One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: The Key Trilogy, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 352 Pages, 7116 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle


Once upon a time and beyond the Curtain of Power, the Curtain of Dreams, there lived three Celtic demigoddesses, sisters and daughters of a Celtic king and human woman. Some in their world revolted against their existence, offended by their links to mortality. One such god, Kane, rose up against the king and his progeny, and in a moment, a single moment when the demigoddesses' protectors had dropped their guard, he attacked with swift vengeance and wicked sorcery. In the aftermath, three souls were stolen and three sisters lay as if asleep, their souls captured in a box secured by three locks, three keys at their motionless feet. For three thousand years, the protectors have searched for the three mortals to find the three keys, and once in every generation since that dark day three potentials are born. In this generation, Malory Price has been called, Dana Steele has been called, Zoe McCourt has been called. For three thousand years, the potentials have failed. But this time...this time... 

Zoe McCourt knows all about working hard to get what she wants. She's a master at taking the old, the broken, the used, and turning it into something special. Money has always been tight, security always a narrow thread, and time a premium. She comes from poverty, but worked her way out of it, little formal education, but worked her way into it, and when a childhood of raising her siblings segued into a relationship that ended with a teen pregnancy, she was forced to grow up far too fast. Only now is she starting to reap the rewards of grit and determination. Now, as she's raising the love of her life, her son Simon, she's also on a mystical quest to find the final key and release the Sisters of Glass, she has a solid core of friends who have become her family, and is working her way towards a fantastic future with her own salon atop of the business she's gone into with Dana and Malory. Her future looks bright, so long as she can find that key and keep Kane away from her son. And so long as she can keep the intimidating Bradley Charles Vane IV from pushing all her buttons. Once she loved a boy who came from money and it ended badly. Bradley's not a boy, but his wealth and polish make Zoe feel out of her depth, and the power of the attraction she feels for him could doom them both if Kane gets wind of it. And that's something that Zoe will not allow.

Months ago, before he'd even decided to return to Pleasant Valley, Brad Vane found a painting at auction titled After the Storm. Inexorably drawn to it and compelled by the ethereal face of a woman in the painting, he bought it. It was an act that seems preordained long after the fact, and as his attraction to the flesh and bone woman Zoe McCourt far supersedes that initial burst of appeal to the painted lady. But she vexes him at every turn. Stubborn, overly independent, and completely oblivious to danger, the pixie with power stomps all over every well intentioned move he uses to get closer to her. Heck, he had to buy her a stepladder just to get the first tentative smile from her. He's not used to having to work so hard to woo women, but his Zoe is worth it, and he's totally gone over her son Simon.

Brad knows that Kane is going to be coming after her, and they've done what they can to protect her son. He's determined to protect her, too, no matter how stubborn, no matter how willful, and no matter how hard she pushes him away. This quest has become more than releasing the souls of the sisters, and the way to victory may lie in the destruction of a god.

In this sweeping conclusion to The Key Trilogy, Roberts maintains her character-driven saga with aplomb. The series has charmed with its individuality of character and realistic portrayals of burgeoning friendship, love, and shared tragedy. The lyrical narrative and quick, genuine dialogue set Roberts books apart, and both are found in abundance in this and the other two books in the trilogy. For the sheer enticement of the interpersonal relationships within, this series shines brightly.

I found myself less enamored with the plot of the quest in this book, though. Even more so than in the first two. By now a pattern has emerged and yet characters involved seem surprised by events within that pattern as it continues. And what few twists do exists didn't seem terribly effective, nor last long enough to have much of an impact. I never found Kane to be a particularly fright-worthy adversary, and what terror he did induce was truly too transitory to give him much validity as an enemy or a threat in the trilogy as a whole. I was disappointed in that aspect of the trilogy because of it.

For the first time, I was less than pleased with one of the characters in the book, as well. Zoe seemed unusually fraught with indecision and emotional waffling, and that was very inconsistent with the mental image that had formed from her presence in the first two books. She seemed, frankly, a bit too wishy washy.

Still, Simon was a charmer and a total doll and Brad a strong, steady dream. I loved seeing the guys bond and watch a family start to grow. Some of the funniest and most heartwarming moments came when the single man is really forced to face some of the difficult questions that can pop up in a nine-year-old's mind. I enjoyed their relationship immensely.

I'm still satisfied and entertained by the trilogy as a whole. Roberts has a gift with them, and while perhaps The Key Trilogy wasn't the best of the many I've read, it was a strong, solid contender and provided tons of reading enjoyment. The characters feel like old friends by now and I plan to visit them again some day. There's little more, really, for which a reader can hope.

The Key Trilogy:

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: The Key Trilogy, Book 2
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 352 Pages, 5978 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Once upon a time and beyond the Curtain of Power, the Curtain of Dreams, there lived three Celtic demigoddesses, sisters and daughters of a Celtic king and human woman. Some in their world revolted against their existence, offended by their links to mortality. One such god, Kane, rose up against the king and his progeny, and in a moment, a single moment when the demigoddesses' protectors had dropped their guard, he attacked with swift vengeance and wicked sorcery. In the aftermath, three souls were stolen and three sisters lay as if asleep, their souls captured in a box secured by three locks, three keys at their motionless feet. For three thousand years, the protectors have searched for the three mortals to find the three keys, and once in every generation since that dark day three potentials are born. In this generation, Malory Price has been called, Dana Steele has been called, Zoe McCourt has been called. For three thousand years, the potentials have failed. But this time...this time...

Dana Steele knew her part of the quest wouldn't be any easier than Malory's, but she has a lot of faith in her intelligence, and as a librarian, she has a whole library at her disposal for the research at which she excels. Well...until pride and persecution push her into quitting her job. But she can still figure out where her key is. Of course, it would be easier to concentrate if Jordan Hawke didn't keep getting in her way. Years ago she'd loved him with the passion of youth, but he destroyed that...destroyed her...when he left town. Now he's back, for however long that's going to last, and he's convinced he can help her - in fact, he's certain he's supposed to help her. Dana's certain they had the love of a lifetime, but that was a lifetime ago. Between searching for the second key and starting up her business with Malory and Zoe, Dana just doesn't have time for Jordan any more, no matter how much she still loves him.

Jordan knows what he lost all those years ago, and he has no intention of losing it again. He was drawn into this quest before he'd consciously decided to return to Pleasant Valley and he's determined to see it through. When Kane ups the stakes and tries to take a bite out of him, he knows he's right. He'll defy an evil god and stand beside Dana to the end. Even if he has to rewrite history to do so.

This second installment of Nora Roberts' The Key Trilogy hits a bit harder than the first, and without the necessary world building and exposition set up that came in the first book, Key of Light, Roberts hit the ground running here, providing broader and deeper character definition for both Dana and Jordan, and adding a lot of fun scenes for the rest of the cast, as well. It's obvious that the plot has been ratcheted up a notch and the danger is a bit more pointed, both of which increase the pressure and intensity, but there's also more room given to the emotional development and relationship here that was very pleasing.

I always enjoy a lead character who is an author, and Roberts did that particularly well with Jordan. It lends a genuine feeling of authenticity to his character, most notably concerning his work and his passion for writing. It's possible that was straight fiction, of course, but it felt so natural and true that I can't help but guess that there were a few Roberts' truisms in his personality. So too Dana's character and her love of reading. As I happen to share what is, frankly, a reading obsession, I felt very comfortable and familiar with a character who seemed in many ways a kindred spirit. I truly liked them, as individuals and as romantic leads.

As a general rule, it is usually the second book of a trilogy that I find most telling for the overall arc of the trilogy, and in this book, I saw a couple of glimmers of tarnish on the brass ring. Rules set in the first book seemed to break here, and characters didn't seem to be able to recognize simple patterns of Big Bad behavior that seemed a little obvious to me as a reader. Part of that was accounted for with the twisting and evolving mythos of the battle Kane is waging to keep those keys hidden, but I wasn't totally able to buy this sudden alteration after 3,000 years. It seemed a little too convenient when danger and threat needed to be raised in the plot. Still, that's strictly a plot issue and frankly, that's never been the strongest motivation for my reading these sorts of Roberts' trilogies.

The characters consistently draw me, and the relationships are stellar here in this trilogy. I'm very fond of how everyone fits together, and enjoy their idiosyncrasies and foibles that make each of them so individual and real. I was heartened by the consistency of characterization in Malory and Flynn (though with Roberts as the author, character inconsistency is virtually unheard of), and charmed anew by the few scenes with Zoe and Brad. I can't wait to see their sparks ignite in the conclusion, Key of Valor. I'm enjoying this trilogy very much, despite a few small issues with the plot of the quest, and the characters are definitely making it a thoroughly entertaining trip.


The Key Trilogy:

Genre: Paranormal(ish) Romance
Series: The Key Trilogy, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 352 Pages, 6091 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Once upon a time and beyond the Curtain of Power, the Curtain of Dreams, there lived three Celtic demigoddesses, sisters and daughters of a Celtic king and human woman. Some in their world revolted against their existence, offended by their links to mortality. One such god, Kane, rose up against the king and his progeny, and in a moment, a single moment when the demigoddesses' protectors had dropped their guard, he attacked with swift vengeance and wicked sorcery. In the aftermath, three souls were stolen and three sisters lay as if asleep, their souls captured in a box secured by three locks, three keys at their motionless feet. For three thousand years, the protectors have searched for the three mortals to find the three keys, and once in every generation since that dark day three potentials are born. In this generation, Malory Price has been called, Dana Steele has been called, Zoe McCourt has been called. For three thousand years, the potentials have failed. But this time...this time... 

Malory Price is an organized, goal oriented woman. Denied the gifts of the true artist but graced with a love of art and a keen mind, she made her passion her calling and manages a small but successful art gallery in the quaint Pennsylvanian town of Pleasant Valley. But not all is going according to plan, and before she can quite grasp it, her job is crashing down after a heated confrontation with The Gallery owner's new trophy wife, she's crashing down after being bowled over by a man and his dog, and her life is crashing down when an invitation to a decidedly odd house in the hills turns into a quest for some mystical key. She's surrounded by strangers, some of whom are in just as dire straights as her, and some look like they just stepped out of a Gaelic fairy tale. And the fairy tale set are spouting off about quests, keys, and gods. Yeah, this was not on Malory's lifetime goals list.

Newspaper reporter and editor of the local paper, Michael "Flynn" Hennessey may have knocked Malory down...well, he blames his unruly dog Moe, really, but it was she who bowled him over with her eyes and hair and legs and... Well, the list is long and very pretty. When the flustered but fascinating woman turns up in his home as his stepsister Dana Steele's guest, he's pleasantly surprised. When he finds out why she's there, and hears what she and Dana and Zoe have gotten themselves into, he's suspicious as hell and determined to get to the bottom of this ridiculous quest idea. And he knows just the two childhood friends to call in for help. Soon the three women and three men are working together - at the beginning with various stages of belief in this quest thing - and struggling to help Malory be the first to find the first key before her month runs out.

I've been reading Nora Roberts for all of my adult life and have to say, this sort of trilogy, with just a touch of the magical and mystical, is my favorite of her styles. It's not just about a couple coming together while something goes on in the background that links the three books together, but rather an intensive study on the relationships between friends, lovers, and family. Written with the classic Roberts lyricism and elegance, sweeping descriptive narratives, witty dialogue, and charming imagination, Roberts blends personalities and strengths and offers up very human foibles and follies for the ultimate in reading entertainment.

The style, the intelligence, the plot and the interpersonal relationships that are born, develop, and thrive, just flat out work for me. I love reading them. The Key Trilogy looks to be another that I thoroughly enjoy, as this first installment was full of wonderful Celtic mythos and a touch of magic, good-hearted people, and sweet romance.

For me, it's all about the characters in these books, and I really enjoyed Malory and Flynn and the rest. The three women are strong, independent, and intelligent, and even while all three were at a bit of a loose end career-wise, they still maintained a truth to self and an honesty of purpose and value that was very appealing. They're individuals, with very different personalities, but they fit extremely well together. Same goes for the guys. Roberts has a gift for making a seemingly effortless creation of characters, imbues them with such vibrant and varied life, litters their path with peaks and valleys both emotional and profound, and provides them the support of family and love, and by the end of the journey they feel like fond friends with whom I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time.

I will say the actual nitty gritty of the tale, the minutiae like the money that is offered to secure the three women's help and the nearly incomprehensible "assistance" from Rowena, seemed slightly less lyrical and smoothly conceived and realized than Roberts' previous romance trilogies with a magical theme. I wasn't totally sold on the way Malory's leg of the quest was resolved, either. The plot about the quest doesn't seem as visceral for the characters nor as integral to the overall story as I would have preferred. Still, the formula for the trilogy is a favorite of mine and the characters are exquisitely drawn. Their bonds, their friendships, and their love for each other are the driving force of this book and this series and I'm looking forward to gobbling up the second in the trilogy, Key of Knowledge.

The Key Trilogy: