ppchili93's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
FMC: 3.5
MMC: 1.5
đź’•: 2.5
Plot: 3
🌶️: 3
MMC: 1.5
đź’•: 2.5
Plot: 3
🌶️: 3
laurenjodi's review
3.0
The Guardian
3 Stars
When visiting a soothsayer, four young highland boys receive prophecies of their future brides. Ian MacDonald is told that he will marry twice - once for hate and once for love. Years later he is forced to wed a childhood friend and deserts her to fight in France. Upon his return, he discovers that gangly SĂleas has become a beautiful and spirited young woman with little patience for a man who chose war over hearth and home. Is it too late for Ian to prove his love for her?
Ian has to be one of the most self-centered, obnoxious and irritating heroes ever to disgrace the pages of a historical romance novel. He returns home and expects the woman he deserted to welcome him with open arms and kiss the ground he walks on . . . Well, he is in for a big surprise!
SĂleas is a charming heroine - beautiful, caring and independent. The only problem with her character is her love for the undeserving Ian. It seems that love truly is blind…and deaf … and stupid!
The rest of the plot revolving around a struggle for leadership of the Clan is well developed with some exciting action scenes. Unfortunately, it never quite succeeds in compensating for the weak romance.
The rest of the series focuses on the other boys: Alex the womanizer, Duncan the tormented and Connor the leader. As their characters are far more likable than Ian, I am willing to give their books a chance.
3 Stars
When visiting a soothsayer, four young highland boys receive prophecies of their future brides. Ian MacDonald is told that he will marry twice - once for hate and once for love. Years later he is forced to wed a childhood friend and deserts her to fight in France. Upon his return, he discovers that gangly SĂleas has become a beautiful and spirited young woman with little patience for a man who chose war over hearth and home. Is it too late for Ian to prove his love for her?
Ian has to be one of the most self-centered, obnoxious and irritating heroes ever to disgrace the pages of a historical romance novel. He returns home and expects the woman he deserted to welcome him with open arms and kiss the ground he walks on . . . Well, he is in for a big surprise!
SĂleas is a charming heroine - beautiful, caring and independent. The only problem with her character is her love for the undeserving Ian. It seems that love truly is blind…and deaf … and stupid!
The rest of the plot revolving around a struggle for leadership of the Clan is well developed with some exciting action scenes. Unfortunately, it never quite succeeds in compensating for the weak romance.
The rest of the series focuses on the other boys: Alex the womanizer, Duncan the tormented and Connor the leader. As their characters are far more likable than Ian, I am willing to give their books a chance.
thegeekyblogger's review
4.0
Received for review from NetGalley (requested by me)
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.00
Character Rating 4.50
NOTE: A long time ago I used to devour Highland Romance like it was going out of style. However, I haven't read a truly straight up Highlander historical in a very long time. Margaret Mallory has managed to peak my love for them once again and make me count down to her next release in this series.
What I Loved: The Guardian is a book filled with great characters, plot, and storytelling. Sileas has to be one of the most capable leading ladies that a person could ask for in a historical romance. When the story starts she is very young, fleeing from a bad situation, and forced to marry the boy she has always had a crush on (he is older by about 5 years). He leaves immediately after the wedding and doesn't return for 5 years. In that time, Sileas has grown into a beautiful, smart, capable, and caring woman. She has taken care of his family, home, and ailing father. She manages to stand up to Ian and their romance plays out perfectly in the book.
What I Liked: The Guardian is a book full of great characters. There are too many to list without giving away too much of the story. However some of my favorites are: Alex, Conner, Duncan, and Naill (whom I am sure I misspelled his name). It is a great to see a strong "bromance" in a story with Alex, Conner, and Duncan. I think Naill is going to be just as strong as his older brother and his friends. The pacing of this story was also done just about right with very few lulls.
Complaints: Alex's book won't be out for awhile and that one looks very funny. Who could tame a man like Alex?
Why I gave it a 4.25: I felt The Guardian had all the elements that make a Historical Romance fun to read: good story, great characters, laughs, cries, and a good guys vs bad buys showdown. This was truly a throwback to all the great books I read in my teens and will be reading the rest of the series as it comes out.
Who I would recommend this book too: Historical romance readers. This was a fantastic read!
Overall Rating 4.25
Story Rating 4.00
Character Rating 4.50
NOTE: A long time ago I used to devour Highland Romance like it was going out of style. However, I haven't read a truly straight up Highlander historical in a very long time. Margaret Mallory has managed to peak my love for them once again and make me count down to her next release in this series.
What I Loved: The Guardian is a book filled with great characters, plot, and storytelling. Sileas has to be one of the most capable leading ladies that a person could ask for in a historical romance. When the story starts she is very young, fleeing from a bad situation, and forced to marry the boy she has always had a crush on (he is older by about 5 years). He leaves immediately after the wedding and doesn't return for 5 years. In that time, Sileas has grown into a beautiful, smart, capable, and caring woman. She has taken care of his family, home, and ailing father. She manages to stand up to Ian and their romance plays out perfectly in the book.
What I Liked: The Guardian is a book full of great characters. There are too many to list without giving away too much of the story. However some of my favorites are: Alex, Conner, Duncan, and Naill (whom I am sure I misspelled his name). It is a great to see a strong "bromance" in a story with Alex, Conner, and Duncan. I think Naill is going to be just as strong as his older brother and his friends. The pacing of this story was also done just about right with very few lulls.
Complaints: Alex's book won't be out for awhile and that one looks very funny. Who could tame a man like Alex?
Why I gave it a 4.25: I felt The Guardian had all the elements that make a Historical Romance fun to read: good story, great characters, laughs, cries, and a good guys vs bad buys showdown. This was truly a throwback to all the great books I read in my teens and will be reading the rest of the series as it comes out.
Who I would recommend this book too: Historical romance readers. This was a fantastic read!
bookwife's review
1.0
Ian MacDonald is a douche, Sìleas was a silly ninny girl. Therefore I did not enjoy this book.
Ian wanted nothing to do with Sìleas when he was forced to wed her. Granted she was 13. What girl looks good when they are 13? He leaves to fight and he comes back and he doesn't even recognize his own wife... again he was gone for 5 years and at the young age women change a lot but still. So Sìleas has been longing for Ian for 5 years. She has stayed with his family/clan and helped it survive. She goes everyday to the sea to watch for her husband who said she was ugly and who literally had a knife to him when he wed her. She has held on to all these ridiculous fantasies that he was going to come back to her, take her in his arms and confess that he never meant any of the things he said and that he has missed her every day he was gone. Ridiculous. The reality is that he comes home and has every expectation of annulling the marriage (it was never consummated) When he sees her, he has no clue who she is. He just sees a pretty girl and he knows he wants to bed her.... So when he finds out that she is in fact his wife he decides that he will accept the marriage and let her be his wife. He literally thinks and says these things to her. And what does she do? Well he kisses her so she forgets about it. UHHHHHH mothereffer should be on his knees begging her to stay with him. Let me point out the wrongs he has done her and the rights she has done him.
1. He calls her ugly.
2. He leaves for 5 years and she wants him every day and he goes around with anything with breasts.
3. he comes home and doesn't recognize her.
4. She stayed with his family and helped run the house, take care of his sick father, helped his brother and mother with everything.
5. The woman who took Ian's virginity comes to stay at the house and she says nothing about it.
6. She has been humiliated and mocked for 5 years because she couldn't get her husband to come home.
All of this adds up to Ian being a complete and total douche. He doesn't redeem himself at all. When he finally beds her I guess he gets kind of sweet.... I mean he wants to save her but thats it.. That does not make up for all the wrongs.
Sorry I just could not get with this story because everything Ian did made me hate him and every time Sìleas forgave him it made me hate her.
Ian wanted nothing to do with Sìleas when he was forced to wed her. Granted she was 13. What girl looks good when they are 13? He leaves to fight and he comes back and he doesn't even recognize his own wife... again he was gone for 5 years and at the young age women change a lot but still. So Sìleas has been longing for Ian for 5 years. She has stayed with his family/clan and helped it survive. She goes everyday to the sea to watch for her husband who said she was ugly and who literally had a knife to him when he wed her. She has held on to all these ridiculous fantasies that he was going to come back to her, take her in his arms and confess that he never meant any of the things he said and that he has missed her every day he was gone. Ridiculous. The reality is that he comes home and has every expectation of annulling the marriage (it was never consummated) When he sees her, he has no clue who she is. He just sees a pretty girl and he knows he wants to bed her.... So when he finds out that she is in fact his wife he decides that he will accept the marriage and let her be his wife. He literally thinks and says these things to her. And what does she do? Well he kisses her so she forgets about it. UHHHHHH mothereffer should be on his knees begging her to stay with him. Let me point out the wrongs he has done her and the rights she has done him.
1. He calls her ugly.
2. He leaves for 5 years and she wants him every day and he goes around with anything with breasts.
3. he comes home and doesn't recognize her.
4. She stayed with his family and helped run the house, take care of his sick father, helped his brother and mother with everything.
5. The woman who took Ian's virginity comes to stay at the house and she says nothing about it.
6. She has been humiliated and mocked for 5 years because she couldn't get her husband to come home.
All of this adds up to Ian being a complete and total douche. He doesn't redeem himself at all. When he finally beds her I guess he gets kind of sweet.... I mean he wants to save her but thats it.. That does not make up for all the wrongs.
Sorry I just could not get with this story because everything Ian did made me hate him and every time Sìleas forgave him it made me hate her.
dragon_lion64's review against another edition
3.0
The Guardian
By Margaret Mallory
Return of the Highlanders Book #1
Here is an author who can toy with the emotions of her readers which is a very good thing in my opinion. I felt so bad for the heroine in this story because the hero was such a jerk to her in the beginning of the book.
Sileas escapes her house at age 13 after her horrible step-father tries to marry her off to his son from another marriage just to gain control of her castle and lands because she is the rightful heir. She runs into her friend, Ian MacDonald who she has adored since she was a wee lass. He allows her to travel with him towards his home and even shares his plaid with her to keep warm when they camp but in the morning, his uncle rides into camp and thinks Ian has defiled Sileas and forces them to marry.
Ian is livid and despite knowing Sileas was in a bad situation and a good kid, believes she has trapped him into marriage. He thinks Sileas is too homely and skinny with wild red hair so he will never be attracted to her. He does not consummate the marriage and runs off with his friends to France to fight. He is gone for five years and never writes or asks about how Sileas is doing.
Five years later, he and his friends are back from France to discover their clan is in trouble. Their chief is dead, killed at the Battle of Flodden, and his brother has taken over but does not care for the welfare of the clan. He only cares about power and his own comfort. Ian’s father lost a leg at Flodden and has taken to his bed, depressed so now Ian has to become the man of the house and figure out a way to help the clan.
Sileas has lived with Ian’s family, working her finger to the bone, trying to help them out and she has grown into a beautiful woman. Ian notices right away and all of the sudden is interested in her which irked the heck out of me. What a tool!
I can tell this is going to be a great series. The other characters are interesting and the ongoing struggle of the corrupt chieftain will definitely be entertaining.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
By Margaret Mallory
Return of the Highlanders Book #1
Here is an author who can toy with the emotions of her readers which is a very good thing in my opinion. I felt so bad for the heroine in this story because the hero was such a jerk to her in the beginning of the book.
Sileas escapes her house at age 13 after her horrible step-father tries to marry her off to his son from another marriage just to gain control of her castle and lands because she is the rightful heir. She runs into her friend, Ian MacDonald who she has adored since she was a wee lass. He allows her to travel with him towards his home and even shares his plaid with her to keep warm when they camp but in the morning, his uncle rides into camp and thinks Ian has defiled Sileas and forces them to marry.
Ian is livid and despite knowing Sileas was in a bad situation and a good kid, believes she has trapped him into marriage. He thinks Sileas is too homely and skinny with wild red hair so he will never be attracted to her. He does not consummate the marriage and runs off with his friends to France to fight. He is gone for five years and never writes or asks about how Sileas is doing.
Five years later, he and his friends are back from France to discover their clan is in trouble. Their chief is dead, killed at the Battle of Flodden, and his brother has taken over but does not care for the welfare of the clan. He only cares about power and his own comfort. Ian’s father lost a leg at Flodden and has taken to his bed, depressed so now Ian has to become the man of the house and figure out a way to help the clan.
Sileas has lived with Ian’s family, working her finger to the bone, trying to help them out and she has grown into a beautiful woman. Ian notices right away and all of the sudden is interested in her which irked the heck out of me. What a tool!
I can tell this is going to be a great series. The other characters are interesting and the ongoing struggle of the corrupt chieftain will definitely be entertaining.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
lucy_qhuay's review
4.0
I must say that I chose to read this book because the premiss captivated me and I had never read something alike before.
That being said, I wasn't disappointed.
The prologue of the book alone hooked me. It was so interesting to read about the seer's prophecies for Ian, Connor, Alex and Duncan.
I would say that it grabbed me to the point that I plan to read the other books in the series so I can see what her words truly were about.
Now, about this one - I must say that I loved the theme of redemption.
The hero, Ian, was truly a bastard to poor SĂleas.
He rejected her, was cruel to her and, finally, left her alone for 5 years. This is no small thing!
Were I in SĂleas place I would be terribly hurt, as she was, but I don't know if I would ever trust in any man. :S
But the most important is that, when he came back, in spite of being in love with him, brave strong SĂleas didn't accepted his advances right away and didn't fall in his bed the moment he said he wanted her.
I love when a heroine knows that she deserves more than a quick seduction and passionate nights.
She made him suffer and he deserved every single bit!
In general, and even though Ian irritated me sometimes, I recommend this book to all those who love heroines with backbone and stories of love that remain untouched by time itself *Huh, so poetic! xD*
That being said, I wasn't disappointed.
The prologue of the book alone hooked me. It was so interesting to read about the seer's prophecies for Ian, Connor, Alex and Duncan.
I would say that it grabbed me to the point that I plan to read the other books in the series so I can see what her words truly were about.
Now, about this one - I must say that I loved the theme of redemption.
The hero, Ian, was truly a bastard to poor SĂleas.
He rejected her, was cruel to her and, finally, left her alone for 5 years. This is no small thing!
Were I in SĂleas place I would be terribly hurt, as she was, but I don't know if I would ever trust in any man. :S
But the most important is that, when he came back, in spite of being in love with him, brave strong SĂleas didn't accepted his advances right away and didn't fall in his bed the moment he said he wanted her.
I love when a heroine knows that she deserves more than a quick seduction and passionate nights.
She made him suffer and he deserved every single bit!
In general, and even though Ian irritated me sometimes, I recommend this book to all those who love heroines with backbone and stories of love that remain untouched by time itself *Huh, so poetic! xD*
seffra's review
3.0
3 stars
Some spoilers ahead...
When I first came across this book, the synopsis really made my heart hurt! I decided to read it right away and stayed up alllllll night! I really liked where the book was going. I loved Sìleas she was your normal highland lass who played the damsel in distress. Sometimes after all of the strong willed characters out there, you need a breath of fresh air and try a novel with a not-so-strong willed female. She did have her strong points but they were fleeting. I honestly didn't like Ian in the beginning. He was such an ass, thinking he had a right to Sìleas' body just because he married her 5 years ago. But then he figured out he loved her for quite a while and we got to know him more which made me not hate him as much. As the novel progressed, he became a more likeable character.
The reason this book is getting 3 stars is because the last 20ish pages were rushed! Like so beyond rushed. Sìleas was rescued in no time at all and then we get Conner becoming chieftain and then boom! Jumps ahead nine months and ya.. I wish it was more fleshed out.
I will be reading the next book because I really did like Alex in this book and his story seems interesting!
Some spoilers ahead...
When I first came across this book, the synopsis really made my heart hurt! I decided to read it right away and stayed up alllllll night! I really liked where the book was going. I loved Sìleas she was your normal highland lass who played the damsel in distress. Sometimes after all of the strong willed characters out there, you need a breath of fresh air and try a novel with a not-so-strong willed female. She did have her strong points but they were fleeting. I honestly didn't like Ian in the beginning. He was such an ass, thinking he had a right to Sìleas' body just because he married her 5 years ago. But then he figured out he loved her for quite a while and we got to know him more which made me not hate him as much. As the novel progressed, he became a more likeable character.
The reason this book is getting 3 stars is because the last 20ish pages were rushed! Like so beyond rushed. Sìleas was rescued in no time at all and then we get Conner becoming chieftain and then boom! Jumps ahead nine months and ya.. I wish it was more fleshed out.
I will be reading the next book because I really did like Alex in this book and his story seems interesting!
corruptednatz's review
The main character Ian is a sleezy guy who rejected his wife because she was an ugly girl, now that she’s grown up and beautiful he wants her alllll for himself. He even tried to force himself upon her while she was sleeping! Just gross. She hit him with a frying pan which was the icing on the cake! But that should’ve shown her that the man she was forced to marry is just as bad as the man she was running away from in the beginning of the book. I would finish this book if Ian wouldn’t have done the gross things he did OR he stays the same but the girl finds someone who loves her like the neighbor, he’s handsome and not a warrior but he really takes her opinions and thoughts into consideration.Â
tacuazin's review
I must confess I didn't finish it. It's not a bad book, all in all. But at some point I forgot I was reading it, and never looked back.
theybedax's review
2.0
While Sìleas may be strong and commendable Ian is quite a prig. I understand a boy not wanting to marry nothing but a child. To however abandon family and stay away because you want a comely lass is disgusting. Made all the more disgusting when that little girl is abused and supposedly your friend. Sìleas had the great misfortune of falling for a boy who showed her kindness, a boy who was something no one else would be for her. That love made her fall for a man that leaves everything else to be desired. Yes he grows to love her, but that would of never happened if she were not beautiful. I found myself loving many characters but finding Ian to be a worthless man who believes himself to be a gift.