The Guardian Duke (Forgotten Castles #1)
Author: Jamie Carie
Publisher: B&H Books
Published Date: February 2012
Paperback & Kindle; 320 pages
Genre: Historical Romance/Adventure
ISBN# 978-1433673221
Reviewed by: Shanda
FTC FYI: received a galley ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Goodreads Summary
The Guardian Duke is award-winning novelist Jamie Carie’s most exciting story yet, a uniquely arranged Regency-era romantic adventure where hero and heroine know each other through written letters but have yet to meet.
Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is ordered by the King to take guardianship over Lady Alexandria Featherstone whose parents are presumed dead after failing to return from a high profile treasure hunt. But Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment, believing her parents are still alive and duly following clues that may lead to their whereabouts. Gabriel, pressured by what are actually the King’s ulterior motives, pursues her across windswept England and the rolling green hills of Ireland but is always one step behind.
When they do meet, the search for earthly treasure will pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.
First Line
“Heaven could be found in music.”
Review
I love good, clean historical romance. I could read them all day long. Especially if they have Scottish Highland lairds or English Dukes. I know, it’s cliche, but I still love it.
The Guardian Duke begins with Gabriel Ravenwood, Duke of St. Easton, enjoying an opera. He finds peace in the music, away from the pressures of the life of a duke. All of that changes when he receives a letter appointing him guardian of Alexandria Featherstone. Quite suddenly he is overcome with a mysterious malady that renders him unconscious and affects his hearing at various times throughout the book. His ability to hear music and escape from life is gone. He exchanges letters with Alexandria, intrigued by this young woman he has never met and yet seems to understand him so well.
Meanwhile, Lady Alexandria Featherstone decides to defy the King’s orders and search for her missing parents on her own. For me, this is where the book becomes more adventure and a lot less like a romance. If I had read the summary above before starting The Guardian Duke, I wouldn’t have spent so much time anticipating their first meeting. I started to get a little frustrated as Alexandria dodged the Duke again and again and I got closer and closer to the end of the book and they STILL hadn’t met yet. They do eventually meet, briefly. Most of their relationship develops through the letters they exchange. Knowing this ahead of time might have spared me that frustration.
Other than not realizing about the letter-writing, I enjoyed the rest of the story. It felt more like a romantic adventure novel rather than the typical “historical romance.” After Alexandria sets off on her journey, she meets a few additional characters who become her traveling companions and protectors: an older, former soldier, his handsome son, and an Irish giant married to a woman who looks like a fairy and sings like an angel. I found these characters interesting, with depth and stories of their own.
I received an uncorrected galley proof, so there were some formatting and proofing issues which were most likely fixed before publication. The writing was well-done for the most part, and the pacing of the story carried me through without feeling too rushed. I kept wondering when we were going to find out about what was wrong with the Duke, but that question isn’t answered in this book as the doctors are unsure about what is going on. I hope it is something we do find out before the end of the trilogy, though, as otherwise it will feel like a plot device.
There are mentions of God and prayer, but it isn’t preachy at all. There isn’t a big cliffhanger at the end of the book, though I was glad to discover that I had the galley for the second book in the trilogy on my Kindle. (Yes, I’ve read it and yes, I will be reviewing it soon.) If you like clean historical romance with a large dose of adventure, then you will most likely enjoy The Guardian Duke.
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2 Responses to “The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie”
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I am also a sucker for a good historical romance. I’ll be checking out this book for sure! Thanks for the review.
I’d like to hear what you think of it if you read it. Thanks for the comment!