The Guardian Duke - Book Review & Giveaway

I love to read almost as much as I love to cook. Mostly I read cookbooks (isn't that obvious?), but I love to sink my teeth into a good story too. I like books where the characters that have depth and that I can identify in some way with. I have also been reading more and more Christian fiction which has opened up a whole new world of books and authors for me.

I was pleased to be given the opportunity to review the book "The Guardian Duke." This is a historical novel set in the Regency period and takes you on an adventure from England to Ireland. There is a Christian theme and references to God throughout the book which I find appealing.

Check out a trailer from YouTube:

The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie

About the Book: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.

About the Author: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.

Snow Angel was born on a frosty night in an old farmhouse in Fishers, Indiana, where the cold floor gave plenty of motivation for the snow scene. Jamie loves to write late at night when the house is quiet and the darkness seems alive. Elizabeth and Noah had been playacting in her head for a long time, so the story went fast.

Ten years later Snow Angel was published and won the ForeWord magazine Romance Book of the Year winner, was a National “Best Books 2007” Awards winner, and a 2008 RITA Awards® Best First Book finalist. It was the beginning of her dream career.

Jamie and her husband Tony have been married for twenty-one years and live in Indianapolis with their three sons and a giant of a dog named Leo.

If she could only say one thing to her readers it would be, “Live the dreams God has destined you for!”

My thoughts:

This book is very good. Although I have not read many historical fiction books in the past, I'm wide open to new genres (except maybe horror). This book is well written and detailed without going overboard. I was immediately swept into the story from the opening pages as I can feel Gabriel's anguish and despair over losing his hearing.  As he and Alex go on their journeys, the reader is taken right along with them as Alex follows clues to her missing and presumed dead parents and Gabriel is one step behind her. I love the feisty spirit of Alex and how she seems to be a woman ahead of her time. I really enjoyed the humor expressed throughout the book and I was left with wanting more. Those types of stories stick with me for a long time to come.

Of course I'm not going to give away the entire story. I know I'm leaving you hanging, however this book needs to be experienced by the reader and the visuals the book left me with is awesome.

Here's a bonus: If you are part of a book club, this would be a great book for discussion. In fact, there are four pages of discussion questions in the back of the book. So sit down, grab a cup of coffee and discuss!

How can you get your own copy?

Connect!Like The Forgotten Castles Series Facebook
Read the USA Today Review
Watch the Video

Buy it!
Purchase on Amazon
Visit the publisher

Win it!
One lucky reader will win their very own copy of "The Guardian Duke." All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open from February 23, 2012 to March 8, 2012 at 11:59EST and is open to US entrants 18 years of age or older. Terms and conditions noted on the Rafflecopter form. Please keep in mind that any mandatory entries must be completed before you do any of the extra entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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