Face the Fire (Three Sisters Island, 3)

Rating:
Summary: The series goes out with a bang
Review: Before reading this trilogy I'd never read anything by Nora Roberts before, which I know is kind of surprising since she's written so much. Anyway, I really enjoyed it and I had unwittingly picked up the first two to take on a long plane ride without realizing that the third had yet to be written! When I finally got ahold of this book I was very happy with it.

I couldn't wait to get to Mia's story. Mia seemed to be the most mysterious, independent, confident woman of the three sisters and I just had to know about her life. I think I'd built up too much momentum and excitement over her, though, because I was engrossed in the novel but didn't find it quite as compelling as the other two. However, I still highly recommend it. Mia is one wild woman. ;) And of course all the loose ends from the series are tied up in this last book. I wish there were more books in this particular series!

Rating:
Summary: The best of the three but still doesn't cut the mustard
Review: Mia is bigger than life. She's the most powerful of the three witches and in this conclusion to the three sisters trilogy she faces her test against evil. In my opinion, this book suffers from the same problems as its two prequels. Character development could be better and plot is rather cliche. The story is somewhat slow going and didn't hold my interest very well but it's OK for light summer reading. The ending was rather weak compared to to the two first novels but moments of humor scattered throughout the book (especially involving Ripley) saved the story.

I was disappointed in this series because Nora Roberts was highly reccomended to me by a friend. I didn't plan on reading anymore of her literature but recently, I picked up a copy of Carolina Moon and already find it better than any of the books in the Sisters series.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not as good as the other two (3 1/2 stars)
Review: Okay, I'll preface this by saying that I found this book to be entertaining enough and the writing was good. But, when compared with Roberts' other work and the other two books in the series, it didn't hold up her normal level of quality.

My biggest problem is that Mia was the strongest and most compelling woman of the three from the series but her story was the least compelling of the trilogy. That was disappointing.

I liked that Mia and Sam were Fire and Water and had the complimentary and yet fire and ice sort of relationship. Thing is, I didn't find the whole idea of him leaving the way he did and yet coming back and expecting her to fall at his feet very enticing. The way he left was cruel and I couldn't understand why she should take him back or even why we're supposed to believe he had this deep love for her. The Sam of the present was not the Sam that left Mia, but you're supposed to think he is except for this glaring mistake. Yes, people change but I didn't buy it.

So much happens in the story that you don't understand or seems to come from nowhere, big and important parts of the story seem to have been added at the last minute. I thought the end was totally confusing and even though I read it a few times it still seemed to come out of left field. Usually Roberts does this sort of thing exceptionally well, and she did in the other two books, but this one left me feeling unsatisfied.

All in all, it was interesting enough to hold my attention and it was nice to see the character progression for Nell and Ripley but it left me feeling flat.

Rating:
Summary: Mia's story
Review: The conclusion to Nora Robert's Three Sisters trilogy fulfills the promise of the earlier books as far as being a fitting conclusion to the series, if not a brilliant romance in itself.

Mia Devlin, the third witch in the Three Sisters coven, is the strongest witch on the island. She practiced witchcraft continuously when her friend and coven-mate Ripley (whose story is told in Heaven and Earth, the 2nd book) dropped it for fear of hurting others, and the third witch in the coven, Nell, only discovered her talents when she came to the island in Dance Upon the Air (the 1st book in the trilogy).

She'll need her strength for the final confrontation with the ghostly enemy that haunts the witches of Three Sisters. She'll need her friends and their husbands. She'll need the strength of the man who broke her heart years ago, who she has never forgiven. The question is, will she be able to love again, or will there be a second tragic ending to the story of Three Sisters, echoing the tragedy of the past?

This isn't the story of Sam Logan's romance with Mia; he comes back to Three Sisters Island intending to win her back and in the end his love is not in doubt. Rather, this is the story of Mia's coming to terms with her own heart, and learning whether she can love again in a world where promises can be broken and love can go wrong.

It is well worth the reading.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful conclusion!
Review: This book was amazing! It really brought a good end to the Three Sisters Trilogy. I loved the story of Sam and Mia, it was very emotional and heartfelt. I really sympathasized with Sam. He had a hard choic to make as a young man, and when he finally knew what he wanted, it was almost too late. I actually felt bad for him. Mia wouldn't give him a break. But, on the other hand, he could have been kinder to her when he broke it off with her to begin with. I loved seeing the interaction between Nell and Zack, Ripley and Mac, and Mia and Sam. The interaction between the couples wasn't as prevalent in the other two books, and it was wonderful to see how their lives were moving along, what the future held for them. I know that Ms. Roberts rarely does a continuation of her trilogies (except for the Chesapeake Bay trilogy, with Seth's story coming out this fall) but I think it would be wonderful to see a story from one of Mia's children, or even Nell's or Ripleys. All in all, this book was wonderful. Sam's role was something that I hadn't considered in the other two books, and it was nice to see that explored and developed. As much as I hate waiting for Ms. Robert's books, Face the Fire was definitely worth the wait!