Blood Brothers: Book 1 of the Sign of Seven Trilogy    by Nora Roberts Order:  USA  Can Jove, 2007 (2007) Paperback, Audio, CD      Reviewed by Martina Bexte Every seven years, on the 7th day of the 7th month, strange things happen in the small town of Hawkins Hollow. The seeds of evil had already been sown over four hundred years before when two rivals - one good, one evil - battled for supremacy. All that remains of their final confrontation stands deep in the woods and is called the Pagan Stone. Superstitious locals believe that to go near the stone is to invite darkness and death. Born moments after midnight on the 7th day of the 7th month, Caleb Hawkins, Fox O'Dell and Gage Turner share a bond that's unshakeable. To celebrate their upcoming birthdays, the boys plan an overnight campout beside the Pagan Stone, despite warnings from their concerned parents to avoid the mysterious landmark. Determined to perform a blood ritual to forever seal their brotherhood, the boys have no idea what their innocent act will release, nor how it will ultimately change their lives and the outlook for their futures. Every seven years thereafter a collective madness grips the town: murder, death and demon sightings wreak havoc for a week and then just as mysteriously, life goes back to normal. Now grown men, Caleb, Fox and Gage know that the evil they'd unwittingly released is strengthening and that it's up to them to stop it before they and their town are destroyed. The legends surrounding Hawkins Hollow bring paranormal researcher Quinn Black to town. She hopes to make the peculiar and unexplainable happenings the subject of her next book. But once she and Caleb realise her connection to those who founded Hawkins Hollow - and her true connection to Caleb and the demon that controls them - they are more determined than ever to stop its encroaching evil before it destroys their chance at happiness. An ancient evil, dark rivalries and secrets, madness, mayhem, high drama, romance, and a cast of compelling characters: it's all part of Blood Brothers, the first instalment in Nora Roberts' newest paranormal trilogy. She's explored spookier elements before, and while the basic story line here isn't new, she immediately sets the tone with a gripping and very creepy prologue and then moves on to her greatest strength - her characters. Caleb and Quinn may have unravelled their destiny by story's end, but their quest (as well as Fox's and Gage's quests) is far from over. Eager readers will have to wait until May to find out what happens next! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews