Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts

4 STARS

The Circle Trilogy - Book 3

I think the second half of this book was my most favorite part of the whole trilogy. And that was, for the most part, because of Cian, the vampiric hero. 'Cause Moira? The heroine? Wasn't too terribly fond of her. I never, throughout the whole trilogy warmed up to her character.

Cian, however, came alive for me (no pun intended) during the latter half of Valley of Silence. He was not my favorite male lead in the trilogy, that title would have to go to Larkin, the hero of book 2, but beneath Cian's tough and bland exterior lurked a little boy lost that just made me take him to heart. Was it a satisfying culmination to the trilogy? Yes. 

The final battle scene was much better, much more fulfilling than I expected to get from a romance novel. Everyone got their comeuppance as they should have and the romance and the 'happily ever afters' were just as I wanted them to be. 

Was this my favorite of Nora's trilogies? No, it wasn't. But I did thoroughly enjoy the hell out of it. I think the reason it isn't my favorite is that the plot was so thick, so intricate; there were so many secondary characters to get to know; so much that had to happen to get the six of the Circle to the final battle, that their characterizations may have suffered. And it's the characters I love best about Nora's books.

Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

3 STARS

The Circle Trilogy - Book 2

The second one was better than the first - Morrigan's Cross. I will admit to falling a little in love with Larkin, this book's hero. It was refreshing to read about a light-hearted, fun-loving, shape-changing, always thinking of sex or food first and foremost, guy. And make no mistake about it, Larkin is a GUY. A guy after my own heart - he can turn into a dragon (amongst other things). *grin* 

Blair, the heroine, a is tough, smart, pretty - not gorgeous, no-nonsense chick and I found myself liking her a lot too. The suspense was a little more evident in this second of three volumes as the ante gets upped by Lilith and her 'army of darkness', and the move is made from present day Ireland to the mythical land of Geall. The sense of war on the horizon becomes a little more real and close; and the Circle of Six becomes closer and tighter. And the romance between Larkin and Blair is a fun ride. I mean seriously, the guy can turn into a dragon!

Nora never disappoints, always delivering a good read at the very least.

Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts

3 STARS

The Circle Trilogy - Book 1

Nora Roberts is one of my favorite romance novelists and I'm particularly fond of her trilogies. That being said, this one appears to have everything - vampires, old gods, witches, sorcerers, time travelling, alternate world bridging, shapechangers; you name it, I think it's got it. And maybe it's a little too much?

I found that the romance between the two main characters, Hoyt and Glenna, seemed to get lost within all the plot set-up and character introductions. My favorite scenes were actually between Hoyt and his brother Cian. Their strained relationship was much more compelling than the supposed love growing between Hoyt and Glenna. And let's face it, folks, I read Nora for the romance, so I was a little disappointed in this first book of a trilogy that most of my fellow Nora readers absolutely adore. That doesn't mean I won't be adding books 2 and 3 to the collection, however. At the very least I want to see how Hoyt and Cian iron out their differences. *grin*