***POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN RANT BELOW***
***POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN RANT BELOW***
***POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN RANT BELOW***
I’ve reached my limit with this book. It is too irritating for me to continue. The hero is an immature, selfish pig. He leaves for five years after being forced to marry his childhood friend and ignores any attempts from his father to get him to come home. He’s angry that he was forced to marry Sileas—he’s horrified at being stuck with such a scrawny, unattractive girl—and he blames her for getting them into that situation. In his mind he’s not married since he didn’t consummate the marriage. He doesn’t care (doesn’t even consider at all) how bad things might have been for Sileas after being abandoned by her husband. It’s her fault after all…
For her part, Sileas is still pining for Ian. She has a great guy hanging around her who loves her and wants to marry her. He tries to convince her to ask for an annulment or get a divorce because he wants to be with her and give her everything Ian hasn’t. He’s convinced that five years is long enough to wait. Too bad he’s not the hero! But Sileas is still waiting for Ian to show up and fulfill her dreams of really being loved by him.
Ian comes back and expects to be God’s gift to his family for returning. He’s still pissed that he has to deal with the wife situation, though. He just wants to end it and be done with it. At least until he sees Sileas. Suddenly all he can think about is how hard she makes him and how maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be married to her if he gets to sleep with her. Don’t imagine that he got a clue—that would be expecting too much of him. He only changed his mind because Sileas is hot now. Apparently he thought she’d stay skinny and awkward and thirteen forever.
He continued watching her as they ate their midday meal. With that full bottom lip, her mouth was made for kissing. Every time she puckered and blew on her stew, his heart did an odd little leap in his chest. And his heart was not the only part of him affected. His cock was standing to attention, stiff as an English soldier.
Likely, Sileas was foul-tempered toward him for not making his intentions clear. He had trouble recalling his reasons for waiting as he watched her take a spoonful into her mouth, smile with pleasure at the taste, and run her pink tongue across her top lip.
Perhaps he should just take her to bed now and have done with it. If the price of following his desire was gaining a wife, well, it was time he had one anyway.
Be still my beating heart, eh? And after only exchanging words with her twice since he got back. *rolls eyes*
Ian is shocked to find out that Sileas and his little brother Niall are angry at him. They’ve been left to keep the family going and are pissed when Ian doesn’t consider what they did a big accomplishment. Sileas kept the accounts up and she and Niall made all the decisions for the crops and farm. Ian basically rolls his eyes over the thought of taking the task over and giving it any importance because he’s a warrior. He also doesn’t seem to have any awareness of how difficult taking care of their father has been and how hard it has been keeping up the house and the farm without the ability to hire workers.
Ian blunders around acting like a buffoon and is pissed when his family isn’t impressed by him. He has no real sense of responsibility for his family and I am honestly shocked that he is the older brother and Niall is the younger. Ian acts like a little boy who never grew up.
So he decides (without talking to her) that he’s keeping Sileas as a wife and goes up to her room when she’s asleep. He gets naked, climbs in bed with her and kisses on her neck a few times while he gropes her boobs. That gets him so hot that he flips her over right there and starts lining up for the goal, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, that’s about the time the heroine wakes up. Now, I don’t bring this up as a complaint about his actions being skeezy. I bring this up because this is the hero and this was an honest to God seduction for him. All Ian does is think about Little Ian and what would make him feel good. He has no real awareness of the wants and desires of anyone around him. I honestly don’t think he even realizes that he should care. Because the world revolves around him, you know?
Because Ian was such a clueless douche it was hard to respect the heroine. She pined for him for five years and continues to pine for his love now that he’s back. I have to doubt her intelligence in wanting such a man. She has a suitor and brother-in-law that are much, much, MUCH nicer and who value her and treat her with respect. Does she want them? Of course not. She wants the douche hero for…some reason. I’m still not sure why, exactly.
Basically, this book was too irritating to continue. I stopped at page 214 and have no regrets about never picking it back up again. I don’t need a perfect hero or a perfect heroine, but I need one that’s not such a pig.
Rating: DNF
The Guardian by Margaret Mallory
May 1st 2011 by Forever
Historical Romance
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About Catherine
I want to know what happened at the end out of morbid curiosity. What was the effort in redeeming Ian, if she ended up with him? I bet she did. I am slightly obsessed by bad attempts to redeem thunder-twunts like this guy though, just because they’re hot. I also want to know if there’s been a “terrible misunderstanding” on Ian’s behalf, lol.
What I find most amusing is that Ian apparently doesn’t object to her being 13; just being scrawny (and while I understand that might be historically accurate, still. Ew).
Thanks for the review, it made me LOL this morning. Sometimes I think book bloggers work too hard to find nice things to say about books. When, in reality, we’ve all been there with books that just didn’t do it for us.
I had initially heard pretty good things about this book and having read Margaret’s books before, I expected for this one to live up to her previous work but now I’m a bit concerned.
I expect our heroes and heroines to be flawed; that’s part of their journey in their stories. However, I would have a hard time tolerating a character that is such a macho pig – hell, I don’t put up w/ men like that in real life! lol
I may give this book a chance someday so I can form my own opinion…I just probably won’t rush so much!
Thanks for the honest review.
♥Isalys
Arghhh *wants to hit the hero over the head* he would just annoy the crap out of me
I like flawed heroes and heroines but if they are intolerable then it makes it hard to continue even though I know the author will try to redeem them. This hero sounds like a piece of work.
Kuddos to you for getting as far as you did. It sounds like I wouldn’t have been able to make it half as far as you did.
@Lucy V Morgan: He was younger too, although I’m not sure exactly how young. They were childhood friends and she always trailed around after him while he protected her.
@Ann: Glad to make you LOL.
@Isalys: Honestly, this book has a high rating among my friends. I may be the odd man out again.
@blodeuedd: Would it make you feel better to know that the heroine literally hit the hero in the head with a frying pan?
@Sophia (FV): He drove me nuts because he was so clueless. He wasn’t even trying to be a jerk, he just was because it didn’t occur to him that the world didn’t revolve around his wants and needs.
@Paranormal Haven: I wanted to give it a fighting chance, but I just couldn’t take it anymore.
Ohhh, pfffft! Another hero who I want to smack and kick his ass, and TSTL heroine (in my opinion) are good points to not read this one!
Thanks for your review, Catherine 
Ha ha, I love your honesty Catherine. I think someone needed to give “Little Ian” a spanking.
@LaurieS *Barklesswagmore*:
Omg I just spit coffee. LOL
@Ren: Glad you enjoyed it, Ren.
@LaurieS *Barklesswagmore*: LOL!
I have The Guardian in my to be read stack. I’ve read all of Margaret’s books and loved every one of them. This is the first time I’ve read a review like this as they, including The Guardian, have all received high ranks in the review world. I did go over to Goodreads and it has a 4.06 over there.
I’m thinking this is just one of those different strokes for different folks and it isn’t deterring me from reading an author I follow as as a fan. I am thankful this isn’t the author debut book or her first review.
@Lavada Dee: I am glad you enjoy this author so much that you’ve loved every book you’ve read by her.
Struggled with this, but did finish it.
@Estella: Did you struggle with the same things I did or did you have separate issues with it?
All Ian does is think about Little Ian and what would make him feel good
I love this review. That is all.
It’s funny (and one of the things I love about being individuals) how different we all see things. I chuckled my way through the first part of this book, knowing that Ian’s view was going to get a rude awakening. I enjoyed his flaws. But even more, I loved the way Ms. Mallory nudged him along to true hero status. I love a hero who is willing to say “I screwed up” and to make it right. I guess that’s why I enjoyed Ian so much.
@Mandi:
@Laurie Ryan: I’m glad you enjoyed him and I’m pleased to hear he eventually admitted that he screwed up. It always amazes me how differently two people can interpret the same thing.
I liked him, too. I have a tendancy to like heroes like him, and I really enjoyed him myself. I guess it is different strokes for different folks.
@dlady: I’m glad he worked better for you. I have my favorite types of heroes, too. I always enjoy reading about them.
I tend to read contemporary romances, but occasionally I pick up a good historical — and Margaret Mallory is on my “automatic buy” list. I enjoy her stories and will definitely read The Guardian, because I know if she has created a hero like the one you describe, she’ll have a great way to put him through hell before he gets his happily ever after. I’m sorry you didn’t skim past the parts you didn’t enjoy to see how she resolved the hero’s growth until he deserved his forever-after with the heroine.
I also agree with several of the other commenters that different characters and plots appeal more to some people and less to others. I hope those who are put off by your review will consider getting the book from the library to see if they enjoy the story — from start to finish.
I liked Sileas in this story MUCH more than Ian.
I’ve read Ms. Mallory’s previous series, and what I really loved about The Guardian was the historical aspect — the warring clans and such.
But an entertaining review, so thank you!
@Marcia James:
I haven’t read this book, however if I have to skim any book to get to the resolution then the book is probably not worth my time. I would most likely call it quits.
@Marcia James: I’m sorry, I am not much of a skimmer.
@Mrs. Hanson: I liked that about the clans as well.