20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This one has it all, humor,adventure and romance!, January 18, 2001
This review is from: Guardian Angel (Mass Market Paperback)
Cain the Marquess of Cainwood sets out to avenge the death of his much loved brother, Colin. He prepares a trap for the mysterious pirate, Pagan, of whom not much is known except that he killed Colin. Cain's plan is to set up shop at a bar on the seedier side of town and act as if HE is Pagan. Cain figures that once Pagan hears of the imposter, he'll make an appearance. Cain waits patiently each night, prepared for Pagan's wrath. One night after closing, he hears the door of the bar slam open. He turns, expecting to see Pagan and prepares for his revenge. He does not expect to see the beautiful but disheveled Lady Jade and he is really not prepared for her offer. Thinking Cain is Pagan, she offers him 30 pieces of silver to kill her.(And this is just the first chapter!) There are so many twists and turns in this story. Everyone seems to be lying or bending the truth about their circumstance, past, and even name.
I thought the the true strength in the plot was the romance between Cain and Jade. Cain falls in love with Jade first. He tells her that he loves her first. He is perfectly content to to say "I love you" without hearing Jade say it back. He's confident that he will hear her say it when she is ready. A bit arrogant? He is that, and overprotective, demanding, bossy, and cranky! It is all part of his charm as a man in love. He is so supportive of Jade, especially when he realizes that all of her loved ones have left her at some point in her life. Cain calmly waits for Jade to realize that he's not going anywhere.
I did think that when all the explanations were handed out, the story dragged on a bit. Everytime a character appeared that was out of the loop, the explanations were given again and again. It all could have been said the one time and alluded to after that.
Cain's butler was hysterical as well as Uncle Harry (how many pairs of spectacles does one man need?).
All things considered, there are a lot more strengths than weaknesses in the plot. I will keep this book and enjoy it repeatedly.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pirates, Murder, Romance....., July 28, 2000
This review is from: Guardian Angel (Mass Market Paperback)
In Julie Garwood's GUARDIAN ANGEL, Jade is a strong, beautiful woman with flaming red hair and green eyes, and some secrets of her own. Her love interest is Caine, an imposing man with dark hair and gray eyes. In the beginning of the novel, Caine is seeking out a pirate named Pagan whom he believes killed his brother. In hopes of drawing the pirate out, Caine masquerades as Pagan, knowing the pirate will be enraged upon hearing of someone else stealing the notorious pirate's name. Caine's plot is interrupted somewhat when the beautiful Jade knocks on the door of his home later that night and begs for his protection against people who are trying to kill her. The rest of the novel is colored with intrigue in the war department, pirates, murder plots, and the growing romance between Jade and Caine as Garwood keeps us madly turning the pages to an ultimately satisfying conclusion.
So why did I give it less than five stars? Well, I'd like to point out I felt there were good parts and bad parts about GUARDIAN ANGEL. I was very intrigued by the plot because--well--pirates are just plain sexy!! C'mon ladies, we can admit it--pirates are VERY SEXY! However, I felt as though the pirate aspect of the novel wasn't played up as much as it could've or should've been. Instead, GUARDIAN ANGEL was more concerned with the political intrigue and the on-going power struggle between Caine and Jade. However, in its favor, GUARDIAN ANGEL does actually have a plot. (All of us who regularly read romance novels recognize sometimes the plot becomes nearly an afterthought to the characters' relationship!)
My concerns about the plot itself were relatively minor. My main reason for not giving the novel a higher rating was the characterization of Caine and Jade. I liked Jade's character because she was intelligent, independent, and clever--someone who was able to look out for herself and think fast on her feet in difficult situations. So when she started being treated as Caine's doormat, I was left with my mouth dropped open in surprise and shock. It irritated me that although she was so brave and strong, she could be reduced to being anyone's doormat, least of all the man who was supposed to love and cherish her. I think Garwood asked too much of us when she asked us to believe Jade would back down so easily.
I certainly didn't hate the story, but Garwood just didn't develop Caine's better qualities well enough for me. Garwood should've made him more tender towards Jade, instead of putting his needs above her own. After meeting him in her novel THE GIFT, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth when Caine grabbed Jade roughly enough that he actually left bruises. I think a man who uses his strength to protect "his woman" instead of to hurt her is much more attractive! The male characters in the other Julie Garwood books I've read have been less controlling and possessive, and more "manly" for it.
My only other complaint is how similar all of Garwood's female characters are. They are all excessively beautiful, have a sprinkle of freckles on their noses, moan sexily while being intimate with their husbands, and smell like ROSES--they ALL smell like ROSES! I like roses, but maybe someone could smell like...oh, I don't know, lilacs? It would be nice to have more variety with Garwood's female characters instead of feeling like you're meeting the same character in a different story. I love reading about brave, beautiful women, but I do prefer feeling as though they're unique individuals.
Enjoy this book if you've already picked it up, and if you're Julie Garwood fan looking for another of her "pirate" novels, pick up THE GIFT. Otherwise, I recommend Garwood's novel RANSOM or SAVING GRACE.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting, Fun, and Entertaining!, February 28, 2000
This review is from: Guardian Angel (Mass Market Paperback)
I love all of Ms. Garwood's books. Although they are predictable in general, they are great fun to read. They are some suprising twists in this book that I specially enjoyed. Jade is unusually exciting and her protectiveness and honor is very touching. The supporting characters are all very interesting. It was great to see a little bit of Lyon and Christine from 'The Lion's Lady' in this book. The identity of Pagen is a great setup for the novel. I won't tell you who it is... you will have to ready it yourself. However, my favorite Garwood so far is still 'Ransom' but you might want to read 'the secret' before reading 'Ransom'.
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