Hell hath no fury like a goddess thwarted. At least that is what the six guardians discover here in the second installment in Roberts' Guardians Trilogy, following Stars of Fortune (2015). Hundreds of years ago, the moon goddesses Celene, Luna, and Airanrhod created the Stars of Fortune three stars of fire, water, and ice to honor their new queen. However, the evil queen of darkness, Nerezza, was determined to get her hands on the stars. So the moon goddesses hid the stars until a time when the guardians could locate them and put them forever out of Nerezza's reach. So far the guardians have beaten Nerezza to the fire star; now they are working on finding the water star before time runs out. Roberts continues her latest magic-infused trilogy by moving mermaid Annika and Sawyer King, a traveler with a time- and space-bending compass, into the lead positions as she delivers another inventive romance certain to please fans of the first book, as well as readers new to the series.--Charles, John Copyright 2016 Booklist

A mermaid and a time and space traveler fall in love while searching for a magical object off the island of Capri and protecting it from the goddess of lies and her minions in the second Guardians fantasy romance (after Stars of Fortune). Mermaid Annika, nearly childlike about life on land, is not a typical Roberts heroine. Sawyer King is a Renaissance man with good reasons to be reluctant in pursuing his love for her; she, in turn, cannot make certain first moves because she's bound by the sirens' rules. But Annika is well advised on seduction by her fellow female Guardians, a seer and a werewolf and does what she can to convey her interest. The group's good-natured camaraderie is a definite plus, as is the sweetly romantic nature of the couple's possibly doomed courtship. Too bad Annika's naïveté is overdone, and though Sawyer's a great hero, he occasionally comes across as a combination of other Roberts leading men. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

With the Fire Star, the first of the three Stars of Fortune, retrieved and rehidden and their enemy temporarily thwarted, the six Guardians are preparing for their next assault. On the Isle of Capri, they await the obsessed, evil Nerezza's next move-one that includes a lethal human recruit and an attack that will be much more dangerous than the last. This time the Blue Water Star is their goal, and as the path becomes clear, mermaid Annika and time traveler Sawyer King take the lead. Malevolence vies with goodness in this fast-paced story that skillfully balances violence and horror with tenderness and humor and brings a star-crossed couple together and another Star of Fortune to safety. VERDICT Lyrical, mesmerizing, and totally enthralling, this magical story seamlessly continues the trilogy begun with Stars of Fortune. Another gem from Roberts that will appeal to fantasy and romance fans. Roberts (The Obsession) lives in Keedysville, MD. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.