Sensuality: 7

A stunningly beautiful, powerful witch who possesses the gift of Fire, Mia Devlin locked her heart away when Sam Logan rejected her youthful love and left Three Sisters Island. Eleven years later, Sam returns to the island to claim Mia and take over his family business, the Magick Inn. Passion still burns between them, but Mia refuses to trust the man who once tore her life apart, leaving her grieving and alone. It's imperative that they find a way to resolve their thorny, complicated relationship for time is running out and the deadline for breaking a centuries-old curse is near. Mia has the steadfast aid of her two sisters of the heart, powerful witches that rule Air and Earth, but without Sam's help, even Mia's powers may not be enough to keep her alive until the deadline. And unless Mia makes the right choice about her heart and Sam, evil may win in the final confrontation, destroying all their lives and Three Sisters Island as well.

Face the Fire is the third and last book in bestselling author Nora Roberts's trilogy of witches, magic, and an age-old curse that began with Dance upon the Air and Heaven and Earth. This novel boasts a vivid seaside setting, sympathetic characters, and enough details about the practice of magic to intrigue the most cynical of readers. This is Roberts at her best. Don't miss it. --Lois Faye Dyer

Product Description
The final book in the New England-set trilogy that began with Dance Upon the Air and Heaven and Earth.

Mia, to me, was the most compelling of the three witches and I relished the idea of reading her story. I thought that Roberts did a great job of "previewing" her story throughout the other two books, but this novel disappointed me.

The "spells" that were conducted throughout the book were distracting. The fact that Mia and Sam were the personification of the first "Fire" and "Water" meant to me that the story would be compelling and interesting. Instead, I felt that Roberts did not build the tension between the two of them and that when they finally acted on their passion it was anti-climactic.

It was almost as if there was too much going on in the story, and the author was so anxious to wrap everything up that she neglected the romance between the two.

I usually love every novel written by Roberts. I buy her books without even reading the backs of them, but I have to say, if this were the first novel I'd read by her, I don't know that that would be the case.


"Face The Fire" Is A Wash-Out!   November 17, 2003
 20 out of 25 found this review helpful

"Face The Fire" is the final book in Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Trilogy, and unfortunately provides a whimper of a finale instead of the expected bang. Her first book, "Dance Upon The Air" is excellent. The second, "Heaven And Earth" is slightly weaker, but well worth reading. This novel, which should have been her strongest, as Mia, her protagonist is the most powerful and interesting of the sister witches, falls into cliche and repetition. It is just plain boring and a big disappointment.

Three Sisters is a small, rocky island off the coast of Massachusetts. Legend has it that the island was once a part of the mainland. Back in the late 1600s, during the Salem witch trials, three sisters, good witches all, known as Fire, Earth and Air, conjured the island and made it a haven against persecution. Unfortunately, the sisters did not fare as well as their island. All three were doomed by unfortunate relationships and a misuse of power. Before the last sister died she cast a spell to keep the island safe for 300 years. At that time she prophesied a reunion of three sisters, descendants of the original three, who would join together to redeem their ancestors, right the wrongs of the past and save their home from destruction.

Mia Devlin, owner of the successful bookstore-cafe on Three Sisters Island, is a strong sorceress, of the white witch variety. She lost the love of her life, Sam Logan, when he left her without warning or explanation ten years before. Mia has closed herself off from intimacy to avoid the fate that destroyed her ancestress 300 years earlier. Sam returns to the island looking to renew his relationship with Mia and runs into a brick wall. Although the chemistry between the two sizzles, Mia is determined not to let Sam back into her heart. As with her sister witches, Nell and Ripley, Mia must face the dangers of the curse that holds the island hostage. It is up to her to meet and challenge the evil that threatens to destroy her home and loved ones, and to triumph over it if she is to save them all.

Unfortunately, Ms. Roberts brings back the same old, now exhausted threads & villains of books one and two, which do nothing to spruce up book three. What a disappointment! Mia and Sam have the potential to be her most interesting characters, but their story gives new meaning to the word "hackneyed." I read the novel to see how everything ends up, having an interest in the characters from books one & two. I should have read an Amazon customer review instead and saved myself the time and money. My advice is to save yours.
JANA


Weak, but still a good story   August 12, 2002
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Nora Roberts not so good books are better than many of other authors best books.

Sam and Mia are on the same island again. They are learning to work through old pains and hurts and to love each other again. The passion is intense. The story is nice. It is a nice ending to a lovely series.

I rated this four stars rather than the usual five. I found this book to be much anticipated and it did not live up to the promises hinted at in the other books of this series. Further, I got tired of hearing about how Nell was a good cook. To top that all of, once I learned the story of how Mia was hurt and why Sam had left, I was dissapointed with the poor reasoning.

Despite the above problems I had with the book, the series is wonderful and the story is nice. The book is rich in passion and history and love. It is well worth reading, particularly if you have read the others in the series.

Enjoy.


The best of the trilogy   May 28, 2002
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

Wonderful, just wonderful. Face the fire is definitely the best of the three Three sisters trilogy. Like the others this novel grabbed you from the very start and took you on an emotional journey until it was finished. I was getting a bit jaded by Nora Roberts' books as I felt they all followed the same formula. This obviously followed the similar formula but I felt it returned to how she used to write in her earlier novels. You are in turns frustrated, tearful, joyous and fearful. All this might sound really over the top but I just can't explain how much I enjoyed this novel!


Face the Fire   February 26, 2008
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Mia Devlin is a strong beautiful witch that owns a bookstore/cafe on Three Sisters. She keeps buried a deep hurt from her childhood when the love of her life, Sam Logan, left her broken just out of high school.

Sam is back, and he is determined to win Mia back. He knows what a mistake he made leaving. He was so young, and the powerful emotions she brought out in him scared him, so he ran. Sam is also a witch, and he is willing to use whatever it takes to gain Mia's trust.

Mia and Sam must find their way back to each other, or they will not have the strength for the upcoming fight of their lives.

A great finish to the series. I liked that Mia was fire and Sam was water - fire & ice!