Guarded

Guarded #1

by Michelle Jaymes

Alternate cover edition of: ISBN 9780615671437

From a dark, twisted abusive past, to a life full of questions and uncertainty. Seventeen year old, Sage Summers had always wished for a better life, anything to escape from the emotional turmoil of her past.

She was able to flee from her tormented life. Just when her life was coming together, an accident changed everything. She was held against her will by a gorgeous immortal, and he called himself her “Watcher”.

While being held captive, Sage learns of a new world that she never knew existed. She learns that she wasn't just a damaged human girl; she was something unique, maybe even extraordinary. However, being one of a kind doesn't come without complications. Someone powerful wants to own her; others want her dead. Sage realizes that she can’t save herself on her own, and that she must learn how to trust others.

In the midst of being exposed to the struggles of this new life, Sage falls in love. She struggles with these new feelings, as the vile vivid memories of her past never fade. She undoubtedly feels that he is her soul mate, however he has taken an oath, and if he were to go against that oath, the consequence could be deadly.

Sage begins to accept her new life and without her own realization, she grows into a strong person and will fight for what she thinks is right, and for love, regardless of the outcome.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Hello, my name is Michelle Jaymes, and I am an indie author. I love to write fictions books, and of course I must include romance in my own stories. As a reader, I love to read anything that helps me escape reality and imagine and experience the world a writer has given to me. I hope you feel the same when reading my books. Guarded is my first novel and my second book for this series is in the works.

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Reviews

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I would like to start this off with a warning and some personal philosophy: First and foremost if you are grammar Nazi, Grammar enthusiast, or all around hate books that are riddled with Grammar issues please just be warned. Okay before i say anything else let me say my PERSONAL philosophy: I am not one to watch for grammatical mistakes because personal reasons, and also i really truly believe in rating the story that is being told, verses the technical qualities unless it influences the story. So with that being told, even I noticed grammar problems and if you have read my reviews before and you are a grammar nazi you will notice i have grammar issues as well. Well with that said grammar was a problem and did contribute a bit to my four stars but its not the reason i dropped it, so if you want to know more about this book, then i will get on with my review but i thought i would put out that warning beforehand.

With all that said i thought this was a fantastic book and i truly did enjoy it. But since i am stupidly doing this picking a song that i think compliments the story somewhat here i go, "Part One" by Band of Horses. Go check it. oh right also "Fix It" by Coldplay

Alright now onto the review!

Plot: I thought that the plot started off really good it was fast paced and made me want to keep going, maybe its because i am sadistic and well kinda cruel sometimes when it comes to characters I was really interested in Sage's past. Yes she has quite a colorful past and i really liked how Michelle Jaymes integrated it with what was happening in the present because it was at moments when things felt like they were slowing a bit and this gave the reader something well in lack of better terms something shiny to look at. Though there were times that it got a little slow and i was sitting waiting for something to happen with that said the end really sped up. Really, and i loved it! i was exciting because a lot was happening and there was a lot of action. Now i usually talk about the ending at the end of my review as just how i do things but it will end up going to be a rant about cliffhangers so i am going to get it out the way right now. The ending was a cliffhanger and i am very upset by this. So before i start ranting some more lets move on..... Also i would like to add that i love that Michelle Jaymes went for it all sometimes, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and having the balls to do that is something i love so again thank you!

Well okay i guess this would be a good time to talk about why i gave this book a four, and really i know i said i review books on the story verses technical grammar stuff but omgoodness. i am sorry, truly i am sorry to say this but i am going to kill the word evil and revoke the right for Michelle to ever use it again. there i said it. "evil smile" is used a lot. a lot. sadistic smile, cruel smile, unnerving smile, dangerous, demonic, etc,etc.. sorry truly it was bothering me. Also there were points peoples wings changed color from the beginning of the book to the end, its disturbing to the reading experience it pulled me out and made me stop and be like nope thats not what you said before... okay so now that i am done with that....

Characters! Yay characters!

Sage: Can i just say this? I think that i might actually want to kiss you a little Michelle now, i don't bat for the girl's team but seriously thank you! thank you thank you thank you! For all the readers out there like me that hate when characters from a horrible past suddenly meets love interest and all is well in their world now, well thats not the case, Sage is constantly in fear of her past and is cautious of people. She isn't willing to automatically trust and ugh i just loved Sage. She maybe damaged but she is strong when she needs to be and i find it that when characters are pushed down and still get up after all is endearing and make me want to root for them all the more. But I am very mad with Sage at the moment....

Cole: yup our love interest. He is a Fallen Angel and he is very much an ass when you first meet him. At times he reverts back to that cruel, horrible, demeanor. But when he finally admits his feelings to himself and all that jazz he is unbelievably sweet, actually even before he admits it to himself. I felt at times though i just kept picturing him as this 30 year old man because he well obviously he is older than his appearance because in paranormal books when aren't men older than they look.... anyways but we get a sort of description of him, but i had to remind myself a couple times that he looks like he is 20. Its not a bad thing but a little more in-depth description of him would have been nice i suppose... but Cole = HOT HOT HOT HOT ;)

So i saw on someone else's review about Hunter and i was wondering about him for more than half the book because he doesn't show up until more than half way through. He isn't that big of a deal in this book but i feel in the next one he will be making more of an appearance whether he will become another love interest because we all love, love triangles? right? yeah...sure thats what i thought, anyways i wasn't getting that vibe from him.

Villains are hard to pin-point. This will keep you guessing on who to trust, and who wants the best for Sage.

Okay now my strongly worded rant about cliffhangers that i promised. They are NOT nice! they are very mean and unless you give the first chapter at the end i get very upset so :p this does have a cliffhanger and ugh i want to know what happens...want no not strong enough of a word... need. Yes need.

Okay. so my last piece of advice, if you can get over the grammar problems... a few spelling problems this is a fantastic read and i would totally recommend it if you love Angels yes, if you love the Fae yes. If you love both well this combines it for you so double yes!


Alright now that i am done bothering you with all my thoughts and you think that i might have a good opinion you can check out my blog that i share with a friend, and we review other books that we love, hate, dislike, are meh, and all those inbetweens I really like to do indie books so come check out some other indie authors that are hidden within the cracks of goodreads. http://theviolethourbookreviews.wordp...
enjoy, we appreciate you

[Angela DeMarco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book a 4 star rating based on the story and the writing this was Michelle Jaymes first book and let’s give her some credit because we all that writing is extremely difficult. Michelle is a self published author. Yes there were grammar issues and words that should not have been used. If you can put that aside as I did because I’m no grammar nazi and lets face it if you like the story then you can bypass the other issues.

I normally do not read these types of books, the concept was based on Angels and Fairy’s, my genre is adult contemporary romance. The concept of the story kept me interested from the beginning to the end.

Sage Summers are main heroine is seventeen with a dark and damaged past, given up by her parents at birth . Adopted by two people who appear to be loving and caring until she falls victim to physical and sexual abuse. She finally fled and is brought into a new family in a new state where she starts to think everything will be ok, an accident occurs that will forever change Sage’s life.

Sage is kidnapped and held against her will where she learns about a world she never thought existed. Her capture is “Master Cole’’ a fallen angel who was also sent to watch over Sage but told not to interfere in her life. If he did her life may have not turned out so harsh.

This is the beginning of Sage’s new life where she sets out to find her real parents and learning she is not an average human girl, she is also a pawn in a deadly fight between good and evil. Sage does go through several obstacles learning about her past and who she really is. In all of this turmoil she does find love, a love she never thought she could have. Of course it turns out to be Cole her protector /falling angel. A love that is forbidden because of who is and connected to. Cole tries to hide his feelings for Sage but he finally decides to admit them to her and she admits hers as well.
“To have a rose when it’s young is to care for it as it grows. As it blossoms it becomes sublime. Then she becomes a lady, pure, sweet, delicate and intoxicating. Cole’s words to describe his feelings what guy says this to a woman, a man who he is truly in love and will do anything in his power to protect the one he loves, even if means becoming a traitor and turning his back on those who sent him to be her so called “watcher”.

One last thing Michelle does leave us with a cliffhanger I as an avid reader do not like them, they are not very nice to leave us hanging. Unless you give us a snippet of what is to come in the second book. I will be waiting patiently for the next one and where Sage’s journey continues’s to.

[Juls · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things I loved most about this book was the concept. An Angel and Fairy mix as the main character, imagine her powers! And her powers were amazing, at least what she knows of right now.

Sage is very new to everything that’s been thrown at her. She has just discovered that she is not a human and that turns her world even more upside down than it already is. Her childhood was great with her adopted family until she turned 10. The man she called her father became someone she didn’t recognize. And soon her mother followed suit. When Sage turned 16 is when things went from bad to worse. Fred, her adopted father, rapes her and does so repeatedly. Her perfect world officially comes to an end.

Sage has a chance at a new beginning with a new family and slowly they help her overcome her fears and nightmares.

One night while Sage was out she feels a presence. It feels dark and sinister and before she knows it she is running for her life. A man appears before her while she is driving away and to prevent from hitting him she veers into a wooded area. All she can think of is that her new car that her new foster parents bought her is ruined. She wants to hold on to consciousness to try to get away but cant fight it anymore and blacks out.

Sage wakes in a bedroom that doesn’t belong to her. It belongs to Master Cole.

He was never supposed to fall for her, only watch her. Cole, a fallen Angel, was sent to watch over Sage but not to interfere in her life. If he had her life wouldn’t have ended up so harshly.

This is the start of Sage’s new life. Her journey to find her parents is met with mystical beings. A shapershifter named Hunter is willing to help but for a price, which he says he’ll collect at a later time. Sage is after the daughter of the Fairy Queen. He saves her from the blood dogs and finally gets her to the portal she needs to find her mother.

Every obstacle Sage is faced with she finds the abilities that lay dormant within her. Her main power as of yet is she can suck the power of others. How she uses this is up to her and when tragic falls upon Cole she is willing to take the life of an Angel to seek revenge. With Cole gone she teams up with Xavier to seek revenge on Elijah.

For a self published book it was pretty good. There were a lot of missing letters and misspellings and I had to reread it to make sure I was reading it right. I had. Overall I’d say this books deserves 3.5 stars!

[Michelle Mcroberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

* I received a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

I really struggled to even finish this book - as an English teacher and verified grammar nazi, it was nearly impossible for me to ignore many of the things that were wrong here. I understand that it is self-published, and I hope that Ms. Jaymes continues to push herself as a writer and toward publication, because her plot line is quite interesting. She has a unique perspective on the realms of fairies and angels, and she creates those worlds well.

I liked the mystery surrounding the origin of the protagonist. It certainly takes the risk of dealing with some deep material with sensitivity and understanding. Her addressing of abuse and its effect on the victim(s) is realistic and well-expressed. Sage Summers has a complicated history and it is revealed slowly to the reader in a way that builds mystery. I like the unpredictability of characters and the uniqueness and variety of backgrounds of all the characters.

Here are some of the biggest issues with this book at this time: [all of which could be fixed with some time taken to edit]

1.) Editting - Spelling, word choice, tense shifts (sometimes within a sentence), punctuation, cliche usage, and pretty much anything else an editor might have addressed, caused a problem for me as a reader.

2.) Pacing - The pacing is unclear in places. In some parts of the book it seems to be intentionally obscure - which in the realms of fallen angels and/or fairies is understandable - but in other places she makes an issue of a need for food or sleep (typical pacing tools), but the day seems unending. Whereas in others the day seems exceptionally short.

3.) Incompleteness - The recent trend of writing with the intention of publishing mutiple books has led to a willingness to end a book at a break in the action rather than when the mystery is set up for the next book and the issues presented in the current book are resolved or continued, but clear as to what still needs to be answered. Evaluated as a book in and of itself, this one couldn't stand up as complete.

I also don't like that she killed off one of the main characters in the end, but that is a simple personal preference!

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I didn't love it because of all the grammar and words spelled wrong, but it was okay. At first, I thought the 'Master' guy would be a rapist or something, because of the way that the butler gave her a warning about his appearance. I was creeped out by that at first. The next thing I thought was creepy about the 'Master' was how he was waiting for her in her bedroom until she got out of the shower. Dude, I was freaked out that he would try to hurt her or something. I thought it was weird about how the 'Master' was so secretive, especially when she snuck into his office. She was lucky another Fallen Angel was there instead of the 'Master'. She probably would have been punished horribly, such as starving to death or solitary confinement. I guess that's what you get when you sneak into somewhere that you aren't supposed to go into. At first, I kind of thought that the mansion or whatever was a prison, but a luxurious prison. I don't even think a real prison would have the most comfortable bed in the world, or a big bathroom of their own. See, this story confused me a little bit. Oh well. Anyways, my favorite character was Sage. I think it's sad that her first parents were abusive, only because her mother lost her baby while it was still in her mother's stomach. All of the abuse started then, because her parents thought it was Sage's fault that they lost the baby. Which I think is a pathetic excuse to abuse someone. I was just glad when I figured out that her new parents weren't like that. :)
I hope you enjoy my review and the book Guarded by Michelle Jaymes!

[Melanie McCrackin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroine needs a good health care plan....


I love a great story where the main character finds out their secret heritage, powers, & lots of action. I really wanted to love this book, but this chick is literally being put in the trauma or psych unit every few pages ( in a manner of speaking; her body does get healed or is going through the process, but sheesh! Im surprised she had a pint of blood sustaining her maimed body by the end of the book!) I just found the main character to be too much a damsel in distress. Typically, typos & misspelled words do NOT even faze me but this version is so littered with them that even I was distracted by them.
Kudos, though, to the author for being a good story teller and having self-published a novel:-) I'd like to try her 2 nd book as I think the 1st book is a learning experience

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I loved this book! I have read so many fallen angel stories that I just got tired of them. But this book really surprised me in how intriguing the story was and how well fleshed out the characters were. I can't wait to read book two!!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is about angels and I love reading about them so I was very happy to find this out. I liked the fight scenes and the different lands that they went to. I can't wait to read book 2.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has a very interesting story it catches your imagination and you want to read more to find out what happens next. I would recommend it. Looking forward to the next book.