Key of Valour - Nora Roberts

This book concludes Roberts's Key Trilogy. The third and last woman to make the attempt is hairstylist Zoe McCourt. Like her friends Malory and Dana, Zoe has a single month and a cryptic set of clues with which to find her key. The angry sorcerer Kane fights her efforts as friends both mortal and immortal lend their support.

As she searches, Zoe is courted by Bradley Vane IV, the sexy heir to a home improvement empire. She's not sure which is more difficult: accepting that she's magically linked with Brad or trying to quell her suspicions long enough to accept his love in the here and now. When she finds the courage to do both, the souls of all three goddesses are finally released.

Zoe McCourt is the last one to have to find the key, if she doesn't her friend's work will have been in vain and the Daughters of Glass will continue locked up in their coffins. Zoe is a single to Simon and a fighter. She has come a long way since she lived with her mother and 3 siblings in a trailer. But she doesn't feel that she has any special aptitude unlike Malory and Dana. She is also very uncomfortable with the fact that she is being courted by Bradley, who being a rich and educated executive, couldn't possibly be the right man for her... the only problem is that she also feels very attracted to him.

Brad is attracted to Zoe from book one. In fact, he has been attracted to her face ever since he bought a painting that showed the Daughters of Glass and where he recognised Dana's face and was fascinated by another one. Zoe is very aggressive with him from the beginning, if I have a complaint about this story is the after the first two books she melts a bit too easily in this one. But Brad was a really great hero, very attentive to Zoe and Simon's needs so I guess Zoe had an excuse.

Zoe has a bit of trouble finding her quality that is needed for the quest and she is the one who truly faces and fights the dark forces who want to prevent them from finding the 3 keys. But it is in her strength and courage that she finds the forces to accept who she is and reach her goal.

Like I said these three stories read like one big book and I think that it was a good thing that I read them one after the other. There are things that only make sense if you remember what happened before and with my memory I probably would have forgotten some details had I waited sometime between books.

Besides the romance I think it is the friendship between the characters that ends up being the main thing in these books. And that, I thought, was a really nice thing!

Grade: 4/5