Secret Star (Stars of Mithra, #3) (2024)

Oh. My. Gosh. Is this a bitter disappointment?!? Way to wrap up the series in crushing stupidity, Nora. Yes, by all means, let's take the sweetest, most generous, kindest woman ever portrayed even semi-realistically in story (and Grace is so excellently-well portrayed we might have had dinner last week to catch up on old times) and match her up with the most simplistic, emotionally-constipated, cold-hearted cluntch to find himself trapped by ink and paper. Grace was awesome. Seth was an idiot. There were at least three times I wanted Grace to throw him out on his ear, possibly with a groin-stomp for seasoning, and go find someone worthy of her time and attention. Finding someone better than Seth would be a matter of walking blind-folded, lips puckered, at a sporting event of your choice and wrapping yourself around the first person you kissed. This would work even if your sporting event of choice involves heavily-lifted trucks and exhaust fumes.

Do yourself a favor. If you've read the first two, imagine a great story with a character named Grace and how she finds a great guy to live with her forever. Together they defeat the sinister shadow-idiot trying to collect the Stars of Mithra and then live happily ever after. Farm it out to a kindergartner if you can't do it yourself (maybe supply crayons). It'll be better than reading this pile of stupid.

Seriously, I rounded up because I liked Grace so much...

A note about Steamy: Fortunately, Seth only manages two explicit sex scenes and one of those was blessedly short. Any more than that might have turned my stomach. So middle of my steam tolerance, but I'm not happy about it.

Grace is the third friend to whom Bailey sent the diamond and she has been AWOL, Lieutenant Seth finds her home burglarized and a body he thinks is Grace but learns differently.

Grace is a cool customer used to hiding her real self beneath her looks and sophistication, she had to learn to with her vulture relatives and everyone wanting a piece of her, she behaved recklessly just to get back at her family and only MJ and Bailey know her real generous self.

Seth only knows what she allows people to see and misjudges her for a lot even after he finds himself falling in love with her and that is why he resists, he's a cop and a world apart from her and used to control and not feeling so out of sync as he does with her, Grace on the other hand is so used to getting hurt.

We finally meet the creepy villain as well behind everything.

At first I was a bit skeptical regarding this series, but after reading the first book, I was so curious about what will happen, that I needed to read the next 2 books. I was pleasantly surprised about the fact that I wasn't interested in the romantic side, but in the mystery and the suspense regarding the stars. The only thing I didn't like about this series, was that the characters fell in love with each other way too fast.

20/5⭐

“¿Qué nos está pasando? Somos tres mujeres sensatas, y de pronto nos encontramos custodiando piedras sagradas, huyendo de asesinos y enamorándonos como tontas de hombres a los que acabamos de conocer. Es una locura.”

Me lo bebí en 9 horas 🥴😍🥰
Tercer y último libro de la trilogía “Estrellas de Mitra”. Como verán me gustó más que los dos anteriores. Me FASCINÓ TODO porque lo tiene TODO: romance, humor ( sobre todo los primeros capítulos), intriga, pasión y bastante y luego me puso la piel de gallina a mitad de capítulo con una especie de “secreto” porque Grace no es lo que aparenta ser: explosiva, ardiente, mujer fatal. Muchos la prejuzgan cuando en realidad debajo de todo esto hay una mujer frágil que necesita ser amada.

Y luego lo tenemos a él, Seth Buchanan que es un policía de tercera generación que ha ascendido hasta el rango de teniente gracias a su innata destreza para el trabajo policial. Es un hombre con una paciencia casi aterradora y una afiladísima objetividad. Sus subordinados lo respetan; Incluso algunos, en secreto, le temen. Lo apodan “La Máquina”. A ojos de Grace él es un tipo frío, duro, atractivo, con éxito, contenido y soltero. O sea, para ella que está acostumbrada a que los hombres jamás la rechacen, Seth es todo un desafío. De todas formas es un hombre que en cada diálogo a mí me derretía como hielo en verano. Y más allá de su aspecto, su lado humano lo llevará a defender a Grace con todas sus garras.

¿Qué más agregar? ¡Qué hombre es Seth para Grace! Y ¡Qué mujer es Grace para Seth! Se complementan a la perfección pese a que ambos tendrán que luchar con sus emociones. Al principio él se lo pone muy difícil a ella pero Grace sabe qué teclas tocar para conquistar a un hombre como Seth.
En ésta novela el círculo referido a los diamantes se cierra, aunque con un poco más de páginas que las dos anteriores, sigue siendo una novela corta, pero está cargada de documentación y con un villano que es muy malo que irá a por estas tres amigas.
Solo resta decir que ME ENCANTÓ y recomiendo la trilogía entera. La amistad, la unión entre éstas amigas y sus maridos me dió la sensación de ser el final de una trilogía muy acogedora. Como diría Seth: el bien siempre triunfa.

“—. ¿Qué demonios quieres?
—Eso —ella echó la cabeza hacia atrás—. Justamente eso. Un poco de emoción, un poco de pasión. Puedes agarrar tu disculpa de cartón piedra y tragártela, igual que esa fría y desapasionada charla que me has echado por las flores. Ese gélido control no me gusta. Si sientes algo, sea lo que sea, házmelo saber.
Grace contuvo el aliento, asombrada, cuando Seth la apretó contra sí y se apoderó de su boca con ansia. Intentó desasirse, pero él la sujetó con fuerza. Luego quedó inerte en sus brazos. Cuando él se apartó, estaba estremecida.
—¿Has tenido suficiente? —La hizo ponerse de puntillas, clavándole los dedos en los brazos, Su mirada no era ya desapasionada, ni fría, sino turbulenta. Humana—. ¿Suficiente emoción, suficiente pasión? A mí no me gusta perder el control. En el trabajo, no te puedes permitir perder el control.”

Secret Star was a fantastic conclusion to the Stars of Mithra series featuring a romance between a homicide cop and the heiress whose murder he is investigating.

Lieutenant Seth Buchanan gets the shock of his life when the victim of his latest homicide investigation shows up at the crime scene alive. Grace Fontaine is used to keeping secrets and after someone kills a woman in her home, she's reluctant to share those secrets even with the police. Seth has never let his emotions get the better of him but the more he works with Grace, the harder that becomes. As Seth and Grace work to unravel who has tried to kill her, the attraction growing between them becomes difficult to ignore. With a killer on her trail, Grace and Seth will need to work fast if she's to have any hope of surviving.

Grace lost her parents at a young age and was raised by family members who made sure she knew how much of a burden she was to them. This led to Grace having a lot of complicated feelings about her family and she somewhat struggles with close relationships as a result. Despite her background, Grace is a very compassionate person and I liked how clearly she cared about others. Seth comes from a long line of cops and can't remember a time where there was anything else he wanted to do with his life. He's great at his job and it's obvious he cares about the cases he takes on.

Seth and Grace get off on the wrong foot in their first meeting despite their attraction for one another. Seth is clearly riled by Grace and she knows exactly what buttons to push to irritate him. I enjoyed the snarky banter they shared and how much they irritated one another. As they work together, they slowly begin to trust one another although their issues don't disappear overnight. I liked watching them work through their issues as their romance progressed and was overall happy with the direction things went between them. The events in this book don't overlap like the previous two books did and instead pick up after the events of Captive Star. I liked the resolution to the overarching plotline and thought it was handled well.

Overall Secret Star was an enjoyable read and I'm glad I finally decided to read this series. I would definitely recommend these books if you're looking for a romance series with some suspense.

A nursery mystery with lots of romance and never a dull a moment.
Listened to this one, and the male narrator was great!

Este livro coloca um fim na trilogia "As Estrelas de Mithra" e desvenda o ministério das jóias há muito tempo desaparecidas.
São livros leves para serem lidos quando não apetece pensar em nada e apenas pretendemos passar um tempo divertido com a leitura.

Nora'dan bir üçleme daha bitirmiş oldum. Darısı kalan onlarcasına...

1.5 stars

The final Stars of Mithra book is good, though not as good as the previous two books, since most of the antagonism between the two leads is due to his judging her based on her reputation, and not who she really is (even in the middle of the book). The plot is good otherwise, and the female friendship between Bailey, M.J. and Grace is fabulous. I just wish Roberts had come up with a better plot device than misunderstandings and snap judgements to keep Grace and Seth apart in the beginning.

Re-read, re-review January 2023

I agree with what I said above. This isn't the strongest part of the trilogy. The dialogue also feels a bit dated, though it was probably current and snappy at the time it was written. Grace and Seth are my least favorite of the couples, but I do still love the relationship between Grace, Bailey, and M.J., and between Grace and her new "brothers" Cade and Jack.

I enjoyed this story the least of the trilogy! Most of the time I disliked both Seth and Grace.

El mejor de la trilogía. En este libro sí me enganché con la pareja protagonista. Es un buen cierre

This year I have been really enjoying re-reading older Nora Roberts books via audio. Her books have a nostalgia factor for me because she is the author I turned to when I was first discovering the romance genre. Secret Star is the third and final book in the Stars of Mithra series, and while it is very enjoyable, I don't love it like I do many of Roberts' other books.

Secret Star is about Grace, best friend to Bailey and M.J.. Due to events in the first book, Grace has one of the stars of Mithra, a blue diamond that is part of a set of three. And not nice people want the stars.

Grace is an interesting character. She's beautiful and wealthy, and she's very private. She often lets the world see only her beauty and sexuality, but there is so much kindness and generosity to Grace that only her very best friends know. Although I really liked and respected Grace, sometimes I did find her difficult to relate to.

Seth is a lieutenant on the police force, and he meets Grace because of the whole situation with the diamonds. Seth struggles a bit with learning who Grace really is, because she keeps so much of herself hidden away, and because he's not bothering to look beneath the surface. There is definitely some bickering between Seth and Grace in the beginning, and Seth assume he knows who Grace is, but of course he doesn't. It was really great to see Seth slowly realize that there is a lot more to Grace than she shows the world.

Seth and Grace make a great couple, though, once they both let their guards down a bit. They certainly have a lot of chemistry, but there is more there too. Not that things go perfectly, and sometimes Seth annoyed me. He definitely has his idiot moments, but luckily he isn't afraid to grovel.

There is a bit of danger and suspense in Secret Star that revolves around The Stars of Mithra, but it was more as a way for Seth and Grace to get together. I did like the suspense aspect. Overall, Secret Star by Nora Roberts was a great conclusion to the Stars of Mithra series, but it isn't my favorite Nora Roberts' book.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook

Secret Star
3.5 Stars

Lieutenant Seth Buchanan comes from a long line of cops and always plays it by the book. That is until he meets Grace Fontaine, a woman who is supposed to be dead. In Grace’s presence, Seth forgets all about remaining cold and aloof and before he knows it Grace is under his skin and tying him up in knots. When the murky figure searching for the final Star of Mithra reveals his twisted agenda, Seth and Grace will have to face their differences or die trying…

The final installment in the Stars of Mithra trilogy and all of the threads are wrapped up satisfactorily.

Grace and Seth’s opposites attract romance is good although there are one or two moments where their lack of communication grates on the nerves. Moreover, Grace is not as likable a heroine as Bailey and she lacks the spark that makes M. J. so special. She initially comes across as spoiled and selfish and Roberts seems to spend a great deal of page time attempting to correct this image and redeem her character. Seth is far too judgmental and tends to jump to unnecessary conclusions which creates unnecessary angst.

The murky villain from the previous books is finally revealed and he is, unfortunately, not as threatening as the build up promised. The final showdown is, however, quite satisfying although the inclusion of the reincarnation theme is jarring as paranormal elements were not included in the previous stories.

Overall, Secret Star is an enjoyable conclusion to the trilogy.

Grace Fontaine is dead, tumbled face-first on her coffee table, and Seth Buchanan is determined to find out who did it and why. He suspects the why has a lot to do with the three blue diamonds, the Stars of Mithra, someone is determined to acquire at all cost, it's the "someone" that's elusive...The Grace Fontaine suddenly appears in her house, alive and well, pointing a gun at him, and Seth knows, he just knows, he's in trouble...

I'm sorry to say, this was the weakest of the bunch. Not bad, far from it, in fact, just not as good as the first two stories in the trilogy. Mostly because of the two leads, neither of whom I particularly liked. She was a mystery, playing different parts, wearing different masks depending on the occasion, but I didn't like the mask she wore when she met Buchanan for the second time, and it festered, I think. On the other hand, he was too aloof, too "uptight", and too closed-off for me. There was just something off-putting about his character...And hers for that matter.
Thanks to all this, it was tough buying the romance, despite the fact it was better done that in the previous two books. Better in the sense that the two of them didn't just take it at face value, they tried to put the breaks on, think it through, instead of just accepting it and everything else be damned.
But this aspect of the romance, as much as I liked the pragmatism of it, the suspicion and the doubt, was also the worst of it, because it created unnecessary conflict, and made me dislike both of them even more. I'm fickle, what can I say.

Also, the mystery and suspense that we've been teased with since the start, was too easily resolved, and the slight paranormal angle, instead of smoothing things over, offering a "plausible" explanation, came across as an easy fix, as if wanting to sweep things under the rug and be done with it. Too quick and much too easy.

The rest was top-notch as always, but unfortunately the trilogy didn't end on a bang as it started. Pity.

The last of the BFFs (and the diamonds) are on tap and...Grace's story is maybe a little complicated. Mostly because everyone thinks she's dead when this all begins. You know, because there's a dead body in her house that matches Grace's description and she's been incognito for a while now.

BUT but but but, it turns out Grace isn't dead. Which kinda blows Seth's mind because he had it in his head that her beauty and bright light had been snuffed out. That said, Seth and Grace's first encounter is a little rough. Not physically or anything, but Seth was surprised to find his murder victim facing him over the barrel of a gun and Grace was surprised to find a cop in her house. Things only got more complicated from there.

It takes time and a dangerous situation or two before Seth and Grace get to the place they need to be. Seth needs to put aside his preconceived notions about Grace and Grace needs to trust the person she's fallen for will have her back. It's a bumpy ride at times, but these two get where they need to be.

On the diamonds front, things get settled there, too. The mastermind behind everything is revealed, the diamonds do their thing (which is more than just look pretty, as it turns out), and things fall into place. An enjoyable, sexy, fast paced series overall!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

This is the finale of the Stars of Mithra trilogy. The stars are Lieutenant Seth Buchanan from the homicide department and Grace Fontaine. Grace is a poor little rich girl blessed with beauty, wealth, and charm but lacks a loving family. Seth is a hard-nosed and hard-working middle-class cop.

The story begins with Seth investigating what he thinks is Grace's murder only to find out that Grace is still alive when she confronts him with a gun. Grace's envious cousin has broken into her home again to make free with her stuff when the killer arrives.

This is the episode when we actually find out who the villain of the trilogy is. He is obsessed with objects that he thinks are magical and becomes obsessed with Grace too. When Grace is kidnapped by him, it is up to Seth and the heroes from the earlier two books to rescue her though she is close to staging her own rescue by virtue of her brains and courage.

The relationship between Seth and Grace goes through its ups and downs. The problems are that Seth is devoted to his job and doesn't think any woman would be okay with that. And Grace, despite her brains and beauty, has never been loved unconditionally by anyone but her friends and needs Seth to show her that he does love her that way.

This was an engaging and fast-paced story with both romance and intrigue. I enjoyed Scott Merriman's narration.

* You need to read the previous entries to understand this entry at all.

Gorgeous, wealthy and apparently dead, Grace Fontaine's possession of the third diamond might just have gotten her killed. But when police inspector Seth Buchanan stares into the barrel of a gun in the hands of the dead woman, he knows he has an actual mystery on his hands. Being chased by a sophisticated psychopath with power, Grace and Seth will have to use all their abilities to keep the stars save and survive.

This tried to be a perfect book about perfect people and yet somehow I couldn't really care about the two lead characters in this book. The story regarding the stars was quite good, the ending for them was quite satisfying. The second book in the series was definitely the best, this entry couldn't compare to the action and wittyness of the previous entry. This felt forced and the 'meant-to-be' angle was just puke worthy.

oh hell no. i disliked mmc from his first inner monologue. he began judging fmc before they even met and continued to do so after. they had no chemistry. i blamed him for hers abduction. fmc deserved better. also it was a half assed apology from him at the end.

at least previous books were funny and i tolerated mmc’s. first book was the best in my opinion and everything else went downhill from there.

This third and final book in this trilogy was just as I expected. It was a lovely fairy tale.

As unlikely as these three rather short books are as stories, they somehow managed to grab and entertain me. So, what the heck, 4 stars!

I liked this last book in the series the most. Good story!

While this series is certainly not a favorite of mine, I am glad I ticked it off my list. Nora has definitely gotten much better with time. ;)

Secret Star is the final novel in the Stars of Mithra trilogy and revolves around Grace, friend of Bailey and M.J from the first two novels. The three girls have known each other since college and are incredibly close. When Bailey knew the three diamonds were in danger, she separated them to keep them safe and Fed-Ex’d one to M.J and the other to Grace. M.J kept hers with her while she was on the run with Jack Dakota and they looked for Grace at her country house. Until this novel the reader has received no updates on Grace at all and her fate is unknown.

When the book opens, Lieutenant Seth Buchanan is in Grace Fontaine’s house staring at a portrait of Grace, lamenting the fact that it was a shame that such a beautiful woman is dead. A body was found to have taken a tumble from the second story, over the balcony and through a glass coffee table and due to her build and the fact that she was in Grace’s house, it was assumed the body was Grace although a confirmation would have to wait until autopsy given that the victim’s face was tragically destroyed by the fall through the coffee table.

Buchanan has to reconsider his evaluation though when Grace Fontaine turns up in her own house very much alive…and pointing a gun at him. She’s been laying low for a few days, taking a few days up at her country house (departing before M.J and Jack arrived) and then spending a few more in a B&B on the coast. She has no idea what’s been happening with Bailey and M.J but she has kept her diamond with her and safe. As things are explained, Grace has an identity on the body found in her living room.

Sparks fly between Grace, who has never been afraid to use her body or her looks to get what she wants, and the ice-cold Buchanan who is determined not to get involved. You can’t fight chemistry though and soon they are hurtling headlong into a romance that neither of them were prepared for even as Buchanan is closing in on the mastermind behind all the attempts to steal the three diamonds. The death count is high and although the diamonds are now safe and soon to be returned to the Smithsonian, Buchanan realises that Grace is still in danger. The man who wants to possess the diamonds and all he believes comes with them also wants to possess Grace. And is willing to go to any lengths to do it.

I think out of all the books I remembered this one the least – I could remember a bit about Grace and also who the love interest was, as he was very briefly introduced (just mentioned really) in the previous book but I couldn’t remember much about their story or who the evil mastermind behind the attempted theft of the diamonds was. Once he appeared in the book I vaguely remembered but I didn’t remember how the story played out so it was like reading it for the first time.

The romance in this one is a little more unbelievable than the previous two (which is saying something) given that Grace and Seth are so incredibly different. Grace, a former centrefold, rich beyond belief, an orphan raised by her distant relatives could have been the quintessential rich girl but Roberts tried to soften her by adding some hidden layers and depths. In a lot of cases these didn’t quite come off the way they should – it seemed almost like it was trying too hard to make Grace more than she appeared, especially when we were treated to a scene of Grace cuddling premature and sick babies in a wing of the hospital that she funds.

I never really warmed to Grace, perhaps because of her over-confident nature. She was well aware of how beautiful she was and she was willing to use that as a weapon to get what she wanted and she didn’t particularly enjoy when it didn’t work. Is is interesting that she was more the aggressor in the relationship with Buchanan but given her nature, it is hard to see her playing a demure innocent. I felt like they never really got to know each other either, whereas at least Cade and Bailey and Jack and M.J spent a lot of time together over the few days their stories took place over. Buchanan and Grace kind of drifted together when he needed to question her, or when she felt the need to needle him, and then drifted away again.

Although the romance wan’t really to my liking in this one, the resolution of the story was quite good. The antagonist is introduced relatively early in this book (and the reader knows that he is the mastermind well before the characters) and there’s plenty of build up before his final plan is put into action. And they all live happily ever after of course!

Overall I didn’t enjoy these books as much as I remembered doing with perhaps the exception of the middle one, Captive Star. I remember re-reading them quite a bit back when I owned them but I think I’d be hard pressed to read them again!

The third book in the Stars of Mithra series. The book begins in Grace Fontaine's home and Seth Buchanan is the homicide investigation cop who will begin the investigation of her murder. The next thing he knows a woman has a gun pointed at him, the woman who is suppose to be dead. Turns out the dead woman is actually Grace's cousin who has always treated her with disdain while at the same time tries to be her and had snuck into her home and was staying there while Grace was out. The Stars of Mithra is making someone even more desperate as they are about to be returned to their current owner, the Smithsonian Museum, and once that happens they will be much harder to attain. Seth's feelings run very deep for the beautiful Grace, we find that out at the very beginning when he was beginning the investigation of her murder, but with her reputation in the media he's not sure it would be a good idea to give in to those feelings. But he knows that someone is getting more desperate as the bodies continue to pile up in the mystery that surrounds the stones, and he is determined to protect Grace and her friends. He also learns that the little he knows about Grace isn't so true, and that there is more to her than he ever thought.

Tied with the first story for my least favorite of the trilogy. Grace isn't TSTL at least, but she's almost worse. She's cool, calm, collected and not afraid to use her body and her looks to get what she wants - but she has a vulnerable side of course. This is my least favorite character type that Nora Roberts writes. I like a strong, confident heroine, but I don't like it when they're manipulative, calculating and willing to use sex as a means to accomplish something. And Grace comes a little too close to this for my tastes. She has her good parts and what not, but I just couldn't identify with her nor really sympathize with her. Buchanan, the hero isn't bad, but I can't understand him. Why do heroes fall in love with heroines they don't respect? Sure the respect comes eventually - but he finds himself falling in love with a woman that he barely knows and who he's been thinking the worst of all this time. The suspense in this book is definitely the best part. It wraps up nicely (even though the whole premise of mailing priceless diamonds was a bit ridiculous) and there's plenty of suspense here. I just didn't like the characters or the romance that much.

Lieutenant Seth Buchanan is investigating a murder scene when the supposed victim walks through the front door. Grace Fontaine is even more beautiful in person than she is in the portrait over her mantel, and Seth knows that she means trouble. But he's a cautious man, long accustomed to guarding his heart, and he's determined to continue the practice. Grace, however, has other ideas; Seth is the man she's been waiting for through all the long, lonely years she has spent as an unbelievably rich, impossibly beautiful child and woman. Thrown together by Seth's determination to solve the murder, the theft of three incredible diamonds, and the imminent threat to Grace's safety, the two struggle with the passion and the bond that pulls them together. Nora Roberts is a master at spinning a tale, and she doesn't miss a beat in this novel of love, murder, mystery, and obsession.

Uma estória de amor bastante preenchida de pormenores, para um livro da Harlequin.

Gostei bastante da mistura entre paixão, crime e o mistério que envolve os três diamantes azuis.

Quando leio um livro da Harlequin, normalmente, sinto que foi uma leitura incompleta, como se faltassem "bocados" ao enredo, como se num determinado momento a estória avançasse demasiado, desse "um salto", o que não foi este o caso.

Basta dizer que devorei-o numa tarde.

Grace is the last of the 3 friends to have one of the blue diamonds of Mithra in her possession. This book starts with Seth, a police lieutenant, at her lovely house investigating her death. He is somewhat surprised to meet her as he leaves. In this book the 3 friends Grace, M. J. and Bailey work together more it's their new partners and Seth to resolve the problem of the man who is trying to get hold of the diamonds and finds killing people easy.

I love when Nora mixes a little magic and myth in her books. I modern day you can almost believe in the things she writes about. Three blue diamonds that bring those from the past into the dreams of those in the hear and now. They must protect triangle and destroy the evil. Just another good book to escape reality.