The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie: Enter to Win!

I just finished The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie and am actually surprised at how much I liked this book! I will confess that I had actually looked at this book on Amazon before deciding to review it and read a review that made the book sound like it wouldn't be my cup of tea...but it was.

While I don't want to delve into what the Amazon reviewer said too far because it was a bit of a spoiler....suffice it to say that the reviewer didn't like the fact that the book derives from the standard Christian fiction formula to an extent. However, in this book it more than works because a mystery helps fuel this book. If a mystery book can't be a bit different than other releases, I don't know what type of book could!

In this volume, Lady Alexandria Featherstone is inhabiting her family's castle on the English shoreline when she receives word that her parents are presumed dead and that she has been placed under the guardianship of Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton. She doesn't believe they are dead and travels off in search of her parents who left home to solve a mystery for a private client (yes, the husband and wife were apparently a sleuthing team...novel concept since a lot of wives were not allowed so much freedom in this book's time period). As Alexandria travels, she makes several acquaintances and acquires a couple of companions for her journey along the way.

Perhaps this was my only problem with the book. Alexandria is continually described as beguiling and able to get people to do things for her because of her charm and cuteness, but I felt like the book never really established this winning personality and beauty when describing her, featuring her words, or relaying her actions. She was interesting, a compulsive manipulator in a non self-serving way, and described as having really nice eyes...but that was about it. Readers are told about her abilities instead of being shown it.

That being said, Jamie Carie makes up for the lack of Alexandria personality feeling by really making Gabriel a very internal character who shows us all of the aspects of his personality in his internal dialogue and struggles with the appearance of sudden sporadic deafness in the beginning of the book. Gabriel seemed to be a lovely, dedicated man, and I liked him a lot which may have influenced my opinions of Alexandria a bit as I didn't like her game playing and frequent fibbing and manipulations when it suited her needs.

Despite my little nitpicks, I did like this book well enough and am looking forward to reading The Forgiven Duke later this year. The ending of this volume kind of leaves anyone who didn't really loathe the book no option but to read the second book if they want a tidy resolution to the plot line (and that is really only if this doesn't turn out to be a trilogy...it doesn't look like it is one).

Official Book Synopsis:

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.

Book Trailer:



About Jamie Carie:

When she was six, Jamie’s parents met Jesus and soon after started a church. It changed everything. Road trips with her dad—to and from Bible studies across Indiana—were filled with talks of things beyond earth’s bounds – creation and the fall, God and Jesus and the rapture, the earthly walk compared to the spiritual walk, and how we are born for more than what we can see or touch.
The highlight of those nights was stopping at a truck stop in the middle of the night where her dad would spend a little of the offering basket on two slices of pie and a couple of Cokes. Nothing ever felt so special as a middle of the night slice of pie with her dad. And nothing could stop the writing pouring out of her.
As Jamie’s relationship with God grew, she discovered her heart was filled with songs and poetry. During high school she wrote lyrics for her brother’s band. (And she sang them too!) After college, Jamie married, had two sons and decided to stay home with them. While she homeschooled she wrote skits, poems, plays and short stories for school and church.
When her eldest son turned five she dove into the world of novels. She’d read romance novels for years, but couldn’t relate to the flawless, saintly heroines in Christian romance novels. So she decided to write her own.

Additional Material:

Forgotten Castles Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ForgottenCastles
Buy the Book on Amazon: The Guardian Duke: A Forgotten Castles Novel

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