Guardian Agent

Agents Under Fire #1

by Dana Marton

When Gabe Cannon's commando team is tasked with bringing down a rogue soldier, he doesn't expect to come face-to-face with the target's sister at the showdown instead of the man himself.

Jasmine is trying to lead the team away from her injured brother. Recognizing one of the hunters as her teenage crush is definitely a shock to her system. To save her family, she must convince Gabe that her brother was framed. But can she stop from falling in love with him all over again?

A fast-paced, heart-pounding romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Suspense, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Short Stories

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2011

About the author

Dana Marton writes fast-paced action-adventure romances that take her readers all over the globe. She is a Rita Award finalist and the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. She loves writing stories of intrigue, filled with dangerous plots that try her tough-as-nails heroes and the special women they fall in love with. Her books have been published in seven languages in eleven countries around the world.

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Reviews

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slight spoiler*

Great premise which fulfilled expectations right up until the very near end.
Why? For the love of God, do authors feel the need to go for the over the top incredulous, cheesy endearments which always lends to a gruff snort from me!
There was nothing from the MC to indicate his emotions for the Heroine where anything other than lusty and appreciative.
The whole insta-love thing turns a sexy, fun, entertaining and action packed novella into a unrealistic pile of drivel and makes me hesitate in reading the rest of this series.

I will be reading the rest of them in the hope of more fun and less cheese.

[Paula Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novella started with a bang and the tension never let up. Marton is an accomplished thriller writer, and it shows. Everytime I promised myself I'd stop and turn out the light, I kept reading just one more page.

My only complaint was that the story just wasn't long enough to suit me. The relationship between the characters barely had time to evolve at all before the story ended with the assumption that they were now going to be a couple. I'd have liked a little more fleshing out of the relationship in the earlier chapters (a few moments of downtime in all of that adrenaline rush might have made for a nice respite). Then the ending wouldn't have seemed as abrupt.

But otherwise, GUARDIAN AGENT is a real thrill ride from one of the most reliable writers of romantic suspense today.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, full of action and a hot romance. This Novella makes the most of it's small page count and does it very well. Gabe Cannon left the SEALs for a private contracting job that paid enough for his sisters medical treatment. His first op is to hunt down a SEAL accused of killing three people. It just happens that Gabe was once on an op with this guy and he couldn't understand what had happened to him.

Jasmine has been on the run with her brother and little sister for months. Jake is injured and Mandy is very ill and Jasmine is running out of options. When Gage Cannon captures her, she recognizes him as her teen fantasy man, but still escapes, not knowing which side Gabe is on. Jasmine decides they have no choice but to trust Gabe and she has no choice but to loose her heart to him again.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this fast-paced short story. Gabe, an ex-SEAL, was working for a private security company. They were in Venice looking for a rogue soldier, Jake Tekla, who had killed 3 men (one a naval officer), stole some gold found on a previous mission, then vanished. Gabe spotted the soldier on a rooftop but when he caught him, it was a her! Gabe actually grabbed Jake's sister, Jasmine. She escaped before she could be questioned so Gabe was no further ahead in finding the rogue agent.

When Jasmine went back to the spot where they had been living, she realized that both her brother and sister were very sick and needed help. So she went back to Gabe, told him the whole story about her brother's innocence and him being framed. She hoped he would believe her and help her siblings. He did.

This is a good action-packed romance with wonderful characters that will leave you wanting to read more by this author.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast moving book. It's was way to short for me. Sexy as hell Gabe ( see the cover) was a once in the Army and then after the FBI and finally a private security firm. He finds himself in Venice looking for a old Army buddy who has gone AWOL and is wanted dead and not alive. Something seems fishy to Gabe the longer he gets into this OP. He finds himself face to face with who he thinks is his old friend Jake Tekla but it's not it's his sister Jasmine. Before he can find out anything she escapes. Jasmine is running out of time and energy. Jake her brother has been shot in the leg and has a broken arm and an infection. Her sister Mandy is sick with a fever from living in the harsh conditions from being on the run. She decides she has to trust Gabe. She once had a huge crush on him 10 years ago when she last saw him. Hoping she's doing the right thing she goes to spy on him and see if maybe he's worth trusting. He is!!! Fast paced and action packed. You get a whole lot of story in a short amount of book. I give Guardian Agent by Dan Marton 5 out of 5 Modokker Book Pick stars. I read this in one afternoon. Half in the dentist office and the rest when i got home. I love these kinds of books but always want more. Luckily the next book in the series Avenging Agent is out and i possess a copy! lol Watch for the review of that book soon. To find out more about Dana Marton and this book and others click here www.danamarton.com .

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fast paced action novella infused with a budding romance! You will fall in love with Agent Gabe Cannon, ex- FBI, ex-US Army, as he is determined to discover why his new employer has a vengeance to kill Jake Telka and his innocent sisters. As Gabe discovers the truth, he makes saving Telka and his sisters, especially Telka's sister Jasmine, from harm his mission! Loved this quick read and can't wait to start on Book 2 of this series!

[Ariella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

[Kris hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!!

[RiriRomantiques · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read in june 2013
Re-read in its new extended edition in august 2016.
I like the fast pace and the punchy heroine

[Shannon Godwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give this book 5 stars bc I loved the story line. I’m giving it 3 stars bc of some issues I had. I felt the book was too short and had it been longer it could’ve been so much better. In one particular part of the book events happened in a period of 40 minutes that should’ve taken a lot longer. I’m all for books being a little off with time frames but I feel they should be a realistic.
I also felt the story could’ve told more with the romance going on. I felt Gabe & Jasmine’s relation was never given enough detail, I felt like they were secondary characters.
The story has great potential and I’m hoping Book 2 will have some of their story in it to make up for it not being in this book.
The action in the book is great, the suspense was great, this book has great potential! I will read the other books bc i am hoping this author really picks up with the stories.

[Symone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggle to think of less then 100 pages as a book.

The reason - there is simply no detail. This is a bare to the bones basic plot at best. It feels like a plot draft that the author never got around to fleshing out and decided to release as is. So while there is a plot, the characters are empty, the tiniest pieces of back story, but nothing to make us feel any connection.

And to put this in the romance genre. blah. There is a smattering of kisses nothing overtly steamy. It is all very PG13.

Overall this book manages to dump on several genres in one go.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Guardian Agent" is novella-length and relies on pretty constant action to keep the plot, such as it is, moving along.
Gabe Cannon is one of an elite team charged with finding ex-SEAL and multiple murderer Jake Tekla, known to be hiding somewhere in Venice, Italy.
But Jake is wounded and his younger sister Jasmine is trying to prevent him from being found. As a teenager she had a crush on Gabe ...
It's a short and lazy book - all the boxes are ticked but not particularly well and the HEA is just ridiculous.
2 Stars.

[Vickey Mcgee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-Stop Action

I very much enjoyed this story. It's a great story with a excellent plot and characters. Non-stop action from the beginning to the end. You won't want to put it down.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I got a bit confused and then things became clearer and I got hooked. I will say this had some twists and turns but it ended on a confusing note. Will see if the next book clears it up.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Romantic Suspense Novella

The first in a series that looks promising. Former soldiers going into private lives and finding the women they love.

[Chele]

My copy of this book can be found in this anthology: Agents Under Fire

[Andrea B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well I finished - which is more then I can say from a lot of books lately. It was just ok.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great suspense..

[Shaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Verna Westman]

I am a big fan of Dana Marton books. I can’t wait to get back to them when I have to set them down.

[Judith S. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minute to minute suspence

This book kept your interest from the first word until the end. I wish it could have finished the story with the senator. Maybe in the next book.

[Beachbaby]

In boxed set - "Agents Under Fire"

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story but the end left me scratching my head.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine hurried along the Grand Canal, dodging a group of diehard revelers, glancing back over her shoulder for the hundredth time. She couldn't see Gabe Cannon anywhere.
Her teenage fantasy man was hunting her brother. She sure hadn't seen that coming. Freaking surreal.
He looked just as good as when she'd first met him at that airport and had fallen instantly in love over pizza and chips. One of those unavoidable pitfalls of life, really. He'd been more handsome than any of her pop idols, and her teenage emotions had been just begging for an outlet.
She cringed in embarrassment when she thought of all the melodramatic drivel she'd written about him in her high school diary.

GUARDIAN AGENT by Dana Marton is an ultra fast-paced, intense romantic thriller that grabs your attention from the first page and never lets go. It is rather short novella at just over 60 pages but the character development surpasses that of many full-length books I've read. I read it in one evening - there was absolutely no way I could put it down once I started it.
GUARDIAN AGENT is the first in the Agents Under Fire trilogy - each installment features an ex-military as the hero. The series embraces danger, non-stop action, dirty politics, blackmail, payoffs, espionage, undercover operations... and hot romance. This installment ends with a pseudo cliffhanger, but, thankfully, the rest of the series is available - so you don't have to wait to find out what happens. AVENGING AGENT (Jake Tekla's story) is the second book and WARRIOR AGENT (Troy's story) is the third. You actually now have two edition choices - you can buy the trilogy as three individual stories or altogether as the AGENTS UNDER FIRE box set. (If I had to do it all over again, I would have purchased the box set!)

My full review has been posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Check it out here: http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbook...

4 1/2 Wine Glasses!

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Dana Marton and you can be sure it won't be my last.

I was caught in the fast moving story of this novella. Gabe, who is ex Military and ex FBI, is now working for a private securities firm and they are on a mission in Venice to capture a soldier who went AWOL. Coincidentally, the rogue soldier Jake, happened to be an old Army friend.

On one of their stakeouts, Gabe thought they were closing in on Jake only to realize the person was his sister, Jasmine. But before he could get his questions answered, Jasmine escaped. Gabe and Jasmine go way back to 10 years ago when Jasmine was just a teenager and she had a huge crush on Gabe. With Mandy being very sick and Jake badly injured, Jasmine had no choice but to trust her instincts and turn to Gabe for help. With the little info given by Jasmine, Gabe did some digging and became suspicious of the entire operation.

The plot was well written and I didn't feel that Dana was rushing to end the story. That being said, of course I would have been happier if it had more details and development and for the story to be full-length instead.
Nevertheless, the plot and plenty of fast paced actions will keep you enthralled. I can't wait to get started on the next book, Avenging Agent.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this novella when is was bundled with the next two in the series and free (yay!). This one is about Gabe, but we meet Troy and Jake (the next two novellas).

Gabe is on a mission. This is his first mission with a private company that takes contracts from any who can pay. This one is from the U.S. government. They are after a former army buddy of Gabe's who has gone rogue. The story begins as Gabe is entering a building that is supposed to have the bad guy and Gabe gets the order to "shoot to kill." But what Gabe finds on top of the building is not what he is expecting and from there Gabe is led done a road from which he can find both redemption and love.

I enjoyed the premise: commando dude, a friend's sister who had a past crush on commando dude and lots of action. While I believed the heroine's depth of feeling, I didn't have enough time in Gabe's head to feel his apparent love of Jasmine.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars: Liked it

This was a fast read, decent plot, nice characters and the right amount of action and suspence to keep me intrigued. The only real flaw in this story was the love story part.
Jasmine had a crush on the Gabe when she was a teenager 10 years ago...in the recent past in the story she has been sexually abused at the point when she recoils from men's touch...still she doesn't overthink about kissing, touching and planning a future with Gabe just days (hell, we could even say hours) after having met him again. Gabe's not much better...he barely remembers her, yet at the end of the book he thinks she's the woman of his life. I understand desperate situations make people closer faster, but this just doesn't feel real.
This notwithstanding I enjoyed the read, I would just have loved it, instead of just liking, if maybe the love part had been developed in a series.

[Donna Hatridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good story told in a short to the point action packed way. Would have loved it to be longer, but I know that Dana Marton has other books in this Agents Under Fire series. On the Nook this book has 141 pages.

When Gabe Cannon's commando team is tasked with bringing down a rogue solider, he doesn't expect to come face-to-face with the target's sister at the showdown instead of the man himself.

Jasmine is trying to lead the team away from her injured brother. Recognizing one of the hunters as her teenage crush is definitely a shock to her system. To save her family, she must convince Gabe that her brother was framed. But can she stop from falling in love with him all over again?