The Guardians

The Guardians #1

by Jennifer Raygoza

I thought I had life all figured out. We live. We suffer pain. We die. Death never bothered me much. It is love that scares the hell out of me, because love makes you weak, and in my line of work there is no room for that. My name is Gianna Botticelli. I am the daughter and only female employee of a Los Angeles mafia boss. Today was supposed to be like any other day, and then Caleb walked into my life.
He is sexy and mysterious and knows things he shouldn’t. I don’t like it at all, but I can’t help the way he makes me feel inside. There is something different about him. What is he? All I know is that after meeting Caleb, things will never be the same as he introduces me into his world, an unknown world where the battle of good versus evil rages on.
Sacrifices will be made, hearts will break and lives will be taken. How far am I willing to take this journey, I keep asking myself? If I have to sacrifice myself to save everyone and everything then the answer is easy. All the way.

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal, Erotica, Adult, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook, Romance

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2013

About the author

Jennifer Raygoza delivers books that will keep you turning pages. She has a knack for writing chaotic characters with complicated pasts, wrapped in pure seduction and sprinkled in darkness. If you love a little of everything in your book then dive into her world.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars to a very rushed book.


Gianna Botticelli is the daughter of a Los Angeles maffia boss. Even though she's still struggling with her mothers death, she's as content with her job and life as it gets. But her world turns upside down when she meets the sexy, mysterious Caleb. Who is he? Better yet... WHAT is he? When Caleb introduces her to a new world, she's struggling with the sacrifices she will have to make. Is she the key to saving everyone?


I'm so sorry to say this (Jennifer) but this book was ridiculous on a new high level. And Jennifer, please don't take offense :)

This review might contain tiny spoilers.

23 pages through the book Caleb and Gianna are already saying "I love you" to one another. At that point i was like -





So let me get this straight. Gianna's house was robbed. Herfarther died, and she didn't even shed any tears yet. She's just like 'Yeah. Cool. He's dead. No big deal'. She has been injured and abducted then locked up. She finds she's surrendered by a freaking vampire clan that actually feeds straight from humans. But she somehow fell in love with one? After knowing him for, like, what? 3 days (counting the days she's been abducted)?




If you tell me that's realistic then i don't know what's wrong with you. Who would actually believe that?

Then, we got another situation where she actually meets Caleb. They're ,like, getting in the car, cause she has to drive him to her house so he can meet up with her dad. Caleb is like chilling there, acting all cool and amused. He starts talking about Gianna's dead mother, and guess what Gianna does? She stops the freaking car and tells him to get out. Next thing we know she has a gun aimed at his head, shouting for him to never speak of her mother again.





Don't get me wrong. I love woman with bad attitude, sarcastic and sassy mouths. I'm one! But Gianna was way over the freaking top. She had some serious anger issues. Sometimes i was like "What the heck is wrong with her? Is she mental or what?"

I loved Caleb. He was great!

The characters are not well described nor really well developed. We don't even get a background on Caleb! We don't even know how old the main characters are! That was way annoying.

Overall, The Guardians definitely needs to be rewritten all over again. It was not a satisfying read. The romance and the book in general was ,straight to the base, ridiculous and so rushed. At times i thought it was written by a teenager.

Thank you Jennifer for providing me a PDF copy! Please don't hate me for the rest of my life and don't take offense.

[Mercy Cortez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book is like twilight with a twist. The plot was intriguing and it sucked me in better than Shattered Promises by Jessica Sorensen (which I rated 2 stars)

The premise is a love story... the trouble is it isn't deep, the "war" has little actual action and I would have loved some more battle type scenes, the characters Caleb and Gianna are interesting but...

A. Caleb could have done with a bit more background; he was talked about, how he was born etc, but I'd love to know how he grew up living all fangtastic.

B. I'm still unsure what Giannas dad's business is, other than he gambles and has a very powerful daughter.

There are a few small errors in the text but these are easy to ignore and don't ruin the story. I felt that had I bought this book for the Kindle price of nearly £5 I would be saying that it does need a little bit of a price drop imo

My favourite character was Maddie, she reminded me of Alice in twilight.

The story was fun and fresh, an easy read and you don't see the twists coming, at one point I was like..."Hmmm, what?" But it all makes sense in the end.

This has insta love type happenings and I know some folk (not me) don't like that.

A short read, but I did enjoy it, I'll certainly look into book two, this just needed more character development. Maybe a few more beginning chapters about the two main characters.

Thank you so much for the ARC copy, Jennifer. I do have a little soft spot for Caleb and Gianna.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guardians by Jennifer Raygoza

When you enjoy what you do it definitely shows in your work, after reading this new book I can tell the author enjoyed writing it as I really enjoyed reading it.

The story is told by the main character Gianna who is likeable, strong, not the usual pretty fragile doll.. She meets Caleb, a tall attractive guy and they have to face many difficult situations. Many stuff happens in this book.

I recommend to buy The Guardians to anybody who is looking for a sexy, original, fast paced story that leaves you wanting more.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this normally isn’t a book I would read but I like to take chances and try new things so I thought I would read it. I sort of knew what it was about going in but even that not being my thing I still wanted to read it. The beginning actually read very well as a mafia book. Being a fan of mafia type movies and books I was enjoying it. Then of course the book took the turn I expected into the paranormal/vampire world which was at times done nicely but other times left me scratching my head. The main character Gianna was a likeable and annoying character. Some times I enjoyed her spunk and her tough mentality in the beginning but other times it seems like she could be easily manipulated and became totally unpredictable later on in the book. The things I enjoyed about the book where the characters development and the whole vampire storyline was quite interesting. It was your normal type of vampire story line but it had it’s twists as well. I sort of pictured the movie “Underworld” when it came to the whole vampire clan that Gianna ends up with. They all hold and protect their own and stick together. The fight scenes were enjoyable and at times very intense as you would expect any vampire fight to be. The vampires powers also made for humorous moments at times with Gianna. There was a few things I didn’t like about the book. I didn’t understand why Vampires were enemies with Angels, normally it’s werewolves which again is a change from being cliche but I just didn’t understand why Angels. Also I didn’t like the whole love and romance that was one of the main plots of the book. It came off very “Twilight” to me given the whole connection and lack of connection between Gianna, Caleb and Luke. Also a lot of parts seemed rushed to me. The whole falling in love seemed rushed, I get that vampires have powers but given one minute Gianna is with her family and then shes in a whole new world and rooting for Caleb just seemed way too fast for me. I guess I like slow paced development.

Toward the end there was a lot of new concepts and plots which made the ending unknown. As it built up some twists were thrown in that totally caught me off guard. I don’t give spoilers out but I’ll say this much, A decision is made at the end that at first I think will be interesting but then when the next scene starts its something I’m totally unsure how to take. I like it but at the same time I don’t understand why it was done. It was sort of an enjoyable yet wtf moment for me. The book has it’s up’s and downs and it definitely has some good moments. Gianna’s attitude will have you laughing at times and some of her decisions will leave you unsure but I got to say I liked her over all of the characters. Overall, I must say that this book was something I would have had a hard time reading and getting into a few years back but I am glad I read it and I am curious to see how the sequel goes given all the interesting things that happened toward the end. If you like your vampires powerful and hunky, Italian girls with some serious attitude and bite and a lot of choicely decisions put on characters shoulders then I say this is the book for you

[Karla Kbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows to Gianna who works for the "family business" with her father (a Mafia's boss) and her brother.

I have to say that I found interesting that the protagonist of the story was a strong, determined and independent woman (not the typical "damsel in distress") and she really knew how to deal with the men who work for her father.

There was some characters that I really loved, one of them was Caleb (with that air of mystery) and the other one was Maddie (she was sweet and nice).

As the book progresses we see that this is not just a paranormal romance story, there are some twists, there's a war between good and evil and Gianna has a rol in it.

The story has some good elements in it: romance, action, an underground world, also the fact that the vampires are portrayed in an interesting way (I won't give any spoilers here).

This book is around 115 pages long (I finished reading it in one day) and I would have loved it to be a bit longer (that way I could had learned more about some characters). I'm not sure if this book is part of a Series, if so, probably some of the answers to my questions are in the next book.

Overall this is a quick and entertaining read that I think will appeal to fans of paranormal romance.

[Shellie_hedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked this author to donate a signed copy of this book not realizing that it was only on e book format. She sent a signed picture of the book cover for my nephew who we are having a benefit auction for which just made my day. So I thought this author was cool before I ever even read her book. But on to the book review. This book was so good I didn't want to stop reading it, but I had to go to bed since I had to work the next morning, so when I got home from work I read it some more until once again I had to go to bed because being at work by 3 a m is hard when it is 11 pm. Anyway I recommend any one who likes this the genre of books to read this one you will for sure love it. Have a wonderful night and enjoy the read.

[Samantha Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the plot and how well the author wrote the book. I loved the way that the characters interacted with each other in different setting. I can't wait for book two.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book! I loved it. It was very interesting. I recommend this book!

[Angela Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars



This is a contemporary paranormal book. This book is for anyone who likes a supernatural love story with a touch of action. This is a series and you definitely have to read the second book. I really loved how Gianna feels she can do her job working with her dad better than any man can. Also I could relate with her grief over the loss of her mom. Unfortunately the book was fast paced, leaving some parts without much details and then some of the details that were given were not the same throughout the chapters. A few flaws but overall this is a decent book.

This is a book about Gianna Botticelli whom is the daughter to a Los Angeles mafia boss. She works for her father but inside she is struggling with the loss of her mom. Once she meets Caleb her whole world is completely changed.

Gia fights with her feelings for Caleb. Who is he, what is he, when and how? She is not sure she can adapt to the Caleb's world. She doesn't want to lose herself in the process.


favorite passages:

"I stood there, all five feet, seven inches of me."
"The way he looked at her, I knew he would never love a woman the same way he loved my mother."
"Yeah, well, you’re ugly all day long, so get off my a** (some might find the author's word choice offending.), I said through my teeth, pretending to bite at him."
"It’s like my beating heart was ripped right out of my body–and it was replaced with a cold hard stone."
"They were typical, young, Italian meatheads, they could best be summed up in two words, loud and obnoxious."
"Second, I’d rather make out with Fabio the butter guy here because, well, you’re a big dumb gorilla,"
"At that point I felt an overwhelming I’m-totally-losing-it-someone-put-me-in-a-strait-jacket" type of feeling."
"No pressure over here. None at all."
"He laughed, biting his lip. "You want seconds already? Close your eyes then," Caleb said, still smiling from ear to ear."

[Theresea Wasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. Gianna Botticelli is the daughter of a mob boss. She takes an assignment to pick up a man who for some reason is asked to stay at the house. She feels a strange pull to this man. She later learns that he is a vampire, and she is his destined mate. Caleb takes her to the coven after her family is murdered, and she herself is almost killed. She learns about the Dark Angels, and the coven's fight against them in order to protect humans. She also discovers that she has Dark Angel blood in her due to her grandmother being attacked. This makes her irresistible to both the regular vampires and the Dark Angels.

The plot to this story was not so far out of the realm as to totally stretch the imagination. The action was good, and even though it was rushed in a few places, it wasn't a bad read at all. There was a cliff hanger at the end, but not in an odd place. The story had a regular ending, but leaving you ready for the next part of the story. I am looking forward to more from this author.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book free, in exchange for a review*

This book took a day to read. It's quick and action packed, with a smattering of romance. If you like strong female characters who have a back bone - pick this book!

Gianna works for her mob boss dad. He sends her on a job to pick up a client. Not just any client, a special client; Caleb. *OHHH* Once Caleb enters the picture things start moving pretty quickly.

We find out that Gianna is a different, no more than that - she is Caleb's mate and the key between Dark Angels and vampires! The Dark Angels want Gianna as much as the vampires do.

Will good prevail or will the darkness take over??

I wish this book was longer. I would have liked more character depth with some of the extras and some more background on characters. It is a good base.

[Che-che · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARR-I received this book in exchange for a review

Short read but an action pack great read. This book sucked me in the first couple of pages. I loved it. It reminded me of the one of my favorite books and I was not disappointed. This is a story about a woman(a firecracker LOL) who doesn't know that it but in one night her life is about to change forever. Gianna has to go pick up a guy for her dad, what she doesn't plan on when she sees who her dad has her picking up. In comes Caleb ( can we take a moment to swoon LOL) Caleb is tall dark mysterious, very sexy.

This was a great read and even though it was short, it was not lacking anything. I really enjoyed it and can not wait to read the next book.

[Lawrence Parlier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guardians is the first book in a new series by Jennifer Raygoza. It is the story of Gianna, the daughter of an underworld “businessman” who, after the death of her mother, drops out of college to work in the family business. She soon discovers she has inherited the blood from both sides of ancient warring factions, The Dark Angels and the seemingly beneficent Vampires.
Caught in the power struggle, Gianna chooses to become one of the Vampires to serve its leader as one of the Guardians.
Ms. Raygoza delves delightfully into the dark world with strong characters and a milieu of power, lust, and betrayal. It is an electrifying mix and sure to be a hit with horror fans that like for their Vampires to have bite.
I highly recommend it.

[Annamarie Potalivo Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good book, it had me engaged from the first page. The things I didn't like was the main female character went so easily in the vampire idea not too much of a struggle. And the editing for the kindle version needs to be redone. There were quite a few places of misspelled words and wrongly placed words. It can be unnoticed but it kinda annoyed me. Otherwise the book is a great read, I also so similarity to Twilight at times. I do recommend reading this book. Lets say I read free kindle books but I downloaded the sample of the book and as soon as I finished reading the sample I went online and bought the book. I needed to know what happened. Now I need the next book.

[Jacquelyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for my honest review (LoP)
Gianna Bottirelli is the daughter of a mob boss. One of her assignment was to pick up a man and bring him to her father, when she met Caleb. Her whole world is about to change and not for the better, one look at him and she is on fire! But one dark night her whole except one is killed, and she is injured. She learns that there is a darker evil in this world and she is the key to stopping it. This story takes your imagination to places that you can only dream about, but will enjoy and leave you wanting more.
This was a real enjoyable read****

http://cometomefantasy.blogspot.com

[Cheryl Duval · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the “Lovers of Paranormal” Group on Goodreads.com

This was a very interesting, well written, vampire story with great characters. I liked that Gianna was the daughter of a mob boss but I wish there had been more of the mob story, that would have been intriguing. As I was reading I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going and then, all of a sudden, BAM.....the author created an ending that was incredibly surprising and unbelievable!!!! This was a sensational twist that shows imagination and creativity. I am looking forward to the next book!! I can't even imagine what is going to happen!!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have rocked, there was some excellent ideas going on but everything was so rushed, I felt like huge parts were missing. There was almost no development of characters, it felt kinda just thrown together. It was almost as if the ideas couldn't be written down quick enough but we're never expounded upon. One thing I really disliked was the female leads jealousy and anger, it was teenagerish, just way over the top. I actually have the second and third book and I may continue to see if things get better. I think if the book was longer, things were played out and some more development were allowed to happen, it could have been better.

[Myra Espino · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Given a copy in exchange for an honest review**

The Guardians, good story and flow.
It may be fast paced but everything is there.

The characters, Gianna and Caleb are cool.
I love how the characters blended and their personalities.
Both characters are cool and bad-ass.
Especially Gianna, she's cool and I love her sass and being feisty.
Caleb, he's sweet and mysterious at the same time.
I love them both.

The story, it's good and even though it's a bit fast, everything is there.
I love how things went and the way it ended,
gah!! I loved it.. It's unexpected and I liked it.
.

[Sheila Ryals · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book! not as much as the second but it was still good enough to drag me in! the main charechter is very very feisty. Gianna is definetly not a whiney heroin. I love that about this book series. There are some things I was not so sure on. So I will reread this later and see if i was just misreading things. but if you want a spicy in your face stong willed woman lead. then this one is perfect! btw i bought the second one as soon as i finshed the first one.

[Rachel Krogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story...the plot was a fast pace action packed love story! I really loved the characters in the story mob boss daughter Gianna and Caleb (swoon). I love Gianna no hold bar attuide! She meets Caleb and her whole life changes and she gets to see what's really in this world! I CAN NOT wait for the next book!!!!

[Leah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

well firstly, I luv the cover.
I was absolutely and totally amazed at the excitement level and how fast paced this book is.... certainly not boring at all. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough!
Read for yourself and see if you can stop at one page.!!
Brilliantly written,fast paced fantastic Vampire story, a must read!

[Allison Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (Lovers of Paranormal LOP). I absolutely loved this book. Gianna is a wonderful character. This story has suspense, thrills, and loads of supernatural mixed in. I can not wait to read the next book. This book is for anyone that loves to read a page turner. No spoliers but the ending is great! FABULOUS.....

[Jessica Cortez valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked! It didn't even take a couple pages to want me to continue reading. I finished it quickly because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoyed it and I am sure everyone else who reads it will too.

[Sandy Dilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the suspense in this book ! Great read can't wait to read the next book,;);)

[Stephanie Castillo-rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was amazing.... I didn't want to stop reading... if u love vampires this is a must read!!!!

[Aubrey Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book, It was sexy, thrilling and just the right type of vampire book. Its a must grab book. Jennifer Raygoza is amazing. these books will pull You in and drink You dry. watch out.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, great characters!! This was a fast read, I really enjoyed it. There was non stop action, there were some twists. WOW! Loved this story!

[Joanne Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was on my kindle and I wanted a quick read. This is a YA book and it shows in the story. That being said it kept me entertained and I did enjoy it.

[T.A. Moorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review and more can be seen at http://gothicmoms.blogspot.com/

This is the most original Vampire novel I have read in a very long time. And for this to not only be the first book in a series', but the first novel for Raygoza, it was truly a great read. Raygoza has that rare natural knack for pulling readers in and keeping them begging for more. The tails she spins on her vampires is a truly unique one indeed, and in a good way. Readers will feel her passion coming off of the pages, and vampire lovers of any gender will be able to appreciate every aspect, from the love, the lust to the pure unadulterated violence. Think of it as the Godfather meets Dracula. Gianna goes from being mafia princess to Vampire Queen, and the trials and tribulations she experiences along the way turns her into a true force to be reckoned with.

When Gianna takes on a job to pick up an associate for her father, never did she imagine the letter she hands over to the two rather pale gentlemen will alter her fate. The attraction and pull she feels towards one of them, Caleb, is a dangerous one, and she doesn't trust it, or him. Especially when her father invites him to stay in their home, something he has never done. But something that saves her life in the long run, and also turns her entire life upside down, taking her into a dark world she never knew existed. One that, as it turns out, she was always destined to to be a part of. A dark world where vampires exist, either born or made, some dead set on destroying the human race, the Dark Angels, and others sworn to protect them, The Guardians, and she is a part of both, making her both different, stronger and wanted by both factions.

Gianna comes to learn that being a vampire is even more dangerous than being in the mafia, at least there she knew all of the rules. Being a vampire, the rules seem to change with every step she takes. Though along the way she meets some very interesting characters who quickly become her family; a childlike sweetheart with prophetic visions, a nemesis; a vixen with attitude to spare, suitors of her affection; one she feels the same strange pull for, one from her past that just can't seem to let go in both life and undeath and one she can't stand to even be in the same room with, and old family turned into the enemy against their will. And the sacrifice she makes in the end may save both her old world and the new one.

The Guardians seems to be one of those rare series' that will have fans from every generation and gender, taking the world by storm and keeping readers glued to the page. Granted, there are a few rocky points, like how quickly Caleb and Gianna fall so deep in love after she faces such a devastating tragedy and is completely uprooted from the world she knows, and maybe just a tad more clarity on the Angel aspect. Though that may be just me and my anal stickler for detail. All and all, The Guardians is truly a must read for all vampire lovers. Full of violence, blood, lust, betrayal, loyalty, brutal battles and real vampires.

[Jenny Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from a giveaway on facebook and had never heard of it or read anything from this author. With that being said when I started this book I was blown away. I was not sure what to expect, would it be a typical vampire book or was it something more? This book is one of those something more kind of books. In this book we meet Gianna Botticelli and Caleb Weston. Gianna Botticelli ia the daughter of a very prominent man in her town. Her father is the go to man, if you need something done or someone dealt with he's your guy. One day her father sends her on a run that her brother would normally do. On this run she is to deliver a letter and wait for a response before bringing someone back with her. The person she returns with is Caleb Weston. There is something about her reaction to Caleb that she just can't describe. This book is amazing in so many ways it makes you think about what you would be willing to sacrifice for love, family, and for the human race. In this book Gianna gets a chance to find out what is really important to her and what she is willing to do to get it. This is an amazing book that will grab your attention from the first word and not let it go until the very end. This book does come to a completion but there is still more to come in the next one. There are a few unanswered questions that will come in the next book. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.