Book Review: The Guardian

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Guardian     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Barbara Miller
Class/Genre:   Romance   Historical
Sonnet, Aug 2001, $6.50

He spent the last decade dedicated to his nation’s efforts to defeat Napoleon. Now Trent Severn returns home to take charge of his personal responsibilities including a ward he has not seen since her father’s funeral too many years ago.

Amy Conde runs a horse-breeding farm that needs a new stallion. She asks her absentee guardian for money to buy the horse that she needs now knowing that in three months she gains control of her estate. Before she can get the money, Trent arrives and is stunned to find an intelligent beautiful businesswoman who despises him instead of the grieving little girl of his memories. To make up for his neglect, he decides she needs a suitable spouse to care for her despite the fact that Amy has an inordinate amount of business acumen. He soon decides that man should be he and she wholeheartedly agrees.

THE GUARDIAN is a by the book Regency romance that fails to hook the audience even though they will admire Amy’s abilities. Instead, the readers will feel turned off by the lead female character who spends too much time digging into the why behind the behavior of Trent and why she loves the person she used to hate. This causes Amy to lose the empathy of historical romance fans. Though diehard Regency aficionados will enjoy this tale, most other readers will be better off passing on this novel and trying other works by Barbara Miller such as DEAREST MAX.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner