Valley Of Silence and Born In Death

Valley Of Silence by Nora Roberts

This is Cian and Moira’s story. It is also the scene of the final battle between good and evil in Roberts’ conclusion to her Circle trilogy.

The battle and its preparation did not squeeze out the romance—as I had feared. Cian and Moira’s romance unfolded nicely with Moira’s initiative and Cian’s tortured acquiescence. Both remained ever-wise and forthright as they succumbed to their love affair. The hopelessness of it—knowing they could not live their lives out together—did serve to dampen Cian’s wit a little. I missed that. But all in all, Roberts’ telling of their story felt just as it should. Even their happy ending. I saw it coming a mile away, but liked it anyway.

Roberts also continued to entertain readers with the interplay between the chosen six. Where Roberts appeared to skim over characterization in the first book, she more than made up for it in the remainder of the trilogy. By its end, all six stepped easily from the page, trailing readers beyond the story’s conclusion.

What else? Oh, I loved the dragons. That was a nice bit of fantasy carried throughout the trilogy.

For anyone yet to read it, my only recommendation would be to read all three consecutively—no waiting or interruptions between installments. Reading one right after another may diminish some of the early characterization issues and minor imbalances between action and romance.

JD Robb’s Born In Death

Excellent. It never matters to me whether Robb allows Eve and Roarke to move forward in harmony or chooses to set sparks between them. Either way, I always enjoy spending my time with them and the entire In Death cast, losing myself in the rhythm of Robb’s words and the details of Eve’s cases. Plenty of humor in this one too.