Customer Reviews

Key of Light

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Malory Price is a woman with a plan. She is organized in every facet of life from her career to her personal life, and isn't the spontaneous type. When she receives an invitation to Warrior's Peak, she is hesitant, but curiosity wins out. Malory likes her hosts Pitte and Rowenna, as well as the other two women that accepted invitations Zoe McCourt and Dana Steele. Pitte and Rowenna relay a tale of angry gods and three special princesses, and that fact that they believe them to be those princesses reborn. The three women are skeptical about the story, but agree to hear the challenge Pitte alludes to. Each woman is offered $25,000 each to search for 3 missing keys. If they find the keys, they will get 1 million dollars each, but if they fail, each woman must forfeit 1 year of their lives. As they start the journey, they find out they will have assistance from three counterparts. Connected to the mystery and the search are three men - Flynn, Brad, and Jordan.

This first book in the Key Series is Malory Price and Flynn Hennessy's story. I liked how Malory and Flynn met when his dog Moe knocks her down. She tries to resist Flynn's overtures, but is forced to be around him because he is Dana's brother. As the duo get closer, they must solve the puzzles, and overcome obstacles to find the first key. Very good start to the series!

Book 1 in the brand new "Key" series!!!

You meet Malory Price, manager of an art gallery in a small town in Penn. She is about to lose her job and doesn't know what she will do with herself. She has always wanted to paint but has never believed that her work has true beauty. She received an invite to a reception at a mysterious mansion. There she meets two other single woman around her age. Dana Steele and Zoe McCourt. At this reception these women are told a story by their hosts, Rowena and Pitte.

The story is said that a Celtic God fell in love with a mortal woman and brought her into his world. They were married and had three daughters. But an evil Celtic God didn't like this and cast a spell against the daughters and locked their souls away in a glass box. The box can only be opened by three keys by the hands of three mortal women.

They are asked if they want to take on this quest and are each given twenty-five thousand dollars, but if they succeed they will each get a million dollars. Each woman must find her key within 28 days.

Malory is the first on the quest. Dana's brother Flynn joins in the search and they fall in love. But each women must face danger in their search and search not only for the key, but a search within themselves.

It's a supernatural story of legends and magic. Reminded me a lot like the Three Sister or Irish trilogies. It's about the beauty inside and the possibilities that are within our reach. A great new series. I can't wait for #2!!

Having read and enjoyed Robert's stories since the early 80s, I am always excited when another offering from this (thankfully) prolific writer hits the shelves! Sliding into the worlds and lives that Roberts creates is a great mini vacation from reality and I especially enjoy her penchance for Celtic, magical and mythical themes, as in this new triology. Roberts loves the "what if?" and as one of the heros (or heros to be)asks: What would life be like, if we KNEW magic was alive and true and that the old stories were based on something real? The question is not new and has been asked in grander literary style, but it is always fun and Roberts lets us share that fun. There won't be any great surprises for longtime fans, the heros/heroines of the next two books are clear, as are the basic man/woman conflicts that will play out. We've met versions of her single mom, grounded realist, eccentic writer, scion of a family empire, journalist and book lover before, but so what? We liked them then and they are no less engaging now. Personally, I also enjoy Robert's stories, like this one, in which her characters realize that their lives to date aren't working and then set about to create a better life that does work. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.

To those who aren't Nora Roberts fans, but are interested in picking up one of her books: this is a thoroughly entertaining book. It's got romance, intrigue, engaging characters, and an interesting plot. Be careful, though, because it's the first book of a trilogy, and you could easily get pulled into buying two more books. It might not be literature, it might not be art, but it sure is a lot of fun.

Now on to the bulk of my review, which is aimed at those who are already Nora fans: in a way, you've read this before. The characters are mixes of earlier characters, and some are not even mixes: Dana Steele is rather a lot like Ripley Todd, for instance. You can pretty much guess what's going to happen both in this book and in the next two. For that reason, I'd really rather give it 4.5 stars instead of 5. In other words, it's not quite perfect.

However, it's the same Nora Roberts we know and love. Just because you have a good idea of where you're going doesn't mean you can't enjoy the trip. What sets this book apart, and makes it so enjoyable, is its details. The plot is intriguing, and at times exciting. Even though it has parts to it that are reminiscent of earlier trilogies (especially the Three Sisters and the Irish trilogies), it has fresh and interesting twists to it. The characters are as loveable as always, and their details set them apart from previous characters: Dana's books (she's a reference librarian, which I love), for example, and Flynn's dog. And there are a few scenes that I thought topped anything NR's written before.

In short, read it. It's good. :-)

I have read EVERY book Nora Roberts has ever written and wait anxiously for each new one to "hit the stands". I was at the store the first day this book came out and read it cover to cover that very day. I truly enjoyed it from start to finish. The ending was of course evident, since this is a trilogy, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. Malory has a life plan, which starts to change drastically when she calls her boss's new wife a bimbo and spills a latte on her suit. Fortunately the $25,000 she gets for trying to find the key will hold her over for a while since she inevitably loses her job. As Malory sticks to her commitment to find her key she experiences more changes in her life in the way of Dana's brother Flynn. Is someone playing with her mind or is how she feels about him real. Although she hardly knows Zoe and Dana, she feels connected to them. Their methods for finding clues may be obscure, but then how much detail do we really need to make the story fun. The farther into the puzzle of finding her key, the more Malory sees how things could be. She makes some very hard choices, but nothing about the way Robert's writes the story can be called ordinary or predictable. The future pairing of Brad and Zoe and Jordan and Dana is fun to anticipate. The sparks are already flying. We know that Zoe and Dana will get their turns at finding a key and the prelude in this first book about what lies ahead for them makes you want November to be here today. Since the story line is set, and the preliminaries out of the way, the next two can only get better. Better than a great book, that's something!

This is the first book in a triology. Nora Roberts often writes exciting trilogies and this book is no exception. Key of Light is the first in her new series and explores ancient celtic mythology in today's contemporary environment.

Mallory, Dana and Zoe are three women who are offered a chance to solve a centuries old mystery. Long ago, an Evil celtic god had stolen the souls of 3 young goddesses--who happen to resemble Mallory, Dana and Zoe in paintings. These souls were then locked and magically sealed in a glass box with a spell to keep them there until they can be unlocked with 3 keys. The enchanted spell has the three women looking for the 3 keys to release these lost souls.

Helping these women are Flynn, and his 2 best friends- Brad and Jordan. They also are connected to the mystery and the solution. Mallory and Flynn are this book's focus. Mallory represents art and beauty and she is to find the first hidden key.

Also assisting the couples are 2 mysterious beings that are overseeing the search and guiding the women. Pitte and Rowena are great characters with a mysterious back story and they promise to figure in the next books as well.

Key of Light is the perfect blend of romance, mystery, suspence and mystical elements. Mallory is the perfect heroine- independent, willing to believe in the celtic myth, loyal to her friends etc. Flynn is the hero who helps her despite his skepticism. It is fast paced, exciting and intriguing with great secondary characters of zoe/dana/brad and jordan--all of whom will have their own storys in the following books of this trilogy.

Malory Price is the stunningly beautiful, and rather youngish, manager of The Gallery, a chic art gallery in the wilds of western Pennsylvania. She's smart, sassy, and because her boss's new trophy wife is insanely jealous, soon to be unemployed. She receives a mysterious invitation to a cocktail reception to the grand old house (mansion is more like it) on Warrior's Peak. In search of new business for The Gallery, she attends, and meets two equally brainy beauties---Dana, the bookish (what else?) librarian who can research anything, and, most delightfully of all, Zoe, the hairdresser extraordinaire and post-modern heart-on-her-sleeve flowerchild and mother who is the queen of moral support. Soon, at Warrior's Peak, they encounter a mysterious painting (complete with some VERY familiar faces!) and an equally mysterious couple who make them a very enticing offer: If they will join together on a quest in search of three keys, and are successful, they will each receive one million dollars! If they fail, the penalty will be a year of their lives!! The girls have a month each to solve the puzzle, and Malory is first up. She soon gains allies: Flynn, the very handsome and available editor of the local paper (do I smell romance in the air?), and Moe, his unforgettable mountain of a dog who provides lots of comic relief. In the hands of a lesser author, such a premise could seem overly grim or gothic, but instead, the comic bickering between the soon-to-be-lovers, and most of all, the warm, genuine relationships formed between the three women (each of whom has come to a crossroads in her life; they soon band together in a prospective business venture.) make this an unforgettable beginning of what promises to be an outstanding trilogy. Hats off to Nora Roberts, who proves that the future is best faced by following your heart and embracing new loves, friendships, and ventures when they come along, rather than staying safe (but suffocating) within your personal box. All this and a touch of magic, too, make Key of Light, and indeed the entire trilogy a must-read. Get it today, and let the key light a path to a special spot on your own personal bookshelf.

Susan Ericksen is a stellar choice for the voice of popular novelist Nora Roberts's latest protagonist.. Fans of the popular author will be delighted to learn that Ms. Roberts returns to terrain she knows well and sells exceedingly well - the supernatural. Ms. Ericksen tackles this vocal performance with elan and control, bringing just the appropriate soupcons of suspense and mystery to the story of a woman faced with a challenge she can't resist.

Malory Price is the manager of an art gallery in a small Pennsylvania town. She accepts an invitation to a reception, but upon arrival is startled to find there are only three guests. Each of the other two is also a young woman. Their hosts tells them that the souls of another trio were stolen by a sorcerer, and cannot be freed until the keys to the glass box in which they are kept captive are found.

Why should these modern day misses undertake such a search? For $25,000 and a big million if they find them.

"Key Of Light" is the first in a series of three proposed novels dubbed "The Key Series." As the saying goes, you won't be able to stop with just one.

- Gail Cooke

I don't have much time to read, so when I do sit down with a book, I like it to be a good one. I was not disappointed with "Key of Light" by Nora Roberts.

I asked for "Key of Light" for Christmas and after dinner when everybody was relaxing, I picked up the book with the intention of just reading a little bit. The book immediately drew me in and I ended up reading long after everybody had gone to bed. I couldn't put it down!

The book was so good that I went out first thing the next morning and bought the second book.

This book had intrigue, romance, sex, wisdom, mystery, fantasy, good vs evil... Not to mention a surprise twist... a little bit of just about everything!

I bought copies of this that I am sending to my family members so they can also enjoy it. I just can't say enough good things about it!! Definitely one of the best books I've ever read in my life.

Nora Roberts has defenitly hit on another outstanding trilogy. In the first boook, Key Of Light, she tells the tale of Malory Price and the Quest she is destined to take. With the help of her new friends, Dana Steele and Zoe McCourt, she has 28 days to find a mythical key that will unlock the souls of the Daughters Of Glass. Along the way she will find love with handsome Flynn Hennesey. And do battle with an evil god named Kane. Nora is a true master of storytelling and I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a GREAT read!