This is the third book in the Sign of Seven Trilogy

Every seven years the town of Hawkins Hollow undergoes a change. Animals turn rabid, people turn on each other and the supernatural becomes reality. All this happens because of the blood ritual three boyhood friends performed on their 10th birthday on July 7th 1987. That ritual unleashed a demon and every seven years the boys do what they can to save the town and its people. This year they plan on stopping the demon for good.

This was the book I was most looking forward to in the series as I really liked Gage and Cybil's personalities from the other two books and looked forward to their inevitable romance. Their romance didn't disappoint and on a whole I really liked the story... I just didn't love it.

The ending was much too rushed for me. We have been working towards the battle against this demon since book one. The characters have invested pages and pages in research and strategy for two books. To have the battle start and be over within 6 pages (and to the soundtrack of the B-52's) was more than a bit of a let down. I really expected more battle and excitement and there are very few surprises or discoveries in this book.

The romance was great and what started off as a relationship based on heat, really turned into a nice love story. Nora did write some more terrifying passages involving the demon who takes shape as a little boy, some that made me shiver. She really did a great job of creating that demon.

I wasn't crazy about the first book, Blood Brothers, but really enjoyed the second book, The Hollow. The Hollow has all the excitement and discovery that the first and third books lack. This is definitely not my favorite book or series by this author, but I still enjoyed it and I am glad I bought it.

Blood Brothers (Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1)
The Hollow (Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 2)

Cherise Everhard, November 2008

The Pagan Stone (Book Three in the Sign of Seven trilogy), by Nora Roberts
What Happens: Gage and Cybil fight destiny and their attraction for each other. But time is running out, and they soon realize that surrendering to their feelings may be the key to everything.
Why I Picked It Up: I enjoyed the last two books, and wanted to see how my new friends made out with Big Evil.
What I Liked: Everything came together beautifully in this final installment. I love not being let down.
What I Didn't: Gage and Cybil, fighting fate for absolutely no good reason. And Cybil's naivete, despite her street-wise intelligence--just pee on the stick, already!
What Was Different: Gage was a really interesting character study, let's just put it that way.
Overall: An awesome end to an awesome series. Five Cheez-Its out of five.

Jacquelyn Sylvan
Author, Surviving Serendipity
www.sylvaniamania.com

**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.

Nora Roberts has a tendency to have her characters spend too much time in conversations that make me cringe with embarrasment for them. The constant dramatic, meaningful dialogue interspersed with omitting personal pronouns made reading The Pagan Stone tedious by the end. I admire the author for her ability to come up with new plot lines, but she needs to cut out the cutesy, contrived dialogue.

I have no one to blame but myself. I thought the first book was horrible and I didn't buy the second. However, my library had the second book, and I thought it was okay, and when Tuesday came around, with nothing to read, I thought why not. Unfortunately there are a bunch of why nots.

First, I found the book to be very slow. I picked it up, put it down, tried to read it again, and finally settled in for a re-read of another book. Thursday, I had four hours, and I attempted it again. After reading the first 100 pages, I realized why I was having such a difficult time. This book is not really about relationships, which is what Nora does so well, it is about every type of magic there is. And the characters have to analyze each minute piece of interaction with the demon and hunt down any folklore, fairytale, horror story that mentions fighting evil. And we get to read about it, and read about it, and read about it. Quoting 'Tears should matter. . . Other character " I wonder if tears are literal. . . or symbolic. . On vampires: If we consider vampyric . . . it not impossible the undead. . .doesn't have legitimate roots in this demon.

While I wouldn't say that reading science fiction is my first love, I do read authors like Sharon Shinn, and Lois McMasters Bujold. So, I do have some experience in world building, and suspending belief in unorthodox situations. I just couldn't do it in this series. The demon couldn't seem to make up its mind if it was a mischievious boy, or a monster. The six couldn't make up their mind if they feared the demon or wanted to sock it the stomach. Better yet, sing to it taunting it with Bang, Bang, knock on the door baby (Love Shack).

The relationship building between the two main characters seem to hinge on both of them needing to travel, and have variety in their lives and their repugnance of the simple life plus warning each other that just because the others hooked up, doesn't mean that it going to happen to them.

One of the minor characters dies, and the group as a whole decides that it better to tarnish his reputation then one of the surviving individuals. It is a minor thing compare to the whole book, but it bothered me that this individual was finally turning his life around, and the group denied him the right to be remembered as the person he was now vs. the person that he had been.

Reading some of the five star reviews, it is difficult to believe that we read the same book. Maybe it just a difference of when we started
reading Nora's books. I long for books like the Dream Trilogy or the Quinn brothers.

Nora Roberts comes through again. I, along with countless others, have waited for the release of the third and final book in the Sign of Seven Trilogy. Upon reading the latest edition I was pleased to see it was well worth my wait. The story of Gage and Cybill is as gratifying to watch develope as was Cal and Quinn and Fox and Layla. The big bad is still there as the Seven draws nearer only he's coming on bigger and badder. With time winding down the six heroes are bound and determined to save the Hollow and themselves. The turns and twists they take in this final addition are well worth the read!

I've always been a Nora Roberts fan, but I'm EXTREMELY sorry to say that this book was far below average. I've read several Nora Roberts books, and this one was terrible. The first two books in the trilogy were very good, with the Hollow being my favorite. I was so excited to read the final book, but was left feeling let down. To begin with, it seemed like all they did was continue to rehash the story of Twisse and Giles Dent, and all the details that go along with it that were orginally brought to light in the first and second books. It was like repeatedly reading Cliffnotes. Second, it glossed over some of the character development. For instance, when Layla told Fox she was pregnant. I wanted to actually READ their converation. Instead, the reader is just left with the assumption that she told him, and he took the news well. Moreover, Fox donated sperm to impregnate his lesbian sister's partner in the second book. Now, in the final book, Layla was pregnant with his child. How was that supposed to work....are the two children half brothers/sisters, cousins??? Also, I wanted to find out if Gage adding his blood to the water supply actually did what it was intended to do, but there was never any mention of it after NR just threw it out there in the plot to just leave it hanging.

Unfortunately, this book just did not deliver for me, and I'm fairly certain I'm not going to be reading any Nora Roberts books for a while.

Well, Nora, here we are again. I took you off of my "automatic buy" list when you wrote "Angels Fall". I just didn't like that book at all. I began checking out your books from the library. Then, you went and wrote the Circle Trilogy and, low and behold, you were back on my automatic buy list. In fact, after reading "Morrigan's Cross", I pre-ordered "Dance of the Gods" and "Valley of Silence" right away. "Valley of Silence" to me was one of the best books you had ever written.

So, of course, I was so excited when I saw that you were coming out with The Sign of Seven trilogy. But, frankly, it was awful. "The Pagan Stone" felt forced and my favorite character was the dog. Seriously. "The Hollow" was just that. Hollow. Lacking in character development, just like the first. However, I was really excited for "The Pagan Stone". After all, Gage and Cybil seemed to me from the first book to have the most potential for a great love story. They both were afraid of commitment and had the most baggage.

It was obvious to me when I bought they book that Gage and Cybil would hook up. But, what I can't believe is how obvious you made it to them. There was no anticipation. Just endless conversations between the two of them of how they were not going to fall in love. Boring. That's not plot building. That's having your characters talk about the plot so that you don't have to develop it.

This book is awful. It is the first Nora Roberts book I skipped pages in. I actually had to skip the third conversation that these two characters had about how they're not going to end up together. Did she just copy and paste to write each chapter?

Sorry, Nora. You're back on the library waiting list.

I have no one to blame but myself. I thought the first book was horrible and I didn't buy the second. However, my library had the second book, and I thought it was okay, and when Tuesday came around, and I had nothing to read, I thought why not. There are a bunch of why nots. . . First, I found the book to be very slow. I picked it up, put it down, tried to read it again, and finally settled in for a re-read of another book. Thursday, I had four hours, and I attempted it again. After reading the first 100 pages, I realized why I was having such a difficult time. This book is not really about relationships, which is what Nora does so well, it is about every type of magic there is. And the characters have to analyze each minute piece of interaction with the demon and hunt down any folklore, fairytale, horror story that mentions fighting evil. And we get to read about it, and read about it, and read about it. Quoting 'Tears should matter. . . Other character " I wonder if tears are literal. . . or symbolic. . On vampires: If we consider vampyric . . . it not impossible the undead. . .doesn't have legitimate roots in this demon.

So, after wading through about 100 pages of this, I said forget it, and read the last couple of pages. I am now going back, and reading the parts that build the relationship between the couples. So far, I am not really thrilled with the heroine, or hero. I read how they both would be bored in a small town, how they need to travel, and have variety in their lives. They are almost borderline obnoxious in their repugnance of the "simple life" and their attitude of "I am more sophisticated than my friends.

In my opinion this book continues Nora's nuke the frig trend. . You would be better off re-reading some of her earlier works.

If you're a Nora Roberts fan, you're going to love this trilogy. If you're not a Roberts fan, don't bother because you most likely won't like it. Personally, I love her writing and her stories. I found another fun read in Michele Cozzens' It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club

I am constantly amazed at people and their reviews of Nora Roberts. If you aren't a fan, just don't read the book. I am a HUGE fan. So I read her books, knowing that her trilogies will have some supernatural element to them, knowing that the characters will pair of into three couples (hello, trilogy), knowing there will be some goofy, loveable dog. I know it, I expect it, and I love it. The Signs of Seven trilogy is no different, but just as much fun as always. If you like this type of thing, read it, you'll love it. If you don't like this type of thing, don't bother. Then I won't be annoyed by the fact that these reviews are all seemingly surprised by the formula that makes up a Nora Roberts Trilogy.

First let me say that this is my wife's book. I picked it up and read roughly 2.5 pages. The pages in question are 34-36. I read a lot of books, mainly SciFi/Fantasy and some Romance (Thanks to my Wife). I have to say, I had to struggle just to get through this small sampling of her work. The grammar is horrid (I'm not claiming to be better, but starting sentences with 'And'?) and the work choice is exceedingly odd. Not odd in a good way, odd in a way that makes one believe she either could not find a suitable word or she was trying too hard. It's as if she is trying to hit a home run with every sentence she writes. It just doesn't feel natural, it feels forced. I'm sure someone will flame me for this, but before you do think on this. I have never written a review on Amazon in 10 years. Never. Not once. However, I felt compelled to write one in this case.

I'll give it 5 stars as I hear the plot line is intriguing. Minus 2 stars for the unreadability.

I never thought I would say this about one of Nora Roberts's books. But I found myself skipping several pages at a time. There is just too much conversation between the 6 main characters. A lot of the talk is on the nature of the relationships between them. If you read her Circle trilogy, there is probably what amounts to a page towards the end of Book 3, where Cian muses upon the destiny of the 6 of them. I would say a good chunk of Pagan Stone is devoted to that particular exercise.

Some portions of the book also reminded me of the comedies from the B/W era, where every cliched situation the makers could possibly think of would have been employed. All three of the women turning up pregnant and that too supposedly after conceiving on the same night?! Adding Gage's blood to the water supply to innoculate the town?

I was actually looking forward to Gage's story since he reminded me of my other favorite NR characters, Cian and Roarke. I am very disappointed.

"The Pagan Stone", book 3 in the "Sign of Seven" - trilogy by the sensational Nora Roberts is my personal highlight in the series, there could not have been a better way to finish what was started in "Blood Brothers" and continued in "The Hollow". The book is a really intense , sometimes sweet, sometimes sexy and an always thrilling read.
In "The Pagan Stone" the six friends (Cal, Fox, Gage, Quinn, Layla and Cybil) are preparing for the finale fight to destroy the evil that Gage, Cal and Fox set free unintentionally 21 years ago. For both sides, the good and the evil, it's a now or never situation and the six know that if they don't succeed this time there will be no next chance. But there is hope because for the first time the three men are completed by three very special ladys that share their psychic abilities and are their partners in every way.
Gage and Cybil are the ones the book concetrates on (but it's not a book about them, the other four of the team (family) are not only the supporting crew which is great).
Gage a gambler and a loner most of the times and the outspoken, intelligent Cybil clash from the first moment they meet. From not liking each other they develope mutual respect and end up in an intimate relationship.
They both are wondering about where their relationship is going to lead to especially because Cal & Quinn and Fox & Layla fell in love which each other.
The one point Gage and Cybil agree is that they don't want a serious relationship. Especially Gage is terrified at the thought of loving another person besides his two blood brothers and their families. He learned the hard way that there is not always a happy end. When his mother and unborn sister died (he was just a boy) and his father turned to alcohol and started to make his life a living hell he stoped believing in fairy tales and love.
But the complications in their personal life have to stand back when it comes to fighting the demon who is more viscious than ever and especially hates Gage and Cybil. When Cybil is brutalized by the demon in a very evil way she and Gage have to fight hard to continue their way and not give too many thoughts to hate and revenge.
By the time their relationship turns from "you" and "me" to "we" and the three pairs get some thrilling news tragedy strikes again and one of the team has to be willing to sacrifice himself to finally destroy the demon and save the life of the rest of his family.
"The Pagan Stone" is all I hoped for and more. I couldn't wait to finish it, it's that good. There are funny moments, lovly and some sad ones (yes, I had to cry some) and all these combined make this book just perfect.
So please get yourself a copy and enjoy this fabulous end of the "Sign of Seven" - trilogy.
S.M.

In July 1987 on the eve of their 10th birthdays, Caleb, Fox and Gage swore a blood oath at the Pagan Stone in the woods of Hawkin's Hollow and let loose and evil that had been bound over 300 years before and that came back every 7 years and terrorized the town. They each also received special powers such as the self-healing ability and "sight" into the past for Cal, present for Fox and future for Gage. They tried several times in the 21 years since that first event to destroy the evil but nothing they did worked. In the first book, Quinn - a writer of books about the paranormal, Layla - from New York who had a nightmare of events from the distant past, and Cybil - Quinn's best friend and researcher, arrived and met the 3 "blood brothers" and formed a team. Cal and Quinn fell in love in the first book, Fox and Layla in the second.

Now in the final book, the carefree, independent gambler Gage unwillingly finds that he must work with Cybil who possesses the same power to see the future that he does. Gage sees Cybil as beautiful, sexy, intelligent but also as a woman who would want a serious relationship. Cybil on the other hand knows that Gage likes his freedom and as she is also very independent convinces Gage they can work together without worrying about the other wanting a serious relationship. However, the evil that terrorizes Hawkin's Hallow sees both of them as a very serious threat and begins heavy attacks on both Cybil and Gage and especially trying to undermine their confidence using their dead parents images as well.

As Cybil and Gage both through research and shared visions become convinced that only if one of the six is ready to sacrifice himself or herself can the evil finally be completely destroyed, all of the six also experience many ups and downs but especially Gage and Cybil as this exciting trilogy comes to a dramatic close.

Touching, sad, thrilling, scary and suspenseful! Highly recommended!

Since others have basically given the story outline already, I will say that The Pagan Stone was a pure joy to read and filled with lots of action, adventure, and even sentimental moments that really moved me.

Gage was always the quiet one in the first two books, coming in with the smart comment here or there, but in The Pagan Stone, you really get to know him, his thoughts, and why he is the way he is. I loved seeing his side of fighting to prevent falling in love and not having any control of it when he does. The scenes with Cyb are so well done and she is the perfect match for him - continually keeping him on his toes and showing him that he doesn't have to always be the loner. The touching moments in the book are not forced and adds something to the rest of the story. The "supporting" characters are right there backing up the main characters and making it more about the group as a whole, rather than the story be just about Gage and Cyb.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the other two - you will not regret it! I finished the book in under a day and can't wait to go back and reread it!

This was awesome. It was great finish to the triology. I will not go into to much detail like everyone else did. I would prefer the reader to read it for themself. But i got to say you won't be disappointed. Nora Roberts does it again! Great Book.