Review: Entertaining Series Starter With Lots of Characters & Action
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2013
As a fan of paranormal stories I was immediately drawn to the sweeping storyline Ms. Twombly presented to us readers.  The mythology of the vampire Guardians is intriguing, if a bit confusing at times, but it allows for a diverse cast of characters with unique abilities to each.  Not only is each vampire capable of unique talents to save humans as is their sworn duty, but they're all super sexy as well and I look forward to having each of their stories told with each successive installment.This story focuses on the healer Marcus who's experienced great heartache in his hundreds of years of life.  Not only did he witness and have a hand in his parent's deaths but he also was forced into killing his mate.  Since then he's closed off his heart and wants nothing to do with love.  Fate, in this story it's the god Zarek, has other plans and deems the human Cassie as his destined mate.  From the moment he meets her his life, and that of all Guardians, will be forever changed.  Their relationship doesn't progress easily though as a face from his past betrays him and puts Cassie in danger repeatedly.  To get her back he literally has to go to Hell and put his life on the line to save her.  Along with repeatedly proving himself in a demonic battle to win her heart he must earn her love in the human realm by getting her to accept his dark side and see the deep emotions he has for her.  He must show her he's more than the stereotypes she's seen and that he'll do anything to keep her safe and happy.  I found Marcus endearing.  I ached for every loss he experienced and was happy he was given another chance at happiness.  He was truly romantic in his gestures and was like a sad puppy when Cassie rebuffed him.  Not only does he have a good heart but he's a loyal warrior too which was apparent in his numerous action-packed scenes.  He was a true hero in every sense of the word.Cassie was a little less likable at times.  She was a strong-willed heroine who never became overwhelmed by all the otherworldly elements that were forced upon her.  She never became frantic as some women may have.  She was so calm in fact that I almost felt her to be a bit emotionless.  Not until the very end did I feel that she loved Marcus as much as he loved her.  He was much more demonstrative in his affections than her.  Once she did come to terms with her feelings though, she wholeheartedly stuck up for him by fighting for his very soul.  By the end I found her a much more worthy heroine.Alongside Marcus are many other powerful Guardians.  There's the new King Aidyn, the mind reader who's being destroyed by memories Seth, and a slew of other sexy men whose faces flashed by throughout the story at a fast pace.  There's even a demon named Baal who provided some much needed comic relief.  Along with these good guys are some truly vile villains with a plan to use human women to breed more of their kind and use them to open the Gates of Hell.  These villains used to be allies of the Guardians, but because of one rogue dragon shifter named Odage, his compatriots have now declared war on the Guardians.  Odage's plan is rather complex and requires the assistance of many other otherworldly creatures.  By the end of the story his plan is still playing out with even more danger on the horizon.This was a very ambitious story that tried to do too much at times.  There were too many characters and almost no chance to take a breather as the hero and heroine went from one near death experience to the next.  They actually spent more time apart than together which put a crimp in their burgeoning relationship.  Along with intense action scenes came numerous sexual interludes.  The whole story in fact was highly sexualized with Odage's plan relying on sex.  Sexual tension abounded throughout the entire story to energize the plot even further.  Ultimately I enjoyed this story though I think the author tried too hard to include so many elements that others got lost along the way.  I love the Guardians though and look forward to reading more of their stories but I hope Ms. Twombly will stay more focused in the next installment and streamline her storyline to focus more on the romance.  Fans of the paranormal will enjoy this unique new series with its intricate worldbuilding and I definitely recommend keeping an eye on what Ms. Twombly plans next.