Captive Star is the second book in The Stars of Mithra trilogy. Again, a huge, blue diamond plays a major role in the book. The Stars of Mithra are three, large, blue diamonds that are priceless. According to legend, whoever owns the diamonds will have great power and immortality. So of course there is a bad guy after the diamonds. In the first book, Bailey took the diamonds to protect them. She kept one and sent the other two to her two best friends, MJ and Grace. This book is about MJ. One thing that is a little different for being the second book in a series, this book takes place over basically the same time period as the first book. This one just starts and ends a little later than the first one.
PLOT
Jack Dakota is sitting outside an apartment building in his car. He is a bounty hunter working on his latest case. He is after a woman that didn't bother to show up for court, MJ O'Leary. According to the paperwork he has, MJ shot her married boyfriend. She arrives home and Jack goes after her. He underestimates her at first. MJ thinks he is a mugger and fights him. Then she thinks he is a cop that messed up and got the wrong woman, so she is threatening to sue. She doesn't believe why Jack is there until he shows her the paperwork. By then Jack realizes something is wrong. Just then a giant of a man shows up saying that Jack was taking too long to bring her out. Jack definitely knows that something is wrong when this happens. He and the giant fight, with MJ jumping into it too. They knock the giant out and then take off. MJ argues with Jack the whole time.
MJ is worried that the package that Bailey sent her is involved in the mess, but she is blaming Jack for the mess. He wants to know what is going on, why people are trying to kill MJ. She isn't telling him anything. Jack finds the diamond and MJ tells him it is a paperweight. He doesn't believe her. She still isn't telling him anything. MJ figures that Bailey kept one diamond, sent her one, and sent the other to Grace. A little more about how the three women became friends is mentioned. Sparks are flying between MJ and Jack.
MJ decides to cooperate with Jack, but only to a point. She will tell him some of what she knows, but she isn't telling him some things, like the names of Bailey and Grace until she can check with Bailey. MJ just tells him that a friend sent her the diamond. The friend was in a position to have access to the diamonds and had a good reason for taking the diamonds. Jack assumes the friend was a man, and MJ doesn't correct him. Jack figures out that the diamonds are The Stars of Mithra. He knows a little about the diamonds, their history, and the legend. Jack is trying to figure out what is going on, why Ralph the bail bondsman lied about MJ. He handcuffs MJ to him so she doesn't run off. After they have a near miss with the thugs that are after them - I'm not saying what the near miss is. Read the book to find out - MJ finally tells him everything she knows, and that Bailey sent the diamond to her, and probably one to Grace. MJ is very worried about her friends. She is determined to find them to make sure they are alright. She questions everything Jack does.
This is the basic plot, MJ and Jack trying to find Bailey and Grace and avoid the thugs after them. The unknown man that wants the diamonds shows up again a few times. He is mad because his plan to get MJ and her diamond have failed so far. Throughout the book, MJ and Jack fight their attraction to each other. They continue looking for Bailey and Grace while avoiding the thugs. They do have a final showdown with the thugs.
This is a good entertaining book. It builds on the foundation from the first book. The mystery continues from the first book, but it isn't resolved. That will happen in the third and last book of the trilogy. There is suspense as well as romance in this book. The suspense deals with the on going mystery. The romance concerns MJ and Jack's relationship. The story drew me in right from the start. The book is extremely descriptive throughout, like all Nora Roberts books are. The characters of MJ and Jack are well developed and more is told about Bailey and Grace. MJ and Jack are great characters. I think this is my favorite book in the series because of these two characters. Captive Star is a short book at only 248 pages. I finished it in just a few hours. Since it is a short book, the plot isn't as complex as some of her longer books, but it is still an entertaining book. It is predictable at times, but it is still a good book worth reading.
CHARACTERS
MJ O'Leary - One of the main characters. One of Bailey's best friends. She has one of the diamonds. MJ is stubborn and headstrong at times, which is shown when she argues with Jack at every turn. She is very loyal to her friends. She is used to taking care of herself, which is another reason she fights Jack. He had her name legally changed to MJ. She does tell Jack what MJ stands for eventually - I'm not telling, but, I don't blame her for going by her initials.
Jack Dakota - He is the other main character. He is a bounty hunter sent after MJ. He figures out that the paperwork he had on her are false. He agrees to help MJ find her friends. Jack is somewhat forceful, and used to being in charge. He bosses MJ around throughout the book. Jack has been alone for a long time and he doesn't know how to deal with the feelings he has for MJ.
Ralph - Bail bondsman that sends Jack after MJ. He won't tell Jack why the paperwork on MJ was false. He is very nervous for some reason.
Bailey and Grace are mentioned a few different times in the book. Bailey and Cade do appear briefly at the end of the book.
This is a very good book. It tied up some loose ends from the first book while also leaving some things unresolved for the third book. Anyone that has read the first book of The Stars of Mithra series should definitely read this book, and the third one as well. The books should be read in order. Fans of Nora Roberts should enjoy this book. People who like romances with some mystery should enjoy the book.
This book can be hard to find, but it's not impossible. I got my copy from Amazon.com a few months ago, so it is still out there if you want to look for it. I can't remember the exact price I paid for the book, but I think it was discounted a little bit. I don't know if Amazon still has this book available, but it is a place to look if you are interested in this book.
I have also had this review written up for a while now - close to two months. I just didn't get it typed up until recently. Since I first wrote this review, all three books in the series have been released again, so they should be easier to find if anyone wants to look for them. I have seen copies of all three books in the local bookstore - though I did forget to check the price on them.
Here is some information about the book for anyone who would like to try to find their own copy.
I got this information from my copy of the book, which is the original release, published in 1997. I'm sure the price is a little higher on the book now since it was just released again. When other older books have been released again, the price has been higher than the original price, usually a few dollars more.
Captive Star
Nora Roberts
Silhouette Intimate Moments # 823
Published in 1997
$3.99 US
$4.50 CAN
ISBN # - 0-373-07823-4
Thanks for reading.
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