The Storm Sister: Book Two (The Seven Sisters)

It is very good, but I wish I'd started this series 7 years from now, so that I good go from one sister to the next with speed and ease. Each book is written about one sister and the history of her existence, as well as the current life as she explores her ancestor's past. Very well written and entertaining.

I thoroughly enjoyed both books 1and 2. The plots were well crafted, the historical details fascinating and well researched, and the writing flowed beautifully. The detailed descriptions and mystery sounding the origins of each sister's birth drew me in. I felt I was there, in Rio, in Paris, in Leipzig, in Bergen. The only reason I gave book 2 four stars instead of the 5 I gave book one was the plethora of pronoun case errors. Examples: "us women don't always choose the good guys," should read "we women." "Me and my sisters were encouraged to be ourselves," should read "My sisters and I." "Astrid, who was 15 years younger than him," shouId read "15 years younger than he (was)." "What if it was him," should read "What if it was he." " A man who I connect with," should read "whom I connect with." In addition, any pronouns after a preposition should be in the objective case (not "for Jen and I" but "for Jens and me." (I can't remember the exact sentence). Did Book 2 have a different editor? I can't wait to read book 3 (maybe with a different editor?); in fact, I look forward to reading about all the sisters in the series.

Loved the book! I like how Ludinda Riley has an unique story for each sister of their heritage- I especially liked learning about her ancestors who were related to Grieg one of my favorite composers. I like the past and present themes going on which makes the story rich and interesting.

The book was probably so eagerly anticipated by me after the huge first offering, that I was bound to be disappointed, at east slightly. I found it predictable and almost felt that Riley wrote it to produce a follow up as quickly as possible. Of course I will have to read the next one, hopefully it will have more depth and a better surprise element.

Ally wants nothing more than to be a sailor and sail in the Olympics. When a tragedy strikes, she turns her back on the sea for good. At a loss of what to do with her future, Ally decides to go to Norway to learn about her family's heritage. When she is in Norway, she learns about her ancestor, Anna Landvik who dreams of becoming a singer. As she discovers her Anna’s story, Ally realizes that the past is also the key to her future.

I found Anna to be a very lovable character, and I was enthralled with her tale. Anna must choose between her career and love. Anna is a very tough character, and I admired how she went through her tribulations. Anna’s story is very emotional and heart-wrenching. I couldn’t wait to get to her chapters because I wanted to know about what happens to Anna. I soared through the pages anticipating Anna’s ending.

While I found Anna’s story more intriguing, I also love Ally’s story. Ally was a very relatable character. I went through her journey of finding love and losing it. Her journey, while sad, transformed her character. She became more mature and made hard decisions. She also learned how to recover from her tragedy and focused on rebuilding her life. Thus, Ally’s story was darker, but she learned to find her talents and strengths. I believe we could all learn from Ally’s story.

Overall, this book is about love, loss, recovery, and self-discovery. The message of the book is that while there may be darkness in your life, there is also goodness. The Storm Sister also tells that sometimes our darkest moments may be our greatest strength. Therefore, this book gives us food for thought. While The Storm Sister is darker than The Seven Sisters, it leaves on a more heartening note. I love the message that it contains. I also love the setting of historical and present day Norway, and it gave me some insight into the making of the Peer Gynt opera. I not only recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, but also to music lovers and fans of The Queen of the Night, Emilie’s Voice, and The Musician’s Daughter.

So far, I love The Seven Sisters series. I can’t wait to to re-read The Shadow Sister, and I greatly anticipate the release of The Pearl Sister. The Seven Sisters series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I encourage everyone to read this series. While each novel can be read as a standalone, it is best to read them in order. The big picture of the series starts in the first book. The Seven Sisters series has been a very rewarding experience for me.

I did not know this was the second book of a series when I started reading it. I knew it was part of a series but I thought it was the first one. I’ve read several books by Ms. Riley at this point as I enjoy her mix of current and historical story lines. I will admit to enjoying the historical portions more than the modern day ones but I’m sure that doesn’t surprise any of you.

This book focuses on Ally, one of the 6 girls adopted by the mysterious Pa Salt. Not much is really known about him other than he adopted at least 6 girls, he has a heck of a lot of money and he’s dead. Beyond that only snippets are given about the patriarch of the family. Ally is an experienced sailor – she has been invited to try out for the Swiss Olympic team. But for now she is participating in a race and it’s another sailor that has caught her eye.

Ally is not looking for love yet she finds it with the enigmatic Theo. A racing captain that holds the respect of sailors and boat owners alike. They do a little dance around each other for a while but once they connect the relationship moves along very quickly. In fact, Ally is with Theo when she learns of her father’s passing. He helps her get back to the family home. There she reunites with her sisters and learns of her legacy from her father. He gives each of the girls a clue to their origins and they can decide to pursue it or not.

Ally had never had an interest in learning about her roots but life throws her even more curve balls and she decides to follow the path her father laid before her. She finds more than she ever thought she would.

I definitely enjoyed this book. It kept me interested in the story. As I mentioned above I was more interested in the historical story as opposed to Ally’s tale. The modern interactions were a little too perfect; the relationships were all breezy, happy and perfect. Theo is just hard to believe as a real person – I’m sorry but no one is that perfect. That was one major flaw for me. I also had some issues with the characters’ conversations. In many cases it was horribly stilted and this would be very distracting. But despite these issues I was quite invested in Ally’s search for her roots. I hope to follow the paths of her sisters.

3.5

I received a free copy for my honest review

I am so excited about this series, I get to be in each of the sister's lives for a short time. The first book in the series The Seven Sister's, we learn the death of Pa Salt, the adoptive father of the six sisters. There is Maia D'Apliese, the eldest of the sisters. There there is Ally D'Apliese, the nest sister to be cover in The Storm Sister.

After the death of Pa Salt, at the reading of the will, each woman is given a letter with clues as to their heritage They know nothing of who or where their families are. Maia identity took her to Rio de Janeiro where she found closure and love.

Ally also gets her letter but really has no desire to find out who she is. She is grieving the death of her father and wants to train for the Olympics. She is a highly skilled sailor and that is her life. We meet the man of her dreams and is happy until tragedy strikes her again. To find a focus she finally decides to get on with her life and find out who she is and where she comes from. Her quest takes her to Norway. One of the clues her adoptive father gave her was a book, telling her that is where she will find the answers she is looking for.

The book is very old and is about a young woman named Anna Landvik. Anna lives in the country, wanting nothing more than to spend time with her favorite cow Rose and someday to marry and have a family of her own. A man comes into her life, he has heard that Anna has the voice of an angel and wants her to go to Leipzig Germany. There she becomes familiar with the music of Edvard Grieg and performs in a stage production of Peer Gynt, based on the work of Henrik Ibsen. She becomes very well known for her singing across Europe. She had met a fellow musician, fell in love, got married and then he decided to further his career as a composer, he left for Paris. Anna is devastated by his loss but she does continue on.

Back to Ally meets a few people on the way in her quest for her heritage, people who ultimately help her along the way. What is her connection to Anna Landvik and Jens Halverson, Anna's husband? To Edvard Grieg? That you will have to read for yourself. As an aside the name D'Apliese is an acromyn on the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, the star cluster that is the stuff of legends.

I love this series so far, so much history and research, it even touches on events of WWII and how it impacted the Halverson family. I look forward to reading the next installment about the next sister Star D'Apliese and what her future holds.

I received a copy of this book for review for my opinion.

4.5 - The moment is all we have. Stars!

The Storm Sister is the second book in Lucinda Riley’s The Seven Sisters series. Having read and enjoyed the first book, I have to say I was eagerly awaiting Ally’s story. But be warned this isn’t a book you pick up and read in a couple of hours, it’s one of those stories that demands you pay attention but at the same time you get lost in its pages.

In moments of weakness you will find your greatest strength.

We begin in 2007 with Ally discovering the death of her beloved adoptive father, Pa Salt and with her five other adoptive sisters, she returns to their family home, a castle called Atlantis on the shores of Lake Geneva, each of the sisters is due to have their story told, and although the books are all due to start at the same point, each sisters journey to discover more about their true self, and biological family takes them back in time.

For Ally’s story we step back to Norway 1875, and the story of young mountain girl Anna Landvik, and how from being plucked from obscurity she becomes one of Europe’s most renowned classical singers. As you would expect, the innocence of the inexperienced woman causes more than a few bumps in Anna’s road to singing success, and her life journey takes her across Europe to Leipzig and living in the world of famous composer Edvard Grieg.

"Whatever I am now, I am."

As I said this is a story you get lost in, Ally was a bit of a struggle to get along with at the beginning of the book, but as the story progressed, in the past and in her present you get to understand a little more about her and her motivations, and to say it doesn’t just rain but it pours in relation to the things she has to deal with would be an understatement, Lucinda really did push this character to her limits in relation to her losses and gains in this story.

"No more hiding."

The story from the past then picks up again in Leipzig 1936, with Ally traveling herself to Noway and learning about her grandfather Jens Horst Halvorsen who was studying at the Landeskonservatorium der Musik zu Leipzig at that time, anyone with an ounce of historical knowledge will know, just how unpredictable the thirties were in Germany, and especially for people considered a little different. Eventually Jens, also known as Pip, returns to Norway with three Jewish friends believing that they will be safe from the spreading threat of the Reich and more specifically Nazism.

You go through a whole gamut of emotions in reading this story, it is so richly built, and vividly described that the characters all feel so very real to you as you are reading of their journeys, although set in very different times everything is weaved together so beautifully that it was just a real pleasure to read, three couples, three love stories, set in three very different times.

Our love lives on…

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my pleasure to provide the above honest review.

Fascinating, enchanting and bittersweet!

This story is predominantly set in Norway during the late 1800s, as well as present day, and is told from two different perspectives, Ally, a young sailor who journeys to Scandinavia to unravel the mystery surrounding her ancestry after suffering heartbreaking tragedies; and Anna a country girl with an angelic voice that at times was not only a blessing but a curse.

The story, itself, is a dramatic tale filled with family, love, loss, grief, introspection, and new beginnings; as well as a comprehensive look into the composition of music and the art of sailing.

The prose is lyrical, fluid and vividly descriptive. The characters are complex, intriguing, sympathetic and real. And the plot is written in a back and forth, past/present, style that captivates and engages you as it sweeps you along through the highs and lows of both Ally and Anna’s life.

This once again is another large novel by Riley, with over 700 pages, but it is so remarkably researched and well written that before you know it the story is finished and you’re yearning for more. I absolutely loved this story and even though it can be read as a standalone novel I strongly recommend you read The Seven Sisters (Book #1) first.

I'd just finished the first book in this series and had to read the next. I have to admit I really did not enjoy the sailing story and was bored by it and felt the 3-week "soul mate" love story between Ally and Theo was rushed, contrived, the not believable. But I absolutely loved Anna's story! I had such high hopes for her, but was so disappointed that she allowed herself to be suckered in by a player and made her life so much more difficult.

I had already figured out Ally's connection to the Halvorsen family, but like how it played out. I gave it 4-1/2 stars.

I really like this author and have read a few of her other books, but was really annoyed by the overuse of the phrase "to be honest" all through the book! I personally don't trust anything someone tells me in real life after saying those 3 words, and they're totally useless, annoying, and unnecessary filler in a book. Please stop! Your stories are great and need no filler.

Poor structure and disjointed stories clump together problematically in this otherwise fairly cleanly written, if not very sophisticated, novel of a woman's search for her heritage. Riley handles emotion in a straightforward manner and well, without melodrama, not an easy task, and the love stories have solid potential, but this is written as three books shoved together without continuity or reason or blending, and makes for a mishmash of a clunky, weak novel, occasionally tripped up by grammatical errors that some editor out of all her publishers should have caught because if you read the reviews, you see we readers--correct usage--did catch. The author has a difficult time with American dialogue, as shown in the conversations with Peter, Theo's dad, which were wincingly bad, and a novice's tendency to repeat characters' names and make the dialogue feel unnatural. A talented storyteller but a poor structure and composition writer. Riley needed a good editor for this novel to be a satisfying read.

#2 in Lucinda Riley's planned 7-volume series about six adopted sisters, where each novel is the story of one sister's search for her biological origins.

In this one, flute-playing professional sailor Ally finds love, explores roots, and uncovers her own unusual family connections. Most of Ally's story takes place in Norway 100 or so years ago, tying into the play written by Henrik Ibsen, for which Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg composed music -- Peer Gynt. In addition, Riley also tells a related love story from Germany in the late 1930s -- so you can imagine that story doesn't end well.

Part historical fiction, part mystery, and part the creation of Riley's fertile imagination -- it's a fun read, though the prose in places is a little hit-you-over-the-head obvious. (It felt to me at times like the author needed to make sure you understood the significance of a particular development by having the lead character think it through.) A minor annoyance... because I definitely plan to continue with the series.

“We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly enlightened or peaceful or intelligent. Nevertheless, we have soil good enough to cultivate; we can plant anything in it.”

----Chögyam Trungpa

Lucinda Riley, an Irish international bestselling author, pens her second book, The Storm Sister in her series called The Seven Sisters. This soul-touching and engrossing book narrates the story of the second eldest sister, Ally after Maia, who embarks upon a journey to find her original roots after her adoptive father's sudden death.

Synopsis:

Ally D'Aplièse is about to compete in one of the world's most perilous yacht races, when she hears the news of her adoptive father's sudden, mysterious death. Rushing back to meet her five sisters at their family home, she discovers that her father - an elusive billionaire affectionately known to his daughters as Pa Salt - has left each of them a tantalizing clue to their true heritage.

Ally has also recently embarked on a deeply passionate love affair that will change her destiny forever. But with her life now turned upside down, Ally decides to leave the open seas and follow the trail that her father left her, which leads her to the icy beauty of Norway . . .
There, Ally begins to discover her roots - and how her story is inextricably bound to that of a young unknown singer, Anna Landvik, who lived there over 100 years before, and sang in the first performance of Grieg's iconic music set to Ibsen's play 'Peer Gynt'. As Ally learns more about Anna, she also begins to question who her father, Pa Salt, really was. And why is the seventh sister missing?

Ally D'Aplièse, is the second eldest sister among the six sisters and they were all adopted by a wealthy billionaire, whom they used to call as 'Pa Salt'. They grew up in their adoptive father's palatial home by the shores of Lake Geneva. But Pa Salt is dead now and as per his last dying wish, Ally embarks upon a journey in search of her original roots. But her decision to undertake this journey is on the crossroads as she is in love with the man of her dreams but soon her gravity changes and Norway awaits her arrival with open arms, especially with the story of Anna Landvik and Jens who both took part in a five-act play in verse called Peer Gynt. Laced with musical historical that took place almost hundred years ago in Norway, Ally's story is simply entrancing and intriguing.

Although the story is a fictional account of a woman whose roots take her on the high road to Norway where the story again takes us hundred years back in time highlighting the love story between the world's one of the greatest music composers, Jens Halvorsen and the famous singer, Anna Landvik, that is set around in Norway as well as in Germany. Gradually from Jens and Anna's story, it comes down from one generation after another until the last living Halvorsen in the present timeline. Some characters in the book are drawn straight from the pages of the world history, but the stories going in and around their lives are mostly fictional!

The book is set across so many beautiful countries around the world, from the sky-blue sea in Greece to a country house on a island in Geneva to a backward village in Norway to it's city to another in Germany, the story simply guides the readers through many untrodden as well as beautiful destinations. And each and every location, especially Norway, is vividly painted into the pages of this book by the author.

The writing style is exquisite that spell-bound me with it's fairy-tale-like essence. The author has unfolded the stories of Ally and Anna strikingly and consecutively, with Anna's story breaking at such vital points that kept me anticipating real hard. The prose is eloquent and evocative that kept me turning the pages of the book till it's very end. Moreover, the articulate and engaging narrative kept me glued till the very last page. The emotional pull in this book is quite strong, since the story unfolds from Ally's POV, who happen to suffer from pain and grief. Her story made my heart break into millions of pieces. Also while reading I felt like the author has poured all her best emotions while penning this story.

This story has many layers and each intricate layer is written with enough compassion and depth. Despite of Ally's POV, the author has given opportunity to her readers to look at the story from their own perspectives. The characters are well-crafted and exceptionally brilliant. Although this is the second book, hence we get a brief idea about all the six sisters as well as some of the supporting cast in the first book.

This book envelopes around Ally's world who is a daring sailor and loves to take part in some of the world's most famous yacht races. Ally is a brave and independent woman who has made her mark in the world of men. But the amount and level of grief she goes through, made me sympathetic as well as root for her till the very end. Anna and Jens are another two most interesting characters in the book. Anna's dedication towards music and her love for Jens kept me hooked on to the book.

The book ends with a mild cliffhanger and at certain points, the book raises some mystifying questions that certainly has an enigma related to it, that which definitely made me to vouch for the next book in this series.

Ally D’Aplièse is the second oldest sister of six. All six sisters, named after stars in the Pleiades constellation were adopted from around the world by their beloved Pa Salt and were raised on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Each of the sisters were encouraged to follow their dreams. Ally’s were music and boating, just like Pa Salt. Ally is out on her boat with her boyfriend Theo when she learns of Pa Salt’s death, she is devastated that she is the last to know and was not there to comfort her sisters. However, Pa Salt made it as easy on the sisters as possible including leaving clues to their true heritage, if they would like to know. After yet another loss on the ocean, Ally decides to follow Pa Salt’s clues to Norway where she discovers the story of Anna and Jens Halvorson, musicians who performed Grieg’s music in Ibsen’s ‘’Peer Gynt.”

I absolutely loved the first book of The Seven Sisters and could not wait to read Ally’s story in The Storm Sister. I would definitely recommend reading The Seven Sisters first, even though each book could be a stand-alone. When Ally arrives home after Pa Salt’s death, a few more small clues to Pa Salt were leaked. I was also very, very impressed with the continuity from the first book. Conversations and events that had to be re-hashed from the first book were done perfectly, but now from Ally’s perspective. As a huge fan of dual time stories, I enjoyed both the parts of the story with Ally in the present and Anna and Jens in 1875 Norway. However, I did feel a bigger pull towards Ally in this story even though Anna and Jens romance was captivating and dramatic, I really wanted to know what Ally was going to do with the information and if she would put all of the pieces together. Her story is one of overcoming great heartbreak, internal struggle and eventually acceptance for what life gives you. There were some parts at the end that were a little predictable; however it didn’t ruin anything for me. I will be impatiently waiting for book three which will be about the mysterious sister, Star.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

The Storm Sister is the second book in the series by Lucinda Riley. While each is part of a series they can be read as "standalones". I have actually not read the first book and in no way felt that I should have. However I will be reaching out to read Maia's story before too long. There are six sisters, and the final book will hopefully be a rounding out of all the sisters and their families. Of course we wonder what about the seventh sister? What about Pa Salt? My question to myself is - did he die? We'll have to wait patiently and see!

I soon fell in love with this story about Ally, the book sucks you in and spits you out at the end as I reluctantly accept I must wait until the next one comes along. I wanted to stay there and live a little longer within the pages. I know - 512 pages later, and I still wanted to be there.

There is so much to love in the book - the quest for Ally to find out her roots, the beautiful relationship she develops with Theo and then his parents. The sadness and drama of losing loved ones. The joys of finding new hopes and things to live for. Ally herself is a strong, talented woman, caring and compassionate.

As well as the contemporary story we are taken back in time to lives connected in some way to Ally in her quest. I moan as I am taken there, and then hate it when I am whipped out of that time. Each story is so good. It is full of Norway, music, love, tragedy and hope. There is mythology and history and the contemporary world. All combine in an intricately woven way that provides a riveting read.

If you would like to read more about this series then go to The Seven Sisters Series to find out more. Don't hesitate - go get stuck into this series.

The Storm Sister is book #2 in Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters Series, though it isn't necessary at all to read the first book, The Seven Sisters first, I recommend it because it's such a good book. The chapter bringing all the sisters together is pretty well the same as previous book, just from a different pov.

Taking on a setting I've never read before I was not disappointed. Norway is one of those places not written in the HF genre much, which just added more charm to this series. I found The Storm Sister not just educational but entertaining as well. With the past story beginning in 1875 Norwary it follows the life of young Anna Landvik, from her humble beginnings leading cattle in the northern part of the country, to famous composer Grieg (he is playing on my Ipod as I type this review).

Though I found a few things predictable in this book, I enjoyed the authors descriptive writing, it wasn't hard to imagine and feel the emotion of Ally, Anna and Jens. This isn't a short read, coming in over 500 pages it is long enough to really get to know the characters and delivers that depth to the plot that I love, making it easy to get lost in the story. Progressing through the years till current day the author wove a great story with its twist and turns, heartbreak, world wars and romance. I was able to get to know the plays well, their motives and feel the pain the outcome would bring.

Like I said in my review of The Seven Sisters I think the author has really taken on a major challenge with this series. So far we have seen Brazil and now Norway, I can't wait to see where Lucinda Riley takes us next.

The Storm Sister – and its series – captivates me on many levels. The dual timeline is presented both seamlessly and creatively, and each story has multiple layers to uncover. As a series, the overarching thread of the sisters and their mysterious adoptive father continue to intrigue me – and new depths and questions are added that have me anxiously waiting for the next installment. (While this book can be read as a standalone, it is best appreciated in the context of the series.)

Ally’s story will make you ugly cry, not gonna lie. At least it did me. Like.. full-on sob. So tragic it makes my heart ache to think about it even now. But the tragedy leads her to several discoveries that expand her circle of family in more ways than one, and this dimension to her story adds a welcome measure of sweet to the bitter.

What draws me most to this series however is the thread that weaves through each story and ties them all together. “Pa Salt” is the mysterious and beneficent father who adopted each of the sisters and named them after the famous constellation. Even as secrets surround his death, (I have my own theories about this… we shall see if they match what Riley has planned) answers to other, long-held, secrets are revealed. The way that each book – at least so far – takes place simultaneously adds both to the air of mystery and the cohesiveness of the series.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book.)

Absolutely amazing! I was bound to this book for days. I read a little each day trying to digest it before moving on.

First of all, this is second in "The Seven Sisters series." I highly recommend you read the first book in the series before moving on to "The Storm Sister" because you get so much background from the first book. "The Storm Sister" is a beautifully written novel about Ally, the second sister. She is an adventurer (at least to me). She crews on racing yachts all over the world and loves it. Then she falls in love with Theo, which takes us into the story. One of the reasons I think I loved this book so much is that the parallel storyline takes place in Norway. My family is from Sweden, so it struck home just a little. I did not find the two interweaving storylines a problem. As a matter of fact, I loved how one story segments into the other!

I love Lucinda Riley for her beautiful descriptions in her books. She truly brings a book to life! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this book! It truly is an amazing read.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

The second in a series and I would completely recommend starting at book one so you can get the full enjoyment of these books.

The series is about Seven Sisters and they are all adopted from different places, their adoptive father has passed away suddenly, but he has left clues for each daughter to find out where they came from and their heritage. I believe the books are going in order from oldest to youngest. This second book is the second daughter.

Hi Lucinda Riley. This book brings me to my home town Bergen and my hero Edvard Grieg. Peer Gynt written by Ibsen and the music Grieg created... It i s the most beautiful music ever! I have used "morgenstimmung" at funerals. And I just, the other day, went to my local grocery store and bought a book as I usually do, and I had already read all the other books on display, Jill Mansell, Jodi Piccoult etc. and then I ended up with this book. Finally somebody who brings life to one of the greatest composers ever. Thank you :)

It had my attention until the sections on Norway. I tried to stay with it, but skipped ahead to Ally's part. Then it became predictable and hokey. I had thought I'd read the other books in this series, but none of the sisters seem particularly interesting or intriguing. I can't imagine a whole book about each one. Even Ally was bland. The author kept reminding us that she was grieving, but the character never showed much emotion about the deaths of loved ones. Theo was the only character who had a personality.

I loved book one in the series and waited anxiously for book two. I totally enjoyed this story and LOVED the music history I gained throughout this book. It got bogged down a little bit at times, but I loved the way Ally's story evolved, and the past led to her present. I was glad to see how it all turned out for Ally. Now I start my anxious waiting for the next books in the series. Two sisters down, 4 to go. And ... hopefully we'll get clues to the mysterious, as-yet-non-existent Sister Seven, too. Bring them on, Ms. Riley.

Second in this captivating series, I commend with sheer unadulterated amazement how the author storytells into a completely full-circle of nautical, then musical challenges within the trials and tribulations of families.
Reverting constantly to historical family ties certainly reiterates each characters' life stories.
As much as I loved Maia, so too do I love Ally. Can't wait to "meet" Star next!!!

Author needs to study English grammar more; she makes lots of mistakes. I liked the first book, "The Seven Sisters, but am halfway through this second one and am not so sure. It seems very farfetched that six beautiful, intelligent, educated, talented, worldly young women have never thought to ask their father his legal name! Pa Salt? Okay, for little girls, but wouldn't they have wanted to know his real NAME? Of course they would.

And I am very suspicious he is not dead. Why was his study mysteriously locked in the beginning of the first book, then became UNlocked at the end? And Ally heard him on the phone extension around page 200 of this book? SURELY he would not have been so stupid to use the land line while she was in residence?

I'm halfway finished; will update this review after it is over. Right now, though, it won't be difficult to wait for book 3.

....later....I finally just skipped the last 100 pages of the back story because it was so LOOOOOONG... and so BOOOORING. It could have ben half as long as it was. The remaining pages, time, and hopefully interest, could have been put into making Ally's character deeper, more in depth, and interesting than it was. To me she appeared shallow, and somewhat of a dimwit. I am reducing this book to a two star. I will not be waiting for #3 in the series.

This story is really good, but it is too detailed and drawn out. I end up skimming a lot. I want to read the rest of the series, but repetitiveness and drawn out conversations are dull. I’m not sure I will continue.

Lucinda Riley has excelled herself with The Seven Sisters. Her writing has great flow so the book is delightful to read.The story line was imaginative and unusual and I was very sorry when I had I finished the book. LR will have a tough time coming close to, or surpassing, the Seven Sisters, but I'm going to get the Storm Sister (next on the list), anyway. Looking forward!

I'm struggling to focus on work because I stayed up so late reading this.

Lucinda Riley has outdone herself and

The characters keep you interested and the plot line is really creative. I can't wait to see how the rest of the sisters are developed.