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Key of Light (Key Trilogy #1)

4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 · rating details · 28,377 ratings · 453 reviews

When gallery manager Malory Price is invited to a reception at a local mansion, she discovers she must find a key that will release three souls held captive by an evil god. Little does she know that the quest will bring her two new friends, the love of her life, and danger beyond anyone’s imagination.

Mass Market Paperback, 334 pages

Published October 28th 2003 by Jove

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Jan 29, 2012 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

As the first book in the series, Key of Light did the job: it set the story arc up, introduced all the main characters and, in the end, wrapped up the first couple's love story in a nice HEA.

The PNR aspect of the story was interesting, with a gothic vibe that was eerie and unexpected. An old mansion named Warrior's Peak, guarded by gargoyles, sitting at the top of a hill surrounded by mist... A dark and stormy night... A woman driving alone, wondering what she was going to find at the mansion......more As the first book in the series, Key of Light did the job: it set the story arc up, introduced all the main characters and, in the end, wrapped up the first couple's love story in a nice HEA.

The PNR aspect of the story was interesting, with a gothic vibe that was eerie and unexpected. An old mansion named Warrior's Peak, guarded by gargoyles, sitting at the top of a hill surrounded by mist... A dark and stormy night... A woman driving alone, wondering what she was going to find at the mansion... That was on the first pages of the book and, no matter how cliché that was, I was chilled to the bone and wondering if Malory, the heroine, would turn out to be one of those TSTL blondes whose aim in life is to step willingly into the arms of death just to keep the story going. Thankfully, it wasn't like that and the story moved along quite nicely, once Malory and her newfound friends/partners Dana and Zoe, the heroines in the following books in the series, were presented with the task they were supposed to do: find the keys that would release the souls of three demigoddesses who had been imprisoned hundreds of years ago. I'm not going into details here, but the tale about their lives was very charming and romantic - regardless of the sad ending, that is.

Flynn, Dana's brother, joined the quest for the keys in no time, even though he was skeptical about the whole thing... Well, all of them were skeptical at first, but they changed their minds when strange things started to happen. Back to Flynn... He was the all-around good guy, charming, seductive and, of course, commitment-shy. Malory was soon in love with him - who could blame her? :) - and he was in too, even though it took him longer to see it that way. There was really no conflict in their relationship, and that was a problem for me. Not that I wanted them to go all angsty or start a fight just for the sake of it, but there wasn't anything that prevented them from being together and their relationship felt kind of boring to me.

On the other hand, I think NR did a much better job when it came to showing Flynn's friendship with Jordan and Brad - not coincidentally, the heroes in the next books in the series. I actually thought that Flynn's scenes with his friends were more interesting than his scenes with Malory, and that's not a good thing in Romancelandia. Malory's scenes with Dana and Zoe were less entertaining and felt a little too juvenile to me. They would have been more fitting if they had been in their early twenties, IMHO.

There's a lot of talk about symbolism and coincidences in this book: some interesting, some confusing. I thought the "key" Malory was supposed to find was only a metaphor but it turned out to be "real" - or the next best thing, since this is a PNR story. As for the ending, I was as fooled by Malory's trick as the villain: I thought Flynn would have to rescue her with a bang, but I should have known that she was smart enough to do it by herself. Girl Power, yay! ;)

All things considered, this was an overall good, although not stellar, read for a nice and lazy afternoon/evening. And, referring to the first paragraph above, it did the job: I'm interested enough in keep reading the series.
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Aug 22, 2012 Jenne rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

DEAR Ms. Roberts,

I totally believe that two people who have spent a whole summer jumping out of planes and escaping DEATH BY FIRE together on a daily basis might fall in love and get married after knowing each other for only a few months.

It also seems plausible that you might fall in love with a guy who had a crush on you in high school, or even possibly your car mechanic, but deciding to marry this random dude with an annoying dog three weeks after you met him, just because you went on some wac...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Three women have never met yet are all invited to a mysterious mansion to attend a dinner. They are the only guests of the “otherworldly” couple occupying the mansion. By the end of the evening they have been given a quest to find a key. Surprisingly (especially to themselves) they accept the seemingly impossible quest of finding three missing keys to unlock the three boxes holding the souls of three other young women. This is book one of the trilogy … Mallory’s quest.

I do not read a lot of Nora...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Shelley Lackey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even though I know what's going to happen in every story written by Nora Roberts, I love reading her. Her down-to-earth writing style and humorous dialogues between characters are refreshing and very entertaining. I love a good story with a happy ending, and this one gives you all that, plus I found myself chuckling out loud. I love it when a author engages my emotions enough to make me scared, laugh, cry, get angry, etc. Nora Roberts is an excellent writer, and she can do all that. Thankfully,...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourite-series, best-paranormal-fiction

I love a good "sacred quest" [who doesn't?] and when you make it a Celtic sacred quest, then add in Nora Roberts as the author, well, I'm hooked.

When three women - Mallory, Dana and Zoe - who have never met one another before receive mysterious invitations to a party at the huge secluded mansion up the hill, where they meet the beautiful Rowena and the dark and brooding Pitt, they have no idea the evening will end with an choice, a challenge and a risk that could change all their lives.

The women...more I love a good "sacred quest" [who doesn't?] and when you make it a Celtic sacred quest, then add in Nora Roberts as the author, well, I'm hooked.

When three women - Mallory, Dana and Zoe - who have never met one another before receive mysterious invitations to a party at the huge secluded mansion up the hill, where they meet the beautiful Rowena and the dark and brooding Pitt, they have no idea the evening will end with an choice, a challenge and a risk that could change all their lives.

The women are told that they have been chosen to search for three keys which will unlock the magical prison holding the three daughters of a magical king who married a mortal. When the king took a mortal bride and sired three daughters, some of his magical subjects turned away and built a parallel court. The self-proclaimed king of that false court took advantage of a moment of inattention on the part of the teacher and the warrior charged with protecting the princesses and cast the spell that imprisoned them. Because the true magical king seemed to set such store by mortals, the evil sorcerer's spell was set so that only three mortal women could break it and set the princesses free by finding the hidden keys.

The terms of the quest: the women must all agree to participate, they are given $25,000 each just for agreeing to search, and if all three of them find their keys they will receive $1,000,000 each. But if they fail, the price is the loss of a year of their lives.

What I particularly like about the story was that the quest was based - at least in this first part of the trilogy - on the courage, the loyalty, the strength and the character of the three women, and not about love for a man [although that is part of the story too - after all this IS a Nora Roberts book!].

Mallory, Dana and Zoe are real women, with challenges and issues and problems, and despite all that they are smart and funny and spunky heroines that you can't help but like.

I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the second and final installments of this trilogy.(less)

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Jul 28, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/07/...

«A Chave da Luz» é o primeiro livro da trilogia «A Chave», na qual três desconhecidas têm que se unir para que cada uma possa cumprir uma missão individual, de forma a libertar três jovens deusas celtas, aprisionadas há centenas de anos graças ao malévolo deus Kane.
Paritndo desta interessante premissa, acompanhamos a primeira destas mulheres, Malory a cumprir a sua parte do acordo. Para isso pode contar com a ajuda das duas outras mulheres envolvid...more {Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/07/...

«A Chave da Luz» é o primeiro livro da trilogia «A Chave», na qual três desconhecidas têm que se unir para que cada uma possa cumprir uma missão individual, de forma a libertar três jovens deusas celtas, aprisionadas há centenas de anos graças ao malévolo deus Kane.
Paritndo desta interessante premissa, acompanhamos a primeira destas mulheres, Malory a cumprir a sua parte do acordo. Para isso pode contar com a ajuda das duas outras mulheres envolvidas, Dana e Zoe, e de um homem que se irá revelar muito especial: o jornalista Michael Flynn. Michael irá ainda arrastar para esta dúbia equipa os seus dois amigos de infância...Contamos agora com três homens, três mulheres, três chaves que libertarão três princesas...e apenas três meses para o fazer! E Malory não sabe sequer por onde começar!
Uma mulher muito organizada e meticulosa, independente e inteligente, Malory irá precisar agora de arranjar coragem para prosseguir na sua demanda...É certo que Malory dispõe de tempo, já que perdeu o seu adorado emprego na galeria de arte, e pior que tudo, não por falta de capacidade profissional por devido a um absurdo arrufo com o patrão por causa da sua nova esposa..
Não é a primeira vez que Nora Roberts recorre a uma trilogia onde, em cada volume, é dado mais um passo em direcção à quebra de uma maldição (trilogia irlandesa e trilogia das três irmãs), portanto da sua parte não se trata de um livro original e é, além do mais, bastante previsível. Recomendo-o apenas pelo gosto de apreciar uma boa autora desenvolver uma boa história.
E Nora Roberts fá-lo como nenhuma outra escritora do género romântico - com personagens que só por si já fazem um bom livro; diálogos fantásticos; descrições formidáveis...o seu toque de magia...
Em «A Chave da Luz» assistimos ao início da formação de laços de forte amizade entre as três mulheres e à continuidade de uma amizade de anos, do tipo que nunca se perde, entre os homens. Uma equipa fantástica, na sua unificação e espírito de companheirismo e amizade. Das três protagonistas, Malory é, no meu entender, a que está menos desenvolvida e definida.
Adorei a inclusão do cão de Flynn, o incontrolável Moe, na história. Além de ser muito engraçado, os seus episódios cómicos aligeiram a narrativa e a interacção das personagens com um animal diz-nos sempre bastante sobre o seu carácter. (E, no meu ponto de vista, isto aplica-se imenso à vida real!)
Também o desenvolvimento da componente mitológica celta está bastante pobre e demasiado simplista, deixando-me bastante insatisfeita neste aspecto.(less)

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Jul 15, 2012 JL rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

Generally, I am not really into the stereotypical romance novels: boy meets girl; they have a crush on each other; something gets in the way; they stop being together; they end up together in the end; the end. But this isn't what this book is about. It is much more than that.

The novel (the first of three in the Key Trilogy) includes a mythic background with three goddesses who are trapped asleep in a glass box and three women are brought together--whom happen to look exactly like the goddesses--...more

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May 16, 2012 Ambre rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have never been a fan of high volume romance- and Nora Roberts is certainly that! I can't imagine how she writes so many books!

But after reading one of her books, I liked her tone. Her women are smart and funny and human and flawed. Her guys are witty and also flawed. Her characters struggle with gender roles and sometimes don't get it right.

It's still short high volume romance. The books are based on a formula, from character development to plot, and either her formula will work for you or it...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

~* 4.5 Stars *~
The Power of Three Starts Here
Once upon a time and beyond the Curtain of Power, the Curtain of Dreams, there lived three Celtic demigoddesses, sisters and daughters of a Celtic king and human woman. Some in their world revolted against their existence, offended by their links to mortality. One such god, Kane, rose up against the king and his progeny, and in a moment, a single moment when the demigoddesses' protectors had dropped their guard, he attacked with swift vengeance and wi...more ~* 4.5 Stars *~
The Power of Three Starts Here
Once upon a time and beyond the Curtain of Power, the Curtain of Dreams, there lived three Celtic demigoddesses, sisters and daughters of a Celtic king and human woman. Some in their world revolted against their existence, offended by their links to mortality. One such god, Kane, rose up against the king and his progeny, and in a moment, a single moment when the demigoddesses' protectors had dropped their guard, he attacked with swift vengeance and wicked sorcery. In the aftermath, three souls were stolen and three sisters lay as if asleep, their souls captured in a box secured by three locks, three keys at their motionless feet. For three thousand years, the protectors have searched for the three mortals to find the three keys, and once in every generation since that dark day three potentials are born. In this generation, Malory Price has been called, Dana Steele has been called, Zoe McCourt has been called. For three thousand years, the potentials have failed. But this time...this time...

Malory Price is an organized, goal oriented woman. Denied the gifts of the true artist but graced with a love of art and a keen mind, she made her passion her calling and manages a small but successful art gallery in the quaint Pennsylvanian town of Pleasant Valley. But not all is going according to plan, and before she can quite grasp it, her job is crashing down after a heated confrontation with The Gallery owner's new trophy wife, she's crashing down after being bowled over by a man and his dog, and her life is crashing down when an invitation to a decidedly odd house in the hills turns into a quest for some mystical key. She's surrounded by strangers, some of whom are in just as dire straights as her, and some look like they just stepped out of a Gaelic fairy tale. And the fairy tale set are spouting off about quests, keys, and gods. Yeah, this was not on Malory's lifetime goals list.

Newspaper reporter and editor of the local paper, Michael "Flynn" Hennessey may have knocked Malory down...well, he blames his unruly dog Moe, really, but it was she who bowled him over with her eyes and hair and legs and... Well, the list is long and very pretty. When the flustered but fascinating woman turns up in his home as his stepsister Dana Steele's guest, he's pleasantly surprised. When he finds out why she's there, and hears what she and Dana and Zoe have gotten themselves into, he's suspicious as hell and determined to get to the bottom of this ridiculous quest idea. And he knows just the two childhood friends to call in for help. Soon the three women and three men are working together - at the beginning with various stages of belief in this quest thing - and struggling to help Malory be the first to find the first key before her month runs out.

I've been reading Nora Roberts for all of my adult life and have to say, this sort of trilogy, with just a touch of the magical and mystical, is my favorite of her styles. It's not just about a couple coming together while something goes on in the background that links the three books together, but rather an intensive study on the relationships between friends, lovers, and family. Written with the classic Roberts lyricism and elegance, sweeping descriptive narratives, witty dialogue, and charming imagination, Roberts blends personalities and strengths and offers up very human foibles and follies for the ultimate in reading entertainment.

The style, the intelligence, the plot and the interpersonal relationships that are born, develop, and thrive, just flat out work for me. I love reading them. The Key Trilogy looks to be another that I thoroughly enjoy, as this first installment was full of wonderful Celtic mythos and a touch of magic, good-hearted people, and sweet romance.

For me, it's all about the characters in these books, and I really enjoyed Malory and Flynn and the rest. The three women are strong, independent, and intelligent, and even while all three were at a bit of a loose end career-wise, they still maintained a truth to self and an honesty of purpose and value that was very appealing. They're individuals, with very different personalities, but they fit extremely well together. Same goes for the guys. Roberts has a gift for making a seemingly effortless creation of characters, imbues them with such vibrant and varied life, litters their path with peaks and valleys both emotional and profound, and provides them the support of family and love, and by the end of the journey they feel like fond friends with whom I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time.

I will say the actual nitty gritty of the tale, the minutiae like the money that is offered to secure the three women's help and the nearly incomprehensible "assistance" from Rowena, seemed slightly less lyrical and smoothly conceived and realized than Roberts' previous romance trilogies with a magical theme. I wasn't totally sold on the way Malory's leg of the quest was resolved, either. The plot about the quest doesn't seem as visceral for the characters nor as integral to the overall story as I would have preferred. Still, the formula for the trilogy is a favorite of mine and the characters are exquisitely drawn. Their bonds, their friendships, and their love for each other are the driving force of this book and this series and I'm looking forward to gobbling up the second in the trilogy, Key of Knowledge.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another. (less)

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Aug 10, 2010 Vi rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, 2010

I was in the mood for a good romantic story. Something as good as Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. So I picked up this book by Nora Roberts since I figured that a popular romance author must be doing something right.

And hey, maybe this book is not representative of her novels as a whole... But this particular book is the worst book I've read in several years. The women were emotional, chocolate-hoarding, man-berating stereotypes. The men were macho, good-looking and successful, but also overbe...more

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May 12, 2012 Charlene Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. *Note* This review is totally my personal reader opinion. Unless a book blows me away, good or bad, I'm likely to just rate it. But if it strikes me one way or the other to an extreme, I'll probably leave a note here.

I might start a war with this--I'm a bit harsh--but it's what I felt/thought as I read the book.

I'm probably one of the few never to have read a Nora Roberts book. In fact, I finally picked this one up off my shelf of books given to me by friends to once and for all see what all th...more *Note* This review is totally my personal reader opinion. Unless a book blows me away, good or bad, I'm likely to just rate it. But if it strikes me one way or the other to an extreme, I'll probably leave a note here.

I might start a war with this--I'm a bit harsh--but it's what I felt/thought as I read the book.

I'm probably one of the few never to have read a Nora Roberts book. In fact, I finally picked this one up off my shelf of books given to me by friends to once and for all see what all the hype was about. Lol. I'm not sure what I really expected. Of course I wanted to be blown away, whatever the romance sub-genre was. I really wanted to like it. Maybe that's why I ended up being a bit let down. (Expectations too high?)

Three women receive an invitation for cocktails and conversation at the infamous Warrior's Peak mansion. The hosts tell a story of three demi-goddesses whose souls have been caged. It's up to the three, if they accept the proposed contract, to find the keys that will unlock the box that holds them. Either they become millionaires or lose a year of their lives. This book is the story of Mallory's turn in finding a key--the Key of Light. They bond through the ordeal, along with a brother and his two friends who will no doubt be the romantic counterparts in the coming books. Malory and Flynn's relationship are a part of this book, but I wouldn't say it was the driving force of the story. Obviously, the quest for the key is. Three is number repeatedly pointed out as an important symbol throughout the book. Three goddesses, three women, three men, three months to complete it in...

As I mention in my other reviews, if you can win me over with the characters, the biggest battle is over. Story, style, and editing follow. In this book, I had a hard time really caring for the characters. They were all very bold and sure of themselves...even when they expressed their insecurities. They knew they were insecure and let it be known, but I didn't connect the knowledge much with their feelings. Or I didn't feel it with them? It was just that way. I did enjoy Flynn for much of the book. But I loved Moe, the huge clumsy dog.

I was disappointed in the portrayal of the Celtic Gods. To be truthful, the snippet Nora added in their point of view at the beginning is what made me decide to keep reading. But...

Which brings up the point of view issues I had. I'm not familiar with what's appropriate in a narrative style book (I write in third-person and I'm no NYT best seller) but, if I read one, I like it to be full blown tale telling--like in a fairy tale when someone is sitting in a group and actually telling a story. Here, it seemed we roamed around the characters minds within the chapter. I had to re-read passages at several points in the book. And I found the intimate scenes confusing... Who's doing what now? Re-read. Wait. Um... Oh well. Onward.

Every time I picked up the book to read a bit more, I had to get used to the "Malory thought/decided" that was interjected within the sentences again. They weren't used as dialogue tags. Sometimes three and four times in a paragraph. We're in that person's pov. Do I need to be reminded so many times? Oh. That's right. We head-hop. Maybe we do need to be reminded...even though this is the only person in this scene. (Sorry. It really was irritating to me).

*Sigh* I'm sorry to sound so harsh in this review, but I was honestly frustrated as I read this book. Again, I kept hoping to get more from the Gods, I guess. Especially Kane when he tried to stop Malory at the end. After all, he's a God. Maybe my love for the paranormal tainted my expectations and they were just too high.

Of course, the editing was stellar and the story line solid. Though, there were a lot of sub-plots. (But, I'm sure most were to set the stage for the series). If you love Nora's style, you'll probably like this book. But, for me, the characters needed to be more reachable, layered, people I could relate to and care about.

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Dec 01, 2009 Stacy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

The life of gallery manager Malory Price is stalled when she is invited to a reception at a mansion near her small Pennsylvania town. Upon her arrival, she discovers that she is one of only three guests-all of whom are feisty young women with life challenges just like her own. Their mysterious hosts explain that centuries earlier, they allowed the souls of the three demigoddesses under their care to be stolen by a sorcerer. Legend says the demigoddesses cannot be freed until three mortal women f...more

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Aug 08, 2007 Joy Reyes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This is the first book in Nora Roberts' Key trilogy and I must say that as a "set-up" book, it did pretty well. It was well enough that it compelled me to buy the other two books. The heroine, Mallory Price, is what you can call grace under pressure, and I've always admired women who can perform well and make it look effortless while working under pressure. The fantasy part of this book was also well-written, giving its readers enough taste for them to hunger more.

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Jan 26, 2013 Lydia Perversius rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: light-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "I never felt that leap, or the burn that eases into that wonderful, spreading warmth. When you just know this is the one you were waiting for. Until you. I can stand you not loving me back. There's always the hope that you will. But I don't know if I can stand not loving you. It would be like… like having something stolen from inside me. I don't know if I can handle going back to the way I was." - Malory Price

When you have spent a good portion of time reading something that requires a lot of th...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, steamy, audible

This was a fun, though light, read. I happened to be in the exact right mood for this book, so I'm afraid I devoured faster than usual.

It doesn't hurt the book that the main character's name is Malory and one of my first crushes was Mallory Keaton (yes, that Mallory Keaton). I know, I'm a dork. Still, Malory Price is an extremely likeable character even if some of her best lines are too stereotypical to take seriously. I particularly like that she is brave enough to confess her feelings before s...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Deranged Princess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rom-adult-pg13, rom-contemporary, magic

-M/F
-HEA (continuing)
-Magic (celtic mythology)
-will continue series
-worth discounted price ($$)

I did like this book and would gladly buy it again, however, it wasn't one of those all-consuming books that you can't put down long enough to go to the bathroom much less sleep. For some reason the main characters didn't quite click with me. I didn't fall in love with my H/H or the trio of women like I did in the Dream trilogy by Ms. Roberts. That being said I also had trouble putting the pieces to th...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Sabine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read

Die Galeristin Malory Price bekommt ein interessantes Angebot: wenn sie das Rätsel um drei keltische Prinzessinnen löst und ihre Seelen befreien kann, erhält sie eine Million Dollar. Da sie spürt, bald ihre berufliche Kündigung zu erhalten, kommt ihr das Angebot gerade recht und sie nimmt an. Sie ist jedoch nicht alleine eingeladen, das Rätsel zu lösen, sondern noch zwei weitere junge Frauen. Gemeinsam machen sie sich an die Arbeit und recherchieren, um den Schlüssel zur Befreiung der Seelen zu...more

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Feb 18, 2010 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Review for all three books in the trilogy.

The thing about these books isn't the vaguely supernatural plot or the romance, it's the found-family.

There is a vaguely supernatural plot. Strangers, Malory, Dana, and Zoe, are all invited to a mysterious gathering hosted by the even more mysterious Rowena and Pitte. They're told a story about a god, soon to be king, who traveled into the mortal world, fell in love with a human woman. He brought her back to his world and they had three beautiful daughte...more

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Nov 19, 2009 Elizabeth added it

Shelves: romance

I'm a huge Nora Roberts fan, I credit her with bringing me back to reading for pleasure after college, and I've read almost all of her books. Recently I finished reading Bed of Roses and while I wait for the last two books in that series to be published I have been inspired to read a few of her trilogies again. I started with this trilogy because the 2nd book is about a librarian, and being a library employee now myself I wanted to read it again from that perspective.
I think what I love the most...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Fred rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yay! I finished my first ever romance novel! I didn't think I'd like it from the outset, but Roberts wrote with a charm and warmth that brightened my day. The prose felt fun and relaxing, and what started out feeling as flat characters and simple, predictable plot developed into a fun read that needed no twist or mentally demanding message once I let go of my expectation of one.

I didn't think I'd connect with characters that you learn only as much about as what they go through in the story. The...more

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Jul 15, 2009 Cynthia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to say my sister looked at me with shame when she saw me reading this book. All I can say is, it's like a bad yet good soap opera. You know it's not good for you, you know it is absolutely ridiculous, and does nothing for your intellect, but you watch it anyways. Once and awhile I like to pick up a Nora Roberts book and feel that way. And because it is a trilogy, I not only read this book, but I also had to finish the other two.

Anyways, the absolutely ridiculous plot is about 3 women who...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Key Trilogy is 3 of Nora Roberts great books in 1. Key of Light, Key of Knowledge and Key of Valor. All amazing books in there own right but all 3 together make a great read. This set of books is about a mythical God taking a wife of a mortal and having 3 daughters. The daughter were half mortal, half God. There was turmoil in the God world and the 3 girls were put under a spell to sleep until 3 women could unlock then from their sleep. They had 2 guardians, that were in love. The guardians...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Nandar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nora-roberts-or-j-d-robb, paranormal-romance, library-copy, read-in-2010, trilogy

There are three demi-goddesses born in each generation that can free the kings daughters soul. They each have to find a key that opens the box. The three demi-goddesses are Malory Price, Dana Steele and Zoe McCourt. The first one to search for her key is Malory Price.

Malory Price she's quite a fashionable and she loves her art. Everything was fine until her boss married a bimbo wife that turned the gallery she worked for upside down. Incidents that happened with the wife lead the her boss firing...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book and the two others in the series over the course of a very long weekend when I hosted a garage sale, and I mostly enjoyed it because the women were sassy, the story was fun, and it didn't make me think too hard.

I don't like it when people say that they're above certain types of writing. It's fine if you prefer certain genres, but I don't think any genre should be dismissed out of hand. Admittedly, there are a lot of romance novels that are just over-the-top, plotless, and poorly...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Leonela rated it 3 of 5 stars

A mortal woman is give the chance to held end a battle between gods. A spell has been cast upon three sisters, who are half mortal half goddess, and daughters of a god king. The only way to free the daughters is if three different mortal women get three different key and turn the lock that cages them. The first woman to find the first key is a woman name Malory Price. She loves art so much she works at an art gallery. Then her life changes when she gets an invite to a castle upon a hill, and als...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Marnelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Marnelly by: Beatrice Masalunga

Shelves: nora-roberts

It took me two months to finish this book. :P At first i felt that it wouldn't interest me because i found the first few chapters boring. But after those few chapters, i started to appreciate the story. Its a mix of mystery and romance. I liked Malory Price's personality :) can't explain it further but her personality was one of a kind. Plus, we've got some similarities that made me liked her character even more. I also liked her love affair with Flynn, though it evolved too fast (very fast :P)...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

A good start of a series should introduce the characters, show the area where the story are going to take place and still hold a fascinating first story. And I think this book did all that. Malory Price are an interesting person with lots of quirks, i e she has to write lists all the time and has her whole life organized from young age.
When her careful planning goes out the window when she accepts the quest to find the first key, she still has a strong sense of self that helps her through her or...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Bridget rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not going to review every Nora Roberts book that I have read in the past because she is quite prolific and it would get redundant and I honestly cannot remember all the plots. I think someone finds someone else attractive but at least one cannot admit it so there is sexual tension, then lots of sex, and then they live happily ever after? Sometimes there is some magic , a family legacy, or a mystery. Certainly not great works of literature (however still 100% better than “the grapes of wrath...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, appealing-characteristic-story, contemporary, paranormal, part-of-a-series, romance

Malory Price is having a bad week. She got fired from a job she loves, one she's been at for years. Some guy keeps hitting on her and now she's been invited to a cocktail party at the spooky old manor up in the mountains. There, two "gods" tell her that she's needed to help rescue three princesses from an evil force. Does she believe them? Not especially, but the money they're offering makes it worth a shot.
Flynn Hennessy is the owner of the local newspaper and he knows something weird is going...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

A light and entertaining read, this first book of Nora Roberts' Key trilogy features the usual kind of set-up - three books, three women, three lovestories, one ultimate goal (in this case a magical quest for keys to free the trapped souls of three demigoddesses). I tend to like her paranormal stories a bit more than the "regular" romance since it always adds a mor fascinating backstory, and this one was no exception. It never ceases to astonish me that Nora Roberts can take the same ingredients...more

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Portrait in Death
by J.D. Robb

About Nora Roberts

aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sopho...more aka
J.D. Robb
Sarah Hardesty

Eleanor Marie Robertson was born on October 10, 1950 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. She was the youngest of the five children, also the only girl, of a marriage with Irish ancestors. Her family were avid readers, so books were always important in her life. She attended a Catholic school and credits the nuns with instilling in her a sense of discipline. During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to a local public school, where she met Ronald Aufdem-Brinke, her future first husband.

In Augusy 17, 1968, as soon as she had graduated from High School, Eleanor married, against her parents' wishes. The marriage settled in Keedysville, Maryland. Her husband worked at his father's sheet-metal business before joining her parents in their lighting company. While, she worked briefly as a legal secretary. "I could type fast but couldn't spell, I was the worst legal secretary ever," she says now. After their sons, Dan and Jason, were born she stayed home. Calling this her "Earth Mother" years, she spent much of her time doing crafts, including ceramics and sewing her children's clothes. The marriage ended separating, and they obtained the divorce in January 1985.

In February 1979, a blizzard in forced her hand to try another creative outlet. She was snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight and a dwindling supply of chocolate. During the now famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write down one of those stories. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981 as Nora Roberts, a shortened form of her birth name Eleanor Marie Robertson, because she assumed that all authors had pen names.

Eleanor wrote under the pseudonym Jill March a story for a magazine titled "Melodies of Love".

Eleanor met her second husband, Bruce Wilder, when she hired him to build bookshelves. They were married in July 1985. Her husband owns and operates a bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland called "Turn the Page Books". Since that time, they've expanded their home, traveled the world.

In 1992, she decided adopted other pseudonym so to publish a futuristic-suspense novels, she first decided to use the pseudonym D.J. MacGregor, but she discovered that this pseudonym was used by another author. In 1995, her first "In Death" serial novel was published under the pseudonym J.D. Robb, the initials "J.D." were taken from her sons, Jason and Dan, while "Robb" is a shortened form of Roberts.

Eleanor has also been known as Sara Hardesty, because when the "Born In" series was released in U.K. it carried that name instead of Nora Roberts. She has since changed publishers.

Eleanor has been plagiarized by another best-selling romance writer, Janet Dailey. The practice came to light after a reader read Nora Roberts' "Sweet Revenge" and Janet Dailey's "Notorious" back-to-back; she noticed several similarities and posted the comparable passages on the Internet. Calling the plagiarism "mind rape," Eleanor sued Janet Daily. In 1997, Janet, admitted to repeatedly plagiarizing from Nora Roberts' work, and that both "Aspen Gold" and "Notorious" lifted heavily from Nora Roberts's work. Both of those novels were pulled from print after Janet's admission. She acknowledged the plagiarism and blamed it on a psychological disorder. In a settlement, Janet paid Eleanor an undisclosed sum, which Eleanor donated to the Literacy Volunteers of America.

A founding member of the Romance Writers of America (R.W.A.), she was the first inductee in the organization's Hall of Fame. She also is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the (less)

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Trivia About Key of Light

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Quotes from Key of Light

“Then I saw it, and it just grabbed me. That moment, that breath just before destiny, between innocence and power. He'll pull the sword free. You know it. And in that moment, the world changes. Camelot's born, Arthur's fate is sealed. He'll unite a people, be betrayed by a woman and a friend, and sire the man who'll kill him. In this moment, he's a boy. In the next he'll be a king.” — 18 people liked it

“Do you know what happens when you always look before you leap?"

She reached out and touched his hand before hurrying toward the door.

"You hardly ever make the jump.” — 17 people liked it

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Key of Light (Key Trilogy #1)

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