Soul Protector (Soul Protector #1)

Aug 15, 2012 Lee Anne - Give me a Good Romance rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, for-review-not-lendable

WOW! I REALLY liked this book. Once I picked it up and started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I read it all in one sitting (I even stayed up WAY to late to finish it).

This book was a departure from what I normally read and I'm very glad I read it. Ms. Cowley does an amazing job of making the reader feel so much for her characters. I found myself feeling their pain right along with them and cheering them on. I really enjoyed traveling the road of self-discovery with Gracie and nearly cheered...more

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May 01, 2012 Neyra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-pnr

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 12, 2012 Celeste rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: asked-to-review, indie-self-pub-d, souls

*this book was give to The Book Hookup by the author but it did not influence the review*

I can’t believe this is Ms. Crowley’s debut novel!! I started this book casually and was shocked to look up and see that 80 pages had gone by. The world created in Soul Protectors is a refreshing take on the paranormal stories so many of us read all the time.

Our heroine, Gracie Reynolds, does not know she is a soul protector until she accidentally does “the switch”. It happens so naturally and so believably...more *this book was give to The Book Hookup by the author but it did not influence the review*

I can’t believe this is Ms. Crowley’s debut novel!! I started this book casually and was shocked to look up and see that 80 pages had gone by. The world created in Soul Protectors is a refreshing take on the paranormal stories so many of us read all the time.

Our heroine, Gracie Reynolds, does not know she is a soul protector until she accidentally does “the switch”. It happens so naturally and so believably it was impossible not to keep turning the pages to find out where the story was headed. When Gracie ends up in her friend’s body, she ultimately gets caught and “arrested” by the very smexy Dan Sullivan. Dan soon realized after questioning Gracie that she had no idea of her gift, so she was released, and he filled her in on who and what she was (a soul protector).

I loved how the author wasted no time explaining everything so we could get on with the story. Throughout the novel I felt as if I was Gracie; it was so easy to slip into her mind and enjoy her character-she is a sweet heroine but not so flimsy she breaks, and she has such a big heart. That is what makes you love her. She is a level headed woman in her 20s, at a point in her life where I think so many people could relate.

Now that Gracie is aware she possesses this talent, she is busy processing this information but not so busy that she isn’t aware that Dan might have an interest in her. He does, but of course it isn’t as simple as that!!! No spoilers so I can’t say any more ;) Well, a little more….Dan is dreamy, swoonworthy, confident, and HOT. Who wouldn’t want Dan? I loved that that he was interested in her but she didn’t think she was worthy, not like her gorgeous friend Lydia. This book showed one of the many ways Gracie grew and gained confidence by the end of the story, in a way that is realistic you can’t help but enjoy it.

I loved Gracie and Dan, but so many of the secondary characters are fabulous as well. I loved her friends Lydia and Kerry, Gracie’s sister, Michelle, and Gracie’s mom, as well as Tom (I hope to see more of him in the next book too!).

Amanda Cowley wove a lovely story together where Gracie discovered both the world of soul protectors and a huge secret from her past she had no idea about. This whole other world led her to the beginning of many life changes, and also the beginning of a really, really, really good romance. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series now that much of the foundation is settled.(less)

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May 31, 2012 Sharissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I wasn't really sure what to expect of Soul Protector, but I really liked it! The main character, Gracie, doesn't know she's a soul protector until she accidentally does the switch. It happens so quick and believable that you can't help but wonder where the story is headed. I really loved the whole concept about the soul protectors, it was different than most books I read. I also liked that the main character was in her twenties, not some ignorant teenager. I liked that the writer didn't spend t...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Daphne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: enjoyed

Gracie is a strong individual and has experienced much sadness personally with her father and sister in particular and her employer doesn't make things easy for her to continue her dream of being a writer. She finds that she has a unreal wicked talent but is afraid to use it until she finds the courage to seek information and in the process she finds a sweet thing of guy in the midst of it all.

Soul Protector was enjoyable. I felt sad for Gracie and found myself rooting for her and hoping she wou...more

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May 01, 2012 Zoe Harrington rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal lovers, lovers of the unexplainable, lovers of romance

Recommended to Zoe by: Amanda Leigh Cowley

Take a woman who’s social life has been non-existent and hurtle her into a birthday dinner for her super-gorgeous, super-successful friend. What do you get? A soul switch apparently.

Gracie’s story is one of finding yourself and battling your way through whatever life throws at you. Not only is the story well structured, but you’ll find yourself wanting to know what happens to Gracie next. A story that combines the unexplainable, whilst feeding you with a beautiful relationship and a delicious...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Samantha Towle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Very different, and unique. I completely fell in love with Dan, he’s dark, brooding and sexy – just how I like them! I was really rooting for Gracie and him to end up together all the way through the book... but I won’t spoil that! ;) And there is a really great twist in the book which I did not see coming at all.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for great read to snuggle up with on these cold, winter days, with a teasingly good... ‘will they’ – ‘wont they’ story...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Poppet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Gracie is like you and me; she's self conscious, she's human, she wishes she could be gorgeous and graceful with a man hopelessly in love with her, instead she has Mike. Mike is such a numpty he needs a metal pipe lodged violently into his cerebellum.

Right off the bat you're thrust into the unfolding events. You are walking with Gracie through her disbelief and heartache, and when she becomes Lydia you will think (I did) that you are revisiting Freaky Friday. Then two gorgeous lovelies kidnap Gr...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Dianne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, new-adult

Gracie, a depressed, overworked, under appreciated young woman who is still mourning the loss of her lover to her younger sister, accidentally discovers she can 'jump' into another person's body and has the power to infiltrate people’s minds. She is found by Soul Monitors, the 'police force' of all Soul Protectors and faces death for abuse of this power, which is only to be used to help people in times of trouble. Of course, Gracie is clueless to this and vows NEVER to do it again!

Dan is a monit...more

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May 31, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-second-shelf-loved-it, adult

My Thoughts:

I received a request to review this book based on my review posted for Samantha Towle’s novel, First Bitten and Poppet’s novel Zauran. Amanda Leigh Cowley is also from across the pond, and her book had much more slang and different spellings than American English. I loved the differences and learning some of the slang, and look forward to reading the next book in the series!

This book is actually the first in a new paranormal romance series that had a storyline I haven’t read before....more My Thoughts:

I received a request to review this book based on my review posted for Samantha Towle’s novel, First Bitten and Poppet’s novel Zauran. Amanda Leigh Cowley is also from across the pond, and her book had much more slang and different spellings than American English. I loved the differences and learning some of the slang, and look forward to reading the next book in the series!

This book is actually the first in a new paranormal romance series that had a storyline I haven’t read before. Basically, Soul Protectors are people who can insert part of their soul into another person’s body and help that person. When Gracie finds out what she is, she flips out! The dialogue and thoughts, as the book is written from Gracie’s perspective, are very realistic and interesting. Her feelings, thoughts, and emotions are well written and are not only realistic, but also humorous at times. I really feel like I can relate to her as a character, and I definitely sympathize with her as she navigates this new Soul Protector, or SP world that she finds herself thrust into.

This book was a fast-paced, fun read, and I feel that all of the stories that Amanda began in this novel were nicely tied up by the end. A word of WARNING though… I said that all of the stories were nicely tied up by the end, but there are quite a few twists and turns along the way that show incredible planning and foresight as an author. I’m extremely looking forward to seeing what exciting twists and turns the next book in the series brings, and if there’s any other seeds that were planted in this first novel that show up in the later books in the series… we will have to wait and see. I definitely recommend this book to readers as a refreshing and skillfully crafted story in the paranormal book world!

Quotes:

“Obviously something had temporarily messed with the laws of attraction in his brain. I wondered how long my luck would hold.”

“Of course, I didn’t know then that things were about to go rapidly downhill.”

“Why did people only come to visit me when I was in a mess? Maybe it was because I always seemed to be in a mess just lately.”

“And who escaped their teens and twenties without getting their heart broken at least once?”

“It was a few shades darker here than the rest of London, it seemed even the sunlight couldn’t be bothered to filter through properly.”

“My dad told me, during a rare sober moment, that no matter what you do in life you should always have a Plan B, because life rarely works out the way you imagine. If you have a Plan B, when the rug is pulled out from underneath you, you’ll be okay. You’ll know which direction to turn next. That was probably the only piece of useful advice he had every given me. And I’d disregarded it. I didn’t have a Plan B.”(less)

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May 08, 2012 Maghon Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2-review, paranormal

I would like to thank R2R for this one. I actually really liked this book, don't let the 3 stars fool you... I'll get to that in a sec. First, I really liked this concept. You are a soul protector, this means you can switch bodies to help someone out, or to steal their body. I feel slightly sorry for Gracie. She starts the book in a terrible place, mainly depression-which she has every right to be! Then finds out some crazy stuff, like she's a soul protector and there's a whole world of them out...more

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May 02, 2012 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Gracie discovers a unique talent. Doubting her sanity, she tries to make sense of it but due to her visible aura, gets abducted by Dan; a handsome monitor. He introduces Gracie to the world of the Soul Protector. Gracie finally embraces her gift to help someone in need, but a secret from the past is about to shock her to the core.
I Loved sole protector and must say the book has me going though a million and 1 emotions happy, sad, excited and more. I was totally hooked from the first chapter and...more

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May 01, 2012 ⚝ Ŧáẅņá ⚝ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Received as a Read to Review from the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantacy Fanatics! group

Uhm, it's good and bad. I thought it was going to be about Soul Protectors, but we didn't really learn too much about that....just the basics.

The Story
This book reads more like a chick lit with some paranormal ability thrown in there. It was mostly chick lit to me because very little of the book had to do with the paranormal aspect. The major action was the mind-switching stuff, but there wasn't that much a...more Received as a Read to Review from the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantacy Fanatics! group

Uhm, it's good and bad. I thought it was going to be about Soul Protectors, but we didn't really learn too much about that....just the basics.

The Story
This book reads more like a chick lit with some paranormal ability thrown in there. It was mostly chick lit to me because very little of the book had to do with the paranormal aspect. The major action was the mind-switching stuff, but there wasn't that much action. Gracie unexpectedly finds out that she can split her mind in half basically and take over another persons mind. She is a soul protector and she finds this out when she gets kidnapped by the soul protector monitors while in another body. This is where she meets Dan and he tells her what a soul protector is and she decides she wants nothing to do with it, however she has quickly fallen for Dan. They both have issues however and things don't go exactly how she wanted them to.

Likes
The story was well written and easy to understand. There were some funny lines and some believable emotions. The concept of the book was quite interesting and fun to explore.

Dislikes
-Gracie really seemed like a person who relied upon a guy to make her happy. A lot of the story had to do with her ex and how she was completely distraught over what happen (which I honestly would have been to), but when she meets Dan....everything is gravy! It just made me feel like she was a character who needed a man to be happy and that didn't sit too well for me.
-I thought the story was going to focus more on the soul protecting aspect, but instead it focused more on the romance and her job and going out with friends and her ex. This is why I say it more chick lit.
--I wanted to know more about how soul protecting worked and more about her helping the people.

Conclusion
I would recommend to people who want chick lit with a paranormal type scenario also going on in it. It was well written, definitely British (I had to figure out only a couple of words...lol) and an all around good book if you don't mind the lead character to need a man to make her feel strong and happy. I had a few discrepancies, but those weren't sooo bad that it deterred from the enjoyment of the story...mostly. The concept was definitely good for sure. I would say, give it a go, you'll recognize pretty quickly if it is something you can enjoy.(less)

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Apr 27, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received Soul Protector by Amanda Leigh Crowley from a Read 2 Review Program. The story is about people called Soul Protectors who are able to switch to someone else's body, control it and help them with their problems. It was not a concept I have read about before so I was interested to read it.

I did enjoy the book. I liked Gracie's character, however I would have liked to learn more about her. Most of what you do learn about her is about her past. I also thought that Dan was a good characte...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Different then some paranormal books out there right now.
Gracie is vulnerable in her life from the start due to certain circumstances in her life...sister stealing her boyfriend, best friend getting married... Then things flip and life takes a huge turn for her.
She finds out by accident that she can slide into another's body and that is a huge step in her confidence change... She meets Dan and instant attraction...he is so attentive and things are looking up. Gracie meets Da...more

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Jan 12, 2012 BookHookup rated it 4 of 5 stars

*this book was give to The Book Hookup by the author but it did not influence the review*

I can’t believe this is Ms. Crowley’s debut novel!! I started this book casually and was shocked to look up and see that 80 pages had gone by. The world created in Soul Protectors is a refreshing take on the paranormal stories so many of us read all the time.

Our heroine, Gracie Reynolds, does not know she is a soul protector until she accidentally does “the switch”. It happens so naturally and so believably...more *this book was give to The Book Hookup by the author but it did not influence the review*

I can’t believe this is Ms. Crowley’s debut novel!! I started this book casually and was shocked to look up and see that 80 pages had gone by. The world created in Soul Protectors is a refreshing take on the paranormal stories so many of us read all the time.

Our heroine, Gracie Reynolds, does not know she is a soul protector until she accidentally does “the switch”. It happens so naturally and so believably it was impossible not to keep turning the pages to find out where the story was headed. When Gracie ends up in her friend’s body, she ultimately gets caught and “arrested” by the very smexy Dan Sullivan. Dan soon realized after questioning Gracie that she had no idea of her gift, so she was released, and he filled her in on who and what she was (a soul protector).

I loved how the author wasted no time explaining everything so we could get on with the story. Throughout the novel I felt as if I was Gracie; it was so easy to slip into her mind and enjoy her character-she is a sweet heroine but not so flimsy she breaks, and she has such a big heart. That is what makes you love her. She is a level headed woman in her 20s, at a point in her life where I think so many people could relate.

Now that Gracie is aware she possesses this talent, she is busy processing this information but not so busy that she isn’t aware that Dan might have an interest in her. He does, but of course it isn’t as simple as that!!! No spoilers so I can’t say any more ;) Well, a little more….Dan is dreamy, swoonworthy, confident, and HOT. Who wouldn’t want Dan? I loved that that he was interested in her but she didn’t think she was worthy, not like her gorgeous friend Lydia. This book showed one of the many ways Gracie grew and gained confidence by the end of the story, in a way that is realistic you can’t help but enjoy it.

I loved Gracie and Dan, but so many of the secondary characters are fabulous as well. I loved her friends Lydia and Kerry, Gracie’s sister, Michelle, and Gracie’s mom, as well as Tom (I hope to see more of him in the next book too!).

Amanda Cowley wove a lovely story together where Gracie discovered both the world of soul protectors and a huge secret from her past she had no idea about. This whole other world led her to the beginning of many life changes, and also the beginning of a really, really, really good romance. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series now that much of the foundation is settled.(less)

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Dec 31, 2011 Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

“Soul Protector” was not what I expected it was going to be. Reading the blurb, I was expecting something more in the vein of fast paced action and heart stopping suspense, but what I got instead was so much better!

Believable but imperfect characters finding themselves in true-to-life daily situations; and subtle, yet intense, romantic moments between the main characters – not to mention the unique theme of “soul swapping” - were only a few of the things that made this an enjoyable and memorable...more “Soul Protector” was not what I expected it was going to be. Reading the blurb, I was expecting something more in the vein of fast paced action and heart stopping suspense, but what I got instead was so much better!

Believable but imperfect characters finding themselves in true-to-life daily situations; and subtle, yet intense, romantic moments between the main characters – not to mention the unique theme of “soul swapping” - were only a few of the things that made this an enjoyable and memorable read. I could identify with the daily struggles of the main character Gracie, and I often found myself nodding in agreement thinking “oh I hate when that happens,” and “yes, I know, I’ve been through that.”

The author did a remarkable job creating scenes in which the reader can experience all sorts of different emotions. I, along with Gracie, fell in love with her monitor and cried with her when things took a turn for the worse; I hated her supervisor and ex-boyfriend; was angry at her sister’s betrayal; felt my heart break at her mother’s loss and also had pity for the different victims in the different scenarios. The romance between the main characters was subtle, yet passionate at times. It had my heart racing and wishing that I could be the one in Dan’s arms.

I found the story to be a nice blend between paranormal romance and chic lit, which is so right up my alley! It reads at a leisurely pace, but never once did I feel that it was dragging along. I was riveted from the very first chapter and mostly so because the characters are so real. In most of them I recognized someone in my life and I could easily put a face to each person. I didn’t want the story to end and actually felt sad when it did. It was like saying goodbye to friends.

The only reason for the 4 stars is the slight grammatical errors I found in a few of the chapters, but it didn’t take anything away from the story, and can be easily overlooked. “Soul Protector” is the first novel in this series and with this Amanda Leigh Cowley proved that she is a talented author with lots to offer. I am looking forward to reading more from this author and am breathlessly anticipating the next book in this series!(less)

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Aug 31, 2011 Lex Write rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gracie’s boyfriend left her for her younger sister causing her to spiral into depression and to become incredibly self-conscious. When she is at her friend, Lydia’s (Lydia is everything Gracie wishes she was, beautiful, successful, and not single) birthday party. Lydia’s boyfriend proposes causing Gracie to feel even worse about herself. She wishes she was Lydia and poof… she becomes Lydia. The shock of it causes her to faint and when she realizes what happens she manages to change back and Lydi...more Gracie’s boyfriend left her for her younger sister causing her to spiral into depression and to become incredibly self-conscious. When she is at her friend, Lydia’s (Lydia is everything Gracie wishes she was, beautiful, successful, and not single) birthday party. Lydia’s boyfriend proposes causing Gracie to feel even worse about herself. She wishes she was Lydia and poof… she becomes Lydia. The shock of it causes her to faint and when she realizes what happens she manages to change back and Lydia does not seem to know what happened.
She switches with Lydia again to try to figure out what happened and she ends up putting her life in danger as well as breaking some very important rules. She is kidnapped by Dan, a monitor, who hunts down corrupt soul protectors. Once Gracie learns the rules she realizes how much danger she was in and is totally freaked out by the whole thing. She wants nothing to do with being a soul protector even though she knows that what Soul Protectors do is very important and good. She and Dan begin falling for one another, but because of his issues with a previous relationship he ends their new relationship causing Gracie to become depressed all over again.
She runs into a woman who really needs a Soul Protector to help her get out of an abusive relationship so she decides to embrace what she is.
Gracie is a really sweet character and I often felt sorry for her but she was also strong enough to move beyond her grief over her two relationships and to become a Soul Protector and help save vulnerable people. Her insecurities were a little annoying at times because she is such a great person and she just can’t see it, but I was cheering for her the whole time.
Dan is the handsome good guy that you wish you knew. He helps Gracie through some tough emotional times and I wanted them to end up together so badly. He also believes in her when she doesn’t believe in herself.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Gracie and Dan, and I found the idea of Soul Protectors really unique and interesting. I think that Amanda Leigh Cowley has created a great world and institution that has elements of the paranormal and suspense. This is book one in the series and I look forward to reading the next ones.
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May 01, 2012 Hazel G. (I ♥ Mr. Grey) *Craves the Angst Reviews* . rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-young-adult, fantasy, paranormal-romance

Soul Protector is the first book in the Soul Protector series by Amanda Leigh Cowley. I read this as part of a R2R with Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! As always, a special thank you to the incredible moderators and the author for the chance to participate.

Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise and story idea were intriguing and unique. The idea of Soul Protectors and Moderators who can soul split/swap along with a whole community devoted to protecting the em...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Nikki Bywater rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Soul Protector series.

Gracie Reynolds life is not going great, her boyfriend has dumped her and she is unhappy in her job. So it is with great reluctance that she attends one of her best friends Lydia’s birthday party. When Lydia’s boyfriend uses the party for an opportunity to propose to Lydia, Gracie finds that instead of been thrilled for her friend she is instead eaten up by jealousy. She wants to share her friend’s happiness and wishes she could swap places wit...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Lynn Worton rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Soul Protector's series. This book is set in England, and it makes a refreshing change of location; most of the books I have read recently have been set in America.

Gracie is a wonderful character, who finds out she has a special ability. She is a very sympathetic person and who has not had a very happy life, but she is stronger for it.
Dan is dark and sexy, but he is, to me, a bit of a jerk. He's been hurt emotionally in the past, and he blows hot and cold with Graci...more

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Dec 10, 2012 CJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

To put it simply I found this a really likable refreshing read. This story is a nice blend of paranormal romance and chic lit. Although this book is not fast paced, it never felt like it dragged, and I think this is because it captures your imagination right from the first chapter. I wanted to know what was happening to Gracie, and then once I found out I wanted to know what she was going to do with this gift, and then I wanted to know how she and gorgeous Dan, the man just like her, were going...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, paranormal-romance, review-copy, young-adult

The main character in this is Gracie, who’s really not having too good a time. She’s broken up with the man who was meant to be both gorgeous and the love of her life, and has just found out that he’s now seeing her younger sister. Who he was also sleeping with before breaking it off with Gracie.

Her confidence is shot, and she really doesn’t want to be doing much of anything. When she finally agrees to go out for her best friend Lydia’s birthday, she discovers a new talent – she can switch bodi...more The main character in this is Gracie, who’s really not having too good a time. She’s broken up with the man who was meant to be both gorgeous and the love of her life, and has just found out that he’s now seeing her younger sister. Who he was also sleeping with before breaking it off with Gracie.

Her confidence is shot, and she really doesn’t want to be doing much of anything. When she finally agrees to go out for her best friend Lydia’s birthday, she discovers a new talent – she can switch bodies. Of course, this leads to a whole host of problems, including Gracie getting tracked down and kidnapped by gorgeous assailant, Dan, who believes that Gracie is a corrupt Soul Protector (Soul Protector being the term used to describe these body swappers) and that she is trying to steal Lydia’s body on the second time she switches.

Basically, this book is the story of Gracie coming to terms with the loss of her boyfriend, finding that there is life afterwards, and a new beginning, if you will. There’s drama, and there are tears, but the general feeling for me was that it was a nice book – a good upbeat paranormal romance.

I think the only thing that bothered me was that Gracie seemed to be somewhat defined by the men in her life. I understand that break-ups are difficult, but Gracie seems sad and mopey even when she’s out with her friends, and seems to be pretty much unable to cope unless she has a man at her side. I might have misinterpreted that, but it was a minor niggle to me whilst reading the book. However, as the book went on, Gracie improved, which I think was mainly a sign of her recovering from her break up.

The characters are generally consistent, and I think my personal favourite was probably Lydia – because we all have a friend like that, I’m sure.

The romance aspect between Gracie and Dan was nicely done, although Dan did act kind of strangely breaking it off, then they’d get back together, then it seemed to happen again, and my inner romantic was screaming for them just to damn well get together! But then again, that’s how romance novels work!

Overall, this was a good read, and I’d definitely recommend it – it was much better than previous switcher novels I’d read (Mainly The Host by Stephanie Meyer, go figure my opinions).
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Dec 04, 2011 My Book Friend rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lately, Gracie hasn't gone out much- but of course, the moment she does, something catastrophic happens. It seems almost impossible, or really impossible, and Gracie tries to convince herself it was some weird fluke. Or her totally losing her mind for good. Then, it happens again.

This time though, Gracie doesn't know what is at stake. Her life could be at risk- and one wrong move and she can change someone else's life too. Gracie doesn't actually know whether this is a gift or not- but she does...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Marianne Søiland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gracie's boyfriend just left her after cheating on Gracie's younger sister Michelle, and she is now alone and depressed. It doesn't make the situation better when one of the evenings she is out with her friends two of them get engaged. Gracie is so overwhelmed by both her own sad situation and envy towards one of her best friends that when she gives Lydia a hug to congratulate her with the engagement she suddenly switches into her friend's body! She quickly manages to switch back, but fears that...more Gracie's boyfriend just left her after cheating on Gracie's younger sister Michelle, and she is now alone and depressed. It doesn't make the situation better when one of the evenings she is out with her friends two of them get engaged. Gracie is so overwhelmed by both her own sad situation and envy towards one of her best friends that when she gives Lydia a hug to congratulate her with the engagement she suddenly switches into her friend's body! She quickly manages to switch back, but fears that she can't tell anybody without them thinking she has gone completely insane.

The next time Gracie switches body it is planned. She needs to do it both to confirm to herself that she wasn't crazy the first time, and second to see if it really is possible for her to just decide to switch. It works perfectly fine, but this time Gracie gets abducted when switched, by a monitor - Dan. He clearly sees an orange aura coming from Gracies switched body. Dans job is to hunt down corrupt Soul Protectors who steal bodies for their own benefit, and the orange aura reveals that this person has gone over the recommended time limit for switching. When Dan finds out that Gracie is just not quite aware of neither her own Soul Protector situation nor the rules applied to a switched person, they become friends. Dan teaches her what the Soul Protectors are and their mission on earth.

Gracie falls in love with Dan, but there are complications on both sides. Gracie refuses to become a professional Soul Protector despite Dans recommendations, and continues in her present job. Dan himself is fully occupied with hunting down the corrupt Soul Protectors. How the story continues with Gracie, her friends, family and Dan is for me to know and you to find out, and I strongly suggest that you do! - Because..

This is a very good read! When I find myself not being able to put down the book even though it's in the middle of the night I just know I have found myself another pageturner. It is not high speed action that keeps me enthralled, it is more Cowleys way of developing her genuinely believable characters. They all have their strong and weak sides, and even though body swapping (still) isn't known to man, Cowley none the less manages to describe a perfectly sane attitude towards the phenomenon from Gracie's standpoint. This makes the story truly credible. Can this actually be done?

The whole idea of Soul Protectors are new to me. I found the plot very engaging and interesting and there are surprising twists and turns throughout the novel. It never gets slow! The lovestory between Gracie and Dan is also sweet, without me revealing any spoilers on the subject. This is only the first book in a series, and I must say I really look forward to the sequel. I am thoroughly curious about the developing of the characters and the soul protecting business going on. This novel I highly recommend, and I am amazed by the fact that this is Amanda Leigh Cowleys first novel!

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Jun 27, 2012 Nigina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: available-on-epubbud

Okay. Uhum.

I have to say, this is not the most fabulous book I've read. It has all kinds of good, but also bad qualities.

Let's start with the bad ones.

The book began kinda bad. I kept thinking how she was so whiny and all, and how she had no coinfidence. I was also very irritated by her, ahum, overly high emotional reactions. And I was also kind of mad at her because she couldn't accept what she was, and help people. I mean, if I knew I was someone like she is, why not take advantage of that...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Older YA and adult, paranormal romance fans

Shelves: r2r

This is a nice little book! I really enjoyed it. It seemed to be well balanced and it played out well. It had a really original supernatural take. Soul protectors can split their minds and take over someone else's mind and control and influence them for a while. I love completely original ideas!

The main character has had a bad blow in her life. Her serious boyfriend has just dumped her for her younger sister which not only destroys her love life, but her family life as well. More devastated ove...more This is a nice little book! I really enjoyed it. It seemed to be well balanced and it played out well. It had a really original supernatural take. Soul protectors can split their minds and take over someone else's mind and control and influence them for a while. I love completely original ideas!

The main character has had a bad blow in her life. Her serious boyfriend has just dumped her for her younger sister which not only destroys her love life, but her family life as well. More devastated over the betrayal of her sister, Gracie finally tries to move on by attending a birthday party of a friend. While giving her a hug and wishing she had the other girl's life, Gracie realizes that she has taken over her friend's body and has no idea how to go back. Eventually, later, after experimenting again with the same friend, she is discovered and finds the secret world of the soul protector. They are supposed to only take over someone to help them in a time of distress or need by giving them the skills and inspiration they need to overcome.

Gracie quickly falls for her handsome monitor Dan and he seems as smitten with her. After an ugly incident at a local pub and eatery with her ex-nightmare, Dan is scared off. Gracie is devastated again, but finds strength knowing she can help people around her, including a girl she met that night who is being abused by her boyfriend. As a hidden twist, Gracie also gets the chance to bury some of her own demons as well (let you read to find out what!) Gracie gets to mature and find her inner strength by not only helping others but by finally helping herself. I love great themes!
I won't give away what happens with the guy.

Bottom line, its a quick and easy read, and it keeps you reading because you actually care for the character and can relate to what she is going through. Gracie seems natural and real and although you want her to buck up and get it together now; you get to go through the process with her.

This book read like a YA book, although it was not marketed as such. The characters are older and living on their own. There is mild alcohol and mention of pre-marital sex and some domestic violence situations referred too. So I could recommend it to older YA and adult readers.
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Apr 26, 2012 Shana (ReadingVixen) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had an interesting concept: body-switching. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say, it reminded me a bit of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (either the original movie or the remake; you choose). The fact that these monitors do it for the good of the people, to improve their lives instead of make them worse, made me interested in the book.

Once I got past the British colloquialisms and jargon, I became vested in Gracie's outcome. (The main character of the novel.) I'm...more

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May 09, 2012 Penumbra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: character-emotionally-damaged, format-ebook, free-ebook, ending-hea, het, het-romance, little-or-no-smexing, main-character-bland-or-boring, main-character-hard-to-like, main-character-no-personality, own, paranormal-romance, pov-adult-female, pov-first-person, romance-predictable-plot, r2r-pn-and-urban-fantasy-fanatics, read-in-2012, reviewed, romance, secondary-characters-likeable, supernatural-abilities, flaw-telling-not-showing, urban-fantasy, romance-instant-love

I was given this book through the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics R2R for an honest review, thank you.

(view spoiler)...more I was given this book through the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics R2R for an honest review, thank you.

(view spoiler)[

Soul Protector reminds me of a cross between ‘Men in Black’ and ‘Quantum Leap.’ Only in QL, Sam had no control over when he left the body he was in, or which body he travelled to next. It’s also a story about betrayals, lies, accepting responsibility for your actions and forgiveness.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The concept of soul protectors is an interesting idea and I was hoping that I would learn a lot about them in this book. Instead the author lightly touches on the subject and chooses to focus on Gracie and her romances.

The story is told in first person through the eyes of Gracie an insecure, single woman who has recently been dumped by her boyfriend. For the first part of the book we are subjected to Gracie moaning about the loss of her boyfriend, until she meets Dan a Soul Monitor, and Gracie falls in 'love' with him in about fifteen minutes because he's so devastatingly handsome. I really dislike ‘instant love’ stories. Those kinds of stories tell me that the author couldn’t take the time to think of scenarios that would help the main couple fall in love. Instead the author chooses ‘love at first sight’ as the simple solution.

So, after mourning over her previous breakup for quite a few months, Gracie falls in love with Dan, and then worries if Dan feels the same way about her. When Dan eventually stops seeing her, Gracie again falls into mourning, she is nothing without a man. However toward the very last part of the book, Gracie finally grows the balls to stop being a doormat and stop moaning about not having a man in her life.

What I also didn't like about this book, was that there was lots of internal dialogue with Gracie describing her feelings, her environment and her thoughts rather than action or dialogue between characters. Despite all the internal chatter, I never really got a good feeling of Gracie's personality other than she was needy, insecure and tended to be a doormat.

I think the best part of the book involved the situation with Terry, Gracie’s mother’s boyfriend. I won’t review the spoiler, but that event definitely surprised me.

I can only say that this book is average, simply because the author wasted the opportunity to really get into the meat of the idea of soul protectors and instead chose to focus on the romances of an insecure woman. I’d give this story two stars, but the soul protector idea is too interesting for that, so I’ll give 2.5 stars rounded up to three stars since I can’t give half stars.

(hide spoiler)]
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Oct 02, 2011 Rayven added it

As I read a bit about "Soul Protector" by Amanda Leigh Cowley, I was intrigued by her idea of the "Soul Protector" someone who can switch bodies with another person to help them through a difficult time. True to the genre of paranormal romance, we see the familiar story line of a young woman finding her way through heartbreak to discover her "true love" despite their differences and her new found skill. This book brings nothing new to the genre;however the author's idea of a "Soul Protector" is...more As I read a bit about "Soul Protector" by Amanda Leigh Cowley, I was intrigued by her idea of the "Soul Protector" someone who can switch bodies with another person to help them through a difficult time. True to the genre of paranormal romance, we see the familiar story line of a young woman finding her way through heartbreak to discover her "true love" despite their differences and her new found skill. This book brings nothing new to the genre;however the author's idea of a "Soul Protector" is uniquely hers and makes this novel stand out a little bit more than the rest.

The story follows Gracie, a young woman in the midst of a break up, that she can't seem to get over. Who then discovers she has the gift to switch bodies with people. We see Gracie learn to cope with this new gift as it brings new people into her life. One in particular "Dan" who guides her through the learning process of being a Soul Protector. Along with this new relationship there is danger as there are rouge Soul Protectors on the loose and it is the monitors job to catch them. Gracie has to make a decision whether to walk away from Dan and the prospect of being a Soul Protector or live life as normal. Which she soon finds out just isn't in the cards.

I felt the story line between Gracie and Dan was a bit flat as it takes up the first half of the book without much excitement. Grace's longing and need for Dan was a bit overbearing for it took over all of her thoughts and slowed the pace of the story. However the second half of the book picks up and we see several sub plots come to light. It is within these sub plots where we finally hit a bit of excitement as the world of the Soul Protectors draws Gracie in and affects those close to her. Most of the characters are one dimensional, except for Gracie. The author did a great job of giving us the background story of Gracie's abusive past at the hands of her father, her mother being a victim of domestic violence and her sister's betrayal. This was the only part of the story that drew me in, as I felt what Gracie was going through as a child, and how the hurt still affected her as an adult. I would like to acknowledge the author's underlying message about domestic violence that speaks volumes through Gracie's story.

The novel was very well written and this is evident in the second half of the book, where the author's writing style shines through and carries this book through to a very interesting finish. It almost felt like the author was holding back a bit and then broke through a barrier. All in all this book was an easy read, and as it brings nothing we haven't seen before in the romance department. Though the idea of the "Soul Protector" is worth giving it a go. With that said I give this book a 3.5 Stars.
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