Review: ‘The Guardian Duke’ by Jamie Carie

By Serena Chase, USA TODAY

Genre: Inspirational romanceJamie Carie is the award-winning author of critically acclaimed inspirational romance novels such as Wind Dancer and Snow Angel. Her new series takes readers to Regency England, following the adventures of a possibly orphaned young noblewoman and the wealthy but mysteriously disabled Duke who has been assigned her guardianship by the king.

Here’s the sitch: Well over a year ago, Alexandria Featherstone’s parents left home to pursue a mysterious treasure. No one has heard from them since, but whatever it was they were searching for has become of interest to competing kingdoms. King George presumes the Featherstones are dead, but that does not quench his desire to attain that for which they searched. Assuming Alexandria to be in danger from other treasure seekers, he awards her guardianship to the wealthy and formidable Duke of St. Easton.

Focused on the strange malady that has altered his life, Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, does not take the vague order of guardianship seriously at first, assuming the child’s care will be easily assigned to one of his sisters. When he writes to summon Alexandria to London, however, he is surprised to find she is not, in fact, a child, but a young woman. And her candidly written refusal intrigues him. Thus begins a series of letters between the depressed duke and the feisty young Lady Featherstone – and an unlikely attraction, based only upon words, is sparked.

Alexandria believes her parents are alive – but in great peril. She is determined to follow the sparse clues they have left behind and rescue them before it is too late. But danger lurks around every corner and Gabriel is in pursuit. To continue her search, Alexandria must delay meeting her dear guardian duke any way she can – even though her curiosity grows with each letter she receives.

Hits & misses: Although the novel got off to a somewhat slow beginning, within a few chapters I was fully engaged. I enjoyed Alexandria’s spirit and lack of pretension from the start. Even when she was engaged in utter pretense there was an innocence about her that made her seem real. The ease at which she utters creative lies – and the lengths she goes to rationalize the deceptions that prick her conscience – shows Alexandria to be as committed to pursuing adventure as she is to discovering her parents’ whereabouts. She’s a wily one, to be sure – but her naiveté is endearing.

The author does an excellent job injecting humor into the tale, showing how Alexandria’s dismal attention to propriety in correspondence resulted from being brought up as she was: a secluded young noblewoman who’d not interacted with the ton of British society. In contrast, the Duke of St. Easton serves as a great foil to Alexandria’s easily distracted, countrified ways. While his early complaints about intellectual boredom make Gabriel seem a tad spoiled and whiny in the beginning, the duke’s ennui not only makes his curiously attracted reaction to Alexandria’s letters more believable, but makes the maturation of his character much more interesting as the story progresses.

Many historical novels tend to become weighed down by details of dress and custom, but this one does not. The tale assumes the reader understands general details about the Regency period and is ready to get right into the adventure. Just because this is not a minutia-heavy book doesn’t mean the setting is any less available to the imagination, however. Holy Island, the Featherstone castle and lands in particular are vividly drawn. The reader can almost feel the draft coming off the moor and through the cracks in the walls. But the setting isn’t the star of The Guardian Duke. It is simply the stage on which the characters can shine. And, once we’ve gotten to know them a bit, they do just that.

Diehard historical romance fans might find this book to be lighter fare than what they are used to, but most readers will enjoy The Guardian Duke as an original take on the Regency romance.

To read or not to read: The first novel in the Forgotten Castles series,The Guardian Duke ends with a cliffhanger. Alas, The Forgiven Duke(book two) doesn’t release until July. But if Jamie Carie continues to develop these characters as she has begun it will be worth the wait to see what adventures will ensue as this tale of “love at first write” continues.

A writer, performer and accomplished partaker of dark chocolate, Serena Chase lives in Iowa with her husband and two daughters. Her reviews can also be found at the blog  Edgy Inspirational Romance.

A devastated duke.

A girl of lonely exile.

Both have a path to follow, a heart’s desire to find, and choices that could change their lives forever.

Do you ever wonder if you are on that perfect path for your life? Are you “following your passion” and “finding your gift?” These popular catch phrases make us stop and ponder our lives and the direction we are going. While there is nothing wrong with that, we must keep in mind Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV) This entire chapter in Matthew is amazing! It contains the Lord’s Prayer, instructions about our treasure (our gifts and calling), our money, our needs and the worries over those needs and then it ends with an exhortation to trust and seek God foreverything. A true blueprint for life kind of chapter.

But let’s be honest. To really live in that place every day with all the storms and trials, the challenges and distractions? Well, it’s only possible with God’s help. And my characters, these wonderful characters who I love as if they were real people, are no different.

My hero – the brilliant Duke of St. Easton – wants his affliction healed and taken away. And he wants love on his terms. He wants his control back even though he was miserable when he had it.

My heroine – sweet, determined Alexandria – wants what she can’t have. And she’ll stop at nothing when it comes to taking care of her own heart.

Their journey is like ours – that push and pull against God – the desire to find freedom and purpose on earth but in our timing and our way because His way is too hard or scary or just doesn’t make sense.

Dear Reader, join me on this journey with Gabriel and Alexandria as they struggle to come to the end of themselves. I pray we might too lift up our lives as a sacrifice, and in that place, come face to face with the living God.

In Him,

Jamie Carie

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 the heart-driven Alexandria ignores this royal reassignment. Believing her parents are still alive, she travels to faraway lands to follow clues that may lead to their whereabouts.

Gabriel, pressured by the king’s ulterior motives, pursues Alexandria 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 begins to pale in comparison to what God has planned for both of them.

“Jamie Carie takes readers on a passionate, unique, unforgettable adventure. The charaters will steal your heart and keep you awake nights!”

-Laura Frantz, author of The Colonel’s Lady

“An irresistible regency chase that will tease, taunt and steal your heart.”

-Julie Lessman, award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series.

“Carie’s talent is to be commended. Whether her books are set during the French Revolution, England’s Regency period or the early days of America’s frontier, she weaves a beautiful tapestry of historical fact, passion and multi-faceted characters into an engaging plot.”

—FaithfulReader.com

Jamie Carie is the author of Snow Angel, a ForeWord magazine Romance Book of the Year winner, USA Book News National “Best Books 2007” Awards winner, and 2008 RITA Awards® Best First Book finalist. Her third novel, Wind Dancer, was a 2010 Indiana State Library Best Books of Indiana finalist. She lives with her husband and three children in Indianapolis.

I’m not sure how long this sale will last but you can get my new release, The Guardian Duke, for only $3.99 through itunes (ibooks). And The Snowflake is only .99 cents!

It’s so warm and sunny here and my new book is on sale – February is starting out great!

Exciting news for iphone/ipad/ipodtouch and Mac users! There are some great deals today on ibooks including The Guardian Duke for only $3.99! Just go to ibooks and click on the “Religion & Spirituality” section and then look for the “Christian Fiction $3.99 or Less” banner. Happy release day!

Please help spread the word to anyone you know who has a Mac or one of these devises! Thank you!!

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, op.11. Uncut

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV3SHBFyDZM[/youtube]

P.S. Contest below is still on! I will draw the winner on January 31st. Good luck and God bless!

Lindisfarne (Holy Island) England. The only connection between the island and the mainland is the causeway. A road is revealed only twice a day at low tide.

Lindisfarne Castle. This is where my heroine, Alexandria Featherstone grew up. There is also a Lindisfarne Monastery- the center of Christianity in England during the 600-700′s,

Great aerial shot of the island and causeway.

Killyleagh Castle, Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland. Alexandria travels to Ireland following clues to the whereabouts of her parents and stops here.

While researching for The Guardian Duke I contacted the owners of Killyleagh Castle to ask some questions about the castle. They were kind enough to help and introduced me to a local historian, Clive Scoular. Mr. Scoular was such a find! I was so blessed that he read the manuscript and checked it for historical accuracy and all things Irish. It’s a dream to go there and meet these wonderful people in person some day!

This is the photo I found while writing The Guardian Duke to represent what I think Gabriel, the Duke of St. Easton, looks like. Pretty dreamy, huh?

Okay dearies, to enter to win the one copy I am giving away here just comment on this post! Can’t wait to really get this book out there!

P.S. If you can’t wait another day, I do believe that Amazon is already sending out the book! Here’s the buy link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433673223/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d4_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0RDXMBBRYHDNGW19J59A&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year | Forward this Picture

A BIG thank you to those of you who have been patiently waiting for me to get this promised contest going! With Christmas and my January 1st deadline, I have really fallen behind. Did you have a Merry Christmas? We did! We have a Christmas Eve tradition of going to church, then coming home and cooking dinner together (this year we made crab-stuffed mushrooms, onion rings and Italian subs), next we open presents and then we played the boys’ new x-box Sports 2 game and watched The Family Man with Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni – love that movie! On Christmas day we head out to my mom’s for dinner. For my white elephant gift I was the lucky recipient of a roll of toilet paper and can you believe none of my relatives would trade me for it – LOL! It was a wonderful time with family and celebrating Jesus’s birth.

But now I have a small break and I want to give away another ARC (advanced readers copy) of the highly anticipated release of The Guardian Duke, book one in my Forgotten Castles series to one of my lovely readers! All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter and comment here that you did or, if you are already signed up, just say so in the comments to enter to win. (I never share your information and only send out an occasional newsletter).  Don’t forget to leave a way to reach you should you win. I will draw the winner this Friday evening and hopefully mail it out on Saturday before I head to the beach on vacation with my family!

Cheers and Happy New Year!!!