Face the fire

I picked up Dance Upon the Air from my favourite bargain bin and found it full of corny stuff that I enjoy. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's a trilogy, and I have to track the other two down.[return][return]The Three Sisters Island Trilogy opens with a prologue of three witches Earth, Air and Fire - who used their power to create a sanctuary from prosecution during the Salem witch trials. They found refuge on the island, but each witch went on to enter relationships that ultimately led them to their deaths. Their descendants must break the curse or the island will sink back into the ocean.[return][return]Dance Upon the Air sees a timid Nell Channing arriving at island three centuries later. She is immediately “adopted” by Mia Devlin, the proprietor of Cafe Book. Mia hires her to cook at the cafe and helps her settle into a little cottage. Sheriff Zack Todd begins courting her. For the first time, Nell felt safe and secure, with friends and a life to call her own.[return][return]We gradually learn Nell s secret; she faked her own death to escape her abusive husband. When Evan Remington discovers that she is not dead after all, he bears down on her hard and fast, threatening everything she has come to love.[return][return]I found book two in a local bookstore. This didn't surprise me because our bookstores are good at stocking the orphan “middle” book(s). It also didn't surprise me that days of searching didn't turn up book three.[return][return]In Heaven and Earth, the focus switches to Ripley Todd, the quick-tempered deputy sheriff and Nell's sister-in-law.[return][return]While Nell freely embraced her powers and Mia never abandoned hers, Rip made a conscious decision to walk away. This happened many years ago when Mia had her heart shattered by Sam Logan, another name that gets a lot of mention.[return] [return]Rip s troubles began when paranormal researcher MacAllister Booke arrived; sniffing around at the island s purported paranormal activities. He is intrigued by Rip, and pursues her for both business and pleasure. She falls for him, but not without protesting as much as a maiden in a Victorian romance novel.[return][return]When danger looms, the eye-for-an-eye Rip has to be careful not to repeat what her ancestor did break the witch s vow not to harm others. [return] [return]My friend in KL called to let me know she found book three. I was content to wait for her to bring it home, but when I mentioned it to a fellow bookworm here, she said, “I have the whole set!”[return][return]Face The Fire is about Mia Devlin, so far the most intriguing of the three. We've already been through two books with her as an unflappable supporting character, so it was a little startling to discover her human side. [return][return]Like Rip, her story was set in motion with the arrival of a man Sam Logan, who walked out on her years ago and left her an inconsolable wreck. Mia had since pulled herself together and moved on, locking her heart away so she will never be hurt like that again. She still (obviously) holds a candle for Sam, and his return confused and frustrated her.[return][return]But Mia s personal battle with evil has arrived. To triumph and save her island, Mia must resolve her complicated relationship with Sam, who is also a witch himself and completes the elemental theme in the book with his own powers over Water. [return][return]Everyone has their own definition of “light reading” and mine is Nora Roberts. Her characters are interesting and good looking, the sex is hot and the series of situations they get caught in are mostly unbelievable. In short, things like this don't happen to real people, but that's why we read about it.[return][return]Like most Hollywood blockbusters, you don t have to get your brain involved, but anything that helps me de-stress by escaping reality for a while is considered time well spent.[return]return