“I’m not a woman who falls in love. I’ve tried . . . it’s just not in me.”
“I’ve tried to fall in love. It didn’t take for me, either.”

The Gallagher siblings trilogy that began with Jewels of the Sun and continued with Tears of the Moon, reaches a satisfying ending with Heart of the Sea. In the beautiful Irish seaside village of Ardmore, one last couple must find true love before Carrick, Prince of the Faeries, and his love Lady Gwen, can finally be together after three hundred years of separation.

Darcy, the gorgeous Gallagher sister, wants a rich and handsome man who will love and worship her and give her all the luxury she deserves. She flirts with many, but no man has yet to touch her heart. Until, that is, she lays eyes on Trevor Magee and blows him a kiss from her bedroom window. The attraction is mutual, although Darcy is understandably peeved when she realizes the man she has been flirting with is not one of the workers building the new theater just off the family pub, but, indeed, the man in charge.

While Trevor sorts out construction details with foremen Mick O’Toole and his daughter Brenna, he is consumed by his fascination with Darcy, and worried that her plainly spoken desire for him and whatever riches he may share with her may be all that she wants. Furthermore, Trevor and Darcy understand there could be complications if their personal relationship spills onto the business matters concerning the Gallaghers and the theater, and they both vow to keep each thread separate. Not only is Trevor building the theater, but he is also determined to make Darcy a world-famous singer, and Darcy is determined to have it all, including Trevor’s heart.

And so it begins, a delicious dance of two strong-willed characters, both of whom admit to never having truly loved before, both of whom have accepted that fact, and both of whom begin to fear the strong feelings the other engenders. As these two fight their growing attachment, Carrick, Prince of the Faeries, and his love, Lady Gwen, each appear to help the couple along, and hopefully, finally be freed from the spell that has kept them apart for centuries.

As spoiled and pampered as Darcy is, we see the heart behind her self-centeredness. Her relationship with her brothers is a strong one, and it’s telling that it’s Shawn and Aidan that she turns to when she most needs to sort out her feelings. The female friendships begun in Jewels of the Sun remain strong, and when Darcy becomes completely bewildered by the realization that she loves Trevor, she goes to Jude and Brenna, her friends and sisters-in-law, to cry it out. But she remains Darcy to the end, proud and arrogant, demanding and vulnerable, telling Trevor she’d take him whether he was rich or poor, but admitting at the same time that she is glad he’s rich!

Trevor, in the meantime, makes the same mistake that cost Carrick his lady love and three hundred years. He offers Darcy the world, not seeing that as much as she wants riches and luxury, it is his heart that ultimately matters to her. It takes him longer to realize this; it is ultimately his own insecurity where Darcy is concerned that causes himi to keep offering her fame and wealth, believing that’s the way to woo and win her, without realizing how much he is hurting her in the process. In this, however, he is initially “helped” along by Carrick himself, who is only trying to hurry up the process and break the spell, but in reality ends up scaring Trevor off.

The paranormal aspect is present throughout the book; not only do Carrick and Gwen appear, but there are also dreams, which some readers may feel go on a bit overboard, but it’s all part and parcel of the magical Ireland of these books. The rest of the magic belongs to the Gallaghers themselves, their priceless conversations and the unconditional manner in which they love each other and their mates.

Aidan and Jude and Shawn and Brenna are very much part of Heart of the Sea, but only as they relate to Darcy and Trevor. I’ll say what has been said plenty of times already: no one writes siblings like Nora Roberts, and this is no exception. Darcy and Trevor’s story is a fitting end to yet another great trilogy about siblings and love, and the truly magical bonds of family.