Review: Fallen Star (Nora Roberts)

Book: 4/100

The focus shifts from Bailey James (Hidden Star) to MJ O’Leary, a dear friend of Bailey. MJ, an independent, loud-mouthed redhead who owns her own pub, received one of the 3 Stars of Mithra from Bailey when Bailey suspected there was a plan to steal the stars. Although she is worried, MJ completely trusts her friend, and keeps the Star on her at all times. When Jack Dakota, a skip tracer, arrives at her door to take her in for a false criminal case, MJ is beyond angry. She defends herself when Jack tries to physically move her from her home, and tells him in very precise terms what she thinks of him. Jack starts to realise that she is telling the truth, and that he was also set up to arrest an innocent woman. Their argument is interrupted when a large man burst into MJ’s door, telling them to hurry up. A fight breaks out, and MJ and Jack flee from him.

MJ is handcuffed to the car as Jack tries to figure out what is going on. They flee town, and stay in a dingy motel room. Jack discovers the diamond and calls her out on it. She eventually confesses what happened, and Jack confuses Bailey for a man. This angers him, since he is particularly attracted to her, and when they share a kiss he is even more confused. When she finally tells him that there is no man, they can finally be together, and they set out to find what the hell is going on. They go in search for Jack’s contractor, who gave him MJ to trace. He is found dead at the scene, but the two discover that the Salvini brothers did back handed dealings with him. This is not surprising to MJ, as she always disliked Bailey’s stepbrothers, but it causes her to start worrying for the safety of her friends. They go to Bailey’s apartment, and seeing it ransacked, they also set out to find Grace. They go in search for her hidden house in the countryside, and eventually find it after some wrong turns. There, they can obviously see that Grace had been there a while, although they miss her by a day. They stay there, trying to figure out a next action plan, and Jack tries to leave MJ behind to keep her safe. He tells her he doesn’t love her and is tired of the problems she is causing, but she calls him out on it, and they set out to find the killers together. They arrive at the Salvini business, but are attacked by an unnamed man. Jack kills him, and is injured himself. The two regroup at MJ’s apartment, and finally decide to contact the police.

Rating: 5/10

Of the three heroines, I enjoyed MJ’s character the most. Powerful women who aren’t afraid to take care of themselves are always more interesting than whiny, dependent women. Jack also seems more realistic than Cade Parris, who Bailey ends up with. I still find this rapid romance unbelievable, or at the most very scarce. The book was a bit more enjoyable than Hidden Star, and of the three this would be the one I would read again.

March 8, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Books, Nora Roberts, Reviews, Romance, Stars of Mithra 5 Comments