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Seventh Key by Evelyn Vaughn

Final book in The Madonna Key, Silhouette Bombshell #121, Jan 2007

And we go back to the author who wrote the first book... her character Maggie Sanger (now Sanger-Stuart) from the Grail Keepers mini-series makes her appearance.  She's married to Lex, who is best friends with Nadia Bishop.  Nadia's daughter is Lex's goddaughter to make things more interesting.  All the characters from the previous six arrive in the final mission to restore a historical piece in order to save the world from an apocalyptic ending.

Just as an FYI, The Madonna Key mini-series was created by Vicki Hinze, Lorna Tedder and Yvonne Jocks.  When you add them and the six authors that participated in this- it's truly amazing.  Their stories blend well from one book to the next in almost one voice.  There's a little variation in style of writing, but it's barely noticeable.  A captivating mini-series, one that will make you recall events both current and in recent past and make you wonder.....

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

Veiled Legacy by Jenna Mills

6th in The Madonna Key mini-series, Silhouette Bombshell #118, Dec 06

The pace really picks up in this book- next to last in the mini-series.  For Nadia Bishop, an ex-MI-6 agent, she has one heck of a morning when her daughter brings her the paper showing a pretty picture of mommy.  It opens the door to her past, the one always unknown to her since she was adopted.  The choices she has to make- risk her identity, her daughter's life- to chase down what happened to the woman in the picture, are ones she knows she has to make.  Along the way she runs into her past again- this time in the form of her father's daughter.  Whose side is he on?  Does he really want to protect her?  He's from the Adriano family- stories of what his family has done in the past has come to light, horrifying information that will impact not only their future but that of the world. 

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

Hidden Sanctuary by Sharron McClellan

5th in The Madonna Key mini-series, Silhouette Bombshell #114, Nov 2006

Tru Palmer has always known she's different.  Her talent is a dowsing ability- can feel oil, minerals and etc within the earth... enough so to be able to pinpoint where an oil should be drilled for.

Her story starts off in December in the desert at a job site.  An accident happens and the mistake was hers and the locals get involved.  At the nearby village she meets one of the most respected older women... of course that's after she's passed out and what looks to others as a seizure- while for her it's a trip to the past.  Needless to say, something is stolen that effects the future of the village, and Tru makes a promise to return it- not knowing where it really belongs.

It's one heck of a chase and adventurous ride, especially since Griffin, the  toe the line, report to the company, pain in the arse is along for the ride! 

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

Shadow Lines by Carol Stephenson

4th in The Madonna Key mini-series, Sihouette Bombshell #110, Oct 2006

The fourth woman whose past is tied in with the 'Marians' (as the women in the past are known as) is Eve St. Giles, an epidemiologist in Europe.  In Switzerland a small town is almost wiped out by a virus, one that turns out to have been tampered with by humans with it's focus more on women. 

To find the answers of where it came from, how it spread, where ground zero was, she ends up needing help from her ex-fiance' Nick.  They make an amazing journey to find their answers, uncover truly evil work in the most unsuspecting places, and manage to overcome their past mistakes of miscommunication to start over.

Within each book of this mini-series, each woman has a journey to make to understand her own past, tackle an amazing mission, find other women like themselves to continue the overall mission of stopping evil, and in the process find love in incredible relationships with the man they've chosen (or that chose them, lol)

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

Dark Revelations by Lorna Tedder

3rd in The Madonna Key mini-series. Silhouette Bombshell #106, Sept 2006

I think the moral of this book would be never work for the mob or any family powerful enough to be the mob, and if you do, never think you're indespinable!

Third of the line of the powerful women whose past is what their present and future is made of- Aubrey de Lune aka Dr. Ginny Moon has made her life's work as a thief.  No small time stuff for her- as an antiquities thief she's stolen some of the most amazing historical pieces of art and/or history... some of it not even fathomable.

Despite the wild goose chase the instructions for (what she hopes to be her last theft) the job that starts the book- she overcomes odds and acquires the item.  Unfortunately the method was not approved by Duke Simon Adriano... who is an incredibly powerful in himself, but the men of his family have been powerful for centuries, aligning themselves with the Vatican or whomever need be to stay or gain more power.

 When it dawns on her just what it is she's stolen this time, she knows that she cannot do what's been asked of her.  She escapes, with some help from an old man trying to rectify the mistakes of his own life and takes off... unknowingly taking the grandson of the duke along with her.

And so the story takes off, with the child's bodyguard in pursuit and catching up with her, they realize what it is they need to do.  Now she has the most impossible job ahead of her with far more than the fate of her own life in her hands.  With the only thing that matters more than herself on the line, she sets off to attempt the insane mission she's taken.

Through these books small tiles have come into play- made of precious jewels, basic materials of the earth, even unknown materials... the power they hold is coming to light and the story continues with the evil of the Adriano family and their history with the tiles become known.

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

5.  Haunted Echoes by Cindy Dees

2nd in the Madonna Key miniseries, Silhouette Bombshell #101, Aug 2006

First- I'll read anything Cindy Dees writes- I've loved everything she's written, to include this book.

Ana Reisner is an Interpol Agent in France- and when she has a bad day, it's really bad.  She's given an assignment, by the presiden of France no less, for a crime that hasn't been committed yet, to locate an item that was stolen with very little information to go on and less of an idea of where to start!

Once this begins, she starts to have dreams, of things that happened in the past.  As she sifts through what she recalls, the information gained leads her to pieces of this puzzle she has to solve, and leads her into the amazing unknown of her past with the powerful women of the past.

This series was so good that I went from one book to the next and finshed them all in less than a week!  (Made for a great start on New Years Day!)

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

4.    Lost Calling by Evelyn Vaughn  

 #1 Madonna Key mini-series  #97 Silhouette Bombshell, Jul 2006.  ISBN 0373514115

I was so disappointed when the Silhouette Bombshell came to an end in Jan 2007- I don't think there was a book that was a disappointment.

I liked that Maggi Sanger came to play in this mini-series (she's from Evelyn  Vaughn's 'The Grail Keepers' mini-series)... so there was some background that I was already familiar with.  (she comes in more in book #7 of this series)

This one is about Catrina Dauvergne, who ends up in some precarious situations, falls into an incredible find, needs the help of her of a man she wants beyond anything else (and learned in the past he did not feel the same) and thus a journey begins that takes seven books to conclude.

 Catrina is the start... the first to find the history of her past of once great, powerful women.  Her challenge is to discover who are the women she's fallen into (skeletons from long ago) and why they died the way they did.  The more answers she finds, the more questions there are.  And along the way she learns how important this find, her past and the ability to find others like her along the way really is.

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

#3.   The Winter Pearl by Molly Noble Bull  ISBN:0373786115  2004

I've always enjoyed reading books set in the 1800s, any location; a reminder of how very blessed we are of modern day conveniences. 

It starts off in fall of 1888 in Colorado with Honor at her aunt's funeral, attending with her is only her uncle, who not only is a drunk but tries to convince her that the only future she has is to marry him.  While her aunt was a Christian, neither Honor nor Lucas know God or much about him.  Being barely nineteen, she figures that it's better to run than marry a drunk.

 The book splits into two directions- the path that Honor takes being on the run and the path that Lucas takes in his drunken fury.  Along the way they both come to grips with faith, belief in God.  For Honor the path to faith is a bit easier than Lucas'- he truly hits rock bottom before he realizes that God will never let him go... they both have to come to terms that they are very much worthy of God's love.

While the book doesn't mention it, the only thing I didn't like is that Honor and the man she comes to love are first cousins... while not legal in most states today, back then there were no laws on it.  Just found it kind of odd.  Despite that, I really enjoyed the book and finished it in one day.

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

Heaven is Gentle by Betty Neels

Harlequin Special Release, 12/07

The book starts off with an elderly doctor, another male doctor and a woman going over a list of potential nurses and they're searching for the ideal candidate to work at a clinic in a very remote area.  The woman is reading names off a list and they joke about how the names sound like a "line of chorus girls" (top of p.2).... so they search for a more dowdy name or a more uncommon name with less than beautific looks.

 Completely hilarious once it's been arranged for the chosen nurse, Eliza Proudfoot (she was listed as being 5'10 and etc) and she so does not match their expectations!

Despite their misconceptions, Eliza proves to be excellent in her work and after trials and error in communication and life itself, Eliza finds something special with the Professor Christian van Duyl (the male doctor in para. 1)... only dilemma is his fiance' Estelle.  You'll have to read the book to find out who wins the good professor over!

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50

A Matter of Chance by Betty Neels 

 Harlequin Special Release, 12/07

I always enjoy her books, especially for a quick read.  This one I really enjoyed. 

After the passing of her parents, Cressida set about finding a change of pace to try and move past the grief.  With a bit of luck from another woman's life change she gets the opportunity to travel to Holland and help a doctor with a book he was writing.  She's introduced to the partners of this doctor's practice- one whom she's already met while visiting in Amersterdam- and not a pleasant meeting at that!

Despite miscommunication, the inability to speak Dutch, the trials that arise, eventually Cressida and Giles van der Tiele find their way to each other- after giving up a bit of pride and setting aside the quick anger! 

A bit funny... who can ever understand a man and what he's thinking, much less how he's feeling... and to add a bit more humor, how differently a man and woman see the same events in completely different ways.

"Don't be afraid; just believe." Luke 8:50