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Sign of Seven #3
De kracht van het hart
Gage Turner wordt niet graag herinnerd aan het verleden. Zijn jeugd in Hawkins Hollow was alleen maar draaglijk dankzij zijn beste vrienden Fox en Caleb. Nu zij een beroep op hem hebben gedaan, keert Gage terug naar zijn geboortedorp; hij lijkt over krachten te beschikken die een eind zouden kunnen maken aan de vloek.
Ook Cybil Kinski beschikt over speciale gaven. Samen zouden Cybil en Gage een perfect team vormen, al was het maar omdat de aantrekkingskracht tussen hen onmiskenbaar is. Maar een leven vol teleurstellingen heeft beiden schuw en afhoudend gemaakt. En wie durft er plannen voor de toekomst te smeden als het heden zo onzeker is?
Ook Cybil Kinski beschikt over speciale gaven. Samen zouden Cybil en Gage een perfect team vormen, al was het maar omdat de aantrekkingskracht tussen hen onmiskenbaar is. Maar een leven vol teleurstellingen heeft beiden schuw en afhoudend gemaakt. En wie durft er plannen voor de toekomst te smeden als het heden zo onzeker is?
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2008
2173 people are currently reading
8705 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,217 books60k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,324 reviews
October 29, 2011
Call me a wuss, but The Pagan Stone scared the living daylights out of me. NR's description of the Big Evil was so good that my vivid imagination didn't have any problem bringing it to life. I actually had to stop reading this book last night and find something "lighter" to do, because the Big Evil was the last thing I wanted to have on my mind when I turned off all the lights.
From the publisher:
Years ago, after their blood brother ritual, Gage, Fox and Caleb emerged from the woods, each with a piece of bloodstone. Now, it will become their weapon in the final fight against the demon they awakened. Winner take all...
Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire, and random violence plague the longtime friends and Quinn, Layla and Cybil, the women bound to them by Fate. None of them can ignore the fact that, this year, the demon has grown stronger — feeding off the terror it creates. But now the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together. If only they could figure out how to use it.
A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way. And though he and Cybil share the gift of seeing the future, that’s all they have in common. Were they to take their flirtation to the next level, it would be on their own terms, not because Fate decreed it. But Gage knows that a woman like Cybil — with her brains and strength and devastating beauty — can only bring him luck. Whether it’s good or bad has yet to be determined — and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to the nightmare for Hawkins Hollow.
So it's Gage and Cybil's turn in The Pagan Stone...
Gage has been my favorite character in the trilogy since the first book. He was the loner in the group, even though his friendship with Cal and Fox was strong and undeniable. He was the one with the tortured past and the harsh demeanor. He was impatient and sometimes rude, but I never felt that he was out of line. My feelings often mirrored his while I was reading the book, and he alone got my eyes misty 3 times. Yup, one could say I felt a very strong connection with him.
I liked Cybil too. Out of the three heroines in the trilogy, she's my favorite, but that isn't saying much because I didn't really like Quinn (Blood Brothers) and Layla (The Hollow). Cybil was good for Gage and, cliché, completed him and made him a better man. The reversal was also true, and that's why their romance worked for me.
As for the war against the Big Evil, it was thrilling and scary, just like it was supposed to be. I was almost bored to tears with all the talking in the previous book and, to be fair, there's also a lot of talking about the demon in this book, but I found it more interesting this time. Probably because everything the "gang" (Cal & Quinn, Fox & Layla, and Gage & Cybil) did seemed to be more urgent and to the point, as I knew the end was coming. There were a couple of things that triggered some eye-rolling on my part, but this is a PNR novel and you have to take a leap of faith sometimes.
Overall, this was a great ending to an uneven trilogy. Blood Brothers was really good and got me hooked on it, but The Hollow was just average and slightly disappointing. I was glad to see The Pagan Stone getting the trilogy back on track and ending it on a high note.
From the publisher:
Years ago, after their blood brother ritual, Gage, Fox and Caleb emerged from the woods, each with a piece of bloodstone. Now, it will become their weapon in the final fight against the demon they awakened. Winner take all...
Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire, and random violence plague the longtime friends and Quinn, Layla and Cybil, the women bound to them by Fate. None of them can ignore the fact that, this year, the demon has grown stronger — feeding off the terror it creates. But now the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together. If only they could figure out how to use it.
A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way. And though he and Cybil share the gift of seeing the future, that’s all they have in common. Were they to take their flirtation to the next level, it would be on their own terms, not because Fate decreed it. But Gage knows that a woman like Cybil — with her brains and strength and devastating beauty — can only bring him luck. Whether it’s good or bad has yet to be determined — and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to the nightmare for Hawkins Hollow.
So it's Gage and Cybil's turn in The Pagan Stone...
Gage has been my favorite character in the trilogy since the first book. He was the loner in the group, even though his friendship with Cal and Fox was strong and undeniable. He was the one with the tortured past and the harsh demeanor. He was impatient and sometimes rude, but I never felt that he was out of line. My feelings often mirrored his while I was reading the book, and he alone got my eyes misty 3 times. Yup, one could say I felt a very strong connection with him.
I liked Cybil too. Out of the three heroines in the trilogy, she's my favorite, but that isn't saying much because I didn't really like Quinn (Blood Brothers) and Layla (The Hollow). Cybil was good for Gage and, cliché, completed him and made him a better man. The reversal was also true, and that's why their romance worked for me.
As for the war against the Big Evil, it was thrilling and scary, just like it was supposed to be. I was almost bored to tears with all the talking in the previous book and, to be fair, there's also a lot of talking about the demon in this book, but I found it more interesting this time. Probably because everything the "gang" (Cal & Quinn, Fox & Layla, and Gage & Cybil) did seemed to be more urgent and to the point, as I knew the end was coming. There were a couple of things that triggered some eye-rolling on my part, but this is a PNR novel and you have to take a leap of faith sometimes.
Overall, this was a great ending to an uneven trilogy. Blood Brothers was really good and got me hooked on it, but The Hollow was just average and slightly disappointing. I was glad to see The Pagan Stone getting the trilogy back on track and ending it on a high note.
January 7, 2009
I'm sorry, I was just bored by this book. Research, research, research interspersed with predictable demon attacks. I didn't really feel a connection to the characters and I started to skim a lot of the book. As is often the case, especially with the last two trilogies, after a two and a half book buildup, the ending was anticlimactic. I still think Three Sisters Island was her best trilogy with a supernatural thread and I kind of feel like the trilogies in general need a reboot--they don't feel fresh anymore.
May 17, 2021
Apparently you can beat an evil demon by throwing rocks at it and saying "now it knows" a lot and somehow love. I don't know. This was bad.
July 26, 2022
Reread July'2022
5+ stars - Horror/Paranormal Romance
This is one of my all-time favorite Nora Roberts series/trilogies. It's like Nora decided to write a creepy Stephen King horror story with romance, and it works. I still wish there had been more to the ending and epilogue because I really wanted to see all three couples down the road, settled, and living their HEAs.
Original rating/review
5 stars - Horror/Paranormal Romance
I loved this trilogy! It was fantastically dark, eerie, creepy, and scary with a wonderful, memorable cast of characters that I loved. The Pagan Stone was definitely my favorite book/couple/romance of the series, and the epic showdown with the Big Evil was pretty darn chilling. I just wish there had been more to the ending and epilogue because I really wanted to see all three couples living out their HEA.
5+ stars - Horror/Paranormal Romance
This is one of my all-time favorite Nora Roberts series/trilogies. It's like Nora decided to write a creepy Stephen King horror story with romance, and it works. I still wish there had been more to the ending and epilogue because I really wanted to see all three couples down the road, settled, and living their HEAs.
Original rating/review
5 stars - Horror/Paranormal Romance
I loved this trilogy! It was fantastically dark, eerie, creepy, and scary with a wonderful, memorable cast of characters that I loved. The Pagan Stone was definitely my favorite book/couple/romance of the series, and the epic showdown with the Big Evil was pretty darn chilling. I just wish there had been more to the ending and epilogue because I really wanted to see all three couples living out their HEA.
November 29, 2008
A great ending to a good trilogy - even with too many over-stated conversations…
**Spoiler Alert** - review will contain spoilers
I soooo wanted to say a perfect ending to the trilogy, but I can’t. I was so looking forward to reading this one, to giving it a 5-star rating, like I do with most of NR’s novels, but I can’t.
We continue the Sign of Seven trilogy, this time with Gage and Cybil’s story. While it’s obvious to the reader that these two will end up together (every love story has to have an HEA), it was over-stated! Every time there was a conversation between them about them, it started with ‘not happening’ to ’sure but no strings attached’. There was doubt, then there was ‘could this work’, moving on to ‘I don’t do roots’. Okay, we got it already. Please move on to the story. While I did like how they fell in love, it was downplayed by all that talking and wondering and supposing. And I don’t usually say that about NR’s work. To say converstaion was over-stated, has to be a first. It actually made me think of the movie The Bachelor - not wanting to settle down.
I liked how they still hadn’t quite figured out how to kill the demon, how they were still researching every lead, every clue, every possibility, how Cybil didn’t want to quit with searching for an answer, even when those answers didn’t turn to the positive side. Although one scenerio was a bit of a stretch - combining Gage’s blood with the town’s water supply? I’d think that the blood would be way to diluted to actually make a difference. I don’t even think that should have been in the story as it was rather ridiculous, even for a suggestion.
I did like learning more about their pasts, but it could have used more development. I found there wasn’t enough to understand why Cybil is the way she is now. You learn what happened with her father, but it still wasn’t enough to understand Cybil. I did like the conversations as they discussed what to do and how. While all three women turning up pregnant was sort of cliched, I liked each separate reaction. I liked how they figured out the last of it, how Cybil interprets a dream/vision on the fly. Another cliche is how they sometimes had the same nightmare/dream; while a cliche, I thought it worked well with the story.
What happens between Gage and his father, and what happens to his father, was an unexpected surprise. But there is one part in this story that, while I was expecting it, I wasn’t expecting it happen that quick. When Gage reveals to Cybil a fake bloodstone that he bought, they decided a plan of action, to see if they could fool the demon, and to make it as believable as possible. While I was expecting what came next, I wasn’t expecting it to happen right on the next chapter. The fights/arguments that insued was totally believable; my heart started to pound and my hands were shaking, I had to put the book down when I found out it was the fake action they’d planned to use against the demon. She had written it so believable she had me fooled. Me? Yeah, me, LOL! And when a writer does that to me, they have a fan for life. I’ve been a fan of NR for 5 years, and I know that’ll never change.
So, great action, awesome plot, perfect ending. While some of the middle/scenarios left me wondering what NR was thinking, this reader enjoyed the book none-the-less, and I’m looking forward to Nora’s next story.
**Spoiler Alert** - review will contain spoilers
I soooo wanted to say a perfect ending to the trilogy, but I can’t. I was so looking forward to reading this one, to giving it a 5-star rating, like I do with most of NR’s novels, but I can’t.
We continue the Sign of Seven trilogy, this time with Gage and Cybil’s story. While it’s obvious to the reader that these two will end up together (every love story has to have an HEA), it was over-stated! Every time there was a conversation between them about them, it started with ‘not happening’ to ’sure but no strings attached’. There was doubt, then there was ‘could this work’, moving on to ‘I don’t do roots’. Okay, we got it already. Please move on to the story. While I did like how they fell in love, it was downplayed by all that talking and wondering and supposing. And I don’t usually say that about NR’s work. To say converstaion was over-stated, has to be a first. It actually made me think of the movie The Bachelor - not wanting to settle down.
I liked how they still hadn’t quite figured out how to kill the demon, how they were still researching every lead, every clue, every possibility, how Cybil didn’t want to quit with searching for an answer, even when those answers didn’t turn to the positive side. Although one scenerio was a bit of a stretch - combining Gage’s blood with the town’s water supply? I’d think that the blood would be way to diluted to actually make a difference. I don’t even think that should have been in the story as it was rather ridiculous, even for a suggestion.
I did like learning more about their pasts, but it could have used more development. I found there wasn’t enough to understand why Cybil is the way she is now. You learn what happened with her father, but it still wasn’t enough to understand Cybil. I did like the conversations as they discussed what to do and how. While all three women turning up pregnant was sort of cliched, I liked each separate reaction. I liked how they figured out the last of it, how Cybil interprets a dream/vision on the fly. Another cliche is how they sometimes had the same nightmare/dream; while a cliche, I thought it worked well with the story.
What happens between Gage and his father, and what happens to his father, was an unexpected surprise. But there is one part in this story that, while I was expecting it, I wasn’t expecting it happen that quick. When Gage reveals to Cybil a fake bloodstone that he bought, they decided a plan of action, to see if they could fool the demon, and to make it as believable as possible. While I was expecting what came next, I wasn’t expecting it to happen right on the next chapter. The fights/arguments that insued was totally believable; my heart started to pound and my hands were shaking, I had to put the book down when I found out it was the fake action they’d planned to use against the demon. She had written it so believable she had me fooled. Me? Yeah, me, LOL! And when a writer does that to me, they have a fan for life. I’ve been a fan of NR for 5 years, and I know that’ll never change.
So, great action, awesome plot, perfect ending. While some of the middle/scenarios left me wondering what NR was thinking, this reader enjoyed the book none-the-less, and I’m looking forward to Nora’s next story.
September 12, 2012
I read this book because I came to work one day and mentioned I had forgotten to bring my book for lunch and my co-worker gave me this one to read as she had just finished it. That explains why I did not read books 1 and 2 of this trilogy. That DOESN'T explain why I won't read books 1 and 2 of this trilogy.
I had never read a Nora Roberts book before. Maybe this wasn't the one to start with. I have barely heard of her. I'm not a romance reader and I think that's her main genre.
I was fairly amused by the book - everyone is good looking (of course!) and everyone has wonderful, mind-blowing sex right before being attacked by demons, after which everyone goes back to having wonderful, mind-blowing sex. Okay, I don't read books quite like this that often so I was having fun with that. Personally, after the first demon attack, I'd just get out of town. But there wouldn't be a book, would there?
The horror part was pretty mild. This is mainly a romance with a bit of a horror twist. I prefer my horror to be truly awful horror - I expect everyone to die some twisted, painful death in the end. I wasn't engrossed in this story (or the characters) to pursue the other 2 books in this trilogy. I actually did not care much for Cybil. Everyone was so chummy, buddy-buddy, friends for life in this book and I am a bit more cynical than that. It wasn't my type of book so a bit hard for me to objectively review it.
I passed this book on to another co-worker. It's been well read. It had 2 different thrift store tags on it and also another label saying it belonged to some hotel so don't remove it.
I had never read a Nora Roberts book before. Maybe this wasn't the one to start with. I have barely heard of her. I'm not a romance reader and I think that's her main genre.
I was fairly amused by the book - everyone is good looking (of course!) and everyone has wonderful, mind-blowing sex right before being attacked by demons, after which everyone goes back to having wonderful, mind-blowing sex. Okay, I don't read books quite like this that often so I was having fun with that. Personally, after the first demon attack, I'd just get out of town. But there wouldn't be a book, would there?
The horror part was pretty mild. This is mainly a romance with a bit of a horror twist. I prefer my horror to be truly awful horror - I expect everyone to die some twisted, painful death in the end. I wasn't engrossed in this story (or the characters) to pursue the other 2 books in this trilogy. I actually did not care much for Cybil. Everyone was so chummy, buddy-buddy, friends for life in this book and I am a bit more cynical than that. It wasn't my type of book so a bit hard for me to objectively review it.
I passed this book on to another co-worker. It's been well read. It had 2 different thrift store tags on it and also another label saying it belonged to some hotel so don't remove it.
February 14, 2025
"How much is destiny, how much is choice?"
October 3, 2025
3,5 estrellas. No ha sido mi libro favorito de la trilogía, aunque no me ha sorprendido porque sabiendo quién era el protagonista masculino lo imaginaba, ya que en ningún momento de los tres libros he conseguido congeniar con él.
La parte fantástica sí me ha gustado mucho y en muchos momentos me ha tenido en tensión. Y en general, el final también me ha gustado, en mi opinión está en línea con toda la trilogía.
Esta no entra en mis favoritas de la autora, pero como siempre hace esta, ha conseguido mantener mi interés en todo el momento.
La parte fantástica sí me ha gustado mucho y en muchos momentos me ha tenido en tensión. Y en general, el final también me ha gustado, en mi opinión está en línea con toda la trilogía.
Esta no entra en mis favoritas de la autora, pero como siempre hace esta, ha conseguido mantener mi interés en todo el momento.
June 18, 2025
This was a satisfying conclusion for this trilogy. This book focused on Gage and Cybil. After reading the first two books it was easy to conclude what would happen with the two of them. There was decent romance and there was a lot of action. We finally get some resolution with Gage and his dad. We also find out what happens with the demon. Overall this was only an OK trilogy for me. It had all of the elements I just did not connect with the characters as much as I would like. It didn't hook me and leave me wanting more.
November 29, 2008
Third and last book in the Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts. And possibly my favorite of the three. It's a tough call between this one and Blood Brothers. I think maybe I liked the romance in book 1 a little bit more (it's a little sweeter), and the overall plot progression of this one (book 3) more. So yeah, it's a bit of a toss-up to which I liked best.
The Pagan Stone continues/ends the tale of Hawkins Hollow, which has been plagued for twenty-years by a nasty evil demon who comes out and causes trouble for seven days every seven years. Best friends Cal, Fox and Gage accidentally released the demon when they were ten and did a blood brothers ritual at the Pagan Stone. Now the three men have teamed up with three women who are also connected to the evil going on and are determined to beat it back once and for all. Cal and Quinn, and Fox and Layla have all had the opportunity to use their skills to gain progress against defeating the demon, and now it is Gage and Cybill's turn. Both have the ability to see the future and need to harness the skill if they hope to figure out how to kill the demon. And their may be a sexual attraction between the two, but neither will allow fate to push them together. If they are going to hop into bed, it'll be on their own terms. Unfortunately, but the time the figure out what they really feel, it may be too late.
One of the things I liked best about this book (out of the three) is that it had an intensity that just wasn't really there in the others. There were parts that had me about ready to gnaw on my fingernails wanting to know what would happen next. And there was even one part that got me a little teary eyed. The storyline just had a little more zip to it, a little more direct purpose - whereas the plots of the other two where kinda nebulous. Overall, the action of book 3 was, for me, much more interesting.
Romance wise...good stuff. I liked both Gage and Cybil. They were definitely a matched pair and had some good chemistry going between them. Couple wise of the trilogy, though, I liked Quinn and Cal the best. They had more of a romantic vibe, where as Gage and Cybil had a sort of lusty passion vibe. I liked the sweetness of Quinn and Cybil the best.
I thought the ending was good...not great, but I've by far read worse. It was maybe a tick rushed...or maybe it was just that I wanted a more settled epilogue. Or an epilogue that didn't occur only hours after the last chapter. But that's just my person preference.
As for the series as a whole...it was pretty good. Not one of my very, very favorites, probably, but one I wouldn't mind reading again in a year or two.
One general complaint about the series that I had was that it lacked character specific tasks, I guess you could say, for each book. What I mean is, look at say, the Key trilogy. Each book focused on one of the women (and the guy they hooked up with) and they had to do certain things to find their specific key. The plot of the book was very tailored to the focus character(s). But in this series, that just didn't really happen. At least in my opinion. Sure, each book had its focus couple, but the plots were more generic, more geared to the group as a whole in most ways. I thought Roberts could have done a better job of connecting the plot of each book to the specific hero/heroine leads. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Anyway, I really liked this series. Much better than NR's last series, the Circle trilogy. If you're a Nora Roberts fan, I think you'll like this book/series. And if you're just a romance reader, I'd recommend giving it a try.
The Pagan Stone continues/ends the tale of Hawkins Hollow, which has been plagued for twenty-years by a nasty evil demon who comes out and causes trouble for seven days every seven years. Best friends Cal, Fox and Gage accidentally released the demon when they were ten and did a blood brothers ritual at the Pagan Stone. Now the three men have teamed up with three women who are also connected to the evil going on and are determined to beat it back once and for all. Cal and Quinn, and Fox and Layla have all had the opportunity to use their skills to gain progress against defeating the demon, and now it is Gage and Cybill's turn. Both have the ability to see the future and need to harness the skill if they hope to figure out how to kill the demon. And their may be a sexual attraction between the two, but neither will allow fate to push them together. If they are going to hop into bed, it'll be on their own terms. Unfortunately, but the time the figure out what they really feel, it may be too late.
One of the things I liked best about this book (out of the three) is that it had an intensity that just wasn't really there in the others. There were parts that had me about ready to gnaw on my fingernails wanting to know what would happen next. And there was even one part that got me a little teary eyed. The storyline just had a little more zip to it, a little more direct purpose - whereas the plots of the other two where kinda nebulous. Overall, the action of book 3 was, for me, much more interesting.
Romance wise...good stuff. I liked both Gage and Cybil. They were definitely a matched pair and had some good chemistry going between them. Couple wise of the trilogy, though, I liked Quinn and Cal the best. They had more of a romantic vibe, where as Gage and Cybil had a sort of lusty passion vibe. I liked the sweetness of Quinn and Cybil the best.
I thought the ending was good...not great, but I've by far read worse. It was maybe a tick rushed...or maybe it was just that I wanted a more settled epilogue. Or an epilogue that didn't occur only hours after the last chapter. But that's just my person preference.
As for the series as a whole...it was pretty good. Not one of my very, very favorites, probably, but one I wouldn't mind reading again in a year or two.
One general complaint about the series that I had was that it lacked character specific tasks, I guess you could say, for each book. What I mean is, look at say, the Key trilogy. Each book focused on one of the women (and the guy they hooked up with) and they had to do certain things to find their specific key. The plot of the book was very tailored to the focus character(s). But in this series, that just didn't really happen. At least in my opinion. Sure, each book had its focus couple, but the plots were more generic, more geared to the group as a whole in most ways. I thought Roberts could have done a better job of connecting the plot of each book to the specific hero/heroine leads. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Anyway, I really liked this series. Much better than NR's last series, the Circle trilogy. If you're a Nora Roberts fan, I think you'll like this book/series. And if you're just a romance reader, I'd recommend giving it a try.
June 28, 2019
This review contains spoilers.
This book was definitely not for me. It was a romance, wannabe horror. It didn't work at all. Because you know, writing horror is seriously different than writing a romance, so use different words, story arcs, characters etc., Nora Roberts!
I don't want to read about a loner mysterious strong man with a difficult past (daddy-issues) he has overcome, who falls in love with a strong beautiful heroine who will heal him. Ofcourse they are all fantastic and ofcourse they absolutely don't want to fall in love and try to downplay it all and ofcourse they have the most amazing mindblowing sex. Everyone is soooo perfect... and I don't want to read about these cliche people, with their cliche lifes and their cliche problems. They have fantastic friends who are copies of the hero and heroine of this book. It got so bad that I couldn't remember which friend had a relationship with which friend. They all get pregnant at the same day. Ofcourse the heroine is afraid to tell our hero, but the hero takes it like a champ and gets from 'I don't want to be stuck in a relationship' to 'I want to show this child the world' in a matter of minutes. Sure, dipshit.
I bet the first book was about couple one and how they found love, and the second book was about couple two and their romance and then came this one....
Just to not make this sound like a standard issue Harlequin the author added in some horror elements. The research the characters did to find out how to beat the demon-asshole, was the same in the whole book and usually described as 'facts, charts, graphs and figures'. Wow, Nora Roberts, now you have really pulled me in the story.
Ofcourse our heroine gets raped by this demon in the form of a little boy and our heroine wonders 'somehow that (being raped by a little boy) was worse. Why is that worse?' Seriously, are you that dumb? Anyway, everyone is broken for like a page or two and then all things return to normal. No mention at all of this horrendous rape for the rest of the book. And oh no, our hero suggests to have sex the day after the rape. She denies, but after they go to the gym she decides to step into the shower with him and have sex.
The end in which our heroes and heroines beat the demon was a major letdown, an anticlimax, no challenge at all. Wow, what a buildup.
As for the way the story was written. I've had enough with all those standard-issue words. Maybe Nora Roberts read a 'How to write a formula romance disguised as a horror, to show how daring/edgy I am'. Words and phrases like: 'cutie', 'sweetie', 'the kiss deepened', 'soft, quiet, the kiss soothed even as it aroused' 'He took her hungrily into his mouth' 'There was the instant thrill, the response, the need.'
Also the f-ing spelling of magickal, with a -k!!! Or the word magicks! What in the hell?!
I'll keep it at this rant. It's probably very clear that I thought this book was shit.
This book was definitely not for me. It was a romance, wannabe horror. It didn't work at all. Because you know, writing horror is seriously different than writing a romance, so use different words, story arcs, characters etc., Nora Roberts!
I don't want to read about a loner mysterious strong man with a difficult past (daddy-issues) he has overcome, who falls in love with a strong beautiful heroine who will heal him. Ofcourse they are all fantastic and ofcourse they absolutely don't want to fall in love and try to downplay it all and ofcourse they have the most amazing mindblowing sex. Everyone is soooo perfect... and I don't want to read about these cliche people, with their cliche lifes and their cliche problems. They have fantastic friends who are copies of the hero and heroine of this book. It got so bad that I couldn't remember which friend had a relationship with which friend. They all get pregnant at the same day. Ofcourse the heroine is afraid to tell our hero, but the hero takes it like a champ and gets from 'I don't want to be stuck in a relationship' to 'I want to show this child the world' in a matter of minutes. Sure, dipshit.
I bet the first book was about couple one and how they found love, and the second book was about couple two and their romance and then came this one....
Just to not make this sound like a standard issue Harlequin the author added in some horror elements. The research the characters did to find out how to beat the demon-asshole, was the same in the whole book and usually described as 'facts, charts, graphs and figures'. Wow, Nora Roberts, now you have really pulled me in the story.
Ofcourse our heroine gets raped by this demon in the form of a little boy and our heroine wonders 'somehow that (being raped by a little boy) was worse. Why is that worse?' Seriously, are you that dumb? Anyway, everyone is broken for like a page or two and then all things return to normal. No mention at all of this horrendous rape for the rest of the book. And oh no, our hero suggests to have sex the day after the rape. She denies, but after they go to the gym she decides to step into the shower with him and have sex.
The end in which our heroes and heroines beat the demon was a major letdown, an anticlimax, no challenge at all. Wow, what a buildup.
As for the way the story was written. I've had enough with all those standard-issue words. Maybe Nora Roberts read a 'How to write a formula romance disguised as a horror, to show how daring/edgy I am'. Words and phrases like: 'cutie', 'sweetie', 'the kiss deepened', 'soft, quiet, the kiss soothed even as it aroused' 'He took her hungrily into his mouth' 'There was the instant thrill, the response, the need.'
Also the f-ing spelling of magickal, with a -k!!! Or the word magicks! What in the hell?!
I'll keep it at this rant. It's probably very clear that I thought this book was shit.
September 20, 2024
This was the final book in the trilogy. As usual I really liked the characters in the first and third books. This was an enjoyable escape from reality for a few days. Now to take a Nora break so I can enjoy another series of hers at a future date.
May 3, 2018
No hay estrellas suficientes para valorar esta trilogía... ¡Es increíble! No hay palabras para describir lo maravillosa que es. Los seis personajes principales y los secundarios son fantásticos (excepto el malo), les coges cariño y son muy especiales. La trama es adictiva y está muy bien construida. Tiene varios giros argumentales y sorpresas que no te esperas y el final es... intenso, genial. Ha sido maravilloso, así que tengo que agradecer a mi madre por haberme recomendado a esta autora, todas sus sagas y libros. Os recomiendo muchísimo a esta autora.
March 20, 2024
3.5 stars
October 26, 2024
OK, I'm just going to write my review of the whole trilogy here. And I'm not entirely sure if it's a review of this particular trilogy or a review of Nora Roberts in recent years. So, just hang in there.
I have been reading Nora Roberts for about 10 years now. I'm pretty sure that I've read most (if not all) of what she's written. Therefore, I think it's safe to say that she now officially SUCKS! Now, I understand, when an author is as prolific as Roberts is, you're going to get a bit stale. It's very easy to fall back on a formula that has worked so well for so long.
When it comes to her trilogies, Roberts sticks to this formula. Three men + three women + need to slay ultimate evil = NY Times Top 10 list. I know that this hasn't been the formula for ALL of her trilogies, but in the last few it HAS been. And don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed this formula a lot. Really good examples (I feel) were The Three Sisters Island and The Key trilogies. These two had engaging and sympathetic characters and exciting plots. However, this is not the case for her two most recent trilogies. The Circle and Blood Brothers trilogies were BEYOND formulaic. The characters were flat and annoying. The plot lines were flimsy and unoriginal and I must say that I am just completely disappointed.
So, my plea to you Nora Roberts is this. Either find a new formula or reread your old stuff and find that creative spark. Otherwise, get out of the publishing business.
I have been reading Nora Roberts for about 10 years now. I'm pretty sure that I've read most (if not all) of what she's written. Therefore, I think it's safe to say that she now officially SUCKS! Now, I understand, when an author is as prolific as Roberts is, you're going to get a bit stale. It's very easy to fall back on a formula that has worked so well for so long.
When it comes to her trilogies, Roberts sticks to this formula. Three men + three women + need to slay ultimate evil = NY Times Top 10 list. I know that this hasn't been the formula for ALL of her trilogies, but in the last few it HAS been. And don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed this formula a lot. Really good examples (I feel) were The Three Sisters Island and The Key trilogies. These two had engaging and sympathetic characters and exciting plots. However, this is not the case for her two most recent trilogies. The Circle and Blood Brothers trilogies were BEYOND formulaic. The characters were flat and annoying. The plot lines were flimsy and unoriginal and I must say that I am just completely disappointed.
So, my plea to you Nora Roberts is this. Either find a new formula or reread your old stuff and find that creative spark. Otherwise, get out of the publishing business.
May 5, 2016
5 "Big Evil Bastard" Stars!!
Holy Cannoli, this was the best book in the series!! I've been coasting along on a all time HIGH for the last hour! Just love when books do that do me.
I knew this was gonna be the best book for a couple reasons. 1) It was the last book and the battle would come to a major showdown and 2) because it was gonna be Cybil and Gage's story. They've been my favorite non-couple all along (they're in the other two books as well).
Cybil and Gage - the odd couple out. Neither wanted a relationship, no strings. When they have to really become partners for the team, using their gifts linked together, their physical attraction from afar, turns to live action. They both have heavy baggage they're carrying around. They're both cynical but more Gage than her. They're both sarcastically witty, which makes them lol funny. When they do get it together as a couple, they're so great 2gether.
GAGE is typically quiet, pessimistic often and is always observing people as well as his environment. He needs to because he's a professional gambler. He travels all over the world playing poker. He's damn good at it too seeing how he drives a Ferrari. Sweeet. He's downright sexy with black hair, green eyes & a great build. Definitely a badass that has an untouchable air to him.
CYBIL is Quinn's BFF, known each other since their College days. She's a Researcher and is brilliant! The things she knows will astonish you. She always tries to see the positive in every situation. Cybil's stunningly beautiful also. From her Romanian gypsy descendants, she gets her long curly black hair, seductively dark brown eyes and golden bronzed skin.
In the last two books, they've been learning everything they can about the demon, the town's history, one another, and what they can do together as a team. Basically, gathering information so they can kick this thing's ass straight back to hell!
In this book though, they're putting finishing touches on that plan, having small fights with it along the way, then going to have the final battle with "Big Evil Bastard" (team's nickname for it). That day, well night, comes and it's nerve wracking, nail biting until it's over, once and for all.
Obviously, I totally recommend this book as well as the first two. It was one hell of a ride through this series, one I'll will read again in the future.
Holy Cannoli, this was the best book in the series!! I've been coasting along on a all time HIGH for the last hour! Just love when books do that do me.
I knew this was gonna be the best book for a couple reasons. 1) It was the last book and the battle would come to a major showdown and 2) because it was gonna be Cybil and Gage's story. They've been my favorite non-couple all along (they're in the other two books as well).
Cybil and Gage - the odd couple out. Neither wanted a relationship, no strings. When they have to really become partners for the team, using their gifts linked together, their physical attraction from afar, turns to live action. They both have heavy baggage they're carrying around. They're both cynical but more Gage than her. They're both sarcastically witty, which makes them lol funny. When they do get it together as a couple, they're so great 2gether.
GAGE is typically quiet, pessimistic often and is always observing people as well as his environment. He needs to because he's a professional gambler. He travels all over the world playing poker. He's damn good at it too seeing how he drives a Ferrari. Sweeet. He's downright sexy with black hair, green eyes & a great build. Definitely a badass that has an untouchable air to him.
CYBIL is Quinn's BFF, known each other since their College days. She's a Researcher and is brilliant! The things she knows will astonish you. She always tries to see the positive in every situation. Cybil's stunningly beautiful also. From her Romanian gypsy descendants, she gets her long curly black hair, seductively dark brown eyes and golden bronzed skin.
In the last two books, they've been learning everything they can about the demon, the town's history, one another, and what they can do together as a team. Basically, gathering information so they can kick this thing's ass straight back to hell!
In this book though, they're putting finishing touches on that plan, having small fights with it along the way, then going to have the final battle with "Big Evil Bastard" (team's nickname for it). That day, well night, comes and it's nerve wracking, nail biting until it's over, once and for all.
Obviously, I totally recommend this book as well as the first two. It was one hell of a ride through this series, one I'll will read again in the future.
December 24, 2008
NOTE: I'm going to save myself some time and trouble by doing this one review for all three books in this trilogy. Yes, I am lazy.
That said. . .
The Sign of Seven Trilogy wants so, so, desperately badly to be Stephen King's IT. All the elements are there:
1. ancient evil rises to terrify a town every so often (every 7 years in Sign of Seven trilogy; every 20-30 in IT),
2. group of friends that battled said evil in their youth must reunite to combat the evil again (7 friends in IT; 3 guys in SST that are joined this time by 3 women),
3. a little romance (the one girl in the group hooks up with one of the guys in IT; each of the 3 guys in SST hooks up with one of the 3 women. . .okay, a LOT of romance in that one),
4. paranormal abilities and occurences around the main characters, small clashes with ancient evil lead up to big dramatic final battle (cosmos-spanning battle in IT; for SST, ummmmm. . .not so much), and
5. last but not least, a crappy TV miniseries based on the book (ABC made one for IT in 1987 starring John Ritter, Richard Lewis, and Harry Anderson; there has not been one announced yet for SST but given the Lifetime Network's love of Nora Roberts, it's probably coming).
Basically, again, SST wants to be IT. That was the first thing that came to mind as I was reading the first book, as soon as I got a sense of what's going on.
And it falls so tragically, disappointingly, heart-breakingly short.
I'm not going to compare the trilogy to IT; it's obviously going to come off all the worse for the comparison. But it doesn't do so hot standing on its own, either.
The demonic villain, referred to as Twisse, never seems to say exactly why he wants to destroy the town so badly. If it's just simple vengeance against the ancestors of the people that defeated it centuries ago, really, why not just kill them and go? Why get locked into this stupid cycle? I get that it wants vengeance and all, and that these ancestors hold perhaps the only power on earth capable of killing it, but really, if this one place on the entire planet has exactly what's needed to kill you, wouldn't you stay away from it? Or at least not go giving people a reason to come kill you?
The heroes and heroines are initially very distinct in their personalities, but as the series progresses, they start blurring together so that, towards the end, I found myself having to check again and again to see who's saying what.
The small-town setting is a charming one, and it works well for the story. There is a lot of love and the characters are pretty well developed, at least until the end, in the story, though there are times when the supporting characters are a little more interesting than the heroes. The sex scenes are pretty good, though a couple feel a bit forced and awkward.
All that said, the series is pretty good. . .right up until the end, when it just all falls apart. It falls apart so badly that I subtracted a star and half for the ending alone.
After all the buildup, all the struggle, all the conflict and pain and tears getting to that final battle. . .it's over in less than ten pages, with a very short epilogue. The end was more of a messy amorphic blob than Twisse turned out to be, in the end. Speaking as someone that loves startegy and tactics and fighting games, the final battle is so nonsensical and disjointed that, given the solidity of the structure and writing to that point, I wondered if it had been ghostwritten. It felt very rushed, pushed too far too fast, and it definitely suffered for the impatience. On top of that, one minor line from one of the earlier books is all that saved the climactic ending from being a complete deus ex machina, making it more "deus ex extremely small and unimportant detail."
And in the end, SST still tries to be IT. Gage's journey into a seemingly endless void, Cal's father's view of the destruction raining down on their small town while the battle is being fought elsewhere, the defeat of the beast by both literal and metaphysical destruction of its heart, the reflections upon and glimpses of the damage the beast had done in previous rampages through the town. . .all these things are parallels from IT, and paralleled so much that I more-than-half-expected a Turtle of enormous girth to show up (though, perhaps to avoid copyright issues, it would have been called "a plus-size tortoise").
Stephen King, check your wallet, mate. I think you've been nicked.
What amazes me the most here is, that with such similar setups, King still told the better story 20+ years ago. IT is not a short read; in fact, it's longer than all three books in the SST trilogy put together. But if you're not a die-hard La Nora fan, or a sucker for a semi-action-packed romance, go read IT instead.
This trilogy comprises the first Nora Roberts work I've ever read. I'll give her a try again, because there are enough good things about the characters and story here that the trilogy held on to one star despite its own ending, but I'll also be trying in hopes that whatever I read next from her will be a bit more original and less blatantly derivative.
That said. . .
The Sign of Seven Trilogy wants so, so, desperately badly to be Stephen King's IT. All the elements are there:
1. ancient evil rises to terrify a town every so often (every 7 years in Sign of Seven trilogy; every 20-30 in IT),
2. group of friends that battled said evil in their youth must reunite to combat the evil again (7 friends in IT; 3 guys in SST that are joined this time by 3 women),
3. a little romance (the one girl in the group hooks up with one of the guys in IT; each of the 3 guys in SST hooks up with one of the 3 women. . .okay, a LOT of romance in that one),
4. paranormal abilities and occurences around the main characters, small clashes with ancient evil lead up to big dramatic final battle (cosmos-spanning battle in IT; for SST, ummmmm. . .not so much), and
5. last but not least, a crappy TV miniseries based on the book (ABC made one for IT in 1987 starring John Ritter, Richard Lewis, and Harry Anderson; there has not been one announced yet for SST but given the Lifetime Network's love of Nora Roberts, it's probably coming).
Basically, again, SST wants to be IT. That was the first thing that came to mind as I was reading the first book, as soon as I got a sense of what's going on.
And it falls so tragically, disappointingly, heart-breakingly short.
I'm not going to compare the trilogy to IT; it's obviously going to come off all the worse for the comparison. But it doesn't do so hot standing on its own, either.
The demonic villain, referred to as Twisse, never seems to say exactly why he wants to destroy the town so badly. If it's just simple vengeance against the ancestors of the people that defeated it centuries ago, really, why not just kill them and go? Why get locked into this stupid cycle? I get that it wants vengeance and all, and that these ancestors hold perhaps the only power on earth capable of killing it, but really, if this one place on the entire planet has exactly what's needed to kill you, wouldn't you stay away from it? Or at least not go giving people a reason to come kill you?
The heroes and heroines are initially very distinct in their personalities, but as the series progresses, they start blurring together so that, towards the end, I found myself having to check again and again to see who's saying what.
The small-town setting is a charming one, and it works well for the story. There is a lot of love and the characters are pretty well developed, at least until the end, in the story, though there are times when the supporting characters are a little more interesting than the heroes. The sex scenes are pretty good, though a couple feel a bit forced and awkward.
All that said, the series is pretty good. . .right up until the end, when it just all falls apart. It falls apart so badly that I subtracted a star and half for the ending alone.
After all the buildup, all the struggle, all the conflict and pain and tears getting to that final battle. . .it's over in less than ten pages, with a very short epilogue. The end was more of a messy amorphic blob than Twisse turned out to be, in the end. Speaking as someone that loves startegy and tactics and fighting games, the final battle is so nonsensical and disjointed that, given the solidity of the structure and writing to that point, I wondered if it had been ghostwritten. It felt very rushed, pushed too far too fast, and it definitely suffered for the impatience. On top of that, one minor line from one of the earlier books is all that saved the climactic ending from being a complete deus ex machina, making it more "deus ex extremely small and unimportant detail."
And in the end, SST still tries to be IT. Gage's journey into a seemingly endless void, Cal's father's view of the destruction raining down on their small town while the battle is being fought elsewhere, the defeat of the beast by both literal and metaphysical destruction of its heart, the reflections upon and glimpses of the damage the beast had done in previous rampages through the town. . .all these things are parallels from IT, and paralleled so much that I more-than-half-expected a Turtle of enormous girth to show up (though, perhaps to avoid copyright issues, it would have been called "a plus-size tortoise").
Stephen King, check your wallet, mate. I think you've been nicked.
What amazes me the most here is, that with such similar setups, King still told the better story 20+ years ago. IT is not a short read; in fact, it's longer than all three books in the SST trilogy put together. But if you're not a die-hard La Nora fan, or a sucker for a semi-action-packed romance, go read IT instead.
This trilogy comprises the first Nora Roberts work I've ever read. I'll give her a try again, because there are enough good things about the characters and story here that the trilogy held on to one star despite its own ending, but I'll also be trying in hopes that whatever I read next from her will be a bit more original and less blatantly derivative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2019
Loved this series! I read it just a few days. What is odd is that I have only ever read 1 other Nora Roberts story before, and don't really have any desire to read another but this series was just great. I especially loved Gage's character.
There was a gerat mix of characters of personalities throughout the book. The 'fate' portion of the book was a bit hard to believe and predictable but by that point I was so hooked on the story I didn't even care anymore! I will definitely read these again!
There was a gerat mix of characters of personalities throughout the book. The 'fate' portion of the book was a bit hard to believe and predictable but by that point I was so hooked on the story I didn't even care anymore! I will definitely read these again!
September 3, 2020
En esta ocasión la parte romántica la llevan Cybil y Gage, dos personajes que me han enamorado por completo. Son personajes que a lo largo de su vida han pasado por momentos muy duros y difíciles: en el caso de Cyibil, la pérdida de su padre hizo que su familia se desestructurara por completo y que su madre fuera una figura ausente durante el resto de su niñez y adolescencia, y Gage tuvo que soportar a un padre alcohólico y maltratador. Estas circunstancias han hecho que forjen una personalidad donde no se permiten ser tan sentimentales y que tengan cierta frialdad y dureza a la hora de expresarse y enfrentarse a los problemas.
Por todo esto, vemos como su relación se va cociendo a fuego lento, porque cuando dos personalidades tan fuertes se encuentran es inevitable que les sea más difícil expresar y aceptar algunos sentimientos que quizás antes no se habían permitido exteriorizar. Y a pesar de que la autora te plantea un pasado duro y difícil de la pareja, no hace que todo sea dramático sino al contrario, desde el primer momento Cybil y Gage reconocen que hay ciertas heridas que aún no han cerrado y que lo que están sintiendo el uno por el otro va a ser complejo de gestionar y que ambos necesitarán su espacio para hacerlo.
Ahora, la parte paranormal flojea un poco en el sentido de que a lo largo de la trilogía se describe a este ser demoniaco como cruel, sanguinario e implacable pero el enfrentamiento final entre los protagonistas y el demonio es muy pobre. Es cierto, que antes de esa lucha final si se describen algunas escenas y apariciones del demonio que tienen un toque más de terror pero en general el final es muy feel good . Ojo, que era lo que pedía la historia pero eso no quita que me hayan faltado toques más oscuros.
En general, es una trilogía que he disfrutado y que me ha hecho descubrir un género que nunca antes habría imaginado leer. Y por supuesto, voy a seguir con el romance paranormal y con Nora Roberts ya que me ha gustado como escribe y los personajes que crea.
Por todo esto, vemos como su relación se va cociendo a fuego lento, porque cuando dos personalidades tan fuertes se encuentran es inevitable que les sea más difícil expresar y aceptar algunos sentimientos que quizás antes no se habían permitido exteriorizar. Y a pesar de que la autora te plantea un pasado duro y difícil de la pareja, no hace que todo sea dramático sino al contrario, desde el primer momento Cybil y Gage reconocen que hay ciertas heridas que aún no han cerrado y que lo que están sintiendo el uno por el otro va a ser complejo de gestionar y que ambos necesitarán su espacio para hacerlo.
Ahora, la parte paranormal flojea un poco en el sentido de que a lo largo de la trilogía se describe a este ser demoniaco como cruel, sanguinario e implacable pero el enfrentamiento final entre los protagonistas y el demonio es muy pobre. Es cierto, que antes de esa lucha final si se describen algunas escenas y apariciones del demonio que tienen un toque más de terror pero en general el final es muy feel good . Ojo, que era lo que pedía la historia pero eso no quita que me hayan faltado toques más oscuros.
En general, es una trilogía que he disfrutado y que me ha hecho descubrir un género que nunca antes habría imaginado leer. Y por supuesto, voy a seguir con el romance paranormal y con Nora Roberts ya que me ha gustado como escribe y los personajes que crea.
January 19, 2018
Wat een leuke trilogie. Niet wereldschokkend, maar een goed vlot lezende reeks, vol humor, romantiek en beetje aktie.
December 9, 2008
Three boys who shared their birthday, Caleb, Fox, and Gage, decided to celebrate their tenth birthday at the Pagan Stone, a strange, altar-like stone in the middle of the woods surrounding Hawkins Hollow, the village where the three grew up.
A simple vow to always be friends sealed with their blood, unleashed an entity that‘s been haunting them ever since.
Every seven years, for seven days in the seventh month, the small town of Hawkins Hollow descends into madness. Strange accidents happen; neighbors turn against neighbors, husbands against wives… When the Seven is over, no one remembers anything.
Except the three blood brothers.
Now, twenty-one years later, the three boys turned men know the time might have come to end it. It has grown stronger, but so have them. And they’re not alone anymore.
This is the third, and last installment in the Sign of Seven trilogy, following Blood Brothers and The Hollow, brining the Big Evil terrorizing the small town of Hawkins Hollow to a satisfying end.
Among the three books, this one ranks up there with the first, while the second obviously suffered from the middle-book-syndrome. I loved the evolving relationships between the characters, the interaction of previous heroes and heroines with the "mega-couple" of the now.
I absolutely adored Gage (from the first book, mind you), with his bad-boy, I-don't-give-a-flying-f*** attitude, and a heart of gold. Despite all the violence and abuse he's suffered in Hawkins Hollow, he still returns, every seven years, to aid his "brothers", to aid the people that loved him when his father couldn't or wouldn't.
Cybil was just perfect for him. These two really were two peas in a pod. Free spirits with movable roots that had no idea what they were looking for until Fate made them "run off a cliff like lemmings".
And when they finally figured out what was going on it was already too late... and they didn't care anymore how "emotional ties" might disrupt their routine.
The final battle was yet another symbolic representation of the battle between good and evil, with loads of hidden meanings and messages.
The most important, no matter how hard things go, no matter if the Devil comes from Hell to get ya, "You can do it!" if you just believe in yourself, believe and trust the people who are with you when you're hip deep in crap.
It's all in the positive thinking.
Yeah, this trilogy (I'd suggest reading all three in order) is highly recommended by this reader. ;)
Granted, Nora Robert's style of narration needs some time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's an enjoyable experience.
A simple vow to always be friends sealed with their blood, unleashed an entity that‘s been haunting them ever since.
Every seven years, for seven days in the seventh month, the small town of Hawkins Hollow descends into madness. Strange accidents happen; neighbors turn against neighbors, husbands against wives… When the Seven is over, no one remembers anything.
Except the three blood brothers.
Now, twenty-one years later, the three boys turned men know the time might have come to end it. It has grown stronger, but so have them. And they’re not alone anymore.
This is the third, and last installment in the Sign of Seven trilogy, following Blood Brothers and The Hollow, brining the Big Evil terrorizing the small town of Hawkins Hollow to a satisfying end.
Among the three books, this one ranks up there with the first, while the second obviously suffered from the middle-book-syndrome. I loved the evolving relationships between the characters, the interaction of previous heroes and heroines with the "mega-couple" of the now.
I absolutely adored Gage (from the first book, mind you), with his bad-boy, I-don't-give-a-flying-f*** attitude, and a heart of gold. Despite all the violence and abuse he's suffered in Hawkins Hollow, he still returns, every seven years, to aid his "brothers", to aid the people that loved him when his father couldn't or wouldn't.
Cybil was just perfect for him. These two really were two peas in a pod. Free spirits with movable roots that had no idea what they were looking for until Fate made them "run off a cliff like lemmings".
And when they finally figured out what was going on it was already too late... and they didn't care anymore how "emotional ties" might disrupt their routine.
The final battle was yet another symbolic representation of the battle between good and evil, with loads of hidden meanings and messages.
The most important, no matter how hard things go, no matter if the Devil comes from Hell to get ya, "You can do it!" if you just believe in yourself, believe and trust the people who are with you when you're hip deep in crap.
It's all in the positive thinking.
Yeah, this trilogy (I'd suggest reading all three in order) is highly recommended by this reader. ;)
Granted, Nora Robert's style of narration needs some time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's an enjoyable experience.
July 20, 2020
Gage: The Rough One!
Gage was the rough one out of the bunch, and he only had Bill Turner for a father. Bill was not much of a father during Gage's early years - he was physically and mentally abusive. Gage vowed, when he turned 18, that he would leave Hawkins Hallow. Gage - did, and only returned to see his friends and family. He never spoke or wanted anything to do with his - father ever again. Even years later, when Gage was an adult, he did not have - Bill as a dad. Bill was nothing to him. Bill did try on numerous occasions to talk to Gage, but Gage wanted nothing to do with him. He even went to Gage's home, and still - the same response - Gage wanted him to go away. Bill finally was able to say his piece to his son - Gage listened - Bill left.
Cybil: The Gypsy in the group!
Cybil was the same as Gage except - she was a woman. Just like Gage, she liked to travel, see new places, and she couldn't stand to be in one spot for too long. She only stayed in Hawkins Hollow because she loved her friends, and vowed - to help them. Quinn was her best friend. They first met in college and were as thick as thieves from that day forward. They could even read each other's minds. Of course, that ability came in handy because they all used their minds like a - bat signal. They were all linked that way too. Cal and Quinn saw - the past, Fox and Layla - the present, and Gage and Cybil - the future. Yet, Gage didn't like it. He saw that Cal and Fox had fallen for Quinn and Layla in that order, and he was not going to be the next victim - to love. He went about it the wrong way, and Cybil exploded into a million emotions. But, who could blame her, Gage was impossible.
Closer To The - 7!
The O'Dells and the Hawkins started feeling out neighbors the closer it got to July 7. Quite a few of the neighbors in town knew what happened on July 7, and they did not want to be anywhere near it. They gladly stayed at the O'Dells farm. Bill helped too. For once in his life, he wanted to do something besides drink. So, Bill helped, and it made it him needed - useful. He went out to the O'Dells farm, and he helped do whatever was needed to protect the town's people. Everyone knew time was getting short, and the demon, entity, paranormal event - whatever you wanted to call it was already in town.
The Last Battle: Who Will Win?
Gage and Cybil saw the future, and they knew what would happen. They both tried to stop it - dodge it, but they felt one of them was going to - die. Which one? The demon threatened to devour Cybil, and she did not want that to happen. She wanted Gage to kill her. Did He? In the last battle, all six of them were there. Gage finally took the bloodstone and went into the heart of the beast. Gage felt like he was in hell, and he looked like it when he came out. In the end, they defeated the demon, and Hawkins Hollow was safe again.
Gage was the rough one out of the bunch, and he only had Bill Turner for a father. Bill was not much of a father during Gage's early years - he was physically and mentally abusive. Gage vowed, when he turned 18, that he would leave Hawkins Hallow. Gage - did, and only returned to see his friends and family. He never spoke or wanted anything to do with his - father ever again. Even years later, when Gage was an adult, he did not have - Bill as a dad. Bill was nothing to him. Bill did try on numerous occasions to talk to Gage, but Gage wanted nothing to do with him. He even went to Gage's home, and still - the same response - Gage wanted him to go away. Bill finally was able to say his piece to his son - Gage listened - Bill left.
Cybil: The Gypsy in the group!
Cybil was the same as Gage except - she was a woman. Just like Gage, she liked to travel, see new places, and she couldn't stand to be in one spot for too long. She only stayed in Hawkins Hollow because she loved her friends, and vowed - to help them. Quinn was her best friend. They first met in college and were as thick as thieves from that day forward. They could even read each other's minds. Of course, that ability came in handy because they all used their minds like a - bat signal. They were all linked that way too. Cal and Quinn saw - the past, Fox and Layla - the present, and Gage and Cybil - the future. Yet, Gage didn't like it. He saw that Cal and Fox had fallen for Quinn and Layla in that order, and he was not going to be the next victim - to love. He went about it the wrong way, and Cybil exploded into a million emotions. But, who could blame her, Gage was impossible.
Closer To The - 7!
The O'Dells and the Hawkins started feeling out neighbors the closer it got to July 7. Quite a few of the neighbors in town knew what happened on July 7, and they did not want to be anywhere near it. They gladly stayed at the O'Dells farm. Bill helped too. For once in his life, he wanted to do something besides drink. So, Bill helped, and it made it him needed - useful. He went out to the O'Dells farm, and he helped do whatever was needed to protect the town's people. Everyone knew time was getting short, and the demon, entity, paranormal event - whatever you wanted to call it was already in town.
The Last Battle: Who Will Win?
Gage and Cybil saw the future, and they knew what would happen. They both tried to stop it - dodge it, but they felt one of them was going to - die. Which one? The demon threatened to devour Cybil, and she did not want that to happen. She wanted Gage to kill her. Did He? In the last battle, all six of them were there. Gage finally took the bloodstone and went into the heart of the beast. Gage felt like he was in hell, and he looked like it when he came out. In the end, they defeated the demon, and Hawkins Hollow was safe again.
September 21, 2024
The final book in the sign of seven trilogy! As the dreaded July 7th approaches, the evil rises and gains strength. The team of six must band together to vanquish the demon terrorizing the town the past 21 years - or die trying. This book includes all the characters, but has a focus on Gage and Cybil, the wild cards of the group. Cybil is strong, independent and crazy intelligent, she is the brains and the research queen. Gage is the sullen, gambler with a troubled childhood and trauma, but with a heart of gold underneath it all. Neither wants to fall in love or have a relationship, but neither can deny the attraction and pull between them. Good conclusion overall, a little slow on pace at times, the writing I found a little clunky.
December 8, 2008
What can i say. Alittlemoreparanormal very predictable book. I really used to love a Nora Roberts boo... a little break from reality but she has really gone to far. All of her characters are all the same and the plots..... much to be desired. But I had to finish it...
January 9, 2026
There is a level of competence to Nora Roberts’ books that I will always appreciate but this wasn’t one of her best.
The overarching story of the trilogy are the six main characters trying to rid their small town of a demon. Each book follows a very similar structure of tons of demon research and speculation on how to kill it, random small scale demon attacks in the middle with a big boss battle at the end. By book three it got repetitive and I wanted more.
Gage and Cybil were probably my least favorite couple for the series. They both were hesitant to start anything real and instead of creating tension with a satisfying payoff it seemed like they kinda just wore each other down. And Gage was a dick, but not in a hot way.
Despite my qualms Roberts’ writing style is something that I just jive with so I can’t give it lower than a 3 star. But if you are looking to start her books, don’t start with this series. She has better.
The overarching story of the trilogy are the six main characters trying to rid their small town of a demon. Each book follows a very similar structure of tons of demon research and speculation on how to kill it, random small scale demon attacks in the middle with a big boss battle at the end. By book three it got repetitive and I wanted more.
Gage and Cybil were probably my least favorite couple for the series. They both were hesitant to start anything real and instead of creating tension with a satisfying payoff it seemed like they kinda just wore each other down. And Gage was a dick, but not in a hot way.
Despite my qualms Roberts’ writing style is something that I just jive with so I can’t give it lower than a 3 star. But if you are looking to start her books, don’t start with this series. She has better.
March 6, 2020
With The Pagan Stone, Nora Roberts ends her Sign of Seven series. This is a satisfying, suspenseful conclusion. While we know that the main characters, Gage and Cybill, will end up together (this is a romantic suspense, after all), it's their journey and their inner conflicts that gives this book its center. This book does follow the Nora Roberts formula, and that prevents me from giving it a 5*, but it's a book worth reading and rereading.
March 24, 2019
Heerlijk einde van een zeer goed leesbare trilogie. Niet echt spectaculair, maar wel een goede manier om even te ontsnappen aan de werkelijkheid en te genieten van een bijna zomers weekend.
April 12, 2024
Awesome Ending Loved It
September 5, 2024
So, this one was the emotional roller coaster…
Thought of finishing the story with Gage dying was unthinkable and sad. There was so much joy intertwined with a lot of tragedy and sadness and it left me in tears of joy and also sorrow. It was an amazing supernatural romance with elements of horror. I’m so glad that I found this series and that the last book left me so full of emotions.
Thought of finishing the story with Gage dying was unthinkable and sad. There was so much joy intertwined with a lot of tragedy and sadness and it left me in tears of joy and also sorrow. It was an amazing supernatural romance with elements of horror. I’m so glad that I found this series and that the last book left me so full of emotions.
March 17, 2023
I will write the same combined review for all three books. Book one stood out for me the most and that is why it is rated the highest. It was also very creepy it gave me a horror vibe. I still am not a fan of Nora's stories with paranormal elements., which is a shame. I haven't read them all but I will keep my hopes up.
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