Mystic Guardian

Mystic Isle #1

by Patricia Rice

Aelynn, a tropical island veiled from human sight, magically protects a sacred chalice. When a beautiful maiden washes ashore from the outside world and steals the chalice, she sets in motion dangerous and far-reaching consequences…

Trystan l’Enforcer is Aelynn’s powerful guardian. To guarantee the isle’s safety, he plans to marry into a magically powerful family. His ambition is thwarted when his ship carries a sultry beauty onto the island’s hidden shores. She stirs a carnal hunger that risks everything he is and must be…and now he must work with her to recover Aelynn’s most sacred object before chaotic forces can destroy paradise.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Audiobook, Fiction

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2007

About the author

With several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice writes emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances which have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards.

Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.

A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.

She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. I've always loved reading fantasy and romance books and Mstic Guardian is a mix of both. This book talks about a hidden island that was supposed to be The City Of Alantis. But I wonder how it's like to live on the island. In the book, the people of Aelynn (the mystic island)had to live segregated from the rest of the world because the citizens of Aelynn have magical powers. And each person has their own responsibilty to the keeping of the island.
If I had powers, i wish i had the power to control water because I love swimming. And i love sea creatures. I own a my very own huge fish tank filled with all kinds of fish. Then I get to swimm and control what happens withn the water too.

[Meri Greenleaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I want to preface this review by saying that I enjoy a good romance novel. I love fantasy. A story with romance, mermaids, and magic was such a hook that I requested this from LibraryThing's early reviewer program immediately. I'm also going to add that I'm usually willing to give a book the benefit of the doubt until I reach the end.

Not this time.

I tried, really I did. I got to 15% (thanks to my Kindle I can keep good track of how far I am in a book- I'm relatively new to ebooks and still think this is a neat feature) and even though I wasn't liking it, I gave it a while longer to see if that would change. By 25% I had to admit defeat at the hands of the dreaded beast Misogyny.

I'm assuming that we're supposed to like the male protagonist (Trystan) at least a little and feel some sympathy and attachment to him because he is the main character and half of the "love" story. All I wanted to do was push him- and the other male characters who were all of a similar mold- off a cliff. When the story reached the point that his life had been turned upside down and he was fearing bad things would happen to him, I was cheering on those possibilities of exile and loss of magic so that he would grow up and become a decent character/person. (Perhaps he does; I never got far enough to find out, but I fear things probably just work out for him in the end.) Far too much of the first quarter of the story (granted that was as far as I got) was dangerously close to him wanting to rape the main female character. Her own reaction to the lust-magic wasn't much better. It skeeved me out so much that I'm surprised I didn't get a headache from all the eye rolling and teeth gnashing I was doing. I had a similar experience with the book "A Spell for Chameleon" by Piers Anthony, which my friends all heartily recommended and I hated with the burning passion of a million suns for the same reason I disliked this book. I will say that this one didn't bother me *quite* as much as Anthony's, but after fighting my way through one misogynistic book to the end, I wasn't willing to do it again.

If there's one thing that breaks a book for me and instantly lowers it by at least 3 stars, it's misogyny. This isn't an automatic "I hate it", though, because if there's enough to redeem a book, there's always a chance of it gaining maybe an extra star or so despite this subject, but I just couldn't find enough good to get me past a theme that I despise. It would have been different if it would have been characters fighting that outlook towards women, but having it repeated over and over again (only broken by periods of the main male character being instead only patronizing towards women- sheesh) means it broke the entire story for me.

There are redeeming qualities here, so I do want to point those out. The story is well-written and, from what I could tell from what I read, there was a good deal of world, culture, and magic-building in this book. I do appreciate these things and they are what gives this the two stars that I'm using to rate it.

This should have been a story I liked. It had the potential to be a book I enjoyed and I'm sad it didn't work out that way. I really hate giving a book a poor review because generally I'll find something to like in almost everything, which is obvious considering that I give most books between four and five stars. As a writer, I know how much effort and love goes into a novel, so I always feel like I'm being rude on the rare occasion I didn't like a book, but things just didn't work out between me and this one. We need to see other people. Others will probably find this book perfectly good and enjoyable- I know it has an overwhelming number of positive reviews compared to negative ones- but if you're like me and can't stomach misogyny, I'd say to give this one a miss. I'm probably not qualified to review it since I didn't finish it, but I just can't bring myself to spend time reading another three quarters of a book I don't enjoy.

Edit for Goodreads: Wow, it seems like on this site there's a lot more people who loved it than on LibraryThing. Now I feel a little worried that I'm giving it a poor review. Please don't hate me, Goodreaders! I'm usually not this finicky about books.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little strange but captivating in spite of the fantasy element. Both Mariel and Trystan are arrogant in their different ways, but they manage to accept one another and work together to save Mariella's village in France. An exhilarating series of mishaps and adventures follow as the two pick up others needing to be saved from the marauding French troops, led by the renegade Murdock, a former friend of Trystan's, now exiled from the Mystic Isle.

[Joslin Harmon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is honestly like a 2.5. The writing is not bad and the world building is okay if a little bland. However major points off for some rapey vibes that the author super tries to explain away and in my opinion super unlikeable main characters. There was a lot of telling the female lead what was going to happen, and how to feel and what to think. Of course she started the relationship resisting all that but then eventually was like you know what I do want kids, I do want to leave home you were right strange man. Ugh. Wont continue the series.

[Paranormal Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mariel has awaited the prophesied Golden God’s arrival as told to her by her mother, knowing this man will have the means to save her and her sister from starvation. Living in a poor small French village, Mariel struggles to afford rent let alone food because of the absurd taxes expected to be paid to the crown. So, when she sees the tall blonde hero, she means to get his attention at any cost. Even stowing away on his ship when he ignores her cries from the shore.

Trystan has plans for his future. Marry the Oracles daughter and take his leadership role on Aelynn, a mystical Island protected by the old Gods. Maybe even be granted a Mate who could give him children. Never did he expect his future would take such a drastic turn. When he finds the beautiful mermaid from the mainland on the beach of Aelynn, he knows he can’t let her leave without swearing a vow of silence and being tied to someone on the Island. As there are no other takers, he must be the one to mate with her and though Trystan is not a patient man or someone who deals well with people disrupting his plans, he finds the idea of a mate oddly pleasing. Mariel is a beautiful woman after all. Only on the day of their ceremony, he finds his mate gone.

Tracking her back to the mainland, he realizes that the journey to get her back to Aelynn is going to be a hard one. She is resistant to the idea of mating with him and living on Aelynn and she’s also stolen a sacred chalice which she’s sold to her cousin. Trystan must convince her that life on the Island with him will be a joyous one and he needs to do it before the month is out and he is stripped of his powers.

When I started this book, I was in with the story and characters 100%. I was excited to read another book from this author and the new series and it did start off well. I enjoyed Trystan’s frustration with having to deal with such a stubborn and contradictory mate. I enjoyed his ability to hold back on his full strength but when he released it, he truly was the Golden God Mariel thought he was at the beginning. He was badass in a fight and though he’s forbidden from interfering with culture and conflict on the main land, he would fight to the death for Mariel. I also enjoyed Mariel’s strength in the face of such hopelessness. She steals the chalice because she knows Trystan won’t help Mariel care for her sister. When he comes back for it, she is remorseful for the theft and tries to get it back as it means so much to his people.

About half way through the book is when it started going off the rails. Nothing much happened beyond Trystan’s aggressive sexual advances and nonsensical conversations about Aelynn, about the mating ceremony. I soon realized that the author didn’t plan for the middle of the book well. It had a start and it had a end (set at the birth of the French Revolution) but all that was in between was boring and went in circles. I fell out of love with Trystan and Mariel as their characters didn’t evolve at all and I think this was missed opportunity to start a new series out on the right foot.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never read a mermaid story, so I thought this might be entertaining. Unfortunately, the mermaid portion of the story only came into play at the very beginning and the very end. Other than that, Mariel may as well have been human.

The basis of this story is that Mariel and her pregnant sister are starving, which made zero sense. As a mermaid, Mariel would have had access to unlimited edible resources from the ocean that she lived next to. They would have been the last people in the community to starve.

Rather than collecting fish, seaweed, conch, clams, octopus, squid, etc, Mariel chases down a man to save her and her sister. And then, of course, the story becomes very overly sexualized at the expense of a plot.

I almost DNF’d this story multiple times. There was too much that didn’t make sense. All of the relationships and characters lacked depth. The plot was weak, and every fantasy/magic element was underdeveloped. I won’t continue the series.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read almost all of Patricia Rice but this series. This book was written in 2007, but seems older,I think, because the hero is a little misogynistic and his sexual ideas a little forceful. This is a fantasy and Trystan is from a magical island where bonding with a mate involves a sexual component that he doesn't explain to said mate very well and she escapes, stealing a chalice that will cause great ramifications for all.
Mariel, his mate, comes from France and the revolution is brewing, her village is starving and she sells the chalice for food. Trystan tracks her down and the adventure begins. I listened to the audio and have downloaded the whole series with audible plus, but am going to listen to a different book before I listen to the next in this series.

[Night Runner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The H is a wee bit to into himself and kinda drove me crazy. If the h can get through the Island defenses after swimming out to and catching a boat, she is not an ordinary woman. The miscommunication and half-information lead to the rest of the series but it is very frustrating.

I did enjoy the story but found myself skipping forward every time the main characters would go off on a tangent. Example. I need to tell him something that can save everyone's lives (in my head dialog now... His back looks so great but I don't know if he likes me. Follow this with up to 4 minutes of head dialog, then... Let's give food to the poor so they don't ruin the wedding.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rice's historical romance begins in 1789 Brittany, and draws inspiration from the legend of mermaids and the Holy Grail.
A good blend of fantasy and romance.

[Kbee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible Catalogue

AUDIOBOOK: Read 27
10hrs 5min

Narrator: Coleen Marlo is good
Story was ok

[Anastasia Emel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A strange tale about a long-waited god who could save them, and a mermaid trapped in the human world, who can’t show her true self. And of course a meeting of the two, that will change their lives forever.
That is in a few words the story of this book, which I found really interesting. Right from the start the author puts you in the right mood. It is set in France, at a time when people were suffering… and life was even worse in the small village where Mariel was living, because she had not only to care for herself, but for her pregnant sister too. Mariel’s hopes start to rise when she sees a tall blond stranger, Trystan, who according to a prophecy will save her village. But of course things are never so simple or easy…
She follows him to a strange, new place and there after many mishaps and arguments, the two heroes come closer together and the romance begins.
The book in general offers very lively descriptions of both the places and the people that are mentioned. One of my favourite parts of the book was the description of how the main characters’ eyes change colour depending n their mood (truly loved it). And then there were the teasing dialogues between Mariel and Trystan. It was sometimes initiated by him and continued by her and vise versa. It was really refreshing to read and very enjoyable as it releases the tention you tend to feel when reading very intense chapters. One of such a scene is when Mariel sees an exotic fruit and after a brief description Trystan ends up telling her that some call it a Banana.(I really laughed out loud reading that part!!)
As for the romance, although it is anticipated right from the start, it evolves slowly into something deeper for both of them. They both learn that they must change their attitude and their beliefs and even go against what is expected of them to do, if they wnt to be together.
The ending (even though it is not actually the end, since there’s a second book that continues the main storyline) is something I hoped would be happy but I didn’t actually expect it to turn out quite that way.
In general, I must say I found it pleasant to read and it has some ]very interesting twists that will keep you guessing right till the very end.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a LibraryThing giveaway and was surprised that it is an older book. The story takes place around the year 1800 in Breton, France, and on a nearby mythical island. The background political turmoil is accurate, but the action is quite over the top. At first I enjoyed the book, then thought, What the heck? Then I realized that it doesn't take itself particularly seriously, and reads somewhat like a campy movie such as Flash Gordon. There is plenty of action, the hero won't explain anything to the heroine but is willing to threaten her while supposedly protecting her. And they both pant after each other as soon as they see each other. His magical abilities aren't clear--languages, strength and speed seem to be it. She is essentially a mermaid whose mother was a seer. Hmm. Quite a mix.

The setting is that there is a hidden island with strange practices how many couples conceived on that holy sea sponge? Eeww. that is determined not to interfere with the outside world even while roaming it. Somehow the people are different with special powers granted by their goddess, whose volcano they worship. It's not clear how much of their powers they retain in the outside world, but they have managed to leave a lot of Crossbreeds around Europe, and possibly further.

The heroine is single-minded in her determination, and the hero is blind to any path but the one he has chosen. They are quite a pair. The book overall has a light tone, despite the serious times. And once I realized I didn't need to take any of it seriously (I mean, the men on the island fight by cutting off each others' clothes!), it was much more fun. The book ends with the promise of at least two more partnerships, and the potential for others.

One thing I did like is that the villains are more layered. The bad buy, who I expect will turn up in future books, doesn't seem to want to be a bad guy. And the female competition is cold but not cruel.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romantic (romantic-erotic) fantasy plots are not my preference. I picked this up by mistake at the library. Once I started reading this book and realized the type of book this was, I really didn't think I would get past the first 100 pages but I did and I enjoyed it.
The story is set just before the French revolution with our heroine, Mariel, trying to figure out how to save her town and her family from starvation.
Mariel's mother, who has special powers, tells Mariel of a "golden god" who will save the town. When Mariel spots the "god" as he is leaving on a ship, she swims after him in pursuit. This would be rather daunting and, ultimately futile, for most young women, but Mariel becomes a mermaid when she goes swimming in the sea.
Mariel enters the "golden god's" world and, with much difficulty, convinces him to help her in her efforts.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you have read the prequel (Mystic Isle) or you are just checking out this book - I can say with certainty that this story will suck you in. If you are a fan of the California Malcolm's series, then this is a must read; as you learn about the origins of a siren.

I'm normally not a fan of this time period, but Patricia sprinkles her magic and makes the story fun to ready, and you learn a little about the things that happened at that time too. Once you give this book a chance, you will want to read the whole series, as there is a common theme throughout the series that ties them all together. For those of you wondering, this is technically Book 2 in the series, but it was the first book in the series published. Mystic Isle, while technically Book 1, was actually the last book to be published and is really a prequel that fills in some blanks the rest of the series does not.

[Gail Ofterdinger-Ledgister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most enjoyable read. Around the time of the French revolution in Breton France, a young woman who has a special ability (mermaid's affinity for the sea and the capability to prove it) encounter a man who was forecast by her mother to be the savior of their town. The problem is he hails from a secret mystical island that regular humans cannot enter. It's located not to far from the coast of Breton. The rest of the novel it their tortured love story with tons of misunderstandings and miscommunication. They have more trouble trying to work out their complicated relationship than we, the readers, do. There is more to the tale in future volumes, I will be sure to check them out. My thanks to LibraryThing for a complimentary copy of this work.

[Cheeky · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a slow read at first and then it starts to pick up around 2/3 of the book. The last 1/3 of the book it picked up. I'm not too sure if I want to pick it up again because I found the characters were hard to relate. Mariel seems to be getting into so much trouble yet Trystan was the "saint" and always pulling her out of trouble. It weren't any laughs instead I lost count how many times I rolled my eyes because of her interference.
I'm hestitate to read the remaining trilogy since it didn't captivate my attention. There were many times that I wanted to quit the book but I continued reading since it was a trilogy and hoped that it would get better. My fingers are crossed.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if the people you loved were dying not because they had to but because they could no longer afford to live? What limit would you go to help them? Would you risk your life and lives of those around you to help so many survive? The questions all lead to what the characters here are willing to do. The main characters though a bit odd with their own hidden mysteries are truly magical. He has his island and she has her land of people too. Who will give in who will win, is there a winning side when it comes to the heart of those you dearly love? Good read well written recommended for ages 16 and up!

[Gmc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystic Guardian - Mystic Isle, Bk 1 by Patricia Rice

Trystan l'Enforcer is Aelynn's powerful guardian with magical powers and a duty to protect the chalice, and the island kingdom of the shores of France. His life becomes complicated when a beautiful woman washes ashore. Mariel is from France, the outside world, but has a deep secret.

Now he must work with her to recover Aelynn's most sacred object -- before the chaotic forces unleashed by the chalice's disappearance lead to devastating destruction.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reallly liked that this has history, fantasy, and romance! It wasn't a clean romance but it wasn't raunchy. A lot of the story was based on the physical attraction of the two main characters. I did like the idea of the 'golden god' from another land but I thought that she never really comprimized at all until the end and then only a litte. Still, he was very stubborn as well and I just didn't see how the relationship could really work long term. But I did enjoy the story.

[Pam Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Christmas gift, this one was okay. It took a while to get into it, but it was interesting having supernatural traits involved in the story. I liked the protagonist, as I usually like books with strong women :) I thought it was sometimes very realistic in their relationship interaction....and sometimes completely illogical. Not bad though.

I may read the next one in the series, if I get bored....but it's not my first pick.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing series beginner. The mysterious island where people with mystical powers live is encircled with a magical barrier that no mere human can pass--except a half mermaid. Her visit upsets the balance and things for good and evil happen in both world. Reminded me a bit of the Arthurian Legend. The magical man who helps the mermaid is always worried about what effect his presence outside the islands barrier will have on the average people. Excellent read

[R. Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the days of high school (man that was a long time ago) when I cut my reading teeth on historical romance novels in droves, Patricia Rice has been one of my favorite "go to" authors when it comes to finding something new to read, so when I was in the bookstore recently and noticed she had written what I would consider a historcial paranormal romance, I jumped on this one.

[Cheryl Montgomery-Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is an otherworldly story of a man and a woman, both having unusual mystical powers, as well as sworn duties to perform. They are from very different cultures, so misunderstandings abound. Yet they are evenly matched. I found this book surprisingly sexy and I eagerly await the second book!

[Sweetpea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and the writing was excellent. It had a great flow and I really liked the main characters. Would recommend.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting set-up, will be fun to see how it goes from here.

[Juanita Glass]

Liked the new series.

[Rachel Jaadhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Trinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly good. The plot was great, and besides the incredibly detailed sex scenes I loved it :D

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mermaid finds her roots.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't think I would like this book it being a fantasy genre but I loved it..Can't wait to get the other 2 in the series. Loved it.