Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Terrific Romance with a Dose of Paranormal
In this, the second installment of the Three Sisters Island trilogy, Ms. Roberts has once again hit the jackpot in this clever mix of romance, wit, and witchcraft. Deputy Ripley Todd was a little irritated. Outsider MacAllister Booke had just rented Mia Devlin's yellow cottage for the duration of his stay on Three Sisters Island, off the coast of Massachusetts. Bad enough that Ripley wanted to rent the cottage to escape her home and newlywed brother, Zack, and his likeable wife, Nell. But Mac is visiting to conduct research on witchcraft and its history on the island. As legend would have it, three witches who separated it from the mainland created Three Sisters Island. Nell, Ripley, and Mia are descendants of the original three, only Ripley shows great disdain for the power she was born with. In a crafty mix of the paranormal complete with visions and dreams of the past, Ripley comes face to face with her ancestor and senses a dark force that could destroy all that she holds dear. As the romance between the bookish Mac and Ripley builds, she is forced to let down some of her tough gal defenses and learns to trust him and their love. And the steamy love scenes will melt the pages as Ripley's supernatural powers take her attraction to Mac to a whole new level. Only time will tell if Ripley will join forces with her fellow sisters, Mia and Nell, to bind together and repel the evil that threatens to destroy them as it did their predecessors. Fascinating characters, a picturesque seaside town, and paranormal events form the foundation in this riveting read. Even the romance reader not enamored of the supernatural will find the allure in this latest from Ms. Roberts, who just keeps getting better and better.
Rating:  - Not impressed
Being a fan of Nora Roberts, I was very excited when I found the first installment of this trilogy at a book exchange. After devouring Dance Upon Air, I could hardly wait for the second book. I expected more of the elements that made the first book so great: good plot, likable characters, a bit of mystery and a lot of romance.
Although the plot is fine, the novel fell short of my high expectations. The main character, Ripley Todd, is too obnoxious and difficult for the reader to become attached to (you wonder how a man as wonderful as Dr. Booke can fall for her), and the build-up to the end is a bit confusing.
Make sure you read Dance Upon Air before picking up this book, otherwise there will be some loose ends regarding the paranormal story line and secondary characters Nell and Zack Todd.
The book is readable and entertaining, but not Nora Roberts at her best. However, I will eagerly await the final installment and hope for more of the magic she spun in the first book!
Rating:  - A page-turner, but not as good as the first novel!
What can I say? Nora Roberts is the "Martha Stewart" of Romance Novels... And typically I love everything she writes... (Do you sense a 'but' coming?') If so, read on...The latest installment of the 'three sisters' trilogy features the life of Deputy Ripley Todd. Deputy Todd, a skeptic, with a traumatic magic-related childhood experience, has refused to use her powers ever since. Enter the hero... Mac Booke. Mac is an 'absent-minded professor type' whose investigations into the paranormal has somehow landed him on Three Sister's Island. As usual, Nora has the setting, the characters, and the culture of a small town down pat. Her main and side characters are endearing and engaging.. Particularly, her hero, Mac Booke. But... In my opinion, her heroine, Ripley, just didn't seem to 'fit in' to a novel with a paranormal setting. Ripley (okay, I kept thinking 'believe it or not') seems like she would be more at home in a novel with a small-town murder-mystery theme... Than as the third sister in a coven of witches. While I suspect Nora, wanted us to feel sympathetic towards Rip for her reluctance to practice magick, instead I was frustrated by her pig-headedness. I found it hard to believe that someone like Mia wouldn't have given her a 'kick in the pants' or confronting her about her problem /ages/ ago. My second problem with this novel was the villain. Bringing back the possessed ex-boyfriend from the first book was an unwelcome surprise. With so many challenges the girls might face, do we need to bring a possessed mental patient into the picture? This seemed heavy handed, even for Nora, who is quite notable for creating, exciting and believable villains. Overall, the inclusion of Mac, and the return to 'three sisters island' made this book worth reading... But I had to deduct one star for the 'evil-ex-husband ™' and for the 'Ripley' character which I just could noth sympathize with.
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