Valley of Silence, 2006 (The Circle Trilogy, Book #3)

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I have always felt bad enough for Damon Salvatore and now Roberts has added one more vampire to that list. They are highly misunderstood by many and loved by only a few. Cian, the vampire, has lived almost a thousand years and was sired by the Queen of Vampires, Lilith. She abandoned him and now, after centuries of damnation he has joined hands with the other five to avenge himself and save the mankind. Moira,the scholar and the Queen of Gaell, takes this task upon herself to lead the army to the Valley of Silence to fight this battle. But will they win this war? The answer to that is obvious but the reasons aren't. They all had personal motives but had they been fighting for themselves, they would have never achieved what they did. Moira who seemed a bit weak in the first two books of this trilogy is nothing but a true warrior. She lives with the burden of deaths of her people on her soul. Torn between her duties and her emotions, she is holding onto something which can not stay in her life for long. A vampire and a human can't be together. It takes 8 years for the gods to realize that they are meant to be together. Cian receives a gift from Morrigan and build a life on it, with Moira. Though the guy has seen the worst of everything, his sense of humor is unscathed; sentences dripping with sarcasm.  This is the best book written in this trilogy. The letter written by Cian to Moria broke my heart, just a little. However, I am still to fathom one thing. How come there are no Orange groves in Gaell but plenty of Whiskey?

Dance of the Gods, 2006 (The Circle Trilogy, Book #2)

The chosen six; the sorcerer, the witch, the vampire, the scholar, the warrior and the shifter of shapes continue their pursuit of saving mankind. Larkin, the one of many shapes, is the perfect guy you would hope for. He is agile, strong, compassionate and there's not a mean bone in his body. He is the Lord of Geall  and has time traveled for medieval time with his cousin Moira to present day Ireland to be a part of Morrigan's army. He can turn himself into any living being. Oh boy! The real surprise comes when he turns himself into a dragon. The image that I get into my mind is not of some evil dragon breathing fire but a cute one. Nora's doing. Initially, when Nora projected King as the warrior, my reaction was - Damn! no romance for Larkin. But as Blair Murphy made her appearance, Nora balanced it all. She is as big a sucker for romance as you and I. Remember? Blair is a demon hunter. She had her first kill when she was thirteen. Real prodigy, huh! She prefers solitude because that's what she has known. Her father walked out of her life, the person she loved with all her heart walked out on her and all she had was her own company. But Larkin changed it all for her.

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     The fight between Morrigan's army and Lilith is to take place in three months. This book focuses on the second month of the preparations along with Blair-Larkin relationship. They go to Geall where the battle is to take place. They train Geallians to fight with them. Lora is being a bitch of the highest order. More than Lilith, I despise her. Cian is as usual has got amazing comebacks.

"There has to be a way to protect him if there's sunlight."
"Easy for you to say, Red." Cian rose to get a glass of whiskey. "Your delicate skin may burn a bit in strong sunlight, but you don't go to ash, do you?"
"Some sort of block, Hoyt," Glenna began.
"I don't think SPF-forty will do the trick," Cian countered.
(Dance of the Gods, 2006) 

See! You just can't resist his good humor. I like the guy already and couldn't wait to read the third and final part of this trilogy. As for others, Hoyt and Glenna are very much in love. Larkin and Blair are figuring it for themselves. Moira is being the princess. If you think she is fragile, you are in for a surprise. She will lead the army to war. Why she? Read the book. :D

Irish Rebel, 2000 (Irish Heart Series, Book #3)

     Oh! I wanted to write about this book as soon as I finished it and I did. An extra mark for one particular scene which set me in a fit of laughter. How I love the woman! Keeley Grant is the oldest daughter of Adelia and Travis Grant. Remember we met them in Irish Thoroughbred? She is smart, independent and rumor is she is cold. She hasn't given much thought to men until she met Brian Donnelly. He is proud, confident and a horse trainer of Uncle Paddy's caliber. I hope you remember him, Uncle Paddy! Brian has a gift with horses, an innate quality to connect with them. He tends. It is his nature. Keeley is self sufficient. She has her own business flourishing despite being an heir to The Royal Meadows. He comes to work at The Royal Meadows (from Ireland, no points for guessing!) and they fall in love with each other. How, when and why are for you to discover by reading the book.

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     In my opinion this book is the best in The Irish Heart Series. A few pages right before the end are brilliantly written. Set me in a fit of laughter at right three in the morning. I finished this book in one go, so no chances of it being boring. I developed a liking for Adelia Grant. Roberts didn't do justice with her in Irish Thoroughbred. You will also find Logans in this book. One thing I admire about Roberts's series is the way she portrays her characters. They are more than characters; people you know, love, meet every day and watch them grow old. It leaves one with a feeling of contentment knowing that the characters you read about in previous book are living happily together. And don't I like to see these people enjoying their happy-ever-after? One see Adelia and Travis fall in love in Irish Thoroughbred, happily married with kids in Irish Rose and old, gray and content in Irish Rebel; and one feels happy. I do! This book is as much about these people as it is about Keeley and Brian. I like it. It's the first series written by Roberts. I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow Roberts decide to write a book about the life of Grant's other kids or Logan's kids, for that matter. 

Irish Thoroughbred, 1981 (Irish Hearts Series, Book #1)

     It's stupid. Yes, to marry someone just because you want to take care of them is stupid. Of course, the love is there. But it hasn't been acknowledged and it has been projected as if he has married the woman to protect and provide for her. It seems stupid at THAT moment, if not later. But then it is Nora Roberts and she has enough love in her heart to prove you wrong of thinking of it as stupid. You don't get it, do you? Okay! Let's take a step back. Adelia Cunnan a.k.a little Dee is alone and lonely after the death of her aunt. She lost her parents when she was 10 and since then was living with her aunt. Life is hard for her. Even after putting full days on her farm in Ireland she finds it difficult to run it. She moves to Virginia,America to her only living relative, uncle Paddy. She meets Travis Grant, the owner of The Royal Meadows and falls in love with him. He marries Dee under certain circumstances and they live a happy life after that.

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     I want to say more but I don't want to spoil it for you. But allow me to tell you what I feel about this book. This is the first book in the first series written by Roberts in 1981 and since then she has come a long way. Had I read all her books in a chronological order, I would have felt different. But because I have already read much stuff written by her, I think I am well acquainted with her writing style. So, I knew about the love. After that little incident and the marriage, I had known exactly what followed. One reason I like Roberts is that it is always 'happily-ever-after' with her, no open or sad endings. There is not much in this book but the warmth of relationships. Her characters don't have a mean bone in them. Travis is domineering but at the same time affectionate, compassionate and caring. But I don't like the way he marries Dee. Uncle Paddy is pure love. He loves not only his niece but Travis without any constraint. Trish is well, Trish. One would be happy to have her as a friend. Margot Winters's mean character could have enjoyed a little bit more space. The last scene is short and not well fed. Because Roberts has written more than enough on cowboys and barns, I like the fact that this book is about something similar but in a different way!