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tessiekat's review
2.0
I loved the story and the premise. It was original and sucked me in. However, while it was an adorable and well written book, I struggled with some of the characters, especially the male lead, Zack.
*Sideline Rant* *Rant over*
Nora Robert did build the tension to the obvious confrontation between Nell and her husband wonderfully. He became the boogey man that could pop out at any time and I often found myself holding my breath. I really want to know what happened to Riley to make her not like magic so much, meaning that I will soon be reading the second book in this series, [b:Heaven and Earth|59830|Heaven and Earth (Three Sisters Island, #2)|Nora Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345222134s/59830.jpg|3153342].
I listened to the Audible Audiobook read by Sandra Burr. I struggled with her voices for several characters. Mia sounded like a 60 year old woman when in fact she turns 30 in the book. Zack's voice was a bit annoying for me as well, but that is probably because I just didn't like him as a character.
Overall, I would suggest it to any Nora Robert's fans, and any fans of men-in-uniform romances, supernatural romances, and romances that include a woman getting her life back together and becoming a stronger woman. I will warn that the topic of spousal abuse is discussed and displayed pretty intensely in the book, and if you struggle with topics like that, it might be one to skip.
*Sideline Rant*
Spoiler
He knows that she is a battered woman. That she went through some horrors by the hand of a man, even if she hasn't told him, however, he insists that "she will come to enjoy his touch" when she displays FEAR at being touched. He gets pushy with his insistence that they will sleep together. Then, later, when he finds out she faked her death and is still legally married, he gets angry that he slept with a married woman, yells at her for lying to him, calls her stupid, and treats her terribly. Even after hearing about the horrible things her husband did to her, how hard she had to work to escape, he won't touch or kiss her until she is legally divorced. I struggled with that, ALOT. Not only did I not like him as a male lead, I found him annoyingly pushy with her boundaries and I just kept thinking that she could do better. He knows that she is emotionally unstable and needs counseling and he is just piling on the crap for her to handle.Nora Robert did build the tension to the obvious confrontation between Nell and her husband wonderfully. He became the boogey man that could pop out at any time and I often found myself holding my breath. I really want to know what happened to Riley to make her not like magic so much, meaning that I will soon be reading the second book in this series, [b:Heaven and Earth|59830|Heaven and Earth (Three Sisters Island, #2)|Nora Roberts|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345222134s/59830.jpg|3153342].
I listened to the Audible Audiobook read by Sandra Burr. I struggled with her voices for several characters. Mia sounded like a 60 year old woman when in fact she turns 30 in the book. Zack's voice was a bit annoying for me as well, but that is probably because I just didn't like him as a character.
Overall, I would suggest it to any Nora Robert's fans, and any fans of men-in-uniform romances, supernatural romances, and romances that include a woman getting her life back together and becoming a stronger woman. I will warn that the topic of spousal abuse is discussed and displayed pretty intensely in the book, and if you struggle with topics like that, it might be one to skip.
traecrochet's review against another edition
3.0
An easy to read, but predictable story. I'm not interested enough to finish the trilogy. I'd love to live on the island though. Sounds like heaven!
jscarpa14's review against another edition
3.0
My read count on this might be a bit low, because I know I've read it a few times over the years. It's the sort of book you hold on to because you enjoyed it enough that in a few years when the details are blurry again you can read it as if it were a brand new release and enjoy the magic again just as much.
That said my rating on this might also be a bit low because I didn't find this time as enjoyable as the others, possibly because I've read it too often and possibly because the way I think and look at the world might have changed over the years as it does for most people.
As always the book features Roberts trademark lyrical prose that reads almost like poetry, a trio of contrasting heroines and an interesting plot. These are all things that a fan of Roberts expects when opening one of her books and she never fails to provide.
I think my issues with the read this time was how much I noticed that appearance was a focus in this work. Not only for Evan, the stories villain but for the heroines themselves. Let me clarify what parts of this bothered me and explain why because I'm not saying I'm opposed to a scene where a man checks out a woman. That's a part of life, a realistic scene and depending on how it's experienced or written can be flattering, bring a smile to a person's face. When Zack takes a minute to appreciate Nell's ass before going over to assist her I smiled a bit, because it wasn't like he was whistling or catcalling, just appreciating to himself a sight he thought was enjoyable. The parts that bothered me were for example Mia's thoughts when she first meets Nell about how they'd need to clean her up. Or her comments later after they became friends where she asked Nell is she had a religious aversion to wearing makeup. I was going to quote that but I read this in hardcover and not ebook so it's not like I marked the page to later quote it in the review. Mia also makes a comment to Ripley asking her if it was difficult for her to choose between the white or the black dress because Ripley only owns two. Ripley doesn't really care for wearing dresses and I liked that about her character and while Nell does seem to enjoy clothing and makeup once she starts wearing it again I don't feel that the idea of doing so should have been forced on her by her employer. Both comments came across to me as catty and as a form of body shaming as if Nell or Ripley weren't good enough without makeup or extensive wardrobes. I don't think a woman should be judged or measured by her appearance especially by someone who's supposed to be a friend. I also don't feel a woman should be pressured to wear makeup or dresses if that's not her thing or something she does on her own. I think those are personal choices, all the power to those who want to spend the time on makeup and fancy attire, but it doesn't make another woman less so because she doesn't choose to spend her time that way or have an interest in partaking in what might be considered a feminine ritual. I'm pretty sure most of the makeup I own is long past the expiration date and I know pretty much all of it I bought was because of outside pressures telling me I should. It was never my thing so I don't like reading about a character receiving the sort of comments that I received in my own life that bothered me from someone who's not only supposed to be a friend but another of the heroines in this series. It's not very heroic to belittle the appearance of a friend or make an comment that sounds like they're not beautiful unless they're conforming to archaic social norms.
The second thing that I wasn't really digging this time as much as I did when I read this when I was younger is how new age the magic part of this story feels. It's not that I'm opposed to the witch as a character. I'm a big fan of kick ass witch with fantastic powers that they bring to a fight. I'm not as much a fan of scenes about which crystals and herbs apply to which desires. It's hard to explain. It's not so much that I'm saying that these scenes make the book bad, it's that I'm saying I just really wasn't feeling them and that's sort of a personal preference thing.
What I did like was Nell's story, how she escaped a frightfully abusive marriage and how she remade herself after being torn so low. The book has a lot of feminist commentary about how ridiculous it is to consider a woman's thoughts or feelings to be less than a mans among other things. I really loved that part of the story which is why the body shaming and focus on appearance bothered me that much more. I don't think I totally understand voicing opinions about one without understanding the issue with the other.
Overall it's a good book and most likely if you've never read this story before you won't even notice the little things that bothered me so much on this reading. I think maybe the fact that they did bother me so much is partially because since I've read it so many times I'm noticing little details and comments that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed. I do recommend the story despite my complaints listed above and I will be finishing rereading the rest of the trilogy.
That said my rating on this might also be a bit low because I didn't find this time as enjoyable as the others, possibly because I've read it too often and possibly because the way I think and look at the world might have changed over the years as it does for most people.
As always the book features Roberts trademark lyrical prose that reads almost like poetry, a trio of contrasting heroines and an interesting plot. These are all things that a fan of Roberts expects when opening one of her books and she never fails to provide.
I think my issues with the read this time was how much I noticed that appearance was a focus in this work. Not only for Evan, the stories villain but for the heroines themselves. Let me clarify what parts of this bothered me and explain why because I'm not saying I'm opposed to a scene where a man checks out a woman. That's a part of life, a realistic scene and depending on how it's experienced or written can be flattering, bring a smile to a person's face. When Zack takes a minute to appreciate Nell's ass before going over to assist her I smiled a bit, because it wasn't like he was whistling or catcalling, just appreciating to himself a sight he thought was enjoyable. The parts that bothered me were for example Mia's thoughts when she first meets Nell about how they'd need to clean her up. Or her comments later after they became friends where she asked Nell is she had a religious aversion to wearing makeup. I was going to quote that but I read this in hardcover and not ebook so it's not like I marked the page to later quote it in the review. Mia also makes a comment to Ripley asking her if it was difficult for her to choose between the white or the black dress because Ripley only owns two. Ripley doesn't really care for wearing dresses and I liked that about her character and while Nell does seem to enjoy clothing and makeup once she starts wearing it again I don't feel that the idea of doing so should have been forced on her by her employer. Both comments came across to me as catty and as a form of body shaming as if Nell or Ripley weren't good enough without makeup or extensive wardrobes. I don't think a woman should be judged or measured by her appearance especially by someone who's supposed to be a friend. I also don't feel a woman should be pressured to wear makeup or dresses if that's not her thing or something she does on her own. I think those are personal choices, all the power to those who want to spend the time on makeup and fancy attire, but it doesn't make another woman less so because she doesn't choose to spend her time that way or have an interest in partaking in what might be considered a feminine ritual. I'm pretty sure most of the makeup I own is long past the expiration date and I know pretty much all of it I bought was because of outside pressures telling me I should. It was never my thing so I don't like reading about a character receiving the sort of comments that I received in my own life that bothered me from someone who's not only supposed to be a friend but another of the heroines in this series. It's not very heroic to belittle the appearance of a friend or make an comment that sounds like they're not beautiful unless they're conforming to archaic social norms.
The second thing that I wasn't really digging this time as much as I did when I read this when I was younger is how new age the magic part of this story feels. It's not that I'm opposed to the witch as a character. I'm a big fan of kick ass witch with fantastic powers that they bring to a fight. I'm not as much a fan of scenes about which crystals and herbs apply to which desires. It's hard to explain. It's not so much that I'm saying that these scenes make the book bad, it's that I'm saying I just really wasn't feeling them and that's sort of a personal preference thing.
What I did like was Nell's story, how she escaped a frightfully abusive marriage and how she remade herself after being torn so low. The book has a lot of feminist commentary about how ridiculous it is to consider a woman's thoughts or feelings to be less than a mans among other things. I really loved that part of the story which is why the body shaming and focus on appearance bothered me that much more. I don't think I totally understand voicing opinions about one without understanding the issue with the other.
Overall it's a good book and most likely if you've never read this story before you won't even notice the little things that bothered me so much on this reading. I think maybe the fact that they did bother me so much is partially because since I've read it so many times I'm noticing little details and comments that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed. I do recommend the story despite my complaints listed above and I will be finishing rereading the rest of the trilogy.
jayfr's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the main characters Nell and Zach. Really didn't like Ripley and apparently the second book is hers so we'll see how that goes.
Light, fluffy and an easy read.
Light, fluffy and an easy read.
sarahdenn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
shreya2695's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.75
booknookie's review
1.0
You can read more of my reviews at my blog The Book Chick.
This was the first time I read something more supernatural, written by Nora Roberts and since I do like her other books, I didn’t expect anything less. Well I shouldn’t have expected anything at all. Because this was certainly not my type of book and a complete waste of time. So why didn’t I DNF it you wondering? Well I’m a sucker for the whole “woman on the run from bad guy, find a new home, new friends, new life, new love but her past comes back and hunts her.” plot. Some old school romantic suspense. Never fails me. So I thought.
I think it is the paranormal aspect with the book that bugs me the most. It feels so unrealistic and worn-out. No real excitement or suspense. Oh and the characters. I have never seen Roberts as any less than an author who stands for strong and independent females and good, great guys. But Zack in this book, is not a great guy. He pushes and pushes even though Nell has told him that she cant get involved with anybody not even him. Then he pushes some more, they gets involved and than HE gets mad because she has not told the truth about her history. Well F*** you! She was as honest she could be from the start and Zack didn’t listen. He kept pushing. He kept taking over. Not letting her find her footing and kept stearing her the way he wanted her to go. That is not her fault. And he didn’t make her situation easier.
Oh man. Do you see my problem here? It was terrible and I’m honestly disappointed on Roberts. This is not an series I will continue to read. And from now on I will probably stay with the other type of genres by Roberts and stay away from the paranormals. I do not feel that, that is her strong suit.
And the last thing I wish so complain about is the writing. It is written in a point of view way, for every character and the chapters are to crowded. It was hard to keep track on who is talking when. Overall the book is in such a bad quality that if I didn’t already know, I wouldn’t have though this was a Roberts book. That is how different it all is.
This was the first time I read something more supernatural, written by Nora Roberts and since I do like her other books, I didn’t expect anything less. Well I shouldn’t have expected anything at all. Because this was certainly not my type of book and a complete waste of time. So why didn’t I DNF it you wondering? Well I’m a sucker for the whole “woman on the run from bad guy, find a new home, new friends, new life, new love but her past comes back and hunts her.” plot. Some old school romantic suspense. Never fails me. So I thought.
I think it is the paranormal aspect with the book that bugs me the most. It feels so unrealistic and worn-out. No real excitement or suspense. Oh and the characters. I have never seen Roberts as any less than an author who stands for strong and independent females and good, great guys. But Zack in this book, is not a great guy. He pushes and pushes even though Nell has told him that she cant get involved with anybody not even him. Then he pushes some more, they gets involved and than HE gets mad because she has not told the truth about her history. Well F*** you! She was as honest she could be from the start and Zack didn’t listen. He kept pushing. He kept taking over. Not letting her find her footing and kept stearing her the way he wanted her to go. That is not her fault. And he didn’t make her situation easier.
Oh man. Do you see my problem here? It was terrible and I’m honestly disappointed on Roberts. This is not an series I will continue to read. And from now on I will probably stay with the other type of genres by Roberts and stay away from the paranormals. I do not feel that, that is her strong suit.
And the last thing I wish so complain about is the writing. It is written in a point of view way, for every character and the chapters are to crowded. It was hard to keep track on who is talking when. Overall the book is in such a bad quality that if I didn’t already know, I wouldn’t have though this was a Roberts book. That is how different it all is.
bak8382's review
4.0
Nell arrives on Three Sisters Island after a year spent hiding from her abusive husband. She lands a job at the local bookstore cafe, and begins to get to know the locals including the intriguing Sheriff. She also discovers powers that link her to events that happened three hundred ago and to two other women on the island, Mia the bookstore owner, and Ripley, sister of the aforementioned Sheriff. To finally free herself from her marriage she will have to embrace her power and face her fears.
I've been in the mood for some mindless comfort reading, and once again Nora Roberts delivers exactly what I want. It's full of beautiful, talented, and witty people who have just the slightest imperfections to make it interesting, and of course the requisite happy ending.
I've been in the mood for some mindless comfort reading, and once again Nora Roberts delivers exactly what I want. It's full of beautiful, talented, and witty people who have just the slightest imperfections to make it interesting, and of course the requisite happy ending.