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Crown's Spies #2

Guardian Angel

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An alternate cover edition can be found here

The Emerald flew across the seas, carrying the pirate Pagan -- despised by the ton, whose riches he plundered, and beloved by the poor, whose plight was eased by his gifts.

The Marquess of Cainewood vows to hunt down the pirate wretch in revenge for his brother's death. But when Jade, an enchanting vision of rippling red hair and eyes of jewel-green, appears at his door to beg desperately for his protection, the Marquess agrees to keep her safe from the villains who want her dead. Jade is infuriating, exasperating, and gorgeous; Caine is noble, strong-willed, and powerful. No woman has ever befuddled him so, nor so deeply aroused his desire. But as Jade answers his knowing caresses with an innocent, wild abandon, they are drawn into a web of treachery that will test the very heart of their love!

375 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

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About the author

Julie Garwood

162 books12.3k followers
With more than 35 million books in print and 26 NEW YORK TIMES bestsellers, Julie Garwood has earned a position among America's favorite fiction writers.

Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, Ms. Garwood attributes much of her success to growing up in a large family of Irish heritage. "The Irish are great storytellers who relish getting all of the details and nuances of every situation. Add in the fact that I was the sixth of seven children. Early in life, I learned that self expression had to be forceful, imaginative, and quick," says Ms. Garwood.

She began her writing career when the youngest of her three children entered school. After the publications of two young-adult books, she turned her talents to historical fiction. Her first novel, GENTLE WARRIOR, was published by Pocket Books in 1985. Since then, she has branched into other genres including contemporary romantic suspense. Today, her name appears regularly on the bestseller lists of every major publication in the country, and her books are translated into dozens of languages around the world. Her bestselling novel FOR THE ROSES was adapted for the HALLMARK HALL OF FAME television movie ROSE HILL.

Ms. Garwood lives in Leawood, KS and is currently working on her next novel.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 527 reviews
Profile Image for Kristen.
842 reviews4,991 followers
August 16, 2013
HUGE 5 STARS!

IF I COULD GIVE THIS BOOK 6 STARS I WOULD. THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVED IT!


To be honest, I'm really not in the mood to write a full-length review but I have to say this is one of my FAVORITE Julie Garwood books. I loved EVERYTHING about this enchanting and delightful story. This is a book I will read (or listen to) again and again.

Julie Garwood's books are like comfort foods for me. I know that I will always get a delight read full of witty dialogue, charming characters, and feel good romance. I can't recommend this author enough. I simply adore her.

Note: I listen to the audio version of this story and while the narrator's slightly "breathy" voice took some time to get use to, I ended up really enjoying her narration. I also found there is a plus side to a slight "breathy" narration...the love scenes sound very...um...authentic. LOL.
Profile Image for ♥ℳelody.
717 reviews782 followers
February 10, 2017
2.5 stars
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What can I say I found the entire story a little too:
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Everyone is either roaring, bellowing or wailing through most of the story. There is no middle ground between those three. I'm surprised no one's head fell off from all the 'crystal-shaking' & 'wall trembling' tantrums. RME. The constant quick jumps from different range of emotions is really hard to follow and so hammy. It doesn't translate well. One minute a person is bellowing their demand the next line they are smiling tenderly with happy tears. WTF? And Garwood seriously couldn't find another word to express anguish with Jade besides wailing? Ugh. Why? The dialogue was the most tiring one-dimensional thing of all with it's repetitiveness and operatic style. This read very much like a campy over-the-top bad soap opera. Parts that were supposed to be funny and 'aw isn't that sweet' were so silly and obnoxious. Especially in regards to the heroine. Shrieking is not cute and it will never be cute. Also why does every person's name have to be repeated at the end of every line in the dialogue?? Drove me insane. I know who is talking to who there is no need to insert their name. SMH. It came off very unrealistic.

I had a hard time buying the heroine Jade as a sea-surfing pillaging pirate. Besides picking locks, this girl came across like a sheltered haughty naive 15 year old who was very quick to take offense. It took her hours to realize she was shot and refused to be looked at by a doctor and couldn't comprehend the idea of recovery. She didn’t understand why Cain was trying to cover their tracks when they were being followed, loosing a trail was a complete foreign concept to her. Shouldn’t a pirate know these things?? Through half of this she puts on a show of being a timid silly sheltered gentle lady to fool Caine. The problem was I wasn't at all convinced it was an act. She's huffy and demands an apology for every single thing through the entire story. Girl... get off it.

Caine as a hero didn't impress me either. I found him flat and ridiculous at times with the overly macho alpha behavior. He was just like every stereotypical bodice-ripper hero you could imagine with the sexist patronizing beliefs. I don't mind alpha jerks but it got to be too much in here and just eye-roll inducing. He's going 'you will be mine!' one DAY after meeting Jade and pretty much forces her hand into marriage. Meh. Wasn't feeling any of it. And was the endearment baby used in English peerage in the 1800s? I highly doubt it. I found this idiosyncrasy entirely out of place and so distracting.

The villain in this was even more laughable.
"I will have those letters, Jade. They are my proof to the world of all glorious feats I've accomplished. No one's going to deny me now. No one. In years to come, the world will realize what my Tribunal was able to accomplish. We could have ruled England, if I had chosen to continue with my work. Oh yes, I will have the letters back. They will be kept in a safe place until the time is right to reveal my genuis."
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Seriously? LOL. I just can't.

I'm new to Julie Garwood and she seems to be a favorite among many. I've heard her heroines are not for everyone and I'm beginning to see why. If an author has the habit of writing shrewish childish insufferable heroines then see ya! I'm OUT and from what I've gathered this seems to be a scary pattern, which isn't very encouraging. But besides that, the writing for me severely lacks in depth and range. Emotions go from 0 to 100 in a heartbeat with no nuance or finesse. The characters come across like cartoons rather than living breathing characters with zero dimension. Meh. No thanks.
Profile Image for Dina.
1,324 reviews1,324 followers
April 30, 2010
A Regency novel that doesn't have a single ball during the course of the story? Trust Garwood to deliver it, along with one of her quirky heroines.

Caine, the Marquess of Cainewood, is seeking revenge against the infamous pirate Pagan for the murder of his (Caine's) younger brother Colin. Caine's plan is simple: he starts hanging around at a bar on the seediest side of London and pretends to be Pagan, figuring out that the real Pagan will make an appearance to unmask his impostor when he hears about it. Imagine Caine's surprise when Lady Jade, a young beautiful woman who's clearly out of place in the disreputable bar, approaches him one night and, believing he's Pagan, hires him to kill her! You see, there are men out there trying to kill her because she's witnessed a murder and she knows they'll get her sooner or later, so she'd rather take the matter into her own hands and end her life as she pleases, instead of risking the chance of suffering a horrible death by the hands of the assassins that are after her. Caine's protective instinct kicks in and, even though he doesn't believe Jade's story, he takes her under his wing and vows to keep her safe - after explaining to her that he isn't Pagan, that is.

Unbeknownst to Caine, Jade knew all along that he wasn't the infamous pirate, because she's been sent by the real Pagan to protect him. In truth, it isn't Jade's life that's in danger, it's Caine's - but she can't say anything to him, so she lets him think he is her guardian angel when, in fact, she is his guardian angel. Caine knows Jade's lying to him but he doesn't understand why or what she's hiding, and every attempt he makes at extracting the truth out of her only makes him (and me) more confused. Yup, the woman knows how to spin a tale, LOL. Regardless of Jade's manipulative (in a good way) behavior, Caine finds himself falling in love with her. But what will happen when he finally finds the truth about her? Will he forgive her little deception? This is Romancelandia, so... :)

I really enjoyed this book, with its several plot twists that kept me guessing what was true and what was another deception on Jade's part. When I thought I had it all figured out and couldn't believe Caine didn't see it, Jade would pull another trick and leave me as dumbfounded as Caine. I have to say, though, that the constant retelling of the events that made Caine's and Jade's paths cross became repetitive in the 2nd half of the book. Maybe Garwood felt it was necessary to do so, because Jade's "creativity" made it hard to know for sure what was true and what was a product of her imagination.

The romance between Caine and Jade was fun to follow: as it happens in most Garwood books, he falls - or admits to be - in love with her first and tells her so constantly, even though she refuses to say it back. He doesn't mind, of course. He's confident enough to know that she loves him too and it's only a matter of time before she accepts it. I was OK with his arrogance, as that's one of the reasons I love Garwood heroes, but he was more overbearing than I had expected. At one point, he grabbed her with such force that he knew he would leave her bruised. Did he stop? No, and I was confused. Garwood heroes never hurt their heroines... or so I believed. As for Jade, I was surprised to see her letting him get away with it, because she was an independent, smart and strong heroine, one who I didn't think would put up with that. I thought that her personality was very similar to Christina's, the heroine in The Lion's Lady, and even Lyon (Christina's husband) remarked on that. Based on that, I guess the similarity was intentional and not accidental. Even so, it was a little annoying because I read the previous book only a few days ago.

All in all, this was another great read by Garwood. Not my favorite - nothing beats her medievals, IMHO - but sill very enjoyable. Needless to say, I'm still a loyal fan of hers and I'm definitely going to read the next books in this series.
Profile Image for Korrie’s Korner.
1,310 reviews13.4k followers
August 17, 2022
Loved this story so much! Seeing Lion and his wife from the first book made me smile!! I listened to this and loved it..there were a few breathy sounding moments that I just overlooked.

I love protective growly heroes.
I love head strong heroines who just happen to be strong
I loveeee STEAM too!

This books had all the things and had some pirates.
February 25, 2020
4.25 staaaaaaarrrrrrsss

This is the second book in the Crown's Spies series by Julie Garwood that focuses on the men (and in a few cases, women) who served as British spies in the early 1800's. This book focuses on the man known in his files as "The Hunter:" The Marquess of Cainewood.

Caine is out for revenge, and he will stop at nothing to get it. His younger brother, also in the employ of the crown (unbeknownst to Caine until recently) was killed, and the pirate Pagan is responsible. To gain his retribution, Caine has doubled the price on Pagan's head, sought out any former associates that might be able to tell him where to find this notorious pirate, and has used the very persuasive techniques he learned as a spy to try to gain information as to where he can find this vigilante... but so far, he has come up empty. Thus, he has decided to employ a new tactic: pretend to be Pagan to draw him out of hiding. Caine believes his plan will succeed, and he is awaiting the arrival of the real Pagan when a young woman stumbles into the seedy tavern frequented by sailors and general riff raff and asks "Pagan" to help her. She is prepared to pay him, and she shows him the coins she has, but wants his assurance that he will carry out her requested service. She wants him to kill her.

Caine is floored when the beautiful woman who calls herself "Jade" asks him to kill her. When he inquires as to why, she tells him that she is being sought by villains as she witnessed the murder of a gentleman, and those who perpetrated the crime will not be kind in disposing of her. As taking her own life is a sin, she decided that the best way to deal with her problem is to hire a pirate to end it for her. Obviously, Caine does not agree to fulfill her request and instead insists that he can protect her from those who seek to do her harm... which is exactly what Jade knew he would do. In fact, she was counting on it as she read his file with the war department and learned that he is a protector by nature who always employs a methodical process to carry out his orders. While there really is someone after Jade, there is also someone after Caine, and Jade has promised to protect him. Fully aware that Caine would never accept protection from anyone, much less a woman, she pretends to be scatterbrained, helpless, and quick to tears to gain his sympathies and his "assistance" which gives her the opportunity to stay near him and keep him safe from traitors to the crown who want to keep him from finding out the truth about his brother's killer.

In order to keep Jade safe, Caine must use all of his skills as a hunter to find those responsible, and while he isn't buying her damsel in distress act, he can't control the feelings that drive him to want to keep her safe and with him... always. But there are secrets Caine doesn't know about and people who want to keep it that way bent on silencing him and Jade. Can Caine truly keep her safe from harm? Will Jade be able to trust him to keep his word not to leave her as every man in her life has from as far back as she can recall? And if so, when Caine learns the truth, will it all be for naught?

What I liked:
--- Caine was the kind of H you want to protect you - definitely swoon-worthy (and thankfully the "rake" angle wasn't overplayed)
--- The ancillary characters were fun and definitely created interest in the reader to hear their stories in the upcoming series installments
--- Opportunity to revisit the mcs from book 1
--- STEAMY goodness!

What I didn't like as much:
--- While I enjoy a strong female (meaning one who doesn't cower in the corner or faint at the earliest sign of trouble), Jade was a little over-the-top at times for me - she could have dialed that back a little and not been as stubborn, imo
--- A couple of plot points seemed extraneous (especially about the relationship with Caine and his stepmother) - didn't seem to really add to the story

Overall, a solid read with all of the elements I most enjoy: likeable characters, mystery/intrigue/action, a fast-moving story line, and a satisfying HEA.

Plot --- 4.25/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 4.5/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- nothing graphic
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
Profile Image for Lakshmi C.
346 reviews103 followers
October 3, 2017
Julie Garwood does it again. I can't get over the incredible plot, layered story and addictive writing. Definitely on the re-read list.

This story follows Caine on his quest to capture the infamous pirate Pagan. He finds love unexpectedly in the form of a damsel in distress - Jade.

Caine is a former spy, his gift is hunting. He's retired from the government but has a new target, for personal reasons.
Pagan is an unseen, Robin Hood pirate and a legend. I loved Pagan's backstory and how it deviated from what the reader expects.

Caine loses his brother and believes Pagan is the one responsible. Family is sacred to Caine and revenge is the only thing that can make him content.

Jade was charming, loyal and frustrated Caine to no end. Misfortune follows Jade everywhere and Caine takes her under his wing. The scenes between these two were sweet and funny.

Julie Garwood writes characters that are complex, unconventional and interesting.

I had high hopes for Pagan and the big reveal was magnificent. My guess was right and I was quite pleased.

Christina and Lyon make an appearance in this book. Lyon helped Caine when they got caught in a murky msytery and offers a safe house for Jade.

This book also highlights how coping mechanisms differ from person to person. Humor, withdrawal, moving on or denial, the author captures these in a realistic manner.

This book has convinced me about one major thing - A Butler makes things better, no matter who you are. Jeeves or Alfred come to mind. Caine is assisted by the resourceful, devoted, Master of snark - Sterns.

I love how these books are consistent and entertaining. You can count on a mystery, spies, steamy romance, lots of funny moments and a clever villain.

"The daft woman wants me to kill her, yet now complains about a headache.”

Don’t you ever sneak up on me like that again,” she shouted up at him. “Good God, man, I could have killed you.”
Caine was just as furious with her. “Don’t you ever try to use your knife on me,” he roared. “Or good God, woman, I will kill you!”
September 30, 2016
Another slow reading week but I really enjoyed the little moments of escape I found in these pages. There is really such awesome balance between romance, mystery, humor and suspense in Julie Garwood novels. This hero stole my heart with every I Love You. He never wavered and was so unapologetic and unashamed about his feelings. Caine and Jade will always be a favorite.
Profile Image for Millie.
89 reviews38 followers
October 24, 2022
This should be classified as high-fantasy because how can a whiny, clueless girl have the reputation of being the most feared pirate around? Impossible. The second the book revealed that she was the feared pirate Pagan, it was over for me. My hope for this book died. Nope. Nah. Thank you, next.



Plot

Caine got the news that the legendary pirate Pagan killed his brother. So, he disguised himself as Pagan to fish the real Pagan out. Quite simple. After days of trying, Jade, a lady came to him in the dead of night, in a dodgy part of town, and asked him to kill her. Baffled, he refused and ended up “protecting her” instead. We found out later, that she was planning for this all along .

My thoughts

I think the main part of the problem is the heroine. Garwood described Jade as this strong-willed “hellion”, a fierce woman with tricks and skills of a man, strong and capable— and she ended up being the famous pirate Pagan (yes, the one who has the reputation for being cruel); yet, she doesn’t know jack shit of anything. a) She does not have the brains to realise she was shot, b)she is whiny and over-emotional, c)is afraid of fucking water (because she saw sharks bite a man. The man in question is not terrified (or anyone else for that matter) even though everyone praise her for being a badass and no one praised the man who got bitten for literally going through it and be mentally fine?hm?) Look, I’m fine with weak heroines, but don’t pretend she’s all that shit when she literally cannot do anything.



I actually read the next book in the series before I read this one, and in that book, Pagan is Nathan (the heroine’s brother). That book was good. It was believable. Turns out, Jade was Pagan first then she gave the name to her brother. Yeah, I hate that. This book ruined Pagan for me. HOW THE FUCCCCC DOES THIS CLUELESS CHICK GET HER REPUTATION??? IN WHAT WORLD DOES ACTUAL PIRATE HUMAN RESPECT HER? the only skill she has that relates to pirating is opening a lock and stealing wallets. If that’s all it takes for a girl to have a reputation for being a ruthless most feared pirate, then get ready world because I’m gonna be fucking Blackbeard.



The point is, don’t paint her as this all-capable vicious pirate when she’s just a whiny teenager. This girl literally ran away from the hero without having a valid reason other than “my job is over” but she’s also whining about how she liked this man. Ugh, kill me. How, how, how can she be a pirate, it just doesn’t make sense.




The conflict is too political and uninteresting for me, there’s no relation to the couple for a long time. The rest of Garwood’s conflict and villains relate the problem to the couple early on. This felt like Garwood is confused about where the conflict should be going, because she focused the first part with revenge, and then changed it to attempted murders, then change it again to a whole political problem that started way back. It just started way too late for the reader to care much when all we care about is the couple. Garwood’s other books relate the conflict to the relationship and that makes us more invested. I don’t feel like their relationship is at stake at all, the only thing keeping them from being together is the daftness of our heroine, Jade.



I think Garwood is just not good at writing tomboy heroines, because the heroine from the next book in the series is the complete opposite of this one and Garwood wrote it pretty well considering the character is girly and childish. (I’ll be re-reading that one by the time I posted this review, and every aspect of it is better).

The middle part of the story is good and interesting, but I lost interest near the end. It was truly a struggle for me to continue but I did. In like 2 months. That’s like… really long for me. I usually dnf book that I dreaded to pick up when it reached 30 days mark. The only reason I read this is because it’s be just a waste. A girl’s got Goodreads goals to think about. You’re welcome, future me.



Conclusion

It is well known that I love Garwood’s historicals. Love them. But I was always unsure if I would like Guardian Angel. I knew from the synopsis this was not my thing. But I’ll take a shot at Garwood any day. I was right. I did not like it. I think Garwood intended Jade to be some wild, brave, girl but she’s just not. She’s whiny. I don’t get why people praised her. I despise that she is the reputable pirate Pagan. This is why I like the next book better. Her brother fits the image of Pagan better than her. The conflict is not important to me, it does not feel like it was essential to our happy ending. I wanted my old memories when I haven’t read this book and know that Pagan is Nathan instead. It is seriously an insult that she is a pirate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Obsidian.
3,054 reviews1,092 followers
August 1, 2022
Ha! I love this cover and it's the one that is on the book I currently own. Look, the reason why this one has such a high mark from me is that it's a pirate romance. Come on. The main reason why it didn't hit 5 stars for me like the latter books is that after a while it felt like a lot of stuff got handwaved away. Also the book drags in parts. This was a fun ride though. You also get a scene with prior characters, Christina and Lyon in this one. 

"Guardian Angel" follows the Marquess of Cainewood, called Caine, who is determined to hunt down the pirate Pagan who he believes murdered his brother Colin. Colin he finds out later on was employed secretly by the "Crown" and Caine is determined to pretend to be Pagan in order to lure the real one out. However, he is approached by a young girl who wants to hire him to kill her. The young woman, Lady Jade, believes she is going to be murdered soon and doesn't want someone else to do it who may hurt her in the process. Of course, Caine, decides he will keep Jade safe, and then the book follows the two of them as Jade's hiring of Caine (as Pagan) is revealed. 

Jade was such a kick to me. I do feel a bit sad about how her character kind of went "blah" in the remaining books in the series though. She got married and became much less interesting. I don't want to reveal too much in this one, but I enjoyed reading about her upbringing, and also why she had such nightmares. 

Caine was an interesting character in this, wanting to revenge himself on the person he believes murdered his younger brother. And I thought it was interesting to have him fall for Jade first and tell her how much he loved her. I think in most of Garwood's books the opposite happens (the heroine realizes she loves the hero first). 

There's also a plot point dealing with Caine's stepmother that actually made me smile a bit. No spoilers, but I liked how that was dealt with. Most of the book at times was pretty funny to me. It's very much a whose on first thing going on for a good portion of it. 

Though I found the writing to be good, I will admit after a while I started to get bored. Garwood repeats a lot of things in order to show both sides of things via Caine/Jade and I started to skim after a while. 

The ending had a nice surprise and I enjoyed how it was done. 

I also read this for Cannonball Read 14 Book Bingo. This fits the following bingo circle: 

Snake: A book about snakes; snakes have positive and negative associations – a character can be a snake if they are a liar, but snakes also represent creativity, transformation, fertility, and healing; that book on your TBR that you’ve always been afraid of!
I think this fits because both Caine and Jade are lying about a whole lot of things and they both do in the end heal by the end of the book. 
Profile Image for fleurette.
1,534 reviews158 followers
August 4, 2023
Usually, I am not really into Julie Garwood books. However, I have just finished The Secret no more than a month ago, and I surprisingly enjoyed it. So now, reading another book from her, I had some great expectations. Especially since the story is set in the regency era, which I prefer over the medieval period.

But I just couldn't get into Guardian Angel. I started it, then read some other books while trying to convince myself to come back to it. The beginning of it I found very annoying. The instant, very strong lust between the heroine and hero was absurd. And I'm not into cheating as a main part of the plot, so the whole story is not to my taste. I felt like Caine is, for Jade, only some pawn in the game she plays.

But the real problem was that I absolutely hated Jade, the heroine. Caine says she was driving him mad; it's nothing regarding how much she was driving ME mad. She blabs all the time; really, she just can't shut her mouth for a second. And it isn't cute or sweet at any point, it's just irritating. On top of that, she wails and cries a lot. And she is dumber than a box of rocks. I know the plot is that it's all a part of some strange scheme to annoy Caine, but what is the point in annoying a reader, too? At about 10%, I was totally ready to kill her myself.

Giving up a book at 10% is not something I would be okay with, so I forced myself to carry on. But at about 25%, it wasn't getting any better, especially with some insta-love building on. I found myself rolling my eyes time after time and cursing. The dialogues are completely cockamamy.

I could probably force myself to read the whole book; I just saw no point in doing so. That's why I'm giving a very weak 2 stars (1 star is for books I really hate).
Profile Image for Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb".
1,415 reviews17 followers
December 10, 2020
MAGNIFICENT LOVE STORY!!

Lady Jade is a Pirate and Cain is a Marquess & son of a Duke. Cain is also a spy for the the British Government. These two characters make a perfect couple. The romance is sizzling hot, funny and full of intrigue. All of Ms.Garwoods characters are very well developed and rich in character. The story is very well put together and will hold your attention from beginning to end. The Crown Spies series just gets better and better. Guardian Angle was just as good as bk1 The Lion's Lady!!

I first read this entire series about 4yrs. ago and on this second time around it was even better. I highly recommend Guardian Angle!! You won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for Karen.
814 reviews1,195 followers
January 19, 2022
4 STARS


Another enjoyable addition to the series. Far-fetched in every sense of the word, but no less enjoyable for it. I look forward to reading on in the series. There is a theme here with strong female leads. I'm enjoying them. Sorry about the short review. If you liked the first book, you'll like this one too.

Profile Image for Suzan.
611 reviews
May 31, 2023
İlk okuduğumda ben bu kitaba nasıl 4 vermişim ya 🫥genel olarak kitabı okumak zordu Jane beni çok yordu o kadar gereksizdi ki tüm o dırdırlari sürekli konuşması 🤦‍♀️
Profile Image for Katyana.
1,675 reviews258 followers
February 12, 2024
***2.5***

This was my first Garwood let-down.

I truly disliked Caine. Let's be clear: I'm fine with an alpha hero. But you can be alpha without belittling everyone. An alpha personality doesn't automatically make you a misogynistic, autocratic dick bag. Garwood fills her books with alpha heros, and with this one exception, they've all been the good kind of alpha heroes.

If the hero is constantly belittling the heroine, disrespecting her ability to be an intelligent human being, and constantly grabbing/shaking/yanking her around in order to just shut her down and get his way, then guess what? He's not a hero, he's an asshole.

When the menfolk sent her out of the room to sit down and decide, amongst themselves, what the rest of her life would be like, I was honestly over it.

And then, when it turned out that she didn't really want to be the strong woman at all, but rather, was hoping that Caine would step in and handle her life for her ... I actually threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Don't do that, authors. Don't give me what should be a strong, independent woman, and then reveal that it was all pretend while she hoped that a manly man would come and make her a kept woman. It's wrong, it's disgusting, it undercuts her character horribly, and the message is appalling, across the board.

I don't buy this relationship, on any level. It was the same kind of disappointment I felt with MacLean's Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover ... complete bullcrap, and the destruction of what could and should have been an awesome female character.

So incredibly disappointed.
Profile Image for Vaso.
1,513 reviews207 followers
September 30, 2024

Ο Κέιν, έχει στήσει τα δίχτυα του για να πιάσει τον Παγανιστη ο οποίος ευθύνεται για το θάνατο του αδερφού του, όταν η Τζέιντ, μια κοκκινομάλλα αμαζόνα με μάτια στο χρώμα του σμαραγδιού, ζητά τη βοήθεια του. Όμως, φέρνει και τις αντιρρήσεις της στον Κειν κι αυτό τον ιντριγκάρει ακόμη περισσότερο. Οι δυο τους, φαίνεται να έχουν τον ίδιο σκοπό, αλλά είναι έτσι όμως; Η έλξη μεταξύ τους, θα σταθεί άραγε εμπόδιο στο σκοπό τους;

Η Garwood είναι η αγαπημένη μου συγγραφέας του είδους και με κάνει να αδημονώ για κάθε της βιβλίο. Και σε αυτό το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς, η ηρωίδα δεν έχει μεγαλώσει όπως οι υπόλοιπες δεσποινίδες της ηλικίας της κι έχει μάθει να διεκδικεί αυτό που θέλει και να το καταφέρνει. Ο Κειν, θέλει να πάρει εκδίκηση για τον αδερφό του και στον κύκλο του όλοι γνωρίζουν πόσο αδίστακτος είναι. Η προστατευτικότητα που δείχνει ο Κέιν, δεν είναι κάτι που έχει συνηθίσει η Τζέιντ κι αυτό την ενοχλεί. Τα μυστικά που αρχίζουν να βγαίνουν στο φως σιγά σιγά, δημιουργούν ένα αίσθημα αγωνίας στον αναγνώστη. Οι δυο ήρωες μας, αφήνονται να παρασυρθούν από το πάθος τους κι η αδρεναλίνη χτυπά κόκκινο.

Απολαυστικό από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος!!

4,5 αστέρια
Profile Image for Zeek.
892 reviews149 followers
August 10, 2010
Surprise, surprise, I believe this is the one and only Garwood Historical I hadn’t read before! (If it isn’t, then I seriously forgot all of the plotting and characters!)

Although I wouldn’t rank this one as high as some of her other historcials, I did enjoy it despite it’s flaws- mostly because of the eccentric characters that populated the story.

GA is the followup to another of hers, The Lyon's Lady, and one that felt like was meant to be a part of a series. I don't believe that ever happened.

The story begins with the heroine, Jade, seeking out the hero, the Marquess of Cainwood, under false pretenses, unbeknownst to him of course. Drawn to him because he wants to trap a pirate named Pagan, she leads him down a crooked primrose path, masquerading her true self- all too distract him from his noble purpose. (Misguided, but noble.)

Don’t mistake this for a typical bodice ripping pirate romance novel however, it’s all about the political intrigue behind their deceptions and- innate to all Garwood’s historicals- the characters. Fortunately, the intrigue is plausible, if a tad strained at times, and I truly enjoyed Jade's eccentric relatives. It made up for other things in the novel that got on my nerves.

For me, GA was brought down by Caine, the Marquess, and Jade’s silliness in her reasons for not trusting him. Granted, most of Garwood’s men are overbearing, but Caine just got on my nerves after awhile. I felt like if he had been fleshed out a bit more, I might have been able to find him more likeable. As written though- he just came off as one-dimensional.

Still, It wasn’t a bad read- better than some of the other boring crap-historicals out there- so I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5.
Profile Image for Tuba Özkat.
Author 65 books189 followers
August 10, 2016
Puanım: 3,5 ama 4 yıldız yapmayacağım.

Çünkü ben Julie Garwood, Judith Mcnaught manyağı biriyim ama bu kitabın GARWOOD beklentilerimi karşılayan bir kitap olması imkansız.

Evet kitap güzel, her Garwood kitabında olduğu gibi, klasik historical çizgisinden biraz taşıyor, normalde ben bunu çok seviyorum, eğleniyorum da okurken. Hani kızın tam anlamıyla leydi olmaması, kızda bir çeşit yeteneklerin olması, erkek karakterlerin kadın karaktere ilgisini belli etmesi... Ama bu sefer konuda olmasa da anlatımda gerçekten sevmediğim noktalar vardı.

Mesela karakterlerin birbirleri için önemli hale gelme süreleri gerçekten çok kısa. Yani aşırı kısa. Ben bunu günümüz romanlarında bile pek sevmiyorken, historicalda? I ıh... Yani akşam tanışıyorsun, sabah olunca sensiz olamam diyen bir erkek karakter olabilir mi allasen? Çooook aşırı kısa sürede. Bir de kısa döngüler halinde aynı şeyler anlatıldı. Yani bir konuyu açıkladın, şaşırdılar, sonra aynı şeyi ilk defa anlattırıyormuş gibi sorgulayıp yine şaşırıyorlar. NEDEN?

Aslında konusu ve yazarı itibariyle, çok güzel tabanı olan bir şey birazcık heba edilmiş gibi geldi. Garwood'dan çok daha iyisini beklerdim.
Profile Image for Rika Kali.
52 reviews
June 2, 2014
I was....disappointed.

Very disappointed.

I wanted to like this book.

I seriously, really did. But I couldn't.

For one, I was confused through the first half of the book. The writing was terribly misleading and not at all smooth. It was more like a reading a- very - rough draft. It was fractured.

Pagan should have been more like a pirate for one. There wasn't anything in her that suggested that she ever was.

And Caine, aside from everything, was terribly sexist.

I just....I didn't like this book.

I tried real hard but I didn't like it.

And after reading that very good first book....well, what more can I say?
Profile Image for Min Li Li.
422 reviews36 followers
August 18, 2015
Yazarı sevdiğim için midir bilmiyorum ama serinin ilk kitabı kadar güzeldi bence. :)
İlk kitap kadar eğlenceliydi. :D
Bir de şeyi farkettim.Öncekinde de,bu kitapda da sevdiğini söyleyen ilk kişi erkek karakterlerdi. :D

Tabi kitabımın arasında boş sayfalar görmeseydim daha güzel olacaktı. :(
Profile Image for Page Grey (Editor).
708 reviews415 followers
September 2, 2017
More like 3.5 stars....

I'm conflicted with this one...There are parts that I really didn't like but thankfully most parts are likable. :) I can't also say that I like the MCs though they seem to be badasses...there are pirates for God's sake.
Profile Image for Georgia.
1,198 reviews76 followers
October 12, 2024
Δείτε επίσης και στο Chill and read

Θέλεις ρομάντζο εποχής που να έχει ωραία πλοκή και ενδιαφέρον; Οι Εκδόσεις Elxis και η αγαπημένη συγγραφέας Julie Garwood είναι εδώ για σένα και δεν απογοητεύουν! Το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς «Κατάσκοποι του θρόνου» κυκλοφορεί και με τέτοιο τίτλο μπορείς φυσικά να περιμένεις και αρκετή περιπέτεια, πέρα από μια ιστορία αγάπης!

Ένας σύγχρονος Ρομπέν των δασών, ο πειρατής που ονομάζουν «Παγανιστή» οργώνει τις θάλασσες με το πλοίο «Σμαράγδι», όμως πότε πότε βγαίνει και στη στεριά, όπου ληστεύει τους πλούσιους και βοηθάει τους φτωχούς! Γι’ αυτό και είναι πολύ αγαπητός από τον κόσμο. Όμως δεν έχει μόνο φίλους, έχει και εχθρούς. Ο μαρκήσιος του Κέινγουντ το έχει βάλει σκοπό να τον εντοπίσει και να εκδικηθεί το θάνατο του αδερφού του. Όταν όμως μια πανέμορφη κοκκινομάλλα ζητήσει τη βοήθεια και την προστασία του, θα αφήσει για λίγο στην άκρη το σχέδιό του.

Ο Κέιν είναι ευγενής, είναι όμως και κατάσκοπος του θρόνου. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι είναι ικανός να σκοτώσει και να γίνει αμείλικτος, αλλά σαν άνθρωπος δεν μπορεί να μην προστατεύσει τους αβοήθητους. Έτσι, δε θα διστάσει να πάρει υπό την προστασία του την Τζέιντ, αφού διαπιστώσει ότι κινδυνεύει. Δεν είναι όμως και η πιο εύκολη απόφαση που πήρε, μιας και η γυναίκα αυτή είναι πολύ εκνευριστική και φλυαρεί ακατάπαυστα! Είναι όμως και τόσο γοητευτική, που δεν μπορεί να πάρει τα μάτια του από πάνω της.

Μπορώ με ευκολία να πω πως αυτό το βιβλίο τα είχε όλα! Είχε μυστήριο, περιπέτεια, έρωτα, πάθος, κατασκόπους και πειρατές και φυσικά μια πολύ δυναμική και έξυπνη ηρωίδα και έναν μαρκήσιο που δεν έκανε δεύτερη φορά το ίδιο λάθος! Ο ένας προσπαθούσε να προστατεύσει τον άλλον και χωρίς καλά καλά να το καταλάβουν, έπεσαν και οι δύο στα δίχτυα του έρωτα. Ο Κέιν είναι αυτός που το αντιλαμβάνεται και το παραδέχεται πρώτος, η Τζέιντ χρειάστηκε λίγο χρόνο παραπάνω, οπότε είναι ένα he falls first μυθιστόρημα, ό,τι πρέπει για όσους αγαπούν το συγκεκριμένο trope!

Συμπάθησα πολύ τον Στερνς, τον μπάτλερ του Κέιν! Μου άρεσε η σχέση του με το αφεντικό του, που ήταν πιο πολύ πατρική φιγούρα για εκείνον! Αγάπησα φυσικά και το κεντρικό ζευγάρι, τους καυγάδες τους και τις προσωπικές ιστορίες τους!

Με τη γρήγορη πλοκή που έχει, σε κάνει να θες να πας παρακάτω και όπως είναι αναμενόμενο, διαβάζεται εξαιρετικά γρήγορα!
Profile Image for Gamze.
572 reviews97 followers
September 24, 2019
hatırlayabildiğim kadarıyla ilk kitabı daha bir sevmiştim.
Pagan durumu beni nedense şaşırtmadı, ilk sayfalarda tahmin ettiğimin doğruluğunu kitabın ortalarında görmüş oldum.
Klasik Julie kalemi. Her türlü okunuyor, evet.
Ama bir şeyler ufakta olsa eksikmiş hissini en baştan beri atamadım maalesef.
Profile Image for Giulia.
390 reviews92 followers
April 21, 2013
Originally reviewed at www.devastatingreads.blogspot.ca

I've loved Julie Garwood since I first read this author. Her stories are always romantic, funny and well told. Plus, her characters are all great. I've had Guardian Angel on my TBR list for a while, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. Garwood starts off the novel with the hero, Caine, laying in wait for the pirate Pagan. Of course, Caine is thrown into a bit of a ridiculous circumstance when a young woman comes in and asks him to kill her. From the opening pages, this novel is rife with hilarity and adventure.

Caine: I met him in The Lyon's Lady, the first in Garwood's Crown Spies series. I never thought anything could be more funny than Lyon's romance with Christina, but apparently I was wrong. Caine and Jade have the most ridiculous romance ever. Caine finds Jade outrageous and impossible, her illogical logic amazes him and makes him furious too. He's able to figure out her game eventually (although I had it figured out first, but alas, due to spoilers, cannot say what I was on to before he was) and he comes to know Jade's mind almost better than she does herself. I like that he's a cynical, logical sort of man--a spy after all, a man who's seen some horrible things too, but that he's vulnerable and protective of those he loves. Caine gets crazy if anyone hurts someone he loves, which is partly why I think he and Jade meet. His brother Colin knew that Caine would get himself into serious trouble, and that's why he sent Jade in to distract Caine. However, even though Caine is a likable character, and I like him, I'm not sure I really like him. He was a bit over the top sometimes, with all the yelling and demands, but then, so was Jade.

Jade: I love her. I'm sure if I don't like Caine, that it's her fault because she brings out the best and worst of him. Also, because she made him doubt her so much that Caine is driven to be demanding at times. However, I love how smart Jade is, I love her bravery, I love that she stands up to Caine, I love that she's cunning. She's a really fantastic heroine. Impossible of course, because she does seem to get side tracked all of the time, but I think that's just because she's used to playing parts. Also, she truly does find Caine frightening when he's yelling, and since he's yelling a lot, she can't help but be illogical. Even if she's trying to stay on track, she can't because he yells and she gets mad and gets off track arguing with him. Ah well. They're great together. They challenge each other and love each other and make one another feel safe.

That's great romance, in my books. I thought the spy story, along with the pirate story, somewhat drawn out and difficult to follow. Probably because it's spun out in the midst of so many debates and in pieces here and there as the novel progresses. However, we do get our fair share of mystery and adventure in the novel, and some great supporting characters like Uncle Harry and Sterns, so I cannot complain.

4 glittering stars
Profile Image for Michelle.
394 reviews21 followers
March 10, 2010
I really enjoyed the second book of the Crown Spies series. As all the books I’ve read so far by Garwood, I was glued to the couch and couldn’t put it down.

Jade was such a different kind of heroine. Though she grew up on a Pirate ship, she was still taught how to act like a ‘lady’ (well somewhat). She is a master of trickery and thievery and knows how to pick any lock. She’s also a great actress who fakes terror in order to get what she wants. Caine is completely opposite. He doesn’t lie, cheat or steal and he is very logical and patient. I just adored these two together.

Caine is on the hunt for the Pirate Pagan, for the supposed killing of his brother Collin, when he first meets Jade. She looked in dire need of protection so Caine offered her his when in truth Jade was the one protecting him. She needed to keep everything a secret because of a promise she made. There is so much mystery to this book. The way Jade kept confusing Caine with her lies, in order to protect him, was hilarious. One of my favorite scenes is when Nathan and Caine are fighting in the drawing room while at the same time Jade is trying to explain to Caine’s parents what all the commotion is about. It was absolutely hilarious. She was so embarrassed. In the end the mystery unfolds and Caine finally catches his prey. I can’t wait to read Nathan’s story next.


Profile Image for Dewi.
177 reviews67 followers
March 3, 2012
2 bintang ini sebenarnya bukan karena ceritanya jelek. Dari segi cerita malah saya suka kok. Karakter dan chemistry Jade dan Caine tuh bagus. Based on story only, saya bersedia kasi 3 bintang, bahkan 3,5. Tapi saya batalkan setengah bintang itu karena saya gak suka covernya (paling gak suka cover yg ada gambar orangnya).

Lalu 3 bintang itu sy turunkan lagi jadi 2 bintang karena buku ini perlu diedit lagi deh. Typo-nya banyaaaakkkk. Sy bukan orang cerewet kok. Penulisan "pantai" jadi "panti" dan "ke rumah" jadi "kerumah" sih masih bisa saya maafkan. Tapi di buku ini yang mengganggu adalah seringnya terjadi kesalahan nama. Saat yg dimaksud Jade, ketulisnya malah Caine. Wkt yang dimaksud Caine, ketulisnya malah Lyon. Pas yg dimaksud Lyon malah yg ketulis Nathan, yaaahh pokoknya gitu lah. Sering banget salah nulis nama dan bikin saya bingung.

Gak tau juga ini salah siapa. Salah ketik dari penerjemahkah? Ato kesalahan di editor?
Ato ini sebenarnya kekhilafan penerjemah yg salah paham dgn makna "he" yang dimaksud Garwood? (u know...di versi aslinya kan entah Caine ato tokoh lain yg ngomong, ditulisnya tetap "he"). Tapi kalo gitu, masak iya penerjemahnya masih ketukar antara Caine dan Jade? Kan yg satu "he" dan yg satu lagi "she".

Aduh gak tau deh salah siapa. gak mo musingin juga.
Yang pasti saya terganggu banget dengan typo ini. Dastan, lain kali lebih hati-hati yaaa
Profile Image for Azuram.
90 reviews
April 9, 2017
me quedó debiendo mucho está historia, llega un punto en donde las conversaciones se vuelven carentes de sentido y tontas, le dan mil vueltas a la misma historia.
Me desesperó la actitud de Jade, uno esperaría más de alguien que haya llevado una vida semejante a la suya, es insulsa, tonta e infantil.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
4,720 reviews564 followers
April 23, 2016
Second book in the spies series- was scorching HOT (LOVEEED the sex scenes)- loved the adorable chemistry- and tho I liked it 0.001% less than book 1- this was still a overall wonderful read!
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