Face the Fire

May 6, 2002
The final installment in Roberts's Three Sisters trilogy (after Heaven and Earth),
which is set on a New England island called Three Sisters, lacks the compelling emotional drama that has won her such a loyal readership. After being abandoned by her lover 12 years before, white witch Mia Devlin has developed a charming bookstore and cafe, a spectacular garden and a close circle of friends, all of whom share her involvement in the Craft. Only an age-old curse mars Mia's idyllic existence and threatens the future of the island itself. Then her former flame, Sam Logan—himself a witch—returns to the island, determined to win Mia back. The paranormal elements that tastefully flavored a number of Roberts's earlier titles is a bland additive here, creating the book's only suspense and filling scene after scene with discussions and manifestations of magic. Those who don't believe in spells, charms or paranormal wolves may find it hard to enjoy this story and the hokey chanting that comes with it ("No one who passes now need fear. You can do no more harm here"). As always, Roberts's prose is gracefully styled, and her storytelling is deft despite the weak material. But with perfect jobs, perfect homes, perfect hair and the force of the Craft behind them, Mia and company are barely human enough to move the reader's heart. (June)Forecast:Though it would take a far weaker book than this to so much as threaten the Roberts publishing juggernaut, this is one case where word-of-mouth may actually hurt her sales.

May 15, 2002
When Sam Logan returns to Three Sisters Island after an 11-year absence, he has two goals in mind: revitalizing the family hotel and reclaiming Mia Devlin, the woman he loved as a teenager and then deserted. However, the wary Mia is not the na ve girl he left behind; as one of three powerful witches charged with saving the island from an ancient curse, she is not about to let Sam hurt her again or interfere with her task. But Sam has a part to play in the final confrontation with the evil that threatens the island-and the people he loves. Fast-paced, beautifully sensual, and filled with three-dimensional characters readers would want as friends, this concluding volume of Roberts's trilogy (which includes Dance upon the Air and Heaven and Earth) rewards fans with a well-told tale that neatly ties up all the ends with a fiery climax that reaffirms the power of love over evil. A best-selling writer and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame, Roberts lives in Keedysville, MD.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2002
Roberts' fans will be dismayed to see the popular Three Sisters Island trilogy draw to an end. It's Mia's turn for love, but her mystical connection to the ancestor who died after losing the love of her selkie mate has hardened her heart against romance, as has Sam Logon, whom she loved as a girl and who broke her heart when he left. Now he's back and has great plans for the Magick Inn and for winning back Mia's affection, but danger in the form of the evil manifestation of a wolf stalks her and all that she loves. Three witches, along with Sam, who has his own magic, will have to combine their unique strengths to vanquish the evil. Readers will relate to the beautiful, red-haired Mia, who "loved being surrounded by books. . . She loved the smell and the texture and the look of them. And the surprises uncovered when she flipped one open at random and saw the play of words on paper."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)