Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "INSIDE THE PRETTY KITCHEN OF THE PRETTY house on Pleasant Avenue, Caleb Hawkins struggled not to squirm as his mother packed her version of campout..." (more)
Key Phrases: Pagan Stone, Hawkins Hollow, Ann Hawkins (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After three boys accidentally awaken an ancient evil near their small Maryland town, the tight-knit community finds itself lost to a Stephen King–style plague of madness and destruction for a week every seven years. Twenty-one years later, those three boys, now grown, are hoping to find a way to stop the evil before its third return, which may mean the end of the town; they don't know much about the anomalies, but they do know that [e]very time it gets stronger. This time, the town is graced by author Quinn Black, eager to document the paranormal mystery. When two more women arrive—one an associate of Quinn's, the other led to town by strange visions—the circle of six decide to face the oncoming apocalypse together. Hyperprolific bestseller Roberts frontloads her story with drama and endearing characters (especially in Quinn and bowling alley owner Caleb Hawkins), but an abundance of exposition and domestic concerns (protagonists decorate a house, trade banter and pair off predictably) slow the plot significantly. Though future volumes are sure to pick up, this trilogy kickoff suffers from a dearth of twists and little payoff; fans of the brisk, colorful Roberts style will enjoy the ride, though probably not as much as they'd expect. (Dec.)
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Product Description

In the small village of Hawkins Hollow, three best friends who share the same birthday sneak off into the woods for a sleepover the evening before turning 10. But a night of pre-pubescent celebration turns into a night of horror as their blood brother oath unleashes a three-hundred year curse.

Twenty-one years later, Cal Hawkins and his friends have seen their town plagued by a week of unexplainable evil events two more times - every seven years. With the clock winding down on the third set of seven years, someone else has taken an interest in the town's folklore. Quinn is a well known scholar of local legends, and despite Cal's protests, insists on delving in the mystery. But when the first signs of evil appear months early, it's not only the town Cal tries to protect, but also his heart.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jove; 1ST edition (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515143804
• ISBN-13: 978-0515143805
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,758 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #39 in	Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Roberts, Nora
  #77 in	Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

• This is item 1 in The Sign of Seven Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where God Hath A Temple, The Devil Will Have A Chapel - Robert Burton, November 29, 2007

By	Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCITING PART 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, December 14, 2007

By	Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Below standard, June 3, 2008

By	Roger Long "longrush" (Port Clinton, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.