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By Nora Roberts- The Hollow is the second book of the Sign of Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts. The story started twenty-one years ago, when three young boys, Caleb, Fox, and Gage, spent the night camping by the Pagan Stone. They shared birthdays and an unbreakable bond on friendship. Boys being boys, they wanted to take it one step farther. They would become blood brothers. During the ritual of sharing, mixed blood hit the ground.
It unleashed an evil entity that returned to Hawkins Hollow every seven years. For seven days madness reigned, lives were lost, property destroyed, and families torn apart.
Caleb, Fox, and Gage are descendants of the Guardian, Giles Dent, the one that locked the evil entity, Lazarus Twisse under the Pagan Stone. Up until now Caleb, Fox, and Gage did what they could to minimize the damage but they couldn't stop it.
The madness would be returning this summer and now, twenty-one years after releasing the demon, they have a chance at ending it once and for all. Three women, Quinn, Cybil, and Layla, all descendants of the child conceived when Twisse raped an innocent girl, have joined the battle.
With the history laid out in the first book, the story is more evenly divided between the challenge Lazarus Twisse presented, and the budding romance between Layla and Fox. The attraction was strong, but they were circling each other, not sure if getting involved was a smart move. They had to work together on so many levels, a romance might cloud the issue---or clear it.
The Hollow by Nora Roberts is a fast paced thrilled with a healthy dose of romance thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the third book The Pagan Stone scheduled for release in December of 2008.
By Nora Roberts- The story begins in 1652 in Maryland, Giles Dent can feel the evil coming towards him in the guise of a man. He sent his mate, Ann Hawkins, away as she is pregnant with triplets, all boys. He knows that what he is about to do cannot vanquish the evil but he can hold it until some generations later those that will be able to vanquish the demon can do so.
Giles and Ann Hawkins are accused by Hester Deale of being witches. The crowd of men and women with his death on their mind caused by the power of the demon. The crowd begins to beat him but he reaches out with his power and grabbed the demon to him and they burst into flame leaving nothing alive in the glade by the stone.
In Hawkins Hollow, Maryland it is July 6, 1987 and 3 boys who are best friends will turn 10 tomorrow on the 7th. Caleb Hawkins, Fox O'Dell and Gage Turner are all from very different circumstances but have been best friends as they were all born on the same date and the same time.
They decide to camp out in the woods and in particular by the Pagan Stone, which has many rumors about it. When they decide to become "blood" brothers and spill their blood on this ground by the Stone, they unleash something good and something evil that visits their town every 7 years the week of July 7th beginning that year.
It is now February 2008 and Caleb, Fox and Gage (who is traveling about) know that come July the horrible week is coming again. Quinn Black, an author of some paranormal type books and still magazine writer as well, is coming to town to investigate the legends and stories of Hawkins Hollow. Caleb is not too sure he should have encouraged her to come and not sure he should've agreed to talk to her and take her in the woods to show her the Pagan Stone.
The 3 boys who are now grown men have kept their secrets for almost 21 years now. They are reluctant to let anyone else into their very close-knit group. However, Quinn is aided by Layla, a young woman she meets at the hotel where she is staying, and Quinn's best friend Cybil who is a bit mysterious herself and comes to town to help Quinn.
The evil is showing up sooner and more people even outsiders are seeing it. What can it all mean? Will Caleb and Quinn learn to trust each other? How can they possibly defeat this demon? I'm sure the next two books will answer those questions and more and I look forward to reading them.
By Nora Roberts- One of the things that sets Nora Roberts above other authors is her ability to produce a trilogy that gets better with each book. By the time you read the third and last book, you're left wanting even more. That's definitely how I felt after reading the Born In trilogy.
In Born in Fire we were introduced to hot-tempered Maggie, Thomas Concannon's oldest daughter. In Born in Ice we were introduced to cool and reserved Brianna, Concannon's second daughter. Now in the third and last of the trilogy, we meet Shannon Bodine, the illegitimate daughter of Thomas Concannon. We finally learn about Amanda (the woman who came into Thomas' life and showed him how to love again after years of marriage to a heartless woman). We learn more about Maggie and Brianna's mother and her life of misery. We also learn about the unborn child Amanda carried with her to America all those years ago when she left Thomas.
Shannon grew up in America and didn't know that her real father was actually an Irishman she had never met. When her parents die, she learns the truth and sets out to fulfill her mother's dying wish that she meet the sisters she never knew she had. Shannon travels to County Clare, Ireland not really knowing what to expect and still reeling from confusion.
It's not an easy meeting, but a bond begins to grow between Shannon, Maggie and Brianna. While they're blazing new ground and learning about each other, Shannon also must deal with her attraction to long-time Concannon family friend and neighbor, Murphy Muldoon. This is where the story differs from other Nora Roberts books. Roberts shows a magical love that is timeless - the destiny of two lovers from long ago brought back to the present so they could possibly reunite if only they open their minds and hearts. The underlying message is simple - true love is eternal.
I've read other reviews and spoken with many people about this series, and this book is definitely one up for debate. The "paranormal elements" of encounters in past lives between these two characters and flashbacks to show that past relationship aren't received by some readers with an open mind. I found it to be an interesting twist and added a new dimension to the overall story line. If you liked the Donovan series (the tales about the three witch cousins, Morgana, Anastasia and Sabastian) then you should love this trilogy. This is definitely not your cookie-cutter romance plot.
I feel the characters are strong and developed well. The reader is given more insight into Murphy Muldoon and from the glimpses we were given in the first two books, this is a nice option. If you believe that true love is eternal, then it explains why Maggie and Brianna were never interested romantically in the hunk that lived next door!
As with other Silhouette romance books, this is short and provides a quick read. It's a great way to spend a cold afternoon and will make you feel warm inside.
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