For once...

I am happy to report that Nora Roberts's latest book (The Pagan Stone, the final book in her "Sign of Seven" trilogy) does NOT feature an obnoxiously smug heroine. This is quite an accomplishment for Ms. Roberts, actually, who frequently confuses "sexy, self-sufficient and confident" with "condescending as hell"*. If this is something you have found off-putting about Ms. Roberts's previous books, allow me to reassure you: read away, because the three women in these books treat each other with easy respect and affection.

*The worst example of this was Mia Devlin from the "Three Sisters Island" books, who went around addressing her friend (who was the same age, but had a troubled past) as "little sister".