This month we have for you yet another modern Romance novel. We've become quite taken with some of these titles, but what can we say? People can change their point of view. :) Read on, dear patron, and enjoy.


A Review of
Heaven and Earth
by Nora Roberts

In this second installment of the Three Sisters Island trilogy, Ripley, Mia, and Nell have just gotten over their most recent confrontation, and are slowly recovering. Life is getting back to normal, and Ripley is becoming used to her new place in Nell's life (You have to read Dance Upon Air to find out what that new place is; I won't spoil it for you.). She is content with life in general, when in walks Dr. MacAllister Booke, a parapsychology researcher, ghostbuster, and witchcraft expert, intent on coaxing the story of Three Sisters Island's three now-highly-visible witches from anyone who will talk to him. Mia and Nell happily oblige (as do Lulu and a few of their other friends), but Ripley wouldn't so much as give Mac the time of day . . . if he weren't so damnably charming, and handsome, to boot. Ripley and Mac butt heads left and right, but of course, Ripley won't admit that she would be quite happy ... shall we say agreeing with the good doctor?

While they go several rounds with each other, and Mac gains some of the information he needs through several meetings with Ripley's more willing "sisters" they have trouble on the outskirts, just waiting to slap them in the face. When a roving New York reporter comes sniffing around for a story, he bypasses the girls, and finds a particularly willing interviewee in the clearly psychotic Evan Remington. But something strange happens to our intrepid reporter, on one late-night visit to Mr. Remington, that sends him off his rocker, and puts him out after Nell. Ripley will have none of this and the confrontation turns ugly, and ancient, when Ripley, this time, is forced to face her greatest, and ancient enemy, this time no longer content to use Remington for its wicked ends, but now in possession of the poor reporter. And infuriatingly, Ripley has to make a choice between trusting her instinct to administer her own scathing brand of justice in order to save herself, her sisters, and Mac, or letting justice do its own work--a mistake the Sister of Earth has made in the past, that has cost her dearly.

Will she succeed? Or will history repeat itself? Will Mac go home with just a book, or will he make his home permanently here on Three Sisters Island? And what is Mac's secret, anyway?

You will have to read to find out.

I enjoyed Heaven and Earth immensely and found it to be even better than the first in the Three Sisters Island series. It stands on its own very well, I should guess, if one wishes to read it that way, but I recommend reading Dance Upon the Air as well, to truly understand the scope of Nell, Ripley, and Mia's story. Yes, it's a Romance novel, and I suspect one might consider it suitable for a PG13 audience or older; but once again, there is much magic and mystery to be found among the Romance. Give it a try, dear patron. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

~Webmistress