The Guardian

The Guardian - Mary Calmes 3.5 stars. Let's say 3.65. I enjoyed this book, loved the concept, and found the characters very likeable. They're both a mess in their own ways, just how I like my romance heroes.

It starts off with a bang - late night jaunt for reasons Jude can't fathom, but still feels compelled to do, ending in nearly getting killed by three monstrous dogs in order to save a fourth dog. Now, we the readers know early on that this is no dog, though Jude hasn't a clue. Loved this idea of Alpha in dog form (and he's a beautiful dog - I want one.)

The tight, tense story arc began to unravel a little for me once they crossed the Veil, though. I wanted to see a fully realized world, wanted to see complicated things going on and plot twists revealed. While Midrin was interesting, as far as the reader is allowed to see, we don't really see as much as I would have liked.

The ending gave me pause. This is a two person POV story. But just when we reach what promises to be the climactic conflict, we get whisked away back to our world to do marketing stuff with Jude while Eoin battles the forces of evil. Um. Oh, dear. As a reader, I found this an odd choice and being told about it all in sketchy terms after the fact made me feel shoved aside.

Despite the odd ending (and, OK, the last scene is just adorable) this is a fun read and I did find myself smiling quite a bit throughout.