Customer Reviews

Guardian Angel

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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'.

It had a wonderful plot, but I would have continued reading even if it didn't. The banter and confusion between Jade and Caine kept me laughing long after I put this book down. This is why I read books; to be left with a smile and a warm feeling when the last page is turned. Thank you Ms. Garwood for an outstanding book. The only two books I've reread more than this one is Perfect by Judith McNaught and, as it was one of my first regency romances, it's hard to beat and the Duke and I by Julia Quinn. Give this book a chance and I promise you won't regret it. :-)

Ms. Garwood surely knows how to write, and it's cleary proven in her novel, Guardian Angel. Jade, our fabulous heroine, is on a mission to protect Caine, our gorgeous hero. But in order for Jade to keep Caine safe, she generates lies in order to cover up her true identity. what her true identity is, I cannot say, for that would ruin the story. However, the romance between Jade and Caine I can write about. The love between Jade and Caine is extremely emotional. Love for Caine comes pretty easily to him, but for Jade it was a lot more difficult for her to express her emotions. Jade grew up with an extremely harsh childhood, only with her brother and her uncle taking care of her. But her brother and uncle would always abandon her, or more like leave her at home so she could be kept safe, while they were off on important sea business. Jade learns quickly about keeping up appearances, in other words, masking her true feelings. But as soon as she meets Caine, she realizes that Caine is able to make her be her real self, and feel love and feel cherished.

The book is filled with cute and funny scenes. Little endearments that Caine uses on Jade, and especially the ending, is wonderful! Read the book, you'll love it.

P.S. This is the second novel part of a 4-part series. The Lion's Lady, GUARDIAN ANGEL, the Gift, and Castles.

Caine (our hero) is out to avenge the man he believes killed his brother, Colin, .... the allusive pirate, Pagan; in his quest to attract Pagan's attention, Caine stumbles across Jade (a women in need?) .... she looks just like an angel, and totally out of place in the run down, ill reputed place he's in! Jade is an independent, feisty, passionate heroine with a mysterious past .... and full proof plan to capture Caine - she wants him to kill her! A tale filled to the brim with action, humour, passion and romance. As usual Julie Garwood will manage to capture your attention with her excellent writing style and colourful characters .... I thoroughly enjoyed this story and have read it, and read it, and read it again! This is one of my favourite Garwood stories ... and if I could add an "A+" on the end of the 5 star, I certainly would. In two words: top shelf!

When I first read this book, I could not put it down. I've read it three more times since then. I would give it ten stars if I could. The action is fast paced. It's hilarious. I loved Jade and Caine. This book has everything. Good characters. Interesting plot. Steamy love scenes. Never a boring moment. And it was refreshing to see a heroine who could rescue herself. This book is only surpassed by it's sequel--The Gift.

It's been a long time since I really fell into a book, but this one had me hooked. I admit I had doubts; the writing style of the first few chapters is fairly elementary. However, the story was captivating.

The plot begins with out hero, Caine, trying to find his brother's "murderer." The twists and turns of the plot are fairly predictable to the experienced romance reader. It's worth the ride though, as all the major revelations are done with just the flair and humor they deserve.

Jade was a good heroine with courage and honor (though she did lose some steam at the end of the novel). The "secrets" surrounding her past were predicable, but she had enough spunk to make it interesting. Caine was a fantastic hero, achieving that rare blend of shadow, strength, and vulnerability.

I agree with those who say the ending is a bit hard to swallow. Though not bad, Jade is not the commander she plays at the beginning. I still decide to give this novel five stars because of the wonderful reactions of the other characters to Jade's past. Topped off with a host of entertaining secondary characters (Jade's Uncle Harry and Caine's faithful butler), this one is a keeper.

This is the kinda book I'm talking about!! It was so good! In the beginning it kinda keeps you guessing and I was like, "When am I ever going to find out what happened and find out the truth!" But I was not thinking these things in a bad way. I just wanted to know!! It was written very well.

Basically the story is about Marques of Cainwood avenging the death of his brother Colin whom he thinks was killed by the pirate named Pagan. Then comes Jade asking him to kill her (yeah that's right). He of course doesn't do it, but she then asks him to protect her because people are after her. She comes up with some good stores, or lies if you will, which some he believes and some he does not.

Jade is funny. You learn pretty soon that she is trying to protect Caine. She is playing a part of a timid, crying and over reacting women but really that is far form the woman that she is. She has grown up with her uncle Black Harry and has lead an eventful life. She is very strong but has a fear of abandonment. This fear came from being left by her brother and from when her uncle would leave her to do business. She stands up to him a lot and argues (or as Caine would say, debate) with him all the time.

Caine...hmm...the man is kinda dreamy. He really is the perfect hero. He is strong; he worked in the war department and was known as "Hunter". But he is sensitive and so freakin sweet. He does and say's things to Jade that is just so nice and thoughtful. He took the time to get to know her and understand how her mind works and made a few decisions easier for her. He is a little arrogant but you start to like that about him because he does not take it too far.

This is the kinda book I am talking about! It has a mystery and a little bit of suspense and a whole lot of good romance. All I can say is....OH YEAH!!

Chrissy

This was a really good book I love Jade because she is reliant on herself and only herself. I think that Caine was a really good male character he didn't try to make her change she made the decicion herself. She did not try to be anything she wasn't without good reason. I liked this one but I really liked Castles it was the best out of the two books about Jade's and Caines siblings Colin and Nathan.