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The Guardian #2
The Moscow Deception
Bianca St. Ives makes her living as a high-end thief and a genius of disguise, conning criminals out of the money they stole — and all for the greater good. A femme fatale Robin Hood, she's learnt everything she knows from her father. Now that she's taken over running the family business, it's not just Richard St. Ives on most-wanted lists, but Bianca, too.
After faking his own death, the word is out that Bianca's father is, in fact, alive, and having just pulled off a major heist in Austria, he has a dangerous task for Bianca that will see her travelling to Russia to steal ancient jewels and artifacts. But now all eyes are on Bianca, and escaping international pursuit will be harder than ever...
After faking his own death, the word is out that Bianca's father is, in fact, alive, and having just pulled off a major heist in Austria, he has a dangerous task for Bianca that will see her travelling to Russia to steal ancient jewels and artifacts. But now all eyes are on Bianca, and escaping international pursuit will be harder than ever...
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2018
609 people are currently reading
2375 people want to read
About the author
Karen Robards
126 books3,254 followersKaren Robards is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty books and one novella. She has won multiple awards including six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite author.
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
December 29, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up but almost rounded down as it hard to call one heist, three escapes and a cliffhanger ending a story - let alone a book. Not much more happened in this one than the first book. The characters are still undeveloped, the plot is MIA and there is a whole lotta fluff that you may want to skim read.
Aside from calling Mason, her "not-father" way too many times to count, we don't learn anymore about him.
We don't really learn any more about the project that created her.
We get another kissing scene with her and Colin but been there, done that.
We get a glimpse of her office personnel, but they're still cardboard cutouts. We get a little more of what's his name, the overweight computer whiz guy from the Bronx (I think). But I don't really think emphasizing he's overweight is developing his character. But once again we are told his computer skills are beyond awesome.
In the first book we learned she was part of a super soldier bio project that the CIA wanted to eliminate. This part of the story is having a price on her head magically appear and then disappear. We get told some superficial elements of this CIA group but we don't see much development. We don't see much of anything but Bianca and a huge network of people from her very secret past that magically appear when she needs them.
I get the feeling that there was a really good idea for a book and then a marketing person got involved and said let's take one book, slice it up into a zillion pieces, stuff it with filler and call each slice a book. The more I think about it, and considering how easy it was to set aside and do something else, maybe it is only a two star read.
Aside from calling Mason, her "not-father" way too many times to count, we don't learn anymore about him.
We don't really learn any more about the project that created her.
We get another kissing scene with her and Colin but been there, done that.
We get a glimpse of her office personnel, but they're still cardboard cutouts. We get a little more of what's his name, the overweight computer whiz guy from the Bronx (I think). But I don't really think emphasizing he's overweight is developing his character. But once again we are told his computer skills are beyond awesome.
In the first book we learned she was part of a super soldier bio project that the CIA wanted to eliminate. This part of the story is having a price on her head magically appear and then disappear. We get told some superficial elements of this CIA group but we don't see much development. We don't see much of anything but Bianca and a huge network of people from her very secret past that magically appear when she needs them.
I get the feeling that there was a really good idea for a book and then a marketing person got involved and said let's take one book, slice it up into a zillion pieces, stuff it with filler and call each slice a book. The more I think about it, and considering how easy it was to set aside and do something else, maybe it is only a two star read.
June 20, 2018
absolutely fan-freaking-tastic!!!!!!!! what a creative and suspense filled, well written journey...can't wait for book 3!
April 24, 2018
Not having read the first book in this series, I had some difficulty with getting used to the style. The book starts with a very well written chapter in which we, besides the action, learn who Bianca is and what has happened in her (recent) past. The story goes on with telling us more about what she is doing for a living, her friends and so on. As soon as she discovers there is a price on her head, she needs to come into action and it is - of course - inevitable that her past plays a role again.
I've given the book 4 stars because in parts it is really excellently written. There is one scene in a casino that made me sit on the edge of my chair - literally. Very, very good. On the other hand, for the story itself, and the way it is told, I would rather give it 3 stars. It is just not very well balanced. Next to the excellent scene at the casino, at the end of the book I got the feeling the author was getting a bit tired and thus a part of the story that took more than a week was penned down in three or four sentences. Sentences that looked as if the author didn't have the faintest idea how to solve the problems Bianca encountered.
Furthermore, Bianca is just a little too perfect for me; she cannot only do everything she wants, she also knows so many people that every time she encounters a problem, she calls on somebody else, mainly from her past - the past that is playing such a big role in this book.
All in all, I think it would have been better if I would have read the first book in the series too. On the other hand, I hope that in the third book the story will be better balanced because I think it would benefit from it.
Thanks to NetGalley for this book.
I've given the book 4 stars because in parts it is really excellently written. There is one scene in a casino that made me sit on the edge of my chair - literally. Very, very good. On the other hand, for the story itself, and the way it is told, I would rather give it 3 stars. It is just not very well balanced. Next to the excellent scene at the casino, at the end of the book I got the feeling the author was getting a bit tired and thus a part of the story that took more than a week was penned down in three or four sentences. Sentences that looked as if the author didn't have the faintest idea how to solve the problems Bianca encountered.
Furthermore, Bianca is just a little too perfect for me; she cannot only do everything she wants, she also knows so many people that every time she encounters a problem, she calls on somebody else, mainly from her past - the past that is playing such a big role in this book.
All in all, I think it would have been better if I would have read the first book in the series too. On the other hand, I hope that in the third book the story will be better balanced because I think it would benefit from it.
Thanks to NetGalley for this book.
June 17, 2018
Second book in the Guardian Series and most likely my last. Story is okay but don't like the writing and things that are obvious are explained making the book feel stilted. The explanations make everything tedious. The author's voice is always present and because of this I can't involved in the story or the characters I just feel like the reader is observing events rather than participating in or becoming invested in them.
June 11, 2019
Song for summary: It Ends Tonight by The All-American Rejects
This is the second novel in the Guardian series and the storyline picks up just a few months from where the first one left off. Although I found the start a little slow, the second half quickly veers into the author's signature explosive action scenes and intricate swindles. The Moscow Deception is a riveting addition to the series and I am looking forward to reading the next one!
This is the second novel in the Guardian series and the storyline picks up just a few months from where the first one left off. Although I found the start a little slow, the second half quickly veers into the author's signature explosive action scenes and intricate swindles. The Moscow Deception is a riveting addition to the series and I am looking forward to reading the next one!
August 31, 2021
This is Robards second installment of "The Guardian", following the life of super spy, Bianca St. Ives. We left Bianca in the last novel discovering that she was created in a test tube in a highly classified government program called, "The Nomad Project". She was the only survivor, because her then-to-be assassin (Thair) decided to raise her as his own child instead of killing her. Being the best criminal in the business, he taught her everything he knew to make her into a super soldier.
I loved that a large part of this book was set in Savannah, Ga.( my hometown). Robards definitely did her research, working in a storyline with the real gangs of Savannah, "The Crips" and "The Bloods". Her setting descriptions took me right back to the downtown city, mentioning Riverstreet Sweets and The Pink House (popular food destinations).
I really wanted Rhogan to be a larger part of the story. He had few snippets of interactions with Bianca, but it left me wanting more. Hopefully he'll have a larger role in the 3rd installment. I would love to see them team up and become a couple also. 😉💕
*I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Julia Whelan. Loved every minute of it. Her range of voices always amazes me.*
I loved that a large part of this book was set in Savannah, Ga.( my hometown). Robards definitely did her research, working in a storyline with the real gangs of Savannah, "The Crips" and "The Bloods". Her setting descriptions took me right back to the downtown city, mentioning Riverstreet Sweets and The Pink House (popular food destinations).
I really wanted Rhogan to be a larger part of the story. He had few snippets of interactions with Bianca, but it left me wanting more. Hopefully he'll have a larger role in the 3rd installment. I would love to see them team up and become a couple also. 😉💕
*I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Julia Whelan. Loved every minute of it. Her range of voices always amazes me.*
June 16, 2018
This one was just as good as the previous book. In fact I found it to be better. She left us hanging so I look forward to reading #3 in the series next year! :)
June 17, 2018
I read The Ultimatum and really enjoyed that. However I missed The Fifth Doctrine. I must say that The Moscow Deception I enjoyed as much as the first novel in this series.
January 25, 2023
Romantic Suspense / Action / Contemporary
Series: The Guardian, Book 2
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
You never see the bullet that takes you down.
I am really enjoying The Guardian series. It is action-packed, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me reading on.
Lots of romantic suspense books have a strong alpha hero, and a helpless female protagonist who needs to be protected and rescued from dangerous situations. Not in this one! Bianca is strong, skilled and kickass heroine who has found her way out from the most dangerous and impossible situations and outwitted her opponents. If only she would finally realize that her "not-father" is using her for his own needs! Kuddos to author for creating strong and complex heroine, ahh, even if she's the genetically enhanched test tube baby ;) I also enjoy Colin. I think we will see more of him in next book.
NOTE: Like The Ultimatum, this ends with a cliffhanger but I think the "cliffhanger" was nicely done. I can't wait to read final book in this series, The Fifth Doctrine.
Series: The Guardian, Book 2
Publication Date: June 12, 2018
You never see the bullet that takes you down.
I am really enjoying The Guardian series. It is action-packed, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me reading on.
Lots of romantic suspense books have a strong alpha hero, and a helpless female protagonist who needs to be protected and rescued from dangerous situations. Not in this one! Bianca is strong, skilled and kickass heroine who has found her way out from the most dangerous and impossible situations and outwitted her opponents. If only she would finally realize that her "not-father" is using her for his own needs! Kuddos to author for creating strong and complex heroine, ahh, even if she's the genetically enhanched test tube baby ;) I also enjoy Colin. I think we will see more of him in next book.
NOTE: Like The Ultimatum, this ends with a cliffhanger but I think the "cliffhanger" was nicely done. I can't wait to read final book in this series, The Fifth Doctrine.
July 7, 2018
It took me a bit to get back into the rhythm of Bianca’s life. Once I did, it was an exciting adventure. I hope the next installment wraps up this story line. She deserves a rest.
June 25, 2018
Compared to the ultimatum i.e book 1 , i found this to be a very poor sequel.
Of course i read both books back to back. Just finished the ultimatum. Found it simply fantastic and just couldn't wait for the story to continue. Hence i picked up The Moscow Deception the very next day. Oh so disappointing in comparison.
Will I read book 3? Most probably yes. Will i have great expectations from it? Most probably not.
Spoiler Alert
I simply couldn't accept her blind devotion/faith in Mason when it was proven time and again that he was absolutely undeserving of it throughout. Not letting her know he was alive. Depriving her of the Bahrain money, not giving her a proper childhood, the list goes on..
Specially with her being portrayed as so street smart, the devotion didnt work for me.
That said the ending was with a rather nice twist that lets you think about what might be in store in book 3.
Of course i read both books back to back. Just finished the ultimatum. Found it simply fantastic and just couldn't wait for the story to continue. Hence i picked up The Moscow Deception the very next day. Oh so disappointing in comparison.
Will I read book 3? Most probably yes. Will i have great expectations from it? Most probably not.
Spoiler Alert
I simply couldn't accept her blind devotion/faith in Mason when it was proven time and again that he was absolutely undeserving of it throughout. Not letting her know he was alive. Depriving her of the Bahrain money, not giving her a proper childhood, the list goes on..
Specially with her being portrayed as so street smart, the devotion didnt work for me.
That said the ending was with a rather nice twist that lets you think about what might be in store in book 3.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2018
Robards is having fun with The Guardian series featuring super-human Bianca St. Ives. The sole survivor of a Government-led genetic experiment, she was raised by her ‘father’ Mason to become a human weapon in his high-stakes, high-risk heists. Needless to say, he is not really her father, but a self-serving thief.
This offering has Bianca evading CIA hit teams, assassins interested in earning a million dollar award if they can kill her (and prove it), and Interpol (who presumably wants her father more than Bianca). Robards must have had great fun thinking up all of the ingenious ways that Bianca escapes from each of their grasps. On top of all that, Bianca is induced by Mason—her charming ‘father’—to steal art from the Russians and return it to the Germans. It is an understatement to say that this offering is action-packed—it is roller coaster crazy! Enjoy!
This offering has Bianca evading CIA hit teams, assassins interested in earning a million dollar award if they can kill her (and prove it), and Interpol (who presumably wants her father more than Bianca). Robards must have had great fun thinking up all of the ingenious ways that Bianca escapes from each of their grasps. On top of all that, Bianca is induced by Mason—her charming ‘father’—to steal art from the Russians and return it to the Germans. It is an understatement to say that this offering is action-packed—it is roller coaster crazy! Enjoy!
September 19, 2024
Entertaining & funny, filled with intrigue & suspense & everything I would expect from & love about a Karen Robards novel. Bianca St. Ives is the kind of kick-ass main character you can get behind. I love her wit, charm, and slightly cunning personality, as well as her protective nature when it comes to the people she truly cares about. In other words, Bianca has all the things I look for in a main character. That being said, I still absolutely love Doc's character. I don't know what exactly it is about him, but I want to invite him over for family holidays.
Like the first book in the series, this one ended in a "cliffhanger" -- the kind that wraps up the story but leaves you wanting to know now what happens next. And I'm all in because I've got to know.
Like the first book in the series, this one ended in a "cliffhanger" -- the kind that wraps up the story but leaves you wanting to know now what happens next. And I'm all in because I've got to know.
June 13, 2018
Robards does it again.
like all her books I read it thru in one sitting. No give away synopsis - just read and enjoy.
like all her books I read it thru in one sitting. No give away synopsis - just read and enjoy.
January 29, 2019
I hate cliffhangers but it is totally ok with this series. I know I have another great book coming up. Love this series!
Gasp! I just checked. The next one is not out until March 19! 😮☹️😢
Gasp! I just checked. The next one is not out until March 19! 😮☹️😢
March 19, 2023
So fun. Quick escapist read. Bianca isn’t what she seems and can kick some butt!
August 22, 2018
Ehhhhh. Hoping that this story really picks up in the next book. It was overdone with government blah blah blah. Just get to the story already!
September 21, 2018
This book was extremely disappointing. Bianca is a super human that is the only survivor from a government experiment years before. The man she thought was her father, Mason Thayer, we had learned in the previous book was really a CIA agent that had been sent to kill her as a baby but had instead protected her and gone rogue to become a world renowned thief and trained Bianca to be a thief as well. He also married and had another family who he is vigilant about protecting from his dark past and underworld connections.
Now in this book, the CIA wants to destroy all remaining evidence (I.e. Bianca) of their failed super human experiment. There is also an underworld contract out for her death with a huge reward. So she is dodging contract killers and CIA kill teams, and trying to maintain her normal life as the CEO of Guardian Consulting. Mason (whom she believed had died in their last heist together but really didn’t) tells her there is only one way to call off the underworld contract. The solution is to rob the Moscow Pushkin museum of an ancient treasure and provide it to the Germans, who can then somehow call off the CIA and the other contracts. Sound far fetched? Well, it gets worse.....After avoiding several near death experiences, she teams up with a circus that she happened to know, who conveniently have relatives in the Moscow circus. She has a coworker that has tagged along and despite being a computer geek who has no experience in the field - and no super human powers - he is going to help her. So they go to Moscow, and in a few days plan the heist.
I failed to mention that there’s an independent contractor named Colin Rogen who was introduced in the last book. They are attracted to one another but he’s searching for Mason and wants to use her to get to him. He doesn’t fully know who she is, and there is a modest romantic angle, which is disrupted at each encounter by her knocking him out, or in some other way wounding him. Sound ridiculous?,,,,,it continues.
She successfully pulls off the heist in a mere few pages. She takes the treasure to Mason to have him get it to his German friends, but he betrays her. He drugs her and turns her over to the CIA in order to protect his family. She wakes up in a giant test tube in a laboratory with you guessed it - the remains of the other experimental super humans - who were all killed as babies and are also being preserved in test tubes. The CIA scientists are about to drown her in the test tube when she miraculously manages to escape half naked out a fourth story window of the secret lab.
Next thing you know she’s back in Savannah Georgia, going to a meeting for her Guardian Consulting company, and up pops Colin and that’s the end!
So - not only is it a ridiculous cliff hanger, but it is so unbelievable that the whole world is searching for her, but they don’t know she’s in Savannah? They weren’t able to track her from the test tube lab in Poland, from which she escaped in only her underwear in winter? Only Colin can find her a month later?
I’ve been a big Karen Robards fan in the past and loved a number of her books, but this one was just so out there it was actually annoying me while I was reading it. I kept hoping it would improve, but it just continued to spiral. Even though a small part of me would like to know what happens with Bianca and Colin - I cannot bring myself to even contemplate wading through another novel from this series.
Now in this book, the CIA wants to destroy all remaining evidence (I.e. Bianca) of their failed super human experiment. There is also an underworld contract out for her death with a huge reward. So she is dodging contract killers and CIA kill teams, and trying to maintain her normal life as the CEO of Guardian Consulting. Mason (whom she believed had died in their last heist together but really didn’t) tells her there is only one way to call off the underworld contract. The solution is to rob the Moscow Pushkin museum of an ancient treasure and provide it to the Germans, who can then somehow call off the CIA and the other contracts. Sound far fetched? Well, it gets worse.....After avoiding several near death experiences, she teams up with a circus that she happened to know, who conveniently have relatives in the Moscow circus. She has a coworker that has tagged along and despite being a computer geek who has no experience in the field - and no super human powers - he is going to help her. So they go to Moscow, and in a few days plan the heist.
I failed to mention that there’s an independent contractor named Colin Rogen who was introduced in the last book. They are attracted to one another but he’s searching for Mason and wants to use her to get to him. He doesn’t fully know who she is, and there is a modest romantic angle, which is disrupted at each encounter by her knocking him out, or in some other way wounding him. Sound ridiculous?,,,,,it continues.
She successfully pulls off the heist in a mere few pages. She takes the treasure to Mason to have him get it to his German friends, but he betrays her. He drugs her and turns her over to the CIA in order to protect his family. She wakes up in a giant test tube in a laboratory with you guessed it - the remains of the other experimental super humans - who were all killed as babies and are also being preserved in test tubes. The CIA scientists are about to drown her in the test tube when she miraculously manages to escape half naked out a fourth story window of the secret lab.
Next thing you know she’s back in Savannah Georgia, going to a meeting for her Guardian Consulting company, and up pops Colin and that’s the end!
So - not only is it a ridiculous cliff hanger, but it is so unbelievable that the whole world is searching for her, but they don’t know she’s in Savannah? They weren’t able to track her from the test tube lab in Poland, from which she escaped in only her underwear in winter? Only Colin can find her a month later?
I’ve been a big Karen Robards fan in the past and loved a number of her books, but this one was just so out there it was actually annoying me while I was reading it. I kept hoping it would improve, but it just continued to spiral. Even though a small part of me would like to know what happens with Bianca and Colin - I cannot bring myself to even contemplate wading through another novel from this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2018
Sadly, Not the Robards Book I’ve Looked Forward to....
This book series is probably interesting and intriguing to some new Robards fans. But, for her long time faithful devotees, this is not the Robards book I look forward to and I suspect you look forward to, for a year! Typically she writes one book per year. I attempt to wait patiently for the next year for her next book. I know it will be worth the wait! Robards is one of the few authors that has always been my “I’ll buy whatever she writes without reading the book description author”. Robards never disappoints! I am incredibly conflicted now. This series is suspense and mystery but not romance. We’re 2 books and 2 years into the series and it’s simply a mystery and suspense story and I still don’t know what is gong on! The writing remains good (typical Robards) but where’s the romance? Why am I reading 2 books and still having a cliffhanger? Why is there no romantic suspense? Why am I not looking forward to the next book —-a YEAR from now? The pressure for authors to write a “hit” each year must be incredible. Unfortunately, this one is not up my expectations of Robards....I will now read the book descriptions before I buy.
This book series is probably interesting and intriguing to some new Robards fans. But, for her long time faithful devotees, this is not the Robards book I look forward to and I suspect you look forward to, for a year! Typically she writes one book per year. I attempt to wait patiently for the next year for her next book. I know it will be worth the wait! Robards is one of the few authors that has always been my “I’ll buy whatever she writes without reading the book description author”. Robards never disappoints! I am incredibly conflicted now. This series is suspense and mystery but not romance. We’re 2 books and 2 years into the series and it’s simply a mystery and suspense story and I still don’t know what is gong on! The writing remains good (typical Robards) but where’s the romance? Why am I reading 2 books and still having a cliffhanger? Why is there no romantic suspense? Why am I not looking forward to the next book —-a YEAR from now? The pressure for authors to write a “hit” each year must be incredible. Unfortunately, this one is not up my expectations of Robards....I will now read the book descriptions before I buy.
August 18, 2018
2.5 stars. This was one of those books I liked better in theory than practice. You see despite being keen to read about a genetically engineered thief/super spy I found it a little boring in places. The descriptions, set-up and explanations for each of Bianca’s actions were too drawn out and often repetitive. I found myself skimming in a lot of places to get to the somewhat limited action and character interaction. Also if you actually want us to care about the supposed love interest then they need more than two brief scenes together.
dnf
September 19, 2018I was so lost reading this book that I gave up. I probably needed to go back and re-read the first book. I couldn't remember what happened, so I spent a lot of this book lost. Usually, I can power through and it comes back to me, but that never happened here. I didn't love the first book enough to re-read it, so I'll be giving up on this series.
February 26, 2020
I stuck with this one for quite a while hoping it would get better, but it hasn't yet and I've moved on. For a genetically engineered super soldier that was trained in spy craft and martial arts since birth, the main character sure seems to whine a lot. Also, it was over half way through the book before the Moscow part started.
July 22, 2018
Not quite as good as book one, but still very enjoyable, fast-paced, assassins and heists book. I especially enjoyed Bianca's brief encounters with Colin AKA Mickey.
November 7, 2019
Plenty of action and twists. Bianca St. Ives is a kick-butt heroine who is on the run for her life. I definitely want to read more of Biana and Colin.
January 22, 2020
So far over the top it became annoying. Very cheesy dialogue.
June 22, 2024
Narrator: fantastic
Story: I did not want to put the book down (audiobook in this case)
Would have a five star for me except for the clusters of F-bombs and such.
No sex or gore
Story: I did not want to put the book down (audiobook in this case)
Would have a five star for me except for the clusters of F-bombs and such.
No sex or gore
September 15, 2024
I will say she can write a hook, too bad she can't go further
June 12, 2018
So good! I don't want to wait for the next one.
July 8, 2018
Great book. If book three isn’t written yet, please count me on the “please make book 3 a romance” camp. I want the payoff to this 2 book tease.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews