The Guardians of Eternity  begins with an ending.  A woman and her teenaged daughter bicker outside of a grocery store until the woman's neurotic gun-toting ex-husband  shows up demanding reconciliation.  The fight escalates and the obsessed man shoots his ex-wife in front of their children.  As the woman lays bleeding on the pavement, she tells her children to remember that she will always love them.

The scene reopens in Mortal Heaven where the recently murdered soul, Rogar of Hamun, reunites with Elesa of Relga, the man who has just shot her and then killed himself in a fit of remorse.  Rogar, though now in Heaven and beyond the pain and pettiness of Mortal Incarnation, can't help but be a bit miffed.  He and Elesa have been paired on Earth for some time and most of their mortal lives have the same tragic ending -- murder-suicide.  Rogar has had enough of Elesa's neediness, on Earth and in Heaven.  And, with Elesa practically clinging to his leg, he retreats to Forfax Gael, his own private sanctuary. 

There he encounters a being of pure energy and after a battle reminiscent of Jacob and the Angel, he begins to see that things are not as they seem in Heaven.  Elesa is more than an obsessive-compulsive child.  She's genuinely ill -- a condition Rogar had believed impossible for Souls in Mortal Heaven.  As Rogar delves deeper into Elesa's mysterious illness, he discovers that Elesa's neediness is driven by a deep and abiding love for him.  She can be kind, self-less, and innocent, but her spiritual malady is twisting her personality.  Who could be behind her illness?

  Certainly not the Faerbrareans, the angelic Immortals that rule Mortal Heaven and are the progenitors of most of the Mortal Souls.  The Angelic Chavva seems to want to help Rogar and Elesa.  She is responsible for them being paired together, against Rogar's will, for many lifetimes.  But, as Rogar becomes more conscious of his own hidden talents and of Elesa's condition, Chavva's personality takes a sinister turn.  Is it possible that there is Evil afoot in Mortal Heaven?  Self-interest, jealous, and lust certainly abound.  Rogar begins to doubt his long-held beliefs about Heaven, Immortality, and the Faerbrareans.  As Rogar and Elesa are drawn closer together, help comes from unlikely sources and the two star-crossed lovers find that you can't always trust the Powers that Be. 

For those readers who loved FOREVER YOURS, Ms. Palmer's new series of novels won't disappoint.  This book never lets the reader down.  The romances are bittersweet, the sex steamy, and the mysteries intriguing.  The characters in this book are compelling and full of quirks that make them endearing.  Elesa can be annoying and self-pitying, but she's also strong and devoted to her friends.  Rogar is brash and abrasive, but also kind-hearted and just.

There are no real villains in this story.  Several characters behave horribly at times and are driven purely by self-interest, but that only makes the story more complex and attention-grabbing.  Even the Angels have flaws.  They love and hate.  They make mistakes.  This is story-telling at its best.  There are surprises on every page and from every character.  I loved this book.  Thankfully, this is the first of a series, so I can expect future adventures from Rogar and his compatriots. 

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book is that the majority of the characters are Souls.  They are still in the process of learning and, in Mortal Heaven, they realize that they have lessons yet to learn.  Ms. Palmer's picture of reincarnation and Heaven is intriguing and well thought out.  This is more than just a good summer romance (although it certainly is that!), this is a book that deals with life and death and the lessons we all should learn.  This is good metaphysical writing, as well as good sci-fi, at it's best.  Good work, Ms. Palmer!  I look forward to the next release!