Nora Roberts Stars a New Trilogy with Blood Brothers

Nora Roberts has been one of my favorite authors for several years and I pick up all of her new books as they are released. She has written several trilogies over the years and I have enjoyed all of them that I have read. I look forward to them even though I do get impatient for the second and third books to be released. I recently finished Blood Brothers, the first book in her new Sign of Seven Trilogy.

Blood Brothers began with a short prologue set in Hawkins Hallow in 1652. A man named Giles Dent had realized that evil was taking over the town and decided to do something to stop it. The place where he faced the evil became known as Pagan Stone.

The book jumped forward to July 7, 1987 and introduced three boys who would be main characters in the trilogy as adults. Caleb, Fox, and Gage planned to sneak off to camp out at Pagan Stone for their shared tenth birthday. They accidentally unleashed the evil force that Giles had imprisoned so many years before. Every seven years after that, the evil would cause people around Hawkins Hallow to do horrible things for a week. Twenty-one years after the evil had been set free once again, it was making its presence known months earlier than it had previously.

Caleb and Fox still lived in town while Gage had been traveling around the world for years. Gage would always return before the week in July. Quinn Black was a reporter and author who had heard about the strange things that happened in Hawkins Hallow every seven years and decided she wanted to write a book about it. Caleb agreed to meet with her even though he wasn’t sure the book was a good idea. It became clear very quickly that Quinn had some sort of connection to what was going on. Layla, a woman who had recently arrived in town, and Cybil, Quinn’s friend who sometimes helped her with research, were also tied to the strange events. The six of them agreed that they needed to work together to figure out how to finally stop the evil once and for all.

There was a lot going on in Blood Brothers without making the plot so complicated that it was hard to keep track of everything. Things did progress at a somewhat fast pace without making things seem rushed. There really wasn’t a definite conclusion for the main plot, which is normal for the trilogies that Roberts writes. The main plot did progress forward while laying a good foundation for the next two books. There was some mystery included connected to everything that was going on and just exactly what the evil presence was. The mystery wasn’t as strong as it has been in some of her other books, which might disappoint some people. There was only a small amount of violence in a few scenes that didn’t get too graphic or explicit.

There was some kind of strong supernatural element that played a huge part in the plot of Blood Brothers. The supernatural element will be back in the next two books and I think it may get even stronger by the conclusion of the final book. It was made clear very early that there was some kind of evil taking over in Hawkins Hallow without identifying exactly what the evil was. I think that helped to make things more interesting since it wasn’t really clear what the six main characters were facing. The three men each ended up with a unique ability after what happened at the Pagan Stone on their tenth birthday and it turned out that the women also shared the abilities. I really enjoyed the supernatural elements that Roberts included in the book. This isn’t the first time that Roberts has included some form of the supernatural in her trilogies. Most of them that I have read have featured them in some way. People that don’t care for those types of books will probably want to choose a different book.

Quinn and Caleb were attracted to each other when they first met. They both had some reservations about getting involved at first but that didn’t last for long and they started a sexual relationship. Their relationship did progress rather fast, something that has happened in the other trilogies by Roberts that I have read. I did think their relationship worked despite how fast it moved. Some people may be turned off by that aspect of the book. There were a few sex scenes between them that were descriptive without getting explicit. Since I have read her other trilogies, I know that the other four characters will end up becoming couples as well. There was only a little bit of hinting that Layla and Fox may end up together, which would leave Cybil and Gage getting together.

Blood Brothers introduced a group of six characters, three men and three women, who are the main characters for the trilogy overall. The three men had been friends since childhood and the women were new to the group. The six people have to figure out how to work together and develop trust quickly after meeting. Time was taken to show the developing friendships while also giving time to the main overall plot of the trilogy. Roberts has done that in her other trilogies as well and I think it works well. Some people may find that formulaic and be disappointed that there are similarities to her other trilogies.

There was a decent amount of information shared about Caleb, Fox, and Gage since they were the ones that set the chain of events in motion as children. Caleb and Quinn did end up receiving more attention than the other four characters. I expect that they won’t be featured as much in the next two books as the other characters each have their time to be main characters. Caleb and Fox still lived in Hawkins Hallow and remained close friends. They still had a good relationship with Gage even though he spent much of his time traveling around the world. Layla was from New York and just felt like she had to go to Hawkins Hallow when she did. Cybil and Quinn had been friends for years. Gage and Cybil arrived in town later in the book, so there wasn’t as much shared about them yet. All of the characters are likable and I’m looking forward to reading the next two books to see how everything works out. Some other people around town showed up in a few scenes without being that important to what was going on.

Nora Roberts has written many books during her career. She started off writing shorter romances for Silhouette books and then branched out into longer books. All of her books have featured some romance and most of also included some kind of mystery. I’ve enjoyed all of her books that I have read and pick up her new books as they are released. She also writes a futuristic romantic suspense series, the In Death series, as J.D. Robb. I actually started reading those books first and then moved on to reading the books she wrote under her own name. I have also enjoyed the In Death series, so people who enjoy the Roberts books may also enjoy them since they are written by the same person. She has one book, Remember When, that has both names listed as authors. The first part of the book took place in current times and the second half concluded in the time of the In Death series. The two halves of the books were connected by a mystery.

Blood Brothers was another very entertaining book by Nora Roberts that is starting her newest trilogy, the Sign of Seven Trilogy. I am already looking forward to getting the next two books. Her fans should enjoy this book.

Sign of Seven Trilogy
Blood Brothers ~ The Hollow ~ The Pagan Stone ~

Three Sisters Island Trilogy
Dance Upon the Air ~ Heaven and Earth ~ Face the Fire ~

Key Trilogy
Key of Light ~ Key of Knowledge ~ Key of Valor ~

In the Garden Trilogy
Blue Dahlia ~ Black Rose ~ Red Lily ~

The Circle Trilogy
Morrigan's Cross ~ Dance of the Gods ~ Valley of Silence ~

Silhouette Series
Reflections ~ Dance of Dreams ~ Hidden Star ~ Captive Star ~ Secret Star ~ Night Shift ~ Night Shadow ~ Night Smoke ~ Night Shield ~ Cordina's Crown Jewel ~ Cordina's Royal Family ~

Single Titles
Angels Fall ~ Birthright ~ Blue Smoke ~ Chesapeake Blue ~ Engaging the Enemy ~ Genuine Lies ~ High Noon ~ Homeport ~ Midnight Bayou ~ Once More With Feeling ~ Northern Lights ~ Three Fates ~ Sweet Revenge ~ The Villa ~


Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb
Remember When ~