Morrigan's Cross: Circle Trilogy, Book 1

While I am not a Nora Roberts fan, nor a romance fan, I was intrigued by the plot line outlined for this trilogy, so I bought it. So far, after reading the first book, I am not disappointed that I did so. Sure, there are a few points that are bothersome: for instance, Hoyt - a sorcerer from 12th century Ireland - is brought through time to present-day New York City and somehow has absolutely NO communication problems. Same with Moira and Larkin, who are brought from another dimension. The "circle" is brought together too easily, overall - I can see where the author probably wanted to get on to the meat of the plot and not be bothered with any problems with bringing the characters together, but working out a more complicated series of events to bring the characters together would not only have been more realistic, but also would have made the rapid "bonding" of the characters more realistic. Finally, Morrigan - who is the Celtic Goddess of War, Death and Childbirth - is in this book depicted as the goddess of war and queen of faeries.However, despite all that, I did find myself enjoying the story. Although the characters are a bit flat, I could tell as the story progressed that they were rounding out and I hold out hope that in the remaining books they will develop more fully. The plot idea, as I said, is quite intriguing and I am quite enjoying the idea of an elite circle of six people - the witch, the sorcerer, the scholar, the warrior, the one of many shapes and the one who was lost - being brought together to try to save all the worlds from Lilith, an ancient vampire queen, who has been building her vampire army in secret for centuries and now is planning to make a bid to take over all the worlds. Although occasionally getting carried away with it, Nora Roberts has a fine gift for detailed descriptions that helps to create a vivid picture in the mind of what she is describing - the opening scene with Hoyt standing on a cliff with a thunder-storm pounding around him is just amazing, for instance.So, I would recommend this book definitely for people who enjoy Nora Roberts and paranormal romances. For those who are fans of vampire novels with a romantic setting ... well, most of the vampires in this book are portrayed as pretty evil, so you may not like it too much. Anyone looking for accurate portrayals of Celtic/Druidic teachings or witchcraft or magical powers ... well, again, the Morrigan is portrayed as queen of the faeries and if you know anything about Her, you will understand why that is just SO very wrong. But, overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy books of this ilk, and I am enjoying it myself.

I have read Nora Roberts books for years and got used to her romantic novels. So while on vacation in Mexico and having finished all the books that I bought, I wondered to a local shop that had some American paperbacks. I picked up the "Dance of the God's" because I knew her name, not realizing that it was book 2 of a trilogy. Expecting the usual romance from Roberts, I was shocked to find myself in the middle of a magical and brutal war between humans and vampires. I read the "Dance" probably in 1-2 days and couldn't wait to get my hands on the 1st and 3rd books which proved to be just as good.I sooooo wish there was a movie made from these books because I could see it all in my head. The time travel, the magic, the love, the great battles. I'm surprised that no studios picked it up as the next big trilogy to produce. It begs for it and has the substance to back it up.Love Nora's writing style and how she really dives into the ancient rituals and mythology of old Ireland. She also ensures that the reader gets a good understanding of how each of the character's talents are valuable, despite their varying backgrounds and fears. I could see the movie in my mind while reading her books which is a true sign of a good author. I really wish that I had a production company to put this trilogy into theaters. I think it would beat Lord of the Rings!!!

In general I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts, having been sucked in with her characters in her J.D. Robb series and enjoyed many other works as well. I am generally pleased with her character development, as I am a reader who appreciates good characters. Also, I love the use of magic and psychic "powers" and generally have enjoyed books of that nature. This is just the sort of book (as I also like historical novels) that I should have been thrilled with.Unfortunately, I found the premise interesting but not compelling and, sadly, the characters less than her best. The story is not terrible and, but it isn't exceptional and, for the most part, entirely predictable (which it should not have been in this type of romance). At this moment, her protagonist vampire is the most lifelike of the characters and that's probably a pity.It isn't a horrible book and I own it so I shall likely read it again some day, but I wouldn't feel compelled to buy it (or the followons I preordered at the same time) if I had read it in the library first. It's OK if you're used to lesser authors and in love with fantasy romances. It isn't, however, up to par with Roberts' best work in my opinion. I prefer her Key series, her In the Garden series or even her Donovan Legacy.

I think this may be one of Roberts' earlier books, as it is hard to tell which character is narrating. Also the characters development is better in the newer books I've read. Lastly, while Nora does mix in Iris/Gaelic terms...the lanuaging doesn't change much from character to character. In later books, you see more Irish and Scottish lingo. Again, it's almost as if everyone has the same speech pattern/accent/tone, which makes it additionally hard to follow who's speaking. But you get the gist of her character transitions eventually. As always, really good story telling. Imaginative, emotional, and full of wisdom. On to the next book in the series.

.This is definitely not the same as Twilight or any other Vampire story out there. It is refreshingly original in it's storyline and engages the reader through and through.

I've always loved Nora Roberts's books. Especially the ones with magick and fantasy. It my dream to visit Ireland and hopefully reawaken my dream to become a Nobelist myself. She's inspired many of my dreams and hopes. Hats off to Nora Roberts she is absolutely indescribable!

WARNING: ONE SPOILER AHEADI'd read one of Ms Roberts' trilogies; the one about the virus apocalypse followed by a magical reawakening and while it wasn't consistently good, it had some thrilling moments so I decided to try the Circle Trilogy as it has many accolades. Oh dear, do I regret it... The characters are all cardboard cutout deep, with both men and women's reactions/feelings described in terms of the worst gender stereotypes available - sort of women are from Venus, men are from Mars 'psychology'. The women claim to be independent and capable and yet have to be rescued again and again, mainly out of their own stupidity. The men resolve their disagreements by punching each other. The worst of it though is that the one black character is described as a 'dark giant' with a 'scary/ugly face' (!!!) and is, SPOILER alert, the only one who doesn't make it till the end, being killed and then replaced by a Buffy-type white girl who declares she's a demon slayer. This was so terrible, I skipped through lots of chapters (they cook, they fight with swords and similar, they talk about magic, they have sex, then repeat). At one point towards the end, the witch conjures a wedding dress from across the Atlantic (Ireland is a modern country - they do have shops...) and the Buffy girl wonders if she couldn't use her skills to conjure weapons instead. This happens after a good 300 pages, which made me decide I would rather have the evil vampire kill us/enslave us all - we're better off in a vamp world if these are the kinds of heroes supposed to save us. Will not bother reading the next one.

True to the stories of the old gods and the tuatha de dannan. This story brings the epic struggles of good and evil, deities and humans, to the modern age and setting. Ancient folklore is brought into the age of the internet, the end of days ? Not if these characters come through. I loved this first of three books and will be buying the next two without hesitation

This book is one of Nora Roberts best story's, fantasy at its best, good will overcome evil. Fantastic strong characters and a great storyline you won't be disappointed.

This is a must read - I couldn't put it down. Just after reading the first couple of pages I was hooked and the book kept its pace all the way through. I've now started the second book and already, I know I'll be so disappointed when I finish this trilogy. It would make a brilliant set of movies as its a bit like Twilight but with more depth and I feel, a much better story-line. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The first book in what promises to be an interesting trilogy, but to be honest I was a little uncertain whether this was my type of book. However, once I got into the story, I was hooked! Another reasonmwhy Norah Roberts is a top selling author. Really looking forward reading book 2