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The Guardians #1
Protect
The Reditus Coelus tried to morph her, change her and force her to submit. But Rose refused.
After Rose’s quiet job as a research librarian at a magical repository proves to be anything but ordinary, she is thrust into a world of danger. Rose knows a thing or two about magic, and being a mouse shifter is a sure way to get a target on your back.
With Rose’s powers exposed, she is hunted down and captured by the bloodthirsty cult. But not even her Guardians can protect her from their ruthless customs.
Now, she and her Guardians are faced with endless torment. But despite their bleak future, Rose’s magic is growing. And she’s determined to find a way out.
With her Guardians by her side, can Rose harness her power and face the Reditus Coelus? Or will she and her men fall victim to their captor’s cruelty?
The Guardian Series is a dark paranormal reverse harem romance that includes intense scenes and situations that may trigger some readers.
After Rose’s quiet job as a research librarian at a magical repository proves to be anything but ordinary, she is thrust into a world of danger. Rose knows a thing or two about magic, and being a mouse shifter is a sure way to get a target on your back.
With Rose’s powers exposed, she is hunted down and captured by the bloodthirsty cult. But not even her Guardians can protect her from their ruthless customs.
Now, she and her Guardians are faced with endless torment. But despite their bleak future, Rose’s magic is growing. And she’s determined to find a way out.
With her Guardians by her side, can Rose harness her power and face the Reditus Coelus? Or will she and her men fall victim to their captor’s cruelty?
The Guardian Series is a dark paranormal reverse harem romance that includes intense scenes and situations that may trigger some readers.
- GenresParanormal
178 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2018
78 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 5, 2018
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June 23, 2018
3 stars - with the right reserved to up this as I read the rest of the trilogy
Note: As of June 23 2018, there is a glitch with the Kindle Unlimited version of PROTECT. There is some out-of-place content tacked on at the end of ch19. Skip over the obviously out of place bit for now. The author is working to resolve this.
PROTECT was full of some very unique paranormal species and creative worldbuilding, even if a couple species are so out there that they are unintentionally humorous. But I have to give major props to KB Wheelock for thinking outside the box. It is hard to be unique and different in a genre where it sometimes seems like everything has been done before.
It was a little like two books in one. The first half was sweet, with a heroine (Rose) that was shy and sheltered, bookish and inexperienced. She works in a magical library, though she has never had magic herself, and does her best to remain as invisible as possible to the rest of the world and her colleagues. When she is attacked while leaving work late one Friday evening, she most unexpectedly turns into a mouse to escape.
A mouse shifter!? That is awesome! Seriously, awesome. And put me in a very good frame of mind for continuing the book, despite a few technical problems (see later in the review).
Rose's love interests that appear in book 1 are Guardians, Keyne and Gris, and are sexy and mysterious, yet sweet and protective. They are clearly magical, but there is a lot they cannot reveal to Rose, which only made me more eager to learn more about the world and uncover their secrets.
All in all, the first half of the book was a fairly gentle, intriguing mystery - very urban fantasy with a lot of promise.
Then I hit the second half of the book, and oh boy. I had even been warned by the author that PROTECT was dark. So I was expecting dark, and as anyone who has followed my reviews or reading list knows, I have read a lot of dark books. I tend to enjoy them! This one really packed an emotional wallop. I think a lot of that was due to how shockingly different it was from the first half of the book. The unexpectedness of the transition left me reeling.
I don't want to give too much away here, because that would spoil the surprise, so I think I will just leave it with this:
TRIGGER WARNING for the second half: Big one. While this book is definitely not explicit, it is extremely heavy emotionally with a lot of dark content that includes kidnapping, slavery, abuse, non-consensual sex, and more. Most of it occurs off-camera, is only hinted at, or is skimmed over, but it still packs an emotional punch. Perhaps because there are zero moments during the dark half of the book that show any light to balance the read. It is unrelievedly dark for the entire second half. Moreover, even though the author had warned me it was dark, I was still surprised by it. The transition was shockingly unexpected because it was SO different than what came in the first half. So be aware of what you are getting into!
And maybe...
LOL sorry. Couldn't resist. :) But the emotional sucker punch that was the second half of this book DID make me feel protective both of the characters and of my poor feelings!
There were some technical issues on the writing front, but they improved as the book progressed. For a debut novel this is not surprising. It could use a solid additional round of editing. There were also some scenes that didn't feel fully fleshed out, making for occasionally jumpy transitions. I think maybe part of this was a result of the author's penchant for off-camera scene completions. I certainly understand why she went that road, given some of the really dark subject matter, but I think some it needed to remain on-camera. Personal preference maybe? I am not sure.
Bottom line? I am not sure until I read farther into the trilogy, but I am finding the characters and the unique quality of the story and the elements of the world to be intriguing enough that I definitely want to continue. So, on to book 2!
UPDATE PROGRESS NOTES:
I will need to wait until I can review a cleaned up copy of the book to add any update notes past 53%. TBD.
53.0% "Make that 9 chapters"
53.0% "WHOA...what happened?? That was a transition that made no sense.
Turns out the first paragraph highlighted was the end of ch 19. And the next paragraph was the start of chapter 29. Oops! This is in the KU version of the standalone book as of June 2018. The omnibus edition of Books 1-3, however, is correct and contains the missing 8 chapters."
49.0% "Holy crow. What was that? Please tell me the author didn't do what I think she just did!"
46.0% "You know if they have done all this and removed all her clothes and every hair from her body...the chances she would still have her necklace on are slim to none. And wouldn't make much sense if she did, really."
42.0% "LOL well that wasn't a very good decision, now, was it?"
23.0% "Uh... that was supposed to be self-defense training? Holding her from behind and letting her think of a few things she maybe could do to get out of it, then giving her three knives? That's it?"
22.0% "How would that have worked exactly if he is so much taller than her? She would just throw her head back into his chest..."
20.0% "LOL Coffee BINGO!"
9.0% "Okay, I love unique paranormal races and creative storytelling. And this certainly seems to have a lot of that! At the same time, I can't help chuckling at a group of baddie supes called "Muahaha" who "kill through laughter as they slice your body to ribbons". LOL really?"
6.0% "Though... why would Keyne pick her up, as a mouse, to sit in the palm of his hand and THEN tell her to go ahead and shift? LOL If he wants her to shift back to human form, he should have said so before she was in his hand!"
6.0% "Okay, an MC that is mouse shifter? That is just too cool! I love unique premises."
Note: As of June 23 2018, there is a glitch with the Kindle Unlimited version of PROTECT. There is some out-of-place content tacked on at the end of ch19. Skip over the obviously out of place bit for now. The author is working to resolve this.
PROTECT was full of some very unique paranormal species and creative worldbuilding, even if a couple species are so out there that they are unintentionally humorous. But I have to give major props to KB Wheelock for thinking outside the box. It is hard to be unique and different in a genre where it sometimes seems like everything has been done before.
It was a little like two books in one. The first half was sweet, with a heroine (Rose) that was shy and sheltered, bookish and inexperienced. She works in a magical library, though she has never had magic herself, and does her best to remain as invisible as possible to the rest of the world and her colleagues. When she is attacked while leaving work late one Friday evening, she most unexpectedly turns into a mouse to escape.
A mouse shifter!? That is awesome! Seriously, awesome. And put me in a very good frame of mind for continuing the book, despite a few technical problems (see later in the review).
Rose's love interests that appear in book 1 are Guardians, Keyne and Gris, and are sexy and mysterious, yet sweet and protective. They are clearly magical, but there is a lot they cannot reveal to Rose, which only made me more eager to learn more about the world and uncover their secrets.
All in all, the first half of the book was a fairly gentle, intriguing mystery - very urban fantasy with a lot of promise.
Then I hit the second half of the book, and oh boy. I had even been warned by the author that PROTECT was dark. So I was expecting dark, and as anyone who has followed my reviews or reading list knows, I have read a lot of dark books. I tend to enjoy them! This one really packed an emotional wallop. I think a lot of that was due to how shockingly different it was from the first half of the book. The unexpectedness of the transition left me reeling.
I don't want to give too much away here, because that would spoil the surprise, so I think I will just leave it with this:
TRIGGER WARNING for the second half: Big one. While this book is definitely not explicit, it is extremely heavy emotionally with a lot of dark content that includes kidnapping, slavery, abuse, non-consensual sex, and more. Most of it occurs off-camera, is only hinted at, or is skimmed over, but it still packs an emotional punch. Perhaps because there are zero moments during the dark half of the book that show any light to balance the read. It is unrelievedly dark for the entire second half. Moreover, even though the author had warned me it was dark, I was still surprised by it. The transition was shockingly unexpected because it was SO different than what came in the first half. So be aware of what you are getting into!
And maybe...
LOL sorry. Couldn't resist. :) But the emotional sucker punch that was the second half of this book DID make me feel protective both of the characters and of my poor feelings!
There were some technical issues on the writing front, but they improved as the book progressed. For a debut novel this is not surprising. It could use a solid additional round of editing. There were also some scenes that didn't feel fully fleshed out, making for occasionally jumpy transitions. I think maybe part of this was a result of the author's penchant for off-camera scene completions. I certainly understand why she went that road, given some of the really dark subject matter, but I think some it needed to remain on-camera. Personal preference maybe? I am not sure.
Bottom line? I am not sure until I read farther into the trilogy, but I am finding the characters and the unique quality of the story and the elements of the world to be intriguing enough that I definitely want to continue. So, on to book 2!
UPDATE PROGRESS NOTES:
I will need to wait until I can review a cleaned up copy of the book to add any update notes past 53%. TBD.
53.0% "Make that 9 chapters"
53.0% "WHOA...what happened?? That was a transition that made no sense.
Turns out the first paragraph highlighted was the end of ch 19. And the next paragraph was the start of chapter 29. Oops! This is in the KU version of the standalone book as of June 2018. The omnibus edition of Books 1-3, however, is correct and contains the missing 8 chapters."
49.0% "Holy crow. What was that? Please tell me the author didn't do what I think she just did!"
46.0% "You know if they have done all this and removed all her clothes and every hair from her body...the chances she would still have her necklace on are slim to none. And wouldn't make much sense if she did, really."
42.0% "LOL well that wasn't a very good decision, now, was it?"
23.0% "Uh... that was supposed to be self-defense training? Holding her from behind and letting her think of a few things she maybe could do to get out of it, then giving her three knives? That's it?"
22.0% "How would that have worked exactly if he is so much taller than her? She would just throw her head back into his chest..."
20.0% "LOL Coffee BINGO!"
9.0% "Okay, I love unique paranormal races and creative storytelling. And this certainly seems to have a lot of that! At the same time, I can't help chuckling at a group of baddie supes called "Muahaha" who "kill through laughter as they slice your body to ribbons". LOL really?"
6.0% "Though... why would Keyne pick her up, as a mouse, to sit in the palm of his hand and THEN tell her to go ahead and shift? LOL If he wants her to shift back to human form, he should have said so before she was in his hand!"
6.0% "Okay, an MC that is mouse shifter? That is just too cool! I love unique premises."
July 5, 2018
It's Okay
I give credit that it is not easy to create a finished product. However, I do not see myself reading this again, nor will I continuethe series.
Firstly, I must state it is clean as far as sexual scenes go. Any sexual scene is skipped over and has zero context, but it is gruesome and infers rape.
She doesn't shift at all after the first time in the beginning. I feel like some situations are over exaggerated in importance, and I don't get enough plot. Everything revolves around what happens right then.
*spoiler*
.
.
.
.
.
.
*spoiler*
I hate Keyne's death and his coming back. Choose whether or not a character dies, and leave it at that. You cheapen the scene by bringing him back.
Honestly, I can't give more than 2.5 stars.
I give credit that it is not easy to create a finished product. However, I do not see myself reading this again, nor will I continuethe series.
Firstly, I must state it is clean as far as sexual scenes go. Any sexual scene is skipped over and has zero context, but it is gruesome and infers rape.
She doesn't shift at all after the first time in the beginning. I feel like some situations are over exaggerated in importance, and I don't get enough plot. Everything revolves around what happens right then.
*spoiler*
.
.
.
.
.
.
*spoiler*
I hate Keyne's death and his coming back. Choose whether or not a character dies, and leave it at that. You cheapen the scene by bringing him back.
Honestly, I can't give more than 2.5 stars.
March 26, 2018
Is it trying to be a clean read?
I got confused with the romance part of the book. The main story seemed cool and then went WAY out in left field with the whole secret society. When Rose was with the secret society there were weird sexual themes without actually saying she was used that way. It's like the author was trying to be kinky without mentioning any real sex going on. I guess I am just used to things being in your face not implied behind the scenes. It felt rushed not totally fleshed out. Nothing was explained well, I guess it was to be Super Secret and make you wait for the next book.
I got confused with the romance part of the book. The main story seemed cool and then went WAY out in left field with the whole secret society. When Rose was with the secret society there were weird sexual themes without actually saying she was used that way. It's like the author was trying to be kinky without mentioning any real sex going on. I guess I am just used to things being in your face not implied behind the scenes. It felt rushed not totally fleshed out. Nothing was explained well, I guess it was to be Super Secret and make you wait for the next book.
March 25, 2018
Whoa. I was not expecting that.
Supernatural. 2 Guardian mates. Shifter, shy, intelligent heroine. Rose is a mousey women working at an exclusive magical library. When attack her Guardian, Keyne, shows himself. Taking her in to there custody to protect her. Searching into her latest research for clues, her and the guys go looking for the Lost City of Missouri. On their search they are captured and put to servitude. Holy crap the twists and turns of this book are great! Definitely one of my favorites so far this year.
Supernatural. 2 Guardian mates. Shifter, shy, intelligent heroine. Rose is a mousey women working at an exclusive magical library. When attack her Guardian, Keyne, shows himself. Taking her in to there custody to protect her. Searching into her latest research for clues, her and the guys go looking for the Lost City of Missouri. On their search they are captured and put to servitude. Holy crap the twists and turns of this book are great! Definitely one of my favorites so far this year.
March 19, 2018
Protect is about Rose, a librarian who also did magical research. She has 2 guardians who go on an unlikely adventure with her. This is the first book for KB Wheelock and it was a good start to a series.
Overall the story was intriguing, but did take a few chapters to pick up. I found it hard to follow which character was narrating the story at times due to nothing listing who's POV we were reading. There is sone content in this book that could warrant a trigger warning for some readers. I found the writing was great in this book and could clearly picture the world that the author was trying to create.
This was a unique take on angels & demons, and I'm interested in reading the next book to see where Rose winds up next.
Overall the story was intriguing, but did take a few chapters to pick up. I found it hard to follow which character was narrating the story at times due to nothing listing who's POV we were reading. There is sone content in this book that could warrant a trigger warning for some readers. I found the writing was great in this book and could clearly picture the world that the author was trying to create.
This was a unique take on angels & demons, and I'm interested in reading the next book to see where Rose winds up next.
March 24, 2018
I borrowed this on my Kindle Unlimited subscription
It’s started off great, I was enjoying the storyline and meeting the characters and I was really getting into it, I kinda lost interest a little towards the middle but it picked up again and I throughly enjoyed the story, I think the issue was me and not the story, I have a tendency to have issues if I think thr story is not taking he turns I want it to take and that is on me
I would recommend this story, it’s different to others that I have read and I feel the writer actually did a great job and I learned not to get in my own head when reading. I am hoping that there will be a second story on this series with these characters as I am eager to continue reading
It’s started off great, I was enjoying the storyline and meeting the characters and I was really getting into it, I kinda lost interest a little towards the middle but it picked up again and I throughly enjoyed the story, I think the issue was me and not the story, I have a tendency to have issues if I think thr story is not taking he turns I want it to take and that is on me
I would recommend this story, it’s different to others that I have read and I feel the writer actually did a great job and I learned not to get in my own head when reading. I am hoping that there will be a second story on this series with these characters as I am eager to continue reading
March 19, 2018
Four stars all the way!! I would’ve liked to get to known the characters and how they interact together a bit before being thrown into the action, so the start of the book was a little rough for me. Once the action started, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!! I read through this book in about two hours, it was great!! It’s a quick read with a paranormal spin I haven’t seen before. There is some violence, but nothing I thought was too bad and I am excited to find out what happens in book 2!! There were some times where I felt the POV could’ve been a bit more clear, and the writing seemed slightly stiff in the beginning (I like a bit of the flowing speech when my characters are speaking to each other), but KB Wheelock did a fabulous job for her first published piece and the cover art is just stunning!
June 15, 2018
Great beginning of a new series
First of all, I had a ton of books left on my TBR list when I saw the author recommend this on a Facebook post with the tag line "shifters shift into an animal fitting their personality". I was so curious I decided to drop my list and read this book instead. I was not dissapointed! This story took me on a unique and exciting adventure of mystery, friendship and love, but also heartbreak. I loved how each charachter, especially the FMC Rose, evolved as she learned about her true identity, what that means for her while at the same time getting to know her men and trying to navigate in the face of disaster.
This is a slow-burn reverse harem with a lot of darkness, but it's sure worth the read.
First of all, I had a ton of books left on my TBR list when I saw the author recommend this on a Facebook post with the tag line "shifters shift into an animal fitting their personality". I was so curious I decided to drop my list and read this book instead. I was not dissapointed! This story took me on a unique and exciting adventure of mystery, friendship and love, but also heartbreak. I loved how each charachter, especially the FMC Rose, evolved as she learned about her true identity, what that means for her while at the same time getting to know her men and trying to navigate in the face of disaster.
This is a slow-burn reverse harem with a lot of darkness, but it's sure worth the read.
March 29, 2018
Ok, this is kind of a difficult review for me. I really liked the premis of this story. I also liked the characters, but I really feel like they needed more development. This story has potential, but I felt like it was a bit rushed and felt like some information was left out while moving on to the next thought or scene too quickly. I will read the next one, because I am interested to see where this goes. I don’t know if it was the third person perspective or the lack of flow, I just know this could be much better. Hopefully the next book has more info on the characters and an easier flow.
March 19, 2018
Sometimes when I begin a book I automatically know if I will get into it. However I force my self to at least read two chapters before giving up in hopes i will like it. I was not disappointed with this one. It was a little confusing in the beginning but as it went on her writing style was evident. The main character was not really what I became used to but I believe that left the appeal. Good job over all and look forward to reading the next in the series.
March 28, 2018
Not your typical RH format but overall refreshing read!!!
I felt the storyline was dragging a bit when I first started but then a curve ball was thrown and I was hooked. While the different POVs may make this a confusing read, one gets use to it because you're so focused on finding out what happens next! If you're looking for a clean but suspenseful read, this is a sure bet. The love and torture scenes are vague and maybe too subtle for my liking but I can deal.
I felt the storyline was dragging a bit when I first started but then a curve ball was thrown and I was hooked. While the different POVs may make this a confusing read, one gets use to it because you're so focused on finding out what happens next! If you're looking for a clean but suspenseful read, this is a sure bet. The love and torture scenes are vague and maybe too subtle for my liking but I can deal.
May 2, 2018
Was not a fan of the writing style.
Slight errors.
Feel like this story took a drastic turn in its plot.
Did not see that coming at all.
is it RH?
Will more be joining the group?
Or will it only be a ménage?
Almost felt like this was two stories put together.
It was interesting, but not sure it is one I would recommend.
Not sure if it caught my interest enough to find out what happens next.
Slight errors.
Feel like this story took a drastic turn in its plot.
Did not see that coming at all.
is it RH?
Will more be joining the group?
Or will it only be a ménage?
Almost felt like this was two stories put together.
It was interesting, but not sure it is one I would recommend.
Not sure if it caught my interest enough to find out what happens next.
May 16, 2018
This book is an action packed magical adventure. There are a few twisted and turns that I didn't see coming. This book is far from predictable and I loved it. The romance is a little light for me in this book but I am hopeful that it will pick up in books to come. Overall it was a great start to a series and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.
June 17, 2018
Rose is an interesting character - she is somewhat timid and shy, but has an internal strength. There are definitely trigger topics in this story, but I think they are handled realistically. I like Keyne and Gris. This story has unexpected twists and turns, and I.m looking forward to the rest of the series.
March 19, 2018
Once I picked this book up I could not put it down! When I first started the book I was a little confused by the POVs but once I got used to it I LOVED how it was done. I liked how the characters got to interact some before all of the action and such happened. Extremely excited for book two!
November 9, 2018
Holy wow!
What a read! I'd say it has minor trigger LLS but not much detail on those, and what a story! Had me turning the pages to see what would happen next and now I need to read the next book asap!!
What a read! I'd say it has minor trigger LLS but not much detail on those, and what a story! Had me turning the pages to see what would happen next and now I need to read the next book asap!!
May 4, 2018
Not my cup of tea
So not what I thought this book would be about when I read the description.. kind of messed up and dark
So not what I thought this book would be about when I read the description.. kind of messed up and dark
May 20, 2018
Wow
This book started with action and ended with sorrow and almost happy. This book got a little dark. Not sure where are trio is going to go from here. Going to read the next book.
This book started with action and ended with sorrow and almost happy. This book got a little dark. Not sure where are trio is going to go from here. Going to read the next book.
December 9, 2018
Loved It!!!!
This book pulls you in and will not let you go. I didn't want to put it down. You will laugh and cry with the character. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
This book pulls you in and will not let you go. I didn't want to put it down. You will laugh and cry with the character. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
February 18, 2019
Loved the story, started out not so dark and then it got a more dark but not enough to be to much. Great read!
March 23, 2018
Protect
Protect is about Rose, a librarian who also did magical research. She has 2 guardians who go on an unlikely adventure with her. This is the first book for KB Wheelock and it was a good start to a series.
Overall the story was intriguing, but did take a few chapters to pick up. I found it hard to follow which character was narrating the story at times due to nothing listing who's POV we were reading. There is some content in this book that could trigger some readers. I found the writing was great in this book and could clearly picture the world that the author was trying to create.
This was a unique take on angels & demons, and I'm interested in reading the next book to see where Rose winds up next.
Protect is about Rose, a librarian who also did magical research. She has 2 guardians who go on an unlikely adventure with her. This is the first book for KB Wheelock and it was a good start to a series.
Overall the story was intriguing, but did take a few chapters to pick up. I found it hard to follow which character was narrating the story at times due to nothing listing who's POV we were reading. There is some content in this book that could trigger some readers. I found the writing was great in this book and could clearly picture the world that the author was trying to create.
This was a unique take on angels & demons, and I'm interested in reading the next book to see where Rose winds up next.
Read
May 4, 2019Too dark for me and I am not a fan of the writing style.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews