The Guardian Duke: A Forgotten Castles Novel

Jamie Carie has captured my attention once again with her newest release, The Guardian Duke. This first book in her A Forgotten Castle series will have you traveling across countries as Lady Alexandria is determined to find her parents...and Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, is just as determined to find her.

Both Alexandria and Gabriel make for unique and endearing characters. Gabriel especially. He captured my attention from the very beginning and I always looked forward to reading one of his scenes. With all of the problems he is constantly facing--and now having to be a guardian to a young woman who is anything but compliant--had me cheering him on throughout the book.

I confess I didn't like Alexandria as much. She seemed...ditsy, almost, in the way she went about things. I don't know, but it got on my nerves a little. Montague was really cool, though! I loved how he just swooped into Alexandria's path like a guardian angel and protects her along her journey.

The first half of The Guardian Duke was a little slow going, but not terribly so. But be forewarned--there is a major cliffhanger at the end of this book. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, I can tell you! What will Gabriel and Alexandria go through next??

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This is the first book in the new Forgotten Castles series, and the author's first Regency-era romance. This was the first book, and likely also the last, I've read by the author. It shouldn't even be called a romance. Alex and Gabriel exchange snarky letters throughout the story, meet very briefly near the end of the book without realizing who the other person is, and then don't meet again. Absolutely nothing is resolved.

To make matters worse, the book is peppered with inaccuracies. Alex shoots Gabriel's secretary, Meade, with a shotgun, and then Gabriel uses the phrase "alright" later in the book. Stuff like this kept yanking me out of the story and made me want to throw my Kindle across the room. Better Regency stories are available from authors like Julie Klassen and Linore Rose Burkard. Save your time and read those instead.

Thanks to B&H Publishers and NetGalley for my review copy.

I love Regency era stories. Hands down they are my favorite. The clothing, the etiquette, the castles, and most of all the intrigue! After much anticipation, I can say that The Guardian Duke met every expectation I had, and then some!

Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, has never met his newly appointed ward and begins writing her letters. Alexandria has the ability to irritate the Duke with the written word but as time goes on she also beguiles him. Love begins to blossom. He wants to be her protector, thinking she is in need of one. Little does he know how resourceful she has had to be. He fears for her and sets out to bring her back to London. There's something that makes this kind of tricky but I don't want to spoil the story so I will not say anymore about him.

Alexandria has spent most of her life alone on Holy Island, with only a few house staff to keep her company, while her parents travel the globe. Suspected dead by some, Alexandria is not convinced that this is true. She devises a plan to find them but needs funds. She writes to the Duke of St Easton, pleading for money. She's not exactly honest with him, but of course he doesn't know this. What ensues over the course of time, through the letters, is quite amusing.

I enjoyed watching Gabriel fall in love with Alexandria through the letters. It held a special place in my heart as my husband and I corresponded the first 6 months of our courtship through letters while he was living in a foreign country!

If you're a fan of Regency fiction, you don't want to miss this introduction to Gabriel and Alexandria. I couldn't believe I had reached the end of the book. It is a brilliant cliffhanger!

There's so much more to this story but you know I tend to be conservative with my reviews because I dislike spoilers. I hope you'll purchase your own copy. The book comes out in February and is available for pre-order at several online retailers. All of Ms. Carie's books have stunningly beautiful covers. This one is no exception and I think it is the best she has written yet!

An Advance Reader's Edition, uncorrected proof, from B&H Publishing Group was provided through NetGalley. I was under no obligation to write a positive review, just my honest opinion.

I can tell you what I thought about this book in one word- "meh". It was surprisingly short but I'm glad for that because I don't know if I could have finished it if it was much longer. I kept waiting for it to get to the exciting part but it never came. Occasionally there would be a page or two that I enjoyed but nothing extraordinary.

I think I would have enjoyed this book if Carie had stuck more to the treasure hunting part of the plot instead of straying off into the Duke's personal life and things that I feel really didn't matter to the story.

Skip it.

This novel, while having a few redeeming qualities, is a sad disappointment. As a romance, it lacks, well, romance. There is plenty of adventure and odd characters and the plot clips along with plenty of twists and turns. However, very little makes sense or is explained clearly. What could have been a very interesting treatment of finding oneself suddenly disabled turns into a lame plot ploy that appears and disappears inexplicably. After finding his mysterious deafness returning, Gabriel suddenly, or at least within a few pages, is having normal conversations with people around him. The Christianity in this novel has been applied with a salt caster, so to speak. The business about prayer and God's intervention in people's lives is gratuitous and random. So in the end, the novel is not exactly a good adventure--too much silliness; not exactly a good romance--the love story is more than thin; and not exactly inspirational--random Christian comments without much basis or follow through.

The first book of Jamie Carie's Forgotten Castles series starts off with a bang!! We have a Regency-era story filled an intriguing castle, a handsome duke, a heart-tugging tale weaved with mystery, suspense and romance!! Loved it!!

I didn't realize when I started reading this book that it was a series that continued. I knew it was a series but I thought each book was kind of like a stand-alone with similar story lines or characters!! Boy was I surprised when I got the end of The Guardian Duke and it didn't end!! I was left breathless with the ending, and instantly grabbed my net galley copy of book 2 and began devouring it!!

We have Alexandria who lives in a old castle primarily on her own. Her parents are often gone for long periods of time. When her parents are suspected dead she suddenly finds herself the ward of the Duke of St Easton. The Duke pleads for her to come to him and stay under his protection via his letters but she not-so-politely refuses! She isn't convinced her parents are dead so she is not ready to give up her life to go live with a Duke she has never met.

The correspondence between the Duke and Alexandria are quite hilarious. Alex has this way of coming being completely sarcastic yet sweet at the same time and I enjoyed her silly humor. Their friendship blooms over the course of these letters and it is just wonderful! The letters are truly the best part of the book! Every time there was a letter, I held my breath in anticipation to read what was wrote!! Brilliant!

Like I said earlier, the ending is not what you'll expect and you will instantly be dying to read the next book in the series!!

Thank you to net galley for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for my personal and honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

This first book in the "Forgotten Castles" series is full of everything a good read must have. It has a beautiful heroine, a handsome Duke, intrigue, mystery, suspense, deception and a little romance thrown in.

Lady Alexandria Featherstone lives alone in a run down castle in England with her two aged but faithful servants. Upon receiving word from the King that her parents have been declared dead she decided to prove the King wrong and go find her parents. The parents, who searched for lost treasure for a living, have been gone for almost a year and have not been heard from. Lady Alex however, is convinced they are alive and she sets out to find them, by any means necessary.

Appointed by the King to be Lady Alexandria's guardian, Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton is quite taken by surprise by this appointment. He has never met Lady Alex or her parents to his knowledge but takes on the task willingly all the while dealing with his own problems. He has suddenly, due to unknown reasons, become deaf after a night enjoying his beloved opera. Upon discovering that Lady Alex may be in danger because of whatever it was her parents were searching for, he decides to bring her to his home in London. However, when he reaches her run down castle she is nowhere to be found. Having formed an opinion of the type of young woman she is from letters they have been exchanging back and forth since his appointment he has learned Lady Alex is a very headstrong and stubborn young woman.

What transpires as he chases Lady Alex all over the British Isles is at times humorous, scary, and frustrating. He always seems to be a step behind her. She, meanwhile, has been befriended by a retired Admiral who agrees to accompany her. Does he have ulterior motives? Will she find her parents? How is the King involved? You will just have to read the book to find out!

I enjoyed reading this book and could not put it down for wanting to see what happens next! I cannot wait for book 2 in the series to find out where the adventures of Lady Alex and Gabriel lead them next! I highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed!

Where do I start?
Pathetic writing, awful characterization.
Romance is entirely unbelievable, and when I first read about the main character I thought she was a child of 7. Not a woman grown.
This doesn't mean someone else won't like an easy fluffy read here, but I must confess - I can't believe I even finished it.

This is a historical Christian romance with a bit of mystery. This story takes place in 1818. Gabriel Ravenwood is the Duke of St. Easton. He has a love for music and loses his hearing suddenly. The doctors cannot figure out why he has lost his hearing. Gabriel gets a letter from the king appointing him as the guardian for Lady Alexandria Featherstone of Holy Island. Her parents are treasure hunters that have been missing and have been presumed dead. Upon hearing that she has been appointed a guardian, Alex decides to find her parents as she believes them to be alive still. Her travels start in Ireland and she will meet danger upon the way. She will also gain 2 traveling companions who protect her. When Gabriel journeys to Holy Island to bring Alex to London he discovers of her travels and goes after her as she is in danger. He has never met her yet as they have only corresponded through letters.

I really enjoyed this story. I really grew to like these characters, each dealing with their own problems the best that they can. The author did a fantastic job of describing the scenery. I could imagine all these characters and places while I was reading. There wasn't too much romance in this story as all the feelings that developed were through letters. The author did leave a little cliffhanger at the end so it's a good thing I have the next book waiting for me to read it!

I received this ebook free from the publisher, B&H Publishing Group, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started The Forgiven Duke the same moment I finished The Guardian Duke. There is not so much as a cliffhanger ending as a story left unfinished. In the interview I posted yesterday, Jamie Carie said
I was able to really dive into their growth and development and create a sweeping plot that covered so much more ground than a stand alone story.
This is so evident in this story. Alex is revealed slowly and deliciously through her love for her parents, her care for her island, her old castle and the people that live there. (Oh yea, she lives in an old castle!!!)

Gabriel is revealed in so many layers... through frustrations and conflicts. The idea that he and Alex will get together also grows gradually. There's no insta-love OR love triangles. And I thought we had to have one or the other, at least!! Oh, no... this story has two unique characters with natural attractions that just keep compounding despite (or because of) the oddest circumstances.

I love the setting in the early 1800's Great Britain. I can feel the wind off the ocean, hear the accents during the trek across Ireland. Too fun. The clothes are described just enough to visualize Jane Austen style fashions. Too cute. I love the setting and I love, LOVE the characters.

Hey... even the supporting cast is full of flavor. I picture Meade in his alligator costume, spindly and leaping to Gabriel's assistance before he even asks. He's eager to please, but loaded with his own opinion, which is not always the same as "his Grace's". Admiral Montague is too utterly noble. He has his own past aches and although he is helping Alex, she is helping him, too. Baylor is the perfect Irish giant especially with his wife, "my harpy". Lol. Oh, and John Lemon... I had to laugh when he was referred to as a "fop" by Gabriel, of course, in a very jealous moment. He's the perfect, handsome gentleman. all gracious and kindness. But I can see that FOPness, too... it's there!! But Gabriel really shouldn't be talkin'... he lingers to "assist" a widowed beauty, the lovely Claire Montgomery. Oh, if only Alex knew!!

The flip-side of this book... is it is not a "fast" read. It has a lulling pace that unfolds it's secrets at it's own pace. There's a little action, I suppose, but the moments are brief. Minor incidents. There is also a bucket-load of cuteness. Lol. It's true!! I don't mean the parts where everyone tries their darndest to do the right thing - no, that's refreshing - but the parts where things keep working out well. Like... it's so handy that someone rescues Alex at just the right moment, or that they happen upon the group of people who remember an important clue on Alex's search. Over and over. I caught myself wishing that more things went wrong. Lol. The tension and the close calls between Alex and Gabriel start increasing by the end, though... so I have no idea what I'll do when I finish the next book. Probably camp out on the author's back porch 'til she coughs up A Duke's Promise!!

My Rating: 3.5 - This book is definitely worth reading. The scenes linger long after the covers are closed.

Cover Commentary: Gotta love the cover!! I think it's so great how well the model matches Alex!!