’t get them under control….

Distraction soon arrives in the handsome form of MacAllister Booke-a researcher who’s come to investigate the rumors of witchcraft that haunt Three Sisters Island. Right from the start, he knows there’s something extraordinary about Ripley Todd. It’s not just her blazing green eyes and her sultry smile. There’s something else. Something he can detect, but she’ll never admit. Fascinated by her struggle with her amazing abilities, he becomes determined to help her accept who she is-and find the courage to open her heart.

But before Ripley and Mac can dream of what lies in the future, they must confront the pain of the past. For Three Sisters shelters centuries of secrets-and a legacy of danger that plagues them still….

My Thoughts:  This book is centered around Riley.  I love how Nora Roberts trilogys take one character for each book and focuses on them.  Riley is strong and independent and hates the heritage of the abilities she caries within her.  She fights it and ignores it all all times.  I like that too as Nell comes to the island not knowing she is anything special, and Mia embraces the powers.  While Ripley is my least favorite of the three , I have to admire her strength and love her in dependency.

Face The Fire by Nora Roberts (book 3)

After being abandoned by her lover 12 years before, white witch Mia Devlin has developed a charming bookstore and cafe, a spectacular garden and a close circle of friends, all of whom share her involvement in the Craft. Only an age-old curse mars Mia’s idyllic existence and threatens the future of the island itself. Then her former flame, Sam Logan himself a witch returns to the island, determined to win Mia back.

My thoughts:  This description of the third book does not do it justice.  In this book, centered around Mia, the three women must battle together to not only save the Island, but their very lives.  As Nora Roberts takes this final installment and skillfully wraps it all into a masterpiece I found myself not wanting it to end.

I wondered if it was possible to want these women as friends or if I had just had my nose buried in a book too long?  I would love to own a coffee shop like Mia on a great little island that brings in tourists in the summer but is quiet inthe winter.  I have actually considered through the years dropping an email to Nora asking her to bring them back.  They were young… there is more that could be told…

If you have not had the opportunity – I highly recommend these books.  If you are not a Nora Roberts fan, let it be known, I really am not either.  These books however are not her usual writing style and I think you may be surprised on what you find.

If you have read these, please share your thoughts.  If you have not and decide too, come back and let me know what you thought.  I stand by this one – these are great summer reads.

These books are from my personal library, I have had them for years

My rating for these books is PG