Customer Reviews

Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy 1)

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

In the town of Hawkins Hollow Maryland, three men have been best friends forever. They come from different families but were all born on 7/7/77. In 1987 on their 10th birthday Cal, Gage and Fox set out through the woods to camp at the mysterious location of Pagan Stone. They unleash an evil entity that dates back to 1652 and when they finally leave the woods the next morning, everything has changed.

Fast forward twenty years where Quinn, an author who specializes in things that go bump in the night, comes to the town to research what happened 20 years ago and what happens to the town and its inhabitants on 7/7.

I am a little disappointed in this story. It's not bad; it's just not that great, either, I wasn't wowed. Blood Brothers is a little reminiscent of the Three Sister Island Trilogy. I like the story premise; I love paranormal fiction, but feel this book is missing something. It failed to hook me like all other Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb books normally do and I think it is because of the characters; I never got that attached to any of them.

We have three men bonded by birthdays and deep friendship and then three women, Quinn, Layla and Cybil come along for various reasons. You know eventually they are all going to "couple up" and normally by book one in her trilogies while couple number one is steaming up the pages you can feel the chemistry brewing between couples two and three. It wasn't brewing at all for couple two and it's barely simmering for couple three.

I just don't think she gave us a real strong sense of who everyone was and where they are all coming from. Part of the reason why I love Nora books is because of her ability to paint the characters so vividly; normally we know the characters physically, emotionally, personally. I didn't get that with this one. I barely have a physical description in my head for the 6 of them.

I don't want to be all negative as it is not a horrible book by any means. I like the plot and think with a little more development I will love the characters. I think Gage and Cybil are going to be fun. I am hopeful that the next two books The Hollow and Pagan Stone will be a little more gripping and engaging. All in all not her best work or start to a series, but it's still a good read.

Reviews for this book have been all over the spectrum - mainly because it wasn't what readers were expecting. This book is not in the romance genre at all. It is full of supernatural elements and suspense revolving around 3 boyhood friends. I also saw a lot of criticism about it being about 3 boys stating it has been done before, but it is a trilogy, so that is what I expected as in keeping with her many past trilogies.

I loved this 1st book, and can't wait for the next two to be released. This unique unusual story is full of suspense and a definite creepiness factor. Cal, Fox, and Gage - Three friends from childhood that act and feel more like brothers, and the women Quinn, Layla, and Cybil that were drawn to this little town were well written, quirky, and yet very different individuals. I also liked the fact that during their journey together, even though it is serious, there were some unexpected funny moments too. I also appreciated that even though this was Cal and Quinn's story, all the characters were very involved in the story. The Key series and Garden series have been my favorites, but if this series continues as it started, I will have to add it to my favorites.

As previous readers have noted, Nora really is the queen of dialogue, the queen of writing family/friend dynamics in a way that makes them seem real. She has a knack for writing characters that I really like to read about. I loved Cal and Quinn and all the rest of the gang. I loved Lump. Add a little paranormal into the mix, and the book becomes a winner for me.

True, this is not her best book ever, but it's far from the worst. We're building up the series in this book, so I expect it to be a lot of background information, and I don't expect the overall story arc to be resolved yet. That'll happen in the third book since this is book one of a trilogy. I understand that, so I didn't got into it expecting a nice tidy package all wrapped up with a bow.

What I expected was an enjoyable read with characters I like and want to read about, and that's exactly what I got. No, the romance between Cal and Quinn wasn't the most hot and steamy I've ever read...it was more comfortable, and that was just fine. (Though the scene in Cal's office was pretty hot, if you ask me). If you're looking for a book with lots of raw, desperate, passionate sex scenes, this isn't the one. Maybe that'll happen with Gage's story.

The point here is that I'm eager to stick around and find out what happens next, and that's really the mark of a good book to me. I have no problem recommending this.

Blood Brothers. I got it from the library and am glad I didn't pay for it. I agree with the other reviewers who have said the characters are indistinguishable and will add the reason they are indistinguishable is because they ALL talk the same. Each character's dialog is written with the same cadence, rhythm, style and sentence structure. As I have written before in my reviews of NR books of the past few years, she has taken to writing in a very certain STYLE, which is very obvious and detracts from the story she is telling. (this is why it takes me awhile to read her books - I have to go back and reread sentences to get just what she is telling). Her STYLE is to LEAVE OUT PRONOUNS, ITS', and THE'S, etc. Her dialog is choppy and very STYLISTIC. But her characters all talk alike. In her previous books, at least a few of the characters talked normally, but in this one THEY ALL TALKED ALIKE!

I will say I liked the prologue and thought the book had promise. The boys had their own personalities and they were interesting. Then they grew up and became more alike and, of course, talked alike. Some of their individual personalities still came through some, but not enough. Cal's was the most changed from what I would expect from his boyhood. But the women were interchangeable, personality-wise. Again, they all talked alike. So, for characters I would give the book a C-

The story itself has promise, except for the fact it is SO similar to last year's vampire trilogy. If it focused more on the history and less on the hokey demon, it would be a better read. The ending in book 1 was quite hokey. For story, I would give a B-

The romance was rushed, as I felt the romance in book 1 of the vampire trilogy was also. It's a shame, as NR has written some excellent romances. For romance I would give a C

This was a book I was easily able to put down and not chomping at the bit to pick back up. I miss the old NR writing. I miss the feeling of excitement that a new NR book was out and the need to rush to the store to buy it. Now, I just get on the wait list at the library and keep giving her a chance. This one may be the end of the ride for me.

It's a re-hash of several old NR stories. Chesapeake Bay series, the Key Trilogy, the recent Circle trilogy, to name a few. If you've read the Circle trilogy, just re-read it, save some bucks that way. If you like the name Quinn, pick up a copy of any of the Chesapeake Bay series for a better story. I really hate names being reused. Both Quinn and Cybil were re-used from previous books. Yes, spelled with an 'S' in the Chesapeake books, but still the same sound.

The characters in 'Blood Brothers' are flat and uninteresting. I loved the idea of three males bonding deeply as in the Chesapeake series, but these guys were just cardboard. The women were spunky, brave, and talented, and of course, sexy in their ways, but I couldn't keep them separate. The most interesting character in the book is the dog.

Main stream? Romance? Just because two characters fall in 'love' and have sex, a story is not a romance. Instead of being shelved in the romance section, NR's current works need to be in the fantasy section of the bookstore.

Frankly, I'm tired of all the demons and death, blood and witchiness.

I've purchased *everything* NR has published since 1981, so I know she can do fun, light, intriguing stories without all the religious/demonic aspects. I think this book is the last eight bucks I spend on one of her titles. (I wonder how much I've spent on her books over the years....)

I hope the publishers are paying attention.

I look forward to any book written by Nora Roberts but I was disappointed in this one. Three couples have to save the world from great evil by a certain date or the town will be distroyed. I found it too similar to The Circle Trilogy. Instead of the evil vampire, it's now the evil Demon. I think the characters lack depth too. Halfway through the book, the only thing I know about the female characters is that one is blonde (The hero calls her Blondie) and the other has great clothes (She's from NYC). The only thing I know about the third is that she can cook.

This novel has a long list of things wrong with it from my perspective. I will lump together just a few:

(1) The paranormal stuff just doesn't work. It's supposed to be scary, but it doesn't pass the giggle test. I've liked some books about monsters and ancient magic and such, but this wasn't one of them.

(2) The three men and three women central figures are annoying yuppies who I suspect would drink expensive wine with bologna sandwiches--just for show. They seemingly have no money problems, dress expensively, have nice vehicles and say, "Good point" a lot in an attempt to convince the reader that the story makes sense. Their discussions about what to do next and their conclusions with respect to what is and has happened are silly. I found myself hoping the boogey man would get them.

(3) The best thing about Nora Roberts' novels is her sense of place and the ability to take th reader there. It was completely absent for me in this book. We're somewhere in Maryland, mostly in winter, in some little burg, but the specifics were lacking. I never felt transported.

(4) The book has no ending, no satisfying clincher chapter. I realize this is part one of a trilogy, but in other Roberts trilogies there was a denouement of sorts for each book. The ending here is--well--as goofy as the plot, which is goofy indeed. I can't be more specific than that without someone saying I ruined it for them because they were still reading the book.

This is well below the better books by this author. Somehow I don't have much hope for the next two books, given the absurdity of the premise, the yuppie characters, and the lack of atmosphere.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

On their 10th birthday, unbeknownst to them, three best friends - Caleb, Fox, Gage - made a blood pact on the Pagan Stone and released demonic evil that had been imprisoned for hundreds of years.

Now, every 7 years, on the 7th day of the 7th month, 7 days of terror plague their home town of Hawkins Hollow and no one in town really remembers what happened during that time. No one except the reluctant heroes who made a pact to do everything they could to protect their twon from this evil.

Now 21 years after the demon was first unleashed, fear attacks the town early and Caleb, Fox, and Gage, and three woman drawn to the town for unknown reasons - Quinn, Layla, Cybill - must find courage and hidden strength to defeat the monster once and for all. And maybe even find love in the midst of terror, if only they can survive.

Caleb Hawkins, owner of the small town's bowling alley, feels the strongest responsibility of the three men to protect the town since his ancestors were the town's founders. He fears what will happen if they can't defeat the evil demon before it's too late. Quinn Black is a writer famous for her books on modern urban legends. The stories surrounding Hawkin's Hollow lure her into town and she stays upon feeling a strange bond to the town, and to Caleb. These two are drawn to one another in spite of all the odds stacked against them, and the visions they experience about along dead couple from Hawkins Hollow bind them even closer.

However, all the signs of typical Nora trilogy fare are present here, same formula, same personalities. Three single men we meet immediately, each attracted to one of the three also single women. As usual, quite a bit of time was spent setting up all three couples, which cuts in to the time I would have liked to spend with Blood Brothers' couple. Even the standard physical appearance found in every single Roberts trilogy are present here. I'd sure like to see Roberts venture away from her typical formula and give us a new crew of characters.

I was quite emotionally invested in Blood Brothers and enjoyed this first installment in Nora's latest trilogy much more than most of her other trilogies I have read. Romance is found, as to be expected for Nora, but this book is evenly split between the romance story and the horror/suspense story. We have a whole variety of things here, psychic gifts, demons, ghosts, reincarnation (maybe) and several other interesting elements. I was so disappointed in her previous paranormal trilogy, The Circle, so I was happy to see that The Sign of Seven was far better.

Phil Gigante does an impressive job narrating Blood Brothers. He is fantastic using voices perfect for each individual character. The only fault I found in his performance was that he tends to overdo the falsetto used to portray the women and after a while, that grated on my nerves quite a bit.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2008. All rights reserved.

I've read almost everything by this prolific author, but lately, the bloom has been off the rose. It's hard for her to write something completely fresh because of the aforementioned prolific quality.

But in the first book of this trilogy, Roberts is doing that voodoo she does do so well. Okay, it's not voodoo, but it sure is spooky. Three friends share a birthday in the woods that changes them forever--and a scary showdown is coming between a big bad demon and the men those friends have become. Fortunately, they'll have strong women besides them in their battle against evil.

Yeah, we've seen it all before. Multiple times. But I keep reading them because I love Roberts' characters, her dialogue, and...dammit, I like it when good defeats evil. I can't help myself! Caleb and Quinn are an attractive couple and the friendships formed and forming are both admirable and enviable.

I'm looking forward to book two...and especially book three. I'm a sucker for the hero who has suffered hard knocks, and Nora always gives us one of those in these trilogies.

I have been on the fence about NR books for the last five years. I quit buying her hardbacks but have had a more difficult time not buying her trilogies. When she on the mark who can forget her wonderful humor and realistic dialogue.

I am not against magic in books. ESP books are a weakness of mine. But the magic,or evil, has come to overpower the story and characterization. I have always thought that Nora's heroines and heroes were interchangeable: the beautiful one, the intelligent or less feminine one and the quiet homemaker. and the heroes were the intelligent one, the quiet one and the sophisticated one But I enjoyed them. Each heroine or hero learned a lesson about life and love. But with her last couple of series the ghost, vampire, and now demon seem so much like caricatures bordering on absurd. It like Nora can't decide if she wants the books to be scary, romantic, humorous, or touching.

Other people may disagree with me, but I found nothing scary about this book. Most of the interaction betwwn the demon and the characters seemed unrealistic and unbelievable and comedic. I still can't get the line out of my head where one of the heroes thinks throwing rock at the demon is going to demoralize him.

With this book, I think I have finally realized that I need to just quit buying her books because there is more that I dislike about her books then like. I want to read about realistic situations with more love and laughter