Heaven and Earth (Three Sisters Island Trilogy Series #2) » (Reissue)

One of the most prolific and popular writers in the world, Nora Roberts (who also writes as her edgier alter-ego J. D. Robb) publishes multiple books a year. Not that it s enough for her fans, who tear through her unconventional romances. With her trademark mix of fantasy, mystery, and romance, Roberts has created her own genre -- and romance fans are grateful for it!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts has enchanted millions of readers with her moving, intimate tales of friendships made and hearts lost, of legends, lovers and longing. Now, in the second book in her bewitching Three Sisters Island trilogy, she returns to the haunting shores of New England-and to the lives of three passionate, powerful women....

Ripley Todd just wants to live a quiet, peaceful kind of life. Her job as a sheriff's deputy keeps her busy and happy, and she has no trouble finding men when she wants them-which, lately, isn't all that often. She's perfectly content, except for one thing: she has special powers that both frighten and confuse her-and though she tries hard to hide them, she can't get them under control....

Distraction soon arrives in the handsome form of MacAllister Booke-a researcher who's come to investigate the rumors of witchcraft that haunt Three Sisters Island. Right from the start, he knows there's something extraordinary about Ripley Todd. It's not just her blazing green eyes and her sultry smile. There's something else. Something he can detect, but she'll never admit. Fascinated by her struggle with her amazing abilities, he becomes determined to help her accept who she is-and find the courage to open her heart.

But before Ripley and Mac can dream of what lies in the future, they must confront the pain of the past. For Three Sisters shelters centuries of secrets-and a legacy of danger that plagues them still....

Publishers Weekly

Roberts (Dance Upon the Air) popularized the romance trilogy, and here she offers up the second installment of her newest trilogy, a conventional saga about three witches who must right the wrongs of their ancestors in order to save their homeland, Three Sisters Island. Ceremonial candles, iris petals and a sprig of rosemary set the scene for magic and romance, but it will take more than mood lighting and witchcraft to lend an air of amiability to the novel's heroine. Hard-edged Ripley Todd is one of the island's two police officers the other being her brother as well as a temperamental witch in denial of her powers. When paranormal researcher Dr. Mac Booke visits the island, Ripley greets him with her customary hostility ("I didn't know they gave out degrees for the study of crapola"). Nevertheless, Mac, a self-proclaimed "rich geek" with a Jimmy Stewart-like affability and an athlete's physique, pursues Ripley romantically and professionally. A brief, overly dramatic encounter between Ripley and a possessed, blood-thirsty reporter adds a touch of suspense, but the novel's finale is hardly deserving of all the buildup it receives. Although Roberts is not in top form here, her deft use of metaphor and charismatic hero are sufficient to hold even the most reluctant reader. (Dec.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.