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Guardians' League #1
Hunted
Explosions, car wrecks, assassins, escaped murderers, and a kidnapping.arranged marriages can really take their toll on a vampire. First installment in The Guardians' League series (stand-alone novels with shared characters that may be read in any order but work best in the correct order). Witness to a brutal murder, Sian Lazuro didn't count on the killer escaping moments after his conviction. Three years later, she's learned the hard way there's only one person she can trust-herself. When she wakes up in bed with a gorgeous stranger who claims to have saved her life, she's understandably wary. Diego Leonides is like no one she's ever met before. Sensual, mysterious, and clearly delusional, he insists not only is he a vampire, but she's now his eternal mate. Diego never dreamed he'd find his mate by getting hit by her car, and he's no happier about their sudden bonding than she is. The only survivor of a massacre that wiped out his entire Clan, he's spent the last century avoiding taking a mate. Now he finds himself stuck with a woman running from a murderer just as the descendants of the vampire slayers who killed his family arrive in San Francisco to finish the job with him. Arranged marriages are hard enough on a vampire without having to convince his mate that the real bloodthirsty fiends are the mortals. Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, violence.
252 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2006
3 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Elias
16 books43 followersMeet Amelia Elias, mother of ten (okay, so some of her ‘kids’ have four legs and a tail), home health nurse (which is great because it affords her so much time to sit and chat with her clients), and author of many stories (most of them written to shut up those persistent voices in her head—though new ones always take their place). Amelia is slender, buxom, graceful, plays classical piano, speaks 17 languages, is always immaculately dressed, and is titled nobility on an oilrig off the coast of England.
And the nobility thing is actually true.
Amelia writes about everything from genies in a bottle, to gods and goddesses, to gorgeous vampires and hot, sexy Fae. Her stories are set in such locations as Olympus, two versions of an alternate Earth, vampire-owned nightclubs, and the really, truly crazy ones happen in the real world.
Some say she can be a bit scattered with her writing. Amelia disagrees, arguing, “No, not at all! I am very focused and… and… wait, do you have a pen? I just got a great idea for a romance between a shape-shifting ghost and an alien!”
And the nobility thing is actually true.
Amelia writes about everything from genies in a bottle, to gods and goddesses, to gorgeous vampires and hot, sexy Fae. Her stories are set in such locations as Olympus, two versions of an alternate Earth, vampire-owned nightclubs, and the really, truly crazy ones happen in the real world.
Some say she can be a bit scattered with her writing. Amelia disagrees, arguing, “No, not at all! I am very focused and… and… wait, do you have a pen? I just got a great idea for a romance between a shape-shifting ghost and an alien!”
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 30, 2010
In my continued hunt for the Black Vampire, I came across the first installment of Elias' Guardians' League, Hunted and I have to say I was very impressed. While this novel doesn't have a black vampire, the lead is a 1,000 year old vampire of Spanish decent, Diego Leonides. Spanish Vamp? Count me in! I was hooked from the first chapter.
Sian Lazuro is a former cop on the run. Three years ago she was a key witness in a murder investigation for a local crime boss. Immediately after his conviction, he escapes custody and Sian enters the witness protection program for fear of retaliation. However after several attempts on her life, Sian realizes the system that's supposed to protect her is compromised and she strikes out on her own, moving from city to city as needed to stay one step ahead of the man who wants her dead.
Diego Leonides is the sole survivor of his vampire clan and a member of the Guardian League, a group of vampires who have vowed to protect mortals from the more dangerous side of their breed -- Outcasts - vamps who kill humans for their blood and for the sheer thrill of the hunt.
Sian and Diego’s lives collide, when she literally runs him over with her car. Diego’s honor code forces him to care for her injuries in his home, but due to a complication created a century earlier, Diego is tasked with explaining to Sian how she is now his mate, and he’s a 1000-year old vampire.
Hunted is action packed with strong male and female characters. Elias may not be as popular as Lara Adrian or J.R. Ward but she’s done an excellent job establishing the Guardian League as a series to get hooked on. I’m adding the next two books to my reading list Outcast and Chosen.
Sian Lazuro is a former cop on the run. Three years ago she was a key witness in a murder investigation for a local crime boss. Immediately after his conviction, he escapes custody and Sian enters the witness protection program for fear of retaliation. However after several attempts on her life, Sian realizes the system that's supposed to protect her is compromised and she strikes out on her own, moving from city to city as needed to stay one step ahead of the man who wants her dead.
Diego Leonides is the sole survivor of his vampire clan and a member of the Guardian League, a group of vampires who have vowed to protect mortals from the more dangerous side of their breed -- Outcasts - vamps who kill humans for their blood and for the sheer thrill of the hunt.
Sian and Diego’s lives collide, when she literally runs him over with her car. Diego’s honor code forces him to care for her injuries in his home, but due to a complication created a century earlier, Diego is tasked with explaining to Sian how she is now his mate, and he’s a 1000-year old vampire.
Hunted is action packed with strong male and female characters. Elias may not be as popular as Lara Adrian or J.R. Ward but she’s done an excellent job establishing the Guardian League as a series to get hooked on. I’m adding the next two books to my reading list Outcast and Chosen.
October 18, 2008
The Guardian's League books are fun reads. It is a spicy vamp series. A little different writing style with good story lines.
March 19, 2013
3.5 Stars
October 10, 2021
Amazing and fun read
This is a wild ride of intrigue mystery and thrills. It’s filled with humor an alpha male who is stubborn and loving and a heroine who is tough as nails and gives as good as she gets. Enjoy the ride and hold onto your hats the love definitely isn’t instant but it’s amazing to watch it develop.
This is a wild ride of intrigue mystery and thrills. It’s filled with humor an alpha male who is stubborn and loving and a heroine who is tough as nails and gives as good as she gets. Enjoy the ride and hold onto your hats the love definitely isn’t instant but it’s amazing to watch it develop.
January 12, 2011
Amelia Elias has penned three books in the Guardians' League series (Hunted, Outcast, Chosen) and I can only hope that there will be more - I would especially enjoy Ronin's story. I was incredibly surprised when I started out with Hunted. I don't know what I was expecting...well, okay, I do - and admittedly I was jaded by years of disappointment in books from less commercially credited authors. I expected a mediocre (at best) paranormal romance with probably a bit more eroticism than I'd find in mass market paperback titles.
What I got was a thrilling read with a strong yet endearing male lead, Diego Leonides, a vampire and member of the Guardians' League, a league that hunts down Outcast vampires - vamps who kill humans for their blood and for the sheer thrill of destruction and pain. Diego's life takes a turn for the odd when he's mowed down - literally - by former cop on the run, Sian Lazuro - a woman who saw something that would get her killed if the crime lord responsible finds her. The car crash knocks Sian out and does a fair bit of damage to Diego, too, and when Sian wakes up in Diego's bed, nothing will ever be the same for either of them.
Sian's a particularly pleasant surprise. A female lead who's strong, smart, and capable in her own right, and I enjoyed her reaction to Diego and her introduction into a world in which vampires DO exist. She's a damaged woman, alone in the world and feeling forced to keep it that way to protect others. She's a cop who tries to protect Diego from that same crime boss she testified against, even after accepting (though not truly understanding) that he's a vampire. Both Diego and Sian are fully developed and well written.
Is Hunted and the world Elias has penned it in the most original premise? Absolutely not. We've seen similar worlds and stories from authors with such mass market appeal as Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Lara Adrian, Christine Feehan, and others. This particular type of paranormal romance isn't new, but don't disregard Amelia Elias or the Guardians' League because of that. Elias doesn't have the following or the rep of those others, but she deserves to be there at the top, because while the premise isn't new, Hunted still seemed fresh - and remember, this is the jaded reader saying so.
The main characters are strong, secondary characters interesting, and the plot is tight. The twists in them aren't overdone or ridiculous. The romance evolves in a very realistic manner, and when it does, it's heart warming and erotic in turns.
All in all, Hunted is a strong first book in a series that I hope will extend beyond the three that exist so far. I highly recommend all three.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
What I got was a thrilling read with a strong yet endearing male lead, Diego Leonides, a vampire and member of the Guardians' League, a league that hunts down Outcast vampires - vamps who kill humans for their blood and for the sheer thrill of destruction and pain. Diego's life takes a turn for the odd when he's mowed down - literally - by former cop on the run, Sian Lazuro - a woman who saw something that would get her killed if the crime lord responsible finds her. The car crash knocks Sian out and does a fair bit of damage to Diego, too, and when Sian wakes up in Diego's bed, nothing will ever be the same for either of them.
Sian's a particularly pleasant surprise. A female lead who's strong, smart, and capable in her own right, and I enjoyed her reaction to Diego and her introduction into a world in which vampires DO exist. She's a damaged woman, alone in the world and feeling forced to keep it that way to protect others. She's a cop who tries to protect Diego from that same crime boss she testified against, even after accepting (though not truly understanding) that he's a vampire. Both Diego and Sian are fully developed and well written.
Is Hunted and the world Elias has penned it in the most original premise? Absolutely not. We've seen similar worlds and stories from authors with such mass market appeal as Sherrilyn Kenyon, J.R. Ward, Lara Adrian, Christine Feehan, and others. This particular type of paranormal romance isn't new, but don't disregard Amelia Elias or the Guardians' League because of that. Elias doesn't have the following or the rep of those others, but she deserves to be there at the top, because while the premise isn't new, Hunted still seemed fresh - and remember, this is the jaded reader saying so.
The main characters are strong, secondary characters interesting, and the plot is tight. The twists in them aren't overdone or ridiculous. The romance evolves in a very realistic manner, and when it does, it's heart warming and erotic in turns.
All in all, Hunted is a strong first book in a series that I hope will extend beyond the three that exist so far. I highly recommend all three.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
January 12, 2016
Much to my surprise i LOVED this book. I started it expecting another crappy vamp story id never make it through but it was actually very good. It was a lesson in middle ground. For people who like vamp books but often find the males too domineering this one is likely to be perfect for you. The hero still has those protective/territorial type instincts but theyre displayed in moderation and he has superb control over them so hes not like being an asshole about it. The heroine...wow where to start. shes EXACTLY what i love to see in my heroines shes so fiery and tough but not in any way unfeminine or cold in her warriorness. The plot was solid pretty predictable but not necessarily in a bad way. the writing was pretty good nothing to wax poetic about but definitely better than the majority ive been reading lately-i found nothing to complain about there. The plot and romantic development happened at the perfect pace it wasnt going so fast that i had to flip back to see if i missed something but also not so slow that reading it was tedious. The sex scenes were steamy but they could've used a little more oomph. My biggest issue with the book was that there was no mention of the origin myth which is my favorite part of vamp books so i was very disappointed about that but hope to maybe see the explanation in the next book. Overall: very good book i highly recommend.
January 28, 2011
Excellent vampire read - good enough that I went out and bought it [and the two sequels: Outcast and Chosen] in ebook for my Kindle...
This is the first book in the series and the hero and heroine are manipulated into bonding. He's a [delicious] 1000 year old vampire and Spanish Prince, she's an ex-cop in witness protection and on the run because she was the witness to a major bad guy committing murder. He was convicted but got away and is now searching for her to eliminate her permanently.
The Guardian's League is the traditional good guy vamps who eliminate the bad guy outcasts who love to terrorize, maim and kill their prey. The bad vamps don't just do this because they think it's fun [although they do] - they do it because the life force of their victims allows them to walk in the sunlight... Interesting twist I thought...
Series is pretty order dependent - especially book 2 & 3. Hopefully there will be more...
Guardians' League
1. Hunted (2006)
2. Outcast (2006)
3. Chosen (2008)
This is the first book in the series and the hero and heroine are manipulated into bonding. He's a [delicious] 1000 year old vampire and Spanish Prince, she's an ex-cop in witness protection and on the run because she was the witness to a major bad guy committing murder. He was convicted but got away and is now searching for her to eliminate her permanently.
The Guardian's League is the traditional good guy vamps who eliminate the bad guy outcasts who love to terrorize, maim and kill their prey. The bad vamps don't just do this because they think it's fun [although they do] - they do it because the life force of their victims allows them to walk in the sunlight... Interesting twist I thought...
Series is pretty order dependent - especially book 2 & 3. Hopefully there will be more...
Guardians' League
1. Hunted (2006)
2. Outcast (2006)
3. Chosen (2008)
November 23, 2011
This book was a generally enjoyable paranormal romance that kicks off a vampire a series. I will say upfront that it stars a thousand year old vampire hero with a big...fortune who is a member of a league of guardians formed to fight evil vampires. There is also mystical mating, some deus ex machina maneuvering and villains that just fade into the background. If you've seen these tropes so many times that just hearing about them makes you twitch involuntarily, you might want to give this one a pass. Even with the over used plot elements, however, I enjoyed this read for the author's writing style and sense of humor, and I plan to read book 2.
Read
April 21, 2009Story involved a vampire who is 1000 years old. His family has been wiped out and he is the only living from his clan. The ancients have decreed that the next woman he brings to his bed will be his mate and continue his line. So when Sian hits Diego with her car, he carries her back to his house and they pass out in bed together. They wake up to find that they are considered bonded and mated by the ancients.
November 15, 2011
Not a very original plot, not much action, but strangely I enjoyed very much the story. The Guardian vampire hero was well written while the heroine was the typical bad-tempered aggressive type, but by now I know that very few authors can create charismatic heroines. All in all a good read.
HERO is a Warrior, ancient, strong vampire who finds himself mated to a human female and former cop on the run from bad vampires.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE paranormal/action
PAGES: 244 pages
HERO is a Warrior, ancient, strong vampire who finds himself mated to a human female and former cop on the run from bad vampires.
SCENES/CONTENT: few/hot
GENRE/TONE paranormal/action
PAGES: 244 pages
May 16, 2013
This is book one in a series about good-guy vampires fighting bad-guy vampires in modern day America who just happen to find their soul mate in the process. So not at all original - but well done if you like that formula. This one brings together Diego, the last of the panther clan, with Sian, who's a former cop on the run from an escaped drug kingpin.
April 26, 2010
This is Sian and Diego's story and it is one hell of a hot read. Trying to convince Sian that she's Diego's mate is one heck of a challenge for Diego, thank goodness he's a vampire with time to convince Sian of her destiny. And that darn Eli is a stinker. Can't wait to read his book. Highly Recommend.
January 5, 2011
im really giving this 3 1/2 stars rather than 4. the story started off idiotically slow and it seemed as though the author was doling out the sexuality in the characters too soon. but then she tricked me and i found myself very impressed by the authors clever use of dramatic irony. the emotional atmosphere of the book was well done in the end. hopefully the next book gets a full 4 or 5 stars
May 16, 2014
I loved this book when first read years ago and I still do, I'd have probably given it 5 stars first time, but since I've read a lot more since I first read these I feel they're more of a 4 now I've retread, great strong characters and storyline but needed a bit more substance and padding out but saying that I'm still sad she never went beyond book 3
September 1, 2010
I can't finish reading this story. I found Diego quite yummy, while I thought Sian was annoying and abrasive and not deserving of him. I like a feisty heroine, but not one who is combative thereby putting herself as well as Diego in danger.
June 21, 2012
Thoroughly enjoyed book one of the Guardian League series .. Yet another supernatural love story with a suspenseful action packed story that kept me on the edge of my seat and confirmed the need to order book 2!!
November 19, 2009
I was surprised at how much I liked this book. My library doesn't have the 2nd in the series, so I will have to track it down myself.
February 1, 2010
A lot like the JR Ward series, IMO. MUCH build up in regard to the relationships.
April 27, 2011
Love this series. Quick light easy read, fun vamp world.
January 31, 2012
wonderful story, Excellent Sex Scenes!! LOve the characters
August 12, 2012
3.5 stars
March 9, 2013
2-1/2 star
November 22, 2016
Well done...
Well done PNR vampire story, lots of action. Sian and Diego well matched couple, the sex scenes are hot as heck. Look forward to reading more by this author.
Well done PNR vampire story, lots of action. Sian and Diego well matched couple, the sex scenes are hot as heck. Look forward to reading more by this author.
April 3, 2008
Loved it, not quite as good as the JR Ward series, but well worth the read.
November 23, 2009
Unexpectedly good read! I plan to continue on with the series.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews