Bay of Sighs (The Guardians Trilogy, #2)

by Nora Roberts

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The second novel in the Guardians Trilogy from the bestselling author of Stars of Fortune. 

Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as 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.


Don't miss the other books in the Guardians Trilogy
Stars of Fortune
Island of Glass 

• ISBN10: 042528011X
• ISBN13: 9780425280119
• Publish Date: 14 June 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425280119

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

I could have done with a short reminder as to what had gone before, Annika, the Mermaid, has to search with the help of Sawyer and the other four, for the next star, the Star of Water.

A lot of the story was about Annika trying to deal with the strange human world.

[Leigha]

The six members of the group finds themselves searching for the water star.

While I love Nora Roberts' earlier series and standalone novels, my enjoyment of her books has seriously gone down hill the last ten years. Her tone, writing style, plot, and characters are eerily similar to one another. In this trilogy, she deviated somewhat from her character MO to include a non-English speaking character, the mermaid Annika. For the first time in a long time, it made me excited and interested in a series of hers. Annika's story was indeed memorable and enjoyable, and yet toward the end of the novel I still felt like it was borderline close to sounding similar to other Roberts' female narrators.

This novel had amazing descriptions about the setting, but lacked in world building. What do we really know about mermaids or travelers? Pretty much nada despite this second installment being about those two types of people. The plot was predictable – not all that intriguing, but not necessarily boring either. Some foreshadowing by Sasha pretty much lays out the big plot points for the novel. I would like a bit more suspense and less clairvoyance in the last installment.

tl;dr An interesting heroine and a sweet romance balance out a predictable plot.

[kimbacaffeinate]

One of the things I like most in this trilogy is the uniqueness of each character. The six fated to save the world are more than just human. Sasha is a seer and Bran a magician. Annika a mermaid granted three moons with human legs to complete her quest. Sawyer a time traveler, Doyle an immortal, and snarky archeologist Riley is a shifter. Together they formed a family and have each other’s six. In Bay of Sighs they continue to grow stronger as they search for the second star.

In the first book, Stars of Fortune, we had Bran and Sasha’s romance. I continue to enjoyed the growth we witness in Sasha. Bay of Sighs focuses on the second star, one of water but it also has a slow building romance between Annika and Sawyer. I am super excited about Island of Glass, the last book featuring Doyle and Riley. These two have wicked banter and nip at each other. While the storyline is predictable, it's the telling of these stories that make them such delightful escapes.

Annika is an absolutely hoot and her summery personality and outlook is infectious. Since Annika has lived her life in the water, all is new to her and it created plenty of humor and banter. Sawyer is attracted to Annika, but sees her as an innocent. However, Annika fell in love with Sawyer years ago. She wants more with him but is bound by rules all sirens must follow and cannot tell him. Thank goodness, for her friends Sasha and Riley. They help find loopholes around those rules.Poor Sawyer! Sawyer is a traveler and as a Whovian I was already swooning. I love how level-headed and brave he is. He was also patient with Annika and protective. It was fun watching Sawyer fall. Roberts delivered heat with tender moments in this impossible romance.

The suspenseful thread regarding their quests continues. Roberts had us spending time with the dark side. Wounded in the first battle their enemy gathers aid from a human. Blood oaths and bargains are struck bring danger for our fated ones. We get plenty of battles between research, friendship, training and our romance to keep the reader flipping the pages. It was fun seeing all of them work as team and watching them push the limits of their abilities. Dark and suspenseful moments were brutal and sent a shiver down my spine.

While I typically would not mention cliffhangers in this type of trilogy, since the final battle is yet to come….Roberts does leave us with questions, concerns and hope for Sawyer and Annika. While they make plans this romantic is hoping for a miracle from the gods. Fans of paranormal romance, mythology, quests and friendships will enjoy Bay of Sighs and the Guardians trilogy.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer