6/15/2017

Island Of Glass by Nora Roberts

Good closure for this trilogy. Magic is all over the place, the figures are very thoughtful and it fits in nicely how the author solved some things. If you are a Nora Roberts fan and fan of this trilogy, you should definitely read it. Good, this might not be the best book the author has ever written, but for my taste, it was a nice and solid written novel about love, magic, and fulfilling your destiny. And it gave me some relaxing hours while reading.

Island Of Glass

by Nora Roberts
The Guardians Trilogy #3
Publisher Berkley on December 6, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 315
Format Paperback
Source Purchased

Goodreads

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Three stars – of fire, water, and ice – have fallen from the skies, and now three women and three men have come together to find them. But on the quest for the final star, they´ll discover that possessing it won´t be enough to stop the destruction of themselves – and of their world … As the hunt for the Ice Star leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there´s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley – and the wolf within her. An archaeologist, Riley is no stranger to the coast of Clare, but now she finds herself on unsure footing, targeted by the dark goddess who wants more than the stars, more than the blood of the guardians. While searching through Irish history for clues that will lead them to the final star and the mysterious Island of Glass, Riley must fight her practical nature and admit that her sudden attraction to Doyle is more than just a fling. For it is his strength that will sustain her and give her the power to run toward love – and save them all …

Story

Riley and Doyle, are the ones who are supposed to find the Ice Star. But playing together, finding its place is not easy for the Lycan and the immortal. But when Nerezza crosses their way again, the six have to find a way to get the third star. And the Island of Glass is not easy to find. Not even with the magic they have.

Style

The atmosphere is a bit rough, compared to the other two books of this trilogy. Nora Roberts shows the hunt for the third star, the Ice Star, but not with the same method as in the other two books. This time, the guardians are in Ireland, in a protected castle that Bran owns and the search takes mostly place in the library the castle contains and the landscape around. All protected land. Nerezza is more concentrated on Riley and Doyle and how they find each other. The tone and style are a bit different from the other books of this trilogy. But still written in a wonderful language and with the typical style the author has. Good, the end was a bit too much, for my taste and I wouldn´t have needed it like this. But the hilarious dialogues, the thoughtful moments, and the way how Riley and Doyle are in person made up for it.

Characters

I still have my little problems with Annika. She is a bit too playful, too light and I am very glad that she didn´t appear very often. Riley and Doyle are very rough with each other. They talk straight, they act straight and they don´t hold back. Oh, and Brigid, what a fantastic woman. She has only a short appearance but those pages gave me one hell of a great time. How she handles the situation she is thrown in, how she talks, the way she helps, and her way of thinking – simply great. 

Conclusion

It was wonderful to read and with some very beautiful moments. The end was, for my taste, a bit too kitschy, but I enjoyed most of this last book of the Guardians trilogy. So, if you´re a Nora Roberts fan like me, this is your book. I can really recommend it for a relaxing afternoon read.

Happy reading

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writer’s groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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10/21/2016

Bay Of Sighs by Nora Roberts

I am a huge Nora Roberts fan that is for sure. Yes, some of her novels are not that good and her style has a bit changed over the years, but still, with this new trilogy, or at least this second book, she got me again. I was really curious to read how she will develop Annika further, and how the story about the Stars would continue. And after the first book, I was a bit disappointed because the way all the characters were was something I don´t bring in connection with Nora Roberts. 

Bay Of Sighs

by Nora Roberts
The Guardians Trilogy #2
Publisher Berkley on June 14, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 338
Format Paperback
Source Purchased

Goodreads

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To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars: one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces … Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return to after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, as is her graceful athleticism, which her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the Fire Star. Now, through space and time, traveler Sawyer King has brought the guardians to the island of Capri, where the Water Star is hidden. And as he watches Annika in her element, he finds himself drawn to her joyful spirit. But Sawyer knows that if he allows her into his heart, no compass could ever guide him back to solid ground … And in the darkness their enemy broods. She lost one star to the guardians, but there is still time for blood to be spilled – the mermaid´s in the water and the traveler´s on the land. For she has forged a dangerous new weapon. Something deadly and unpredictable. Something human.

Story

Annika is in love with Sawyer. But as a mermaid, she has to stay quiet. Can´t let him know that she feels what she feels for him because he has to do the literally first step. It has to be his choice if he wants to be with her or not. And with the fight against Nerezza, there are some other things she has to focus on. And to know that she will have to go back into her natural environment, the sea, when the fight is done, doesn´t make things easier for her. But Sawyer is not moving any step further towards her, though she can see and feel that he wants her, too.

Style

This novel is written in the personal perspective. This time it is the turn of Annika and Sawyer. The mermaid and the time traveler. The reader gets to know her thoughts, her way of thinking, and what she would like to do as much as Sawyer. So the tone of this novel is in many ways darker because of the scenes between Nerezza and Andre Malmon. You will also find a very interesting tension that comes along with Annika´s purity, her light brightness, her innocence, and that she refuses to handle any kind of weapon. Nora Roberts combines evil with the innocence of a child, with the sunlight Annika brings because of how she is into the lives of the others. That combination is really beautiful and shows that not everything has to be dark and complicated. 

Characters

Okay, maybe some of her readers need to get used to the fact, that all kind of fantasy figures are created in a Nora Roberts novel. Like me. Because you actually don´t expect the author to use such figures as a mermaid, a Lycan, or an Immortal. Usually, she is not using such fantasy elements as her characters or in a novel at all. In her The Guardians trilogy she does, and with Annika and Sawyer, she created two figures which couldn´t be more different than they are. Where Annika is light, bright, and very easy going, Sawyer is quite the opposite. He feels a lot for Annika, but thinks that because of the situation they’re in, he has to be a real gentleman. And exactly that behavior brings him into trouble with himself. Because he wants to lay his hands on her, wants to have her, and knows that her time is limited.

Conclusion

I was entertained, enjoyed it very much, and had my reading pleasure. Yes, this second book was in my eyes better than the first one and I am looking forward to seeing how things between Riley and Doyle will develop. For every Nora Roberts fan, I can only say: read it.

Happy reading

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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8/13/2016

Stars Of Fortune by Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts is well known for her romance novels. That was, where she started and where she gained fame in the first place. Sometimes she goes under that name in the direction of the fantasy genre and that´s what she did with her new trilogy too. Stars of Fortune is the first book in her new The Guardians Trilogy and contains some characters which you usually don´t expect from the author to be part of the story. I can say from myself, that I love Nora Roberts´ writing style and her books very much. I have read many of them over the past 25 years. Stars of Fortune reminded me in some ways of other novels of her, where she brought witches and magic as well into the game. The Donovan Saga is one example, her Cousins O´Dwyer trilogy another and her Hornblower Odyssey is pure fantasy in the plot as well. Some spells Bran uses in the new book, sound pretty much like those, the siblings in The Cousins O´Dwyer books used. Yes, there are, at least from my point of view, a lot of similar things in Stars of Fortune to some of her earlier famous novels. 

Stars Of Fortune

by Nora Roberts
The Guardians Trilogy #1
Publisher Berkley on November 3, 2015
Genre Novel
Pages 336
Format Paperback
Source Purchased

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars: one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces.

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets. Sasha is the one who holds them together – the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her. But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars …

Story

Sasha is a young woman, who´s born with a gift. A gift she sees as a burden and as something that keeps her away from others. She had to learn very early, that all the people she loved couldn´t bear what she was, even her father left her because of that. But she is open, uses what she dreams as a motive for her paintings, and decides one day to travel to Corfu. That´s the place she knows by instinct, where she´ll meet with at least one of the others, she has seen. That she would fall in love with one of them, wasn´t neither planned nor expected. And when she faces for the first time Nerezza, the evil from her nightmares, she is no longer willing to let always the others fight for her. No, now it´s time to overcome her weakness, to learn some new things, and gain her own strength.   

Style

This novel is well written, no doubt about that. Written in the personal-perspective, the reader gets to know the thoughts of Sasha and Bran and can adjust to that. The language is kind of poetic in some scenes and the author sets her words well. A sensitive tone comes through and even in the cruel and bloody scenes where Sasha and the others fight against the evil, the tone stays on the same level and keeps at the highest stage, Nora Roberts is famous and well known for. The novel Stars of Fortune contain some fantastic fantasy elements and I was at the beginning, as strange as it sounds, a bit skeptical about it. Open-minded but still skeptical. I am used to the combination of magic and a regular story set in our modern times in Nora Roberts´ books, as I mentioned earlier in this review. And over more than half of this book I was haunted and thought wow can it get any better than that? Because what I read was so thrilling, so great and well balanced that anything less than five stars would have been not right.

Nora Roberts using witches in her novels, I can live with. She did that before, and during the first one hundred and ninety pages, I didn´t mind that she went into the magical element with her plot and her figures. The adding of a mermaid (which occurred to me pretty much the second I read these few hints she gave in some sentences) was ok, I still felt good with everything I read. The atmosphere was perfect, the scenes and dialogues well written. But then she brought up some other creatures and that was, in my opinion, a bit too much. Still, there is nothing negative to say about the story itself. Everything makes sense, you feel with them, go with them and the love story that unfolds between Sasha and Bran is one of a kind. 

And nonetheless, I have to say that the unraveling of the truth about what Riley is, and then bit by bit what the real nature of the men was, dropped a bit of the magic that had swung between the lines till then. I couldn´t find a sense in their appearance or better said, in their real nature – and still can´t. Not really. So I hope that NR will bring a bit more light into that in her next book of the trilogy.

Characters

A seer, a magician, a Lycan, an immortal, a mermaid, and a time traveler – those are the figures that´ll have to work together to fight the evil that will change the world into a dark place. I was okay with the Witch and Sasha being a seer, and it made perfect sense to me, that they were kind of connected with each other. But when I figured out what the others were, I thought that´s a bit too much – for my taste at least. Nothing to say about them in general, not at all, but here in one place, and bound together for a fight that the real world in this novel doesn´t even see, well … 

Sasha is a runner, a hider. That´s what she does after she had to experience, over and over again, that everyone leaves her as soon as they figure out that she has a special gift.  You could see her as the weakest of the group. And she certainly calls herself that. Since she can remember her gift wasn´t only denied within her family and a topic not worth being mentioned at all, she also fights it every time her visions come up. Short said: she can´t neither control them nor influence that she´s sleepwalking during them. But despite that, she has a heart of gold. Open to anything she knows by instinct when something is right when she sees Riley she walks right to her and starts to tell her about her dreams and why she is in Corfu. The same with the others of the group she´s destined to build to fight against evil. 

Bran has nothing in common with other witches. He runs a nightclub and does magic in front of an audience. Showing what he can without being held for what he is: A Witch. He is the one who shows Sasha how to open up to her gift, that it isn´t strange and bad at all and he always knows what the others need to give their best. And as an Irish, he frankly sucked in magic and fairy tales with the mother milk. That he would be the one who falls in love with Sasha is the perfect little extra to the story.

Conclusion

Stars of Fortune gets four stars, ´cause I still feel that this book deserves it. For the first half, I was up to five, but with the revealing of what the other characters Sawyer, Doyle, Annika, and Riley really are, I wasn´t quite all right with. And some scenes couldn´t convince me – so it fell down to four. Despite that, you will find a book with many fantastic scenes, great dialogues, and a feeling that will leave you in the end with the need for more.

Happy reading

Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writers groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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