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Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood is the second book in the set of three novels, Guardian Angel follows on the heels of The Lion’s Lady. I didn’t know this when I started and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the book. Usually I dislike sets of romances because one couple or half of a couple ends up irking me due to their actions in a previous book. However, Lyon and Christina are already wedded by this point and I loved them in their story. I did wonder as to their purpose in this novel, but Lyon is clearly Caine’s friend and trustworthy ally which Caine will need before the novel is up. Speaking on ends, I thought the ending to Guardian Angel was lacking in some fashion. I can’t put my finger on it but the ending left me feeling vaguely like how the ending of The Wedding made me feel… unresolved I guess.

The Marquess of Cainewood is on a mission. Revenge coldly calculated, this ruthless man has set out to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the notorious pirate known only as Pagan. The pirate would meet his maker, and then perhaps Caine’s father would get some peace. Sitting in the back of a pub that had become his haunting place since his brother’s death, Caine’s evening is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an angel with fiery red hair. She’s scared, trembling, but determined.

Her first question is about his identity… is he Pagan?

His charade as the pirate was working, but instead of drawing out the real Pagan, he got a maiden in distress. She asks him to kill her before the men after her catch up and do the job themselves. She wants to die quick and painlessly and hoped the honorable Pagan would help her. Honorable indeed! Caine refuses and shoulders the burdens of the young woman.

Jade he will find leads him on a merry goose chase after criminals who do and don’t exist. And all the while she is flitting about trying to keep Caine occupied, a real mystery is brewing… but also passion. Can Jade keep her heart safe or has a man finally pierced her shields to the vulnerable girl inside?

Rating: 4 Stars

Edit: The sex in this novel doesn’t follow the usual path in romance novels. When Jade loses her virginity it’s not a quick flash of pain and then over with. I enjoyed how Garwood handled everything when it became an issue between Jade and Caine. Jade was also very tender for her second time. It was different than what I am used to in a romance novel and I found that I enjoyed it because of that.

Originally posted 2009-01-06 00:40:53. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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I took great pleasure in reading this novel. It wasn’t a typical romance though it held many of the typical pieces you would find in a romance. Atypical you ask? Yes! The heroine for instance was raised by the Dakota, or Native American Indians. She had to return to England to pursue the rest of her destiny and avenge her dead mother. The banter was particularly snappy between the leads. The sex too was pretty phenomenal on the scale of none to steamy. I read this in about a day and half; I would put it down and couldn’t wait to get back to it as soon as possible.

The cover on this novel is hysterical, at least my version which is pretty old. My sister-in-law picked it up thinking a boob was sticking out, flagrant nipples and all, but realized upon closer inspection that it was simply a circular diamond pin stuck to the front of the dress. To me the models look like they are wrapped up in a sleeping bag decorated in some ancient Regency pattern. For being raised by the Dakotas in America, she’s certainly pale, no sign of a tan at all – on the cover or in the book. I wonder why that is? Could it be because society would have been shocked down to their slippers and boots?

Christina Bennett is the crème de la crème. The moment her dainty foot hit the first ballroom, London society gasped and capitulated at her feet. She finds it silly and they call her Princess, even though her father has lost his kingdom, even though she’s never met her father in person. With pale white hair and the deepest sky blue eyes, Christina is a lioness. Her arrival to London was predicted by a shaman’s dream and her destiny was to seek out justice for the crimes against her and her mother.

Is it any wonder when she’s introduced to the Marquess of Lyonwood that she was shaken from her stupor? The man looked fierce and vulnerable at the same time. He held himself like a warrior and bore a warrior’s scar down his cheek. To Christina, he looked positively virile and masculine, a far cry of the fops and dandies she’d met again and again from ballroom to ballroom. He was like a lion too, lithe and predatory. When he pursues her, part of Christina wants to give in and part of her fears doing so because she could learn to love him… worse he could learn to love her and her stay with the English was only ever meant to be temporary.

With tempting kisses and secret trysts, Christina’s head swims with the heady sensations of newly experienced passion. She begs him to marry her in one unguarded moment and the scoundrel declines. Lyonwood sees her proposal as a sign of her scheming ways, not realizing that Christina’s eager passion is unrehearsed. He plans to seduce her not knowing that she’s virginal until it’s too late…

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-12-28 19:30:35. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Julie Garwood is a staple, a household name, and Wedding is the first book of hers I ever read. Recommended to me by my closest friend, I came to the conclusion that it must go to the top of my TBR pile. I found the Wedding to be a delightful combination of bride stealing, tortured hero, and a quest for justice. The tortured hero was my favorite part, though the heroine was pretty great too. The Wedding is the sequel to The Bride, but I don’t think you miss anything by reading this one first; it is after all what I did first. I also found pieces of text to get choppy when going from scene to scene near the end or from heroine to hero point of view. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to learning about who this fabulous author is. Spoilers ahead…

Wedding focuses heavily on a revenge plot, which in the end I felt could have been wrapped up better. When young Laird Connor McAlister comes to his father’s death bed, he is made to promise to seek justice for the wrongs of his father. At ten, one would not think this would be particularly important or something that would be a driving force in the child’s life but we’re underestimating the loyalty between father and son, the pride of the Highlanders, and of course the time period. Connor seeks protection from Alec, forms a lasting brotherhood with the man and grows up to search for his father’s killers.

The man Connor’s father thought was behind the plotting is getting married. Since he cannot prove his involvement with his father’s death, Connor decides to seek a lesser revenge by stealing his bride, Brenna Haynesworth. Lucky for Connor, his soon to be bride, Brenna, shares a bit of history with him. I’ll give you it’s a relatively brief history, but this history is needed so that Connor can justify his actions to his brother Alec. See, Brenna as a young girl asked Connor to marry her three times during his one and only stay at her childhood home. Brenna is an amusing heroine because she loses her possessions constantly. Hair ribbons, knifes, shoes, it all follows behind her like a trail of bread crumbs.

When the novel focused on the hero and heroine falling in love, it was a very good read but then it drifted back into the revenge plot and stuck there with a few too many clichés. Connor’s stepmother is plainly evil. She affects a loving spirit still in mourning for her dead husband in front of Connor, but sabotages Brenna at every turn and picks on all her fears about herself and Connor whenever the man isn’t looking. And Brenna is so concerned about gaining his stepmother’s favor and love that she doesn’t bring up her problems with Connor or anyone for that matter.

Then when Connor’s stepbrother arrives on the scene he is a lecherous cretin, bent on seducing Brenna as soon as possible, not caring at all if she’s willing or not. While this is going on the man Connor thinks plotted his father’s death is moving his players around and causing mischief so that Connor cannot be near Brenna or observe what is going on in his own household until it’s nearly too late. Then to top it all off is another communication misunderstanding and the happily ever after is almost caput. In the end they have it, but I would have preferred Garwood to draw it out more instead of tacking it on at the end as if she’d forgotten about it.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-12-27 09:35:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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What is highlander romance?

Highlander romance is a subgenre of historical romance. Not to be confused with the show, highlander romance is all about those sexy warrior men. The setting for these romances usually takes place in Scotland or Wales. You may be familiar with the 2008 movie Made of Honor; it was a movie that pitted the typical Highlander, Scottish, hero against a trust fund city slicker. An exemplary novel of this genre is Julie Garwood’s The Bride. Overall, Highlander romances are as formula based as any other genre in romance or fiction.

What are the Clans/Tribes involved in Highlander romance?

I am sure there are more, and if you know of them inform me and I’ll flush out this section!

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• Scottish
• Welsh
• Highlanders
• Lowlanders

The lore behind Highlander Romance:

Most Highlander romances will use a Romeo and Juliet theme where the clan/tribe/family rivalry and hatred separate the two lovebirds. They will either fall in love in spite of the mutual dislike or be forced into it by another typical plot line such as the girl’s family being indebted to the hero or his family. The debt will be settled by marriage and unwilling or not family honor must be upheld. Luckily for the main leads, they end up liking each other.

There are also plenty of curses and cursed heroes and heroines alike in Highlander romance. A cursed hero will be destined to lose his love or perhaps has already lost his love and finds a new one. He might be cursed to never find love, get married, bear children, etc. The heroines could face similar curses.

Highlander romance also includes a lot of vendettas and bride stealing.

If you would like to add to this section or review a Highlander romance please contact me!

Originally posted 2008-07-09 21:12:11. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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I’ve spent the last couple of days reorganizing my space (which is small) for several new (to me) books were coming my way. I got a second bookshelf (surprise, surprise) and cleared out a corner for it. This took some ingenuity as this used to be my junk corner. The corner I knew would contain anything I couldn’t find because I thought I wouldn’t need to anytime soon. It’s the corner or the drawer or space that accumulates undesirables that can’t be thrown out for some reason or another.

It started with reprioritizing a lot of it and finding new homes for it all one piece at a time. I did throw away a lot of paper and the ilk. By throwaway I mean I stuck it in the pile of papery/cardboardy things that I take over to my library’s dumpster reserved for such purposes. It helps them make some money and its recycling so two points for me.

Next I did the sweeping and the dusting. Unpleasant tasks, yes, but ones that must get done. I broke a ceramic mug in the process. Whoops. The pieces were very sharp and had to be taken care of immediately. Luckily it wasn’t a mug I was particularly attached too.

Now I was ready. Boy was I unprepared! I was gaining a new collection of novels today. My new collection filled out eight office crates and contained romance (enough to fill two shelves triple stacked give or take) and crime/western (enough to fill three shelves in a similar fashion.) I still have a crate and a half with books. Part of the books had been mine to start but wouldn’t fit on the shelves and part of the new collection.

There are some whoppers in this batch. I have been caught giggling over titles and covers as I uncovered them. Several titles from Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick, Danielle Steel, LaVryle Spencer, Sandra Brown, and Julie Garwood. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. I finally own my own copies of The Bride and The Wedding. Woo!

Of course with the books being double stacked in front of each other and then stacked on top of twice it’ll be a wonder to find any of them. I do have a system, sorta anyway in place to get through them. It’s very simple really. Start with one, read it, review it, keep it/offer it on paperback swap. Not only will I be getting several hours of reading pleasure, I’ll get to organize again. Double the joy… hehe.

What’s on your shelf?

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