I wasn't sure when I bought this book that I would enjoy it, but it was Nora Roberts and typically I love her work. I had a bit of a hard time getting into the book at first but once I got into it I loved it. Book One ended and I didn't have book two on hand. I ordered book two and three right away. If you like vampires and witches this is a series you want to read.

I really enjoyed this I could not stop listening to it. Very different from her usual work.

I was really putting off picking up this series and only started to read it because I got it practically free. In the past few years, I have been underwhelmed by NR's work, but this first book of the Circle trilogy really engaged me and pulled me into the story and the characters' lives.

It begins in the 12th Century with Hoyt the Sorcerer (Irish last name is waaaay too long to remember but I know it's pronounced mac-KEE-nee and is the old form of MacKenna). His twin brother Cian has been transformed by the vampire queen Lilith into one of her minions, and Hoyt calls her to find his vengeance. Things go off course, though, when his fresh-from-the-grave brother attacks him. Hoyt sends him off the side of a cliff, scars the vampire queen and heads for home to recuperate. On the way, he's visited by Morrigan, a goddess, and is given his task: he must gather the circle of six and defeat Lilith by Samhain (Halloween) or all worlds would be destroyed. So he seeks a witch, a warrior, a scholar, one of many shapes, and one who is lost.

The story is moved then as Hoyt is pulled into modern-day NYC and his millenia-old brother's club, Eternity. Cian, still a vampire but now bitter and hard with it, reluctantly puts his brother up. It is here that they find Gwenna, a 21st century witch and the three of them, along with Cian's friend King, head for Ireland. Soon enough two more join them, and they believe the circle is complete as Moira, queen of Geall, is a scholar, and Larkin (her cousin) is a shape-shifter.

I was a little leary of how NR would pull off a vampire story, as I am a loyal fan of JR Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon, but this was shockingly good. Though, like stated above, the romance isn't the key to this plot, the action and backstory are compelling and very well put together.

Hoyt and Gwenna, as a couple, are very compatible, but it felt a little rushed and at the end I was frustrated along with Cian that, oh hey, the world's about to end, but let's take some time to plan a wedding. If they had wanted to to a handfasting ceremony, well okay do it, you don't have to spend precious time online shopping and throwing a ceremony. Also the character of Gwenna felt as if she wasn't completely fleshed out. At first it seemed as if she tried to come across very experienced and forward, but by the time she and Hoyt were intimate, she sounded a little more sentimental about the whole deal, and it was confusing to me. Hoyt was a good character and obviously the star of this show, but it seemed to me, sorcerer or no, that he adjusted mighty quickly to the 21st century.

All in all, if you're a loyal Nora fan, this might be worth a look, but don't go in expecting romance, when it's paranormal with strong romantic elements.

I'm not entirely certain what to say about this book. Others have apparently had some of the same issues I had with it - the characters didn't grow on me, it seemed slow and round about in moving anywhere, the way the various forms of fantasy were stitched together just didn't quite work.

I don't mind the liberties she took with Cian - honestly, I'm a bit tired of the traditional take on them. I see no reason why all vampires must be mired in the era of their own creation, why they must all wear frills and appreciate only classical or ancient music, and all be soooo terribly sexy and erotic that men and women alike want to jump their bones despite the vampires being cold and rubbery to the touch (excpet, of course, an erotic vampire wouldn't feel rubbery, eh?).

In as much as the story didn't grip me, and the romance and relationships didn't spark much interest in me, I'd have to say that my biggest problem with this book (and probably the only lasting memory I'll keep with me about it) is the fact that she included a token minority character, and treated him like the unnamed ensign in Star Trek.

If you've read more than 5 books by Nora Roberts, or 2 of her trilogies, you'll discover that there's a very heavy pattern. For every "interesting" and fleshed out male, there is an equally "interesting" and fleshed out female. In this book, throughout most of the tale, we have 4 males and 2 females. None of the men are remotely homosexual, and gays and lesbians don't exist in any of the universes I've read by her. So which of these characters breaks the pattern - or, as they sang in Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the others, one of these things doesn't belong." Since most of NR's characters are either of Irish or Gypsy descent, it's a safe bet that the lovable black guy isn't going to remain an important character throughout the series.

I've read authors who, while being caucasian, are able to include minorities in their stories. Minorities who provide a believable addition to a tale, without needing to take center stage to make the author seem so very hip and culturally aware. Minorities... who aren't killed off in a very patronizing, insulting manner. (Hair doesn't move the way it is described in the pivotal moment - either someone was WAY too close to the threshold and deserved King's fate, or longer hair had a fan under it to get it to fly that far)

King, and the readers of this book, should have been treated with more respect. My respect for Nora Roberts has taken a steep nosedive through this single tale, purely for the treatment of a single character.

I appreciate what she may have been trying to do - meld modern fantasy (modern "witchcraft" and the angsty vampire/slayer), old fashioned sorcery, and romantic generic magic fantasy. But gathering so many different backgrounds meant the book was devoted to introducing all of the characters.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. At least not as a stand alone, because this seemed more long a very long winded prologue than anything else. Again, her treatment of King was horrible. His fate did nothing to draw me closer to any of the characters, but instead made me cheer for the bad guys.

On a slightly different note, the use of the name Lilith as the antagonist's name annoyed me as well. Delilah would have been equally cliched in some ways, but at least less abused.

I was recently headed on a long road trip and decided to pick up a book on CD to help with the tedium of driving. CD books can be hit or miss. I enjoy Nora Roberts, so I knew the material would be good, but this was a paranormal book, and so I was a bit wary.

Within the first two minutes, I was hooked. Not just on the story, but by the voice coming through the speakers. The reader, Dick Hill, completely transported me into the past with his voice and mannerisms. Ms. Roberts took me there with her stellar characters.

This is the first book of a triology that should not be missed, either in written form or by audiobook. (I strongly suggest the audio) Once my trip was complete, I rushed out to purchase the audiobooks of the remaining two, and could not have been happier.

There is nothing negative to say about the books or Mr. Hill's performance. Stellar all the way!