I am pretty new at my new found love for reading. This series is really good and Nora Roberts rocks!

Cal, Fox, and Gage are best friends who were born on the same day. On their tenth birthday, they lie to their parents and trudge through the woods to camp at the Pagan Stone, a place of legend and mystery. At midnight, the boys perform a blood ritual at the stone to seal their friendship, and inadvertently awaken a demon within it. For the next 21 years, their home town of Hawkins Hollow is plagued by demonic behavior for seven days every seven years, and afterward, the whole of the town chooses to act like nothing happened.

Quinn Black writes books about haunted places and is intrigued by Hawkins Hollow. Deciding to write about its phenomenon, she ventures there and checks into the hotel. Almost immediately upon her arrival, she is plagued by dark visions and strange dreams. She also rather immediately develops an attraction to hometown boy Cal Hawkins. Cal runs the town's bowling alley and community center, and was one of the trio who unlocked the demon. Because of Quinn's dreams and visions, they ascertain she is somehow connected to the town, and another newcomer is soon added to the ranks when stylish Layla suddenly appears out of the blue, taking a leave of absence from her job in New York. Gage Turner got out of the Hollow the minute he turned 18 and lives on the professional poker circuit, but he returns to aid his friends during the Seven, Hawkins Hollow's own hell week. Fox O'Dell took up lawyering rather than his family's hippie ways, but he also lives in town. Quinn invites the sixth, Cybil, to join their group when it becomes apparent they'll need more help. As soon as she arrives, it is obvious that Cybil is also connected.

So begins the latest Nora Roberts trilogy. While the story was compelling enough and I read it pretty fast, a few things niggled at me. This story and these characters feel too familiar, probably because they're a whole lot like the story and characters from the last couple Roberts trilogies. It starts with three men or women who are connected by blood or friendship, living fulfilling single lives, when the dark supernatural force they must fight has them suddenly hooking up with their soul mates. The six of them have special powers together and use them to battle the forces of evil, and the power of love saves the day. While it's not bad to have a recurring theme in these trilogies, they're all starting to feel the same. There is always one go-getter, one soft romantic, and one cynic among the women, while the men are always handsome and sweet. Everyone, no matter their quirks, is very open about their feelings, and the instant they realize they're in love, they know it's over, might as well buy a house and start checking out preschools. There is no uncertainty and no mystery to the process, and all the relationships develop in the same way. It's just getting a bit hard to swallow because it doesn't ring true for human behavior. It has also started to wear on me that all the characters use the same abbreviated speech patterns, and often the same abbreviated phrases. Clever once; cloying when peppered throughout the whole book.

Something else bothered me even more, though. While I'm far from the most devout individual, I do believe in God and was bugged by the phrase "gods and demons." There is only one God, and ANGELS and demons are the minions of good and evil. Even the much-maligned Dan Brown got that right. I found it telling that the characters in this book sought answers in witchcraft or through their own powers, but did not once consider a church. God and Jesus are mere epithets in Hawkins Hollow, but I guess the town is plagued by a demon, after all. Pagan readers should be thrilled at seeing their beliefs so promoted, though.

In all, though this trilogy is suffering in the originality department, it is a decent and compelling read. I began the practice a few years ago of not picking up the first book in a Roberts trilogy until I have all three so I can read them back-to-back, and I will pick up the next in this series right away. Nora Roberts is sticking close to the formula this time out, but it's one that's been successful in the past.

This starts in 1652. Giles Dent is a healer and knows of an evil in Hawkins Hollow, MD. He sends his pregnant wife off and battles the evil. he knows that he cannot defeat it but breaks some rules to give his descendants abilities to fight and win the battle.

In 1987, Caleb, Fox, and Gage are turning ten years old and initiate a blood ritual to bind them together as blood brothers. Unfortunately the same ritual unleashes the evil the Giles Dent locked away. For a week after that release, the residents of Hawkins Hollow go mad. They rape, kill, torture, and other evil behaviors. After that week, they don't remember what happened or what they did, except for a select few.

From there, every 7 years for 7 days, the evil gets out and infects the town. Cal, Fox, and Gage try there best to keep the evil deeds to a minimum or try to cage the evil and have not succeeded.

Now, its February 2008, they are trying to stop the evil for good. So they call in writer Quinn. She specializes in the paranormal. But there is more to her visit than just research. She then meets Layla, who suddenly got the urge to come to Hawkin's Hallow for no reason and knew exactly how to get there. Finding out this is bigger than what she expected, Quinn calls in her best friend Cybil.

Then they learn that the lady's have a connection to this cycle. That this is the final time of the cycle. If the evil is not destroyed it will be let loose on the world again.

I really liked this book. It is my first Nora Roberts story and it was well worth it. There is a good story, plot, and characters. I cannot wait to read the next story. If you like paranormal stories that have a more realistic approach, you will like this book.

The book itself is the beginning of a wonderful series. At first I did not think I would like it, but a lady got me into it from work. I am very glad she did. It's not the same old romance novel.. there's actually a plot that doesn't involve just the romance. Nora Roberts has does a great job and is one of my favorite writers. I would recomment this book to anyone.

I have been saving these books to read during my spring break. They were worth the wait. Super books. Kept me up at night, reading lare and then I couldn't sleep because of nightmares.