Earth raged, her anger and grief erupting from her soul. Her sister had been killed. Killed by her abusive husband and now Earth only sought what she saw as justice. A life for a life. Air had not fought back, she had not used her powers to save her life, but Earth could and would avenge her death. The pleas of her sister Fire were an annoyance. Yes, she knew the creed, she knew that harm none was more than simple words but a way of life for them. A past way of life, for there was power surging towards Earth, power most satisfying and intoxicating and she wanted more..she wanted his death more than she wanted her own life. She reached willingly for the power tempting her, deaf to the words of her sister, immune to the rational thoughts she was so known for. Now only revenge would satisfy, and once fed she would lose more then a sister…Deputy Ripley Todd was as down to earth as it was possible to get. She believed firmly in justice and fairness. All of this magic mumbo jumbo that Mia Devlin nagged her about was just that…hocus pocus. No one really believed that three witches had created this island or that according to legend the island would be destroyed if the descendants of the original three sisters did not bind together to save it.It was great for the tourist trade that the island residents depended upon. The summer people made it possible to survive through the harsh New England winters. Save the magical for them, Ripley wanted no further part of it.Yes, she had stood with Nell and Mia – but that was a one time need, not to be repeated ever again. Nell was safe and that was all that mattered. Add magic and hocus pocus to all the news reports and rumors about happened that night when Nell’s abusive, now former husband showed up was bad enough. To add further insult was the fact that Mia had allowed some super geek ghost hunter or some such nonsense to rent out the cottage that Ripley had her eye on – that just made her day, and gave Mia far too much satisfaction for Ripley’s comfort.MacAllister Booke or simply “Mac” was the ultimate example of an absent-minded professor. Most days he barely survived impaling himself on one of his vast number of gadgets and computer parts scattered about. What he lacked in co-ordination he more than made up for in looks, talent and debunking the shams and charlatan out there that preyed on those that searched for knowledge. It was true that he disproved more often than he proved, but when he did find the genuine otherworldly event people took notice.He had heard the stories, had read the police reports of that night when an abusive husband tracked down his runaway wife. Determined that he would never loose his Helen, Remington would see his wife dead before he would let her go. Thankfully Nell Channing, no it was Nell Todd now, survived as did her now husband Zack Todd. Yet enough speculation in addition to Evan Remington’s mad ravings about witches and things crawling beneath his skin had come to light to spark Mac’s interest. Besides, Mac brought something to the island aside from his knowledge of the paranormal, he had a bargaining chip about the legend should Mia Devlin decide to not be interviewed.Unfortunately for Mac..he didn’t bargain on Ripley.Ripley believed in three things. In her own ability to serve, protect and defend this island and it’s people. In her brother’s strength and quiet determination as Sheriff of Three Sisters Island to do the same and more. And in her new sister-in-law’s heaven sent ability to cook the most sinful creations, in spite of the fact that Nell Channing Todd actually believed Mia’s nonsense about the legend. Of course, Nell was just coming to realize her powers. Ripley had set aside those powers as all reasonable adults set aside childish things eventually. It was totally beside the point that she had joined hands with Mia and Nell in fighting and defeating Even Remington’s mad attempt on Nell’s life. He was safely in a padded cell now, and Zack was recovering nicely from the knife wounds that should have ended his life. The events of that night were simply a one shot deal. No, it was time to put away that nonsense once again. Witches and legends and magically created islands had no part in her life anymore.…trouble was, the dreams, the visions Mia would call them kept coming again and this time she didn’t have the strength to keep the lid on that boiling pot. This time she wasn’t as in control as she claimed.Ripley has one weakness. And Mac discovered it quite soon after their first meeting, a meeting where Ripley did some intense insulting of Mac’s chosen profession..no offense intended of course. Ripley can’t back away from a challenge, she can no sooner turn down a dare than willingly stop breathing. Proving that there is intelligence behind his absent minded surface, Mac set out the dare and unfortunately for Ripley the deck was stacked against her.Nell and Zack. Ripley and Mac. I liked the way their romances played out, and in some ways continue to deepen in the final book. This trilogy has more than just the main characters sharing the spotlight. The way the legend, the side characters and each book’s main love interests are weaved throughout, each reads like and feels like an extension of the one before. We don’t really know all of Mia Devlin’s story, yet she is just as much a part of this entire trilogy from the start of book one, through book two and then leading star of her own book three.Mac and Ripley’s story is funny, intense with a bit of an edge and charming. The ultimate evil rears it’s ugly head once again, this time fighting from a distance yet no less intensely. While Ripley feels she must fight the battle alone, Mac and the others are there with her every step of the way.This is a really great read and I highly recommend it. But to get the whole story you’ll need to discover Mia’s story.
Alguns de vós já sabem que gosto dos livros de Nora Roberts. E, principalmente, que não resisto a uma trilogia dela. Normalmente nas trilogias a autora consegue uma escrita mais fluída e cativante. Além de que as personagens são mais desenvolvidas e os ambientes mais interessantes. Apercebi-me disso logo pela Trilogia da Herança, a primeira que li, e fiquei completamente rendida à Trilogia Irlandesa. Ambas descreviam uma Irlanda apaixonante (principalmente quando a leitora já é apaixonada pela Irlanda e pelas suas lendas). Contudo, todos me aconselhavam a Trilogia das Três Irmãs. Todos me afirmavam que eu iria adorar.E é verdade.Tal como as restantes trilogias também esta se centra em três mulheres. Embora não seja passada na Irlanda traz a sua magia na mesma até nós. E é com os julgamentos das bruxas em Salem que começa a nossa história.No primeiro livro conhecemos Nell. Nell fugiu para a pequena ilha das Três Irmãs sem saber que lá iria descobrir o seu destino. Lá encontrou as suas “verdadeiras” irmãs. É que Nell, Ripley e Mia são descendentes das três irmãs originais. As que fugiram de Salem e criaram a ilha com um encantamento que a separou do resto do Continente. Porém, cada uma delas traz em si o passado da irmã “original”. Nell trazia o medo e a dor daquela que se chamava Ar.No segundo livro da Trilogia conhecemos melhor a história de Ripley. Após a noite em que para salvar Nell ela teve de fazer ressurgir a magia que sempre tentou negar, Ripley quer apenas voltar à sua vida normal. E, principalmente, esquecer de vez uma magia que não quer nem sabe controlar. Mas o destino quer fazer cumprir o encanto das três irmãs originais.Na ilha aparece Mac Booke, um pesquisador do sobrenatural que quer entender o que se passou naquela noite. Com maquinetas e gravadores quer entrevistar as três intervenientes e perceber o que aconteceu e até que ponto a magia de que todos falam é verdadeira. De Nell e Mia recebe todo o apoio. Mas Ripley recusa-se a colaborar. Até ao momento em que percebe que Mac tem algo mais a oferecer do que um estudo cientifico. Ele pode muito bem ser o homem que lhe está destinado. E Ripley permite-se, pela primeira vez, apaixonar por alguém.Contudo o destino move-se ao mesmo tempo. E traz à ilha Harding, um jornalista movido pelo dinheiro. Harding pode colocar em perigo os delicados fios que unem as personagens. A magia é novamente necessária e será Ripley, a descendente daquela a quem chamavam Terra, a chave para que todos possam sobreviver.O tema só por si já me encanta. Lembro-me que o primeiro livro me conquistou simplesmente com a primeira frase, uma oração à Deusa. A história das Três Irmãs e de como as suas descendentes têm de lidar com o destino faz parte do meu imaginário desde sempre. Os rituais que Mia faz, as preces, os amuletos, fazem quase parte do meu dia a dia. Por isso esta trilogia tinha tudo para me encantar.Ao contrário de Nell, que foge de um ambiente de violência doméstica, Ripley tem uma vida calma. Polícia da ilha, como o irmão, apenas se aborrece com as constantes lembranças de que também ela possui o Poder. Confrontada com Mac todos os seus demónios vêm ao de cima. É obrigada a pensar naquilo que sempre quis esconder. E pior, é obrigada a usá-lo para os salvar. A personagem de Ripley é bastante interessante. E a “luta” constante contra Mac e contra o seu próprio coração faz-nos soltar algumas gargalhadas. A história segue o normal caminho de quem já está habituado a estes livros de Nora Roberts. Por isso é perfeitamente normal e aceitável quando chegamos à última página e queremos ir a correr ler o próximo livro da trilogia.A não perder para fãs da autora, para fãs do tema e também um bom começo para quem não conhece e quer ser apresentado à escrita de Nora Roberts.
What do You think about Heaven And Earth (2002)?
I love modern-day witches!You can see the following review also here: http://loveandlivetoread.wordpress.co...A very nice read and a decent second book in this trilogy by Nora Roberts. Modern-day witches, magic, romance and great atmosphere… what more do you need? I have to say that, although, I like all the characters and the story, my favorite part in this trilogy is the descriptions of the island. It feels like I am there!In this book, it’s time for Ripley to accept who she is. For many years she denied the truth and she didn’t want anything that her power gave her, but that is smoothing that has to change. When Mac comes to town to investigate the magic she knows that he’s going to be a trouble… for her heart!I like Ripley although sometimes I wanted to punch her. She wants to act like a badass but there are times that she’s very afraid. She is very protective with her loved ones and it’s easy to see that she needs someone to love her. But what she needs most is to accept herself.Mac is a total geek and I loved him for that! But he’s not only that. He’s sexy and with humor but most of all he’s willing to help Ripley and love her. He has a different kind of strength and the ability to see Ripley as she truly is. He’s not scared of her and he doesn’t believe her lies when she’s trying to avoid the truth. Yeah, they are the perfect couple!It’s a book that I enjoyed reading it very much and if you are fan of modern-day witches I recommend it to you!
—Maria
The number of times I've read this is a wild guess, and my rating is more based on loyalty over just how many times I've read this rather than my experience reading it this time. Sometimes you get to a point where you might have read a book too many times because the surprise and the excitement aren't there anymore, either than or I must have read it in recent years without bothering to mark it read because I remembered way too much about the plot to really enjoy the book this time. Hell, I walked away for about a month in the middle of reading it and didn't have any problem picking it right back up without rereading. I don't have a good memory for details anymore so that I could to this tells me that I probably need to wait five or ten years before I ever consider picking this book up again. And I feel that's important to note because my thoughts on the story aren't going to have the same zeal and excitement they would have had if I'd written this review when I read this book for the first time.Ripley has always been my favorite of the three sisters island trio. She's strong and a fighter. She's not the protected, she's the protector. I don't have a ton in common with her interest wise but I can relate to the fighter's don't screw with what's mine, mentality and I've always loved her character because of it. She's rash, impulsive and powerful. She's really a delight to read, when she hasn't been read to the point of that song that never stops playing on the radio that is.Like most trilogies the excitement and danger builds even more in this story and it features some really well done battle scenes that I loved as well as more magic. The love story is more precarious and less gentle than the first novel as well. I hesitate to say much more because I don't want to give a bad review to a book that I've read so many times that apparently I practically have it memorized. If you've never had the opportunity to read this book before I definitely recommend it. It's a good story with interesting and enchanting characters.
—Jenn
Heaven and Earth was much better than its predecessor, Dance Upon the Air.Leaps and bounds ahead of it. The two main characters were a much more likeable in my opinion.I did not like Ripley in the last book, but knowing her motivations behind her actions made her relatable in this book and she is my favorite of the three women. I love her relationship with her brother. Dr. Booke is so much hotter than our last male lead because his personality is SOOOO much more likable. He is not pushy, he takes Ripley's feelings, thoughts, wants, and desires, into consideration, and he does not try to change her personality, unlike the former male lead. *cough cough*. The contrast between Ripley and Dr. Booke is wonderful, and it creates some amazing tension that when it finally snapped, it sizzled.In a really weird way, I loved their shared interest in fitness because of my own journey in weight loss. Repeatedly in romance novels, the leads just happens to have underwear model worthy bodies. We are expected to believe that the female lead has good genes and the male lead’s career lets him have that body. I liked that they strived for it, worked for it, and enjoyed working for it, and we were able to see that. It was realistic and that made me like them both more.Overall, I would suggest it to any Nora Robert's fans, and any fans of sexy but nerdy male leads, rich guy meets every day girl romances, supernatural romances, and romances that include a strong woman falling in love for the first time.
—Tessie
