Scan barcode
takethyme's review
3.0
Closer to 3.5 Stars
THE COURT OF THREE SISTERS implied a place in the Mediterranean where an ancient civilization had lived. It also became the temporary home of three sisters who were as different from each other as night is to day. Their father was an archeologist and they had been motherless for a long time. Over the years, Richard Fairchild's daughters were not much more than an afterthought. Or so each daughter had thought, because his life had always been consumed by dead societies.
The plot's buildup was slow. It was necessary to understand everything that had occurred prior to the hero and heroine meeting each other for the first time. Unfortunately, that took over 100+ pages and I thought I might 'drop' the romance. In the meantime, I completed another story, then went back to TCOTS to give it another chance.
The oldest sister is Thea Armstrong. Married but childless, her husband is working in Brazil and is not expected back anytime soon. At the age of 28, Thea mothers the other two and, most of the time, it is uninvited. There is an unwelcome breath of pain that surrounds her. She has good intentions and you sense she deserves some happiness.
Fanny is the youngest at sixteen. Naive and self-centered, she yearns to 'have a season'. She wants to meet young men, dance and have fun. When she doesn't get her way she tends to pout.
And then there is Summer. At 22, she has had a tragic past. When she was twelve she had an accident. She lost her memory and, at the same time, became disabled. Since then she has been unable to walk without the assistance of a cane and has suffered fits of pain. Bitter at times, she wants to remember what happened but was also afraid to dredge up the past. Because of this, her family treats her differently and this "ruffles her feathers".
Colin 'Col' McCallum is an archeologist. He lost his brother to suicide years before and the incident changed him. His godfather had recently written him excited by something he found. Intrigued, he heads to Ellysia and the Court of the Three Sisters. He meets up with Richard Fairchild and some others only to find his sponsor dead. At the same time, the mythical Fates get involved and bind him to the three sisters. I would almost consider him an anti-hero. He has his own agenda and has no qualms using someone if it serves a purpose.
At 464 pages, this may put some readers off. Clearly under-appreciated, this story contains some fantasy, a mild suspense with some questionable deaths, a mystery to unravel, the element of reincarnation AND some romance. Not everyone comes across as initially likable. Many of the characters have dings and dents in their personalities.
After the initial slow start, the plot moved along at a fairly decent pace. I have to mention that I was tempted, numerous times, to jump to the end to find out who the villain was but I didn't. The author ramps up giving away clues the farther along you read so it is best not to skip parts of the story.
The dialog was a big plus between Summer and Col. He was intrigued by her defensiveness and was not put off like so many others. There was a sixth sense that surrounded her that almost unnerved him. Little did either one realize that kismet was involved.
"He had taken a chance in reminding her of Thea, but it worked. The light in Summer's eyes was fired by rebellion. 'I am an adult, Mr. McCallum. I do not require permission to take a carriage ride with you.' She rose. 'I'll fetch my hat.'
Col swept her a bow. 'I was sure that my eloquence would sway you.'
Summer raised her eyebrows. 'Eloquence? I should say, Mr. McCallum, that it is more the result of your intimidation.'
'Ah, yes. I usually confuse the two.' "
Give this story a try if you are looking for something different. I had to knock off one star because of the slow beginning. I also knocked off 1/2 star because I thought the author could have written a smoother ending. Something about it was off but I still enjoyed the story. Take my advice: be prepared for the long haul, don't skip pages and be ready to take a journey to the past. Let yourself be pulled into a world of intrigue, danger and some mild romance. And, yes, I finally determined who the killer was by looking at the clues.
THE COURT OF THREE SISTERS implied a place in the Mediterranean where an ancient civilization had lived. It also became the temporary home of three sisters who were as different from each other as night is to day. Their father was an archeologist and they had been motherless for a long time. Over the years, Richard Fairchild's daughters were not much more than an afterthought. Or so each daughter had thought, because his life had always been consumed by dead societies.
The plot's buildup was slow. It was necessary to understand everything that had occurred prior to the hero and heroine meeting each other for the first time. Unfortunately, that took over 100+ pages and I thought I might 'drop' the romance. In the meantime, I completed another story, then went back to TCOTS to give it another chance.
The oldest sister is Thea Armstrong. Married but childless, her husband is working in Brazil and is not expected back anytime soon. At the age of 28, Thea mothers the other two and, most of the time, it is uninvited. There is an unwelcome breath of pain that surrounds her. She has good intentions and you sense she deserves some happiness.
Fanny is the youngest at sixteen. Naive and self-centered, she yearns to 'have a season'. She wants to meet young men, dance and have fun. When she doesn't get her way she tends to pout.
And then there is Summer. At 22, she has had a tragic past. When she was twelve she had an accident. She lost her memory and, at the same time, became disabled. Since then she has been unable to walk without the assistance of a cane and has suffered fits of pain. Bitter at times, she wants to remember what happened but was also afraid to dredge up the past. Because of this, her family treats her differently and this "ruffles her feathers".
Colin 'Col' McCallum is an archeologist. He lost his brother to suicide years before and the incident changed him. His godfather had recently written him excited by something he found. Intrigued, he heads to Ellysia and the Court of the Three Sisters. He meets up with Richard Fairchild and some others only to find his sponsor dead. At the same time, the mythical Fates get involved and bind him to the three sisters. I would almost consider him an anti-hero. He has his own agenda and has no qualms using someone if it serves a purpose.
At 464 pages, this may put some readers off. Clearly under-appreciated, this story contains some fantasy, a mild suspense with some questionable deaths, a mystery to unravel, the element of reincarnation AND some romance. Not everyone comes across as initially likable. Many of the characters have dings and dents in their personalities.
After the initial slow start, the plot moved along at a fairly decent pace. I have to mention that I was tempted, numerous times, to jump to the end to find out who the villain was but I didn't. The author ramps up giving away clues the farther along you read so it is best not to skip parts of the story.
The dialog was a big plus between Summer and Col. He was intrigued by her defensiveness and was not put off like so many others. There was a sixth sense that surrounded her that almost unnerved him. Little did either one realize that kismet was involved.
"He had taken a chance in reminding her of Thea, but it worked. The light in Summer's eyes was fired by rebellion. 'I am an adult, Mr. McCallum. I do not require permission to take a carriage ride with you.' She rose. 'I'll fetch my hat.'
Col swept her a bow. 'I was sure that my eloquence would sway you.'
Summer raised her eyebrows. 'Eloquence? I should say, Mr. McCallum, that it is more the result of your intimidation.'
'Ah, yes. I usually confuse the two.' "
Give this story a try if you are looking for something different. I had to knock off one star because of the slow beginning. I also knocked off 1/2 star because I thought the author could have written a smoother ending. Something about it was off but I still enjoyed the story. Take my advice: be prepared for the long haul, don't skip pages and be ready to take a journey to the past. Let yourself be pulled into a world of intrigue, danger and some mild romance. And, yes, I finally determined who the killer was by looking at the clues.
More...