Guard Me

De: J. L. Beck, Cassandra Hallman

Narrado por: Heather Firth, Austin Rising

She was a tiny little lamb who claimed my heart with one fearful look. I was her captor, the man responsible for breaking her, for preparing her for auction. She was taken, plucked right off the street, and brought to me to be sold at the next auction. Rescuing her from my men was never part of the deal, and neither was bringing her up to my room.

Yet, night after night I did this, refusing to give up the way she made me feel. When I’m with her I feel less like a monster. I can remember the man I used to be before the mob got to me, before all the bad tainted my soul. But wanting her is forbidden and keeping her unthinkable. If they find out what I’m doing they’ll kill both of us.

And still...I want to save her. I want to love her. I want to cherish her. When the time comes, will I be able to let her go? Or will I risk both our lives for a love that I may not deserve?

©2019 by J. L. Beck and C. Hallman (P)2020 by Blackstone Publishing

3.75 stars

3.75 stars

After chapter two: (Sigh) Okay. I like dark romance and I don't mind MMC's involved in despicable activities. It goes with the genre and, when reading dark romance, usually the more ruthless the MMC is, the better. With that being said, I DO expect the FMC not to be completely senseless.

In chapter two, even when it is obvious the MMC is involved in the FMC's predicament, the FMC feels safe in the MMC's arms and wants to cuddle up with him. Excuse me? You're almost completely naked, been kidnapped, are being held in a cell and was just assaulted by two men who work with the MMC. The MMC just referred to you as merchandise and you feel safe with him? Short of brain damage from whatever they gave her to knock her out, there's no excuse for this.

The ruthless MMC has to EARN the FMC feeling safe with him; it can't just be given unwarranted. Otherwise, the FMC just looks like a complete idiot. She has no reason to trust the MMC or feel safe with him. Heck, I wouldn't even mind if the FMC's inner monologue was, "I feel so safe when the MMC is in my presence, but I know that's insane because he's responsible for me being held against my will" or "I don't know why I want to cuddle with him but, somewhere inside me, I do. I will never allow it though because he can't be trusted; he's one of them." I mean, shouldn't there be room for growth in the book?

I'm only continuing this book to see if maybe any of this makes more sense as the story unfolds.

I've finished the book and I'm not sure how to rate it. My experience reading it is quite different from the first half to the second half. The first half has the issues I explain above, but also the development of the relationship is sparse. Why do they have feelings for each other? No clue. The reader is just supposed to accept they do and not question it despite no relationship development on page.

While I wanted the MMC to save the FMC, it really made zero sense why he would when he had no desire to save anyone else. I guess they had an unspoken connection but when dealing with the subject matter in this book, it really needs to be more than that to be believable.

I would give the first half of this book one star just because it made little sense. The second half, however, was entertaining and kept me engaged. I just accepted the two main characters had feelings for each other, despite sex replacing actual relationship development in the first half. The action of the second half unfolded with good pacing and suspense. It was interesting to add the MMC's brother to the mix and I look forward to his book.

The MMC and his brother reconnecting was the best part of the second half. Despite the tension between them, their love for each other could be felt.

Overall, I give this book 3.75 stars. The first half is rough but, the second half is a page turner.

Captor turned rescuer type trope

The book takes off from the beginning and never lets up. It fast paced, well written with great side characters and interconnected with the others in the series but can still be a standalone.

Love it

This series was everything it promised. Lived It!! I will look for more of this AUTHORS BOOKS.

Ivan and Violet

I listened out of order and started with book 4&5 because they were included in the free catalog. I really enjoyed them and the narrators were great so I got the rest of the series. they each connect but still could be read as a stand alone if you wanted to. it was nice finally getting to Ivan and Violet since they are mentioned in Roman's story where I started. Ivan felt guilty about his past and turned a blind eye to the awful things around him until he met Violet. she latched onto him immediately with no reservations and was free with her love. he was obsessed but still thought he could maintain a distance and only be a temporary thing. they shared an interesting connection and saved each other in the end. the kitten nickname was cute and it goes well with Xander's nickname mouse for Ella her sister. I liked the book and would recommend. the narrators for both parts were great, and I'm glad it's the same two for the entire series, that was a selling factor in my getting the whole thing.

Violet and Ivan

Ivan was a cold hearted b@stard who prepped young women for auction. When he meets Violet, his heart slowly starts to thaw. He is cold hearted because of something from his past. That is really evident when they reach out to his brother for assistance. This was a pretty dark book and, although good, it was my least favorite of the series. Heather Firth did a great job with the narration; however, I felt that Austin Rising just did not do it for me as Ivan.