This novel, the sequel to Tuesday’s novel, is the third and final in the series (well, trilogy); that most likely means that there will not be any Nora Roberts reviews for a while. (Or at least until I go buy a few more.) However, Nora Roberts is in general such a sterling example of the genre that I encourage readers to go try others of her books. The first of the J. D. Robb books is entitled Naked in Death; I’ve also heard that Carolina Moon is excellent. I enjoyed Midnight Bayou for its New Orleans (pre-Katrina, obviously) flavor. She’s a frequent commenter at Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

Finally, after Malory and Dana have their turns, it’s Zoe’s turn. Zoe is a mother; her son Simon, born when she was sixteen, is nine now. Her mother was a hairdresser, who worked out of the double-wide that she raised the family in; Zoe aspires for a lot more. Her part of the business that the three own is a salon/spa, complete with haircuts, mani/pedis, and heat wraps and the like. She has the final key to find, and Bradley Charles Vane IV, heir to the HomeMakers empire, to help her find it. However, she’s got Simon to protect; she’s very afraid that Kane (the evil sorcerer) will hurt him. Can she find the key, get the business running, deal with Brad, and keep Simon safe?

This book had more of the fantastic in it than either of the previous volumes. There’s a stag that appears to save Zoe’s life once; she falls through a mirror, and of course Kane pulls her into many recollections and dreams. There’s a lot of discussion of the demigoddess-princesses, and the world that they and Rowena and Pitte come from. I mean, compared to a standard fantasy novel, it still isn’t much, but it felt more solid than (especially) the previous volume. The ending is thoroughly fantastic; I did enjoy it quite a bit, and there was some lovely symbolism in there.

The book is grounded in reality, though; the three women struggle with all the last-minute details before their big opening. Zoe has problems with having enough time to do everything she has to do. She also worries about how her relationship with Brad will affect her son, and vice versa. She cleans a lot; she cooks; she sews; and she uses a nail gun as well as Brad does, or so he says. She’s fought hard for everything she has, including her tiny little house. Although Brad’s money can make things a lot easier for her — and it does, with certain aspects of their new business — she is so used to fighting that it’s hard to stop.

The relationship between Zoe and Brad has been simmering through the last two books. It finally (of course) comes to a full boil in this novel; although they fight a lot, they’re always moving towards a goal of mutual understanding and committment — well, love. (It is a romance novel, after all.) It’s definitely satisfying to see them finally get it together, after all the antagonism and flirting in the previous books. Overall, it was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and I’d definitelly recommend that if one wants to read these books, to read all three of them together. 4/5 stars.