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Desert Guardian
When Kelly Bancroft receives a suicide letter from her brother, she knows the star-worshipping cult he belongs to is to blame. She travels to the California desert to try talking him into leaving the deadly Star Mother cult, but he's nowhere to be found.
Cult intervention specialist—and ex-cultist—Sam Reed, aka The Arrow, has his work cut out for him when he teams up with Kelly to rescue her brother. Sam has good reason to avoid the cult that killed his mother, but he's made it his mission to save those who have fallen under Star Mother's spell.
Deluded by their fantasy beliefs, the cult's followers await a starship that will deliver them to utopia on another planet. The caveat? All passengers must leave their bodies behind.
Will Sam’s and Kelly’s romantic relationship help or hinder them in their struggle to stop a mass suicide? Or will they themselves fall victim to the cult’s fatal madness?
Praise for DESERT
Desert Guardian is a fast-paced story that kept me glued from the first page. Wow, what a ride! I loved this book so much. The dialogue is excellent, the banter between Kelly and Sam top-notch, and the roles they play are absolutely outstanding. — 5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews
The suspense is exquisitely developed but the love story between the wonderful hero and heroine absolutely shines… Readers will definitely want to make time to settle in for the duration of Desert Guardian. — 5 stars, Romantic Observer Reviews
Desert Guardian captivates the reader from the opening chapter, with a mystery/suspense driven plot worthy of reading. Ms. Duvall creates strong, dramatic characters as Sam and Kelly confront their own personal emotional demons… — Romance at Heart Magazine
“Karen Duvall’s Desert Guardian grabs the reader's interest from the first page and never lets go.” — Jasmine Cresswell, USA TODAY bestselling author
Cult intervention specialist—and ex-cultist—Sam Reed, aka The Arrow, has his work cut out for him when he teams up with Kelly to rescue her brother. Sam has good reason to avoid the cult that killed his mother, but he's made it his mission to save those who have fallen under Star Mother's spell.
Deluded by their fantasy beliefs, the cult's followers await a starship that will deliver them to utopia on another planet. The caveat? All passengers must leave their bodies behind.
Will Sam’s and Kelly’s romantic relationship help or hinder them in their struggle to stop a mass suicide? Or will they themselves fall victim to the cult’s fatal madness?
Praise for DESERT
Desert Guardian is a fast-paced story that kept me glued from the first page. Wow, what a ride! I loved this book so much. The dialogue is excellent, the banter between Kelly and Sam top-notch, and the roles they play are absolutely outstanding. — 5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews
The suspense is exquisitely developed but the love story between the wonderful hero and heroine absolutely shines… Readers will definitely want to make time to settle in for the duration of Desert Guardian. — 5 stars, Romantic Observer Reviews
Desert Guardian captivates the reader from the opening chapter, with a mystery/suspense driven plot worthy of reading. Ms. Duvall creates strong, dramatic characters as Sam and Kelly confront their own personal emotional demons… — Romance at Heart Magazine
“Karen Duvall’s Desert Guardian grabs the reader's interest from the first page and never lets go.” — Jasmine Cresswell, USA TODAY bestselling author
- GenresRomantic SuspenseRomance
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
42 people want to read
About the author
Karen Duvall
19 books44 followersKaren Duvall is a native Californian who grew up in Hawaii, lived in Colorado most of her adult life, and now lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband and four incredibly spoiled pets. She has three grown children and six grandchildren.
Karen has been telling stories since the age of three, when she wasn’t yet able to write but could tell her tales to her mother, who wrote them down for her. Illustrating the stories with crayons was one of her favorite parts of writing those early books.
She still draws pictures, but put her crayons away in favor of computer graphics. Karen is a professional graphic designer with a passion for portraying her characters and scenes by painting pictures with words.
Karen has been telling stories since the age of three, when she wasn’t yet able to write but could tell her tales to her mother, who wrote them down for her. Illustrating the stories with crayons was one of her favorite parts of writing those early books.
She still draws pictures, but put her crayons away in favor of computer graphics. Karen is a professional graphic designer with a passion for portraying her characters and scenes by painting pictures with words.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 24, 2013
This is an attractive looking cover. A romance, obviously, and set in or around the desert. It looks modern and a bit gothish (notice the piercings the man has in his ears). The title, again, speaks romance and from that I'm thinking it's about an alpha male looking after a, maybe ditzy, woman. Maybe she's in the wrong place at the wrong time...
The blurb opens with the protagonist who receives a suicide letter from her brother, Jake, so I'm a little surprised that the book begins with the other leading character, Sam, but what a hook it was: What a perfect night for a kidnapping.
In the beginning, Desert Guardian was a little Mills and Boony with it's endless sickly sweet description of 'peach shaped bottom' etc, which I found annoying but I'm glad I stuck with it because, after the slow start, it zipped nicely along and I was able to dismiss the flowery descriptions.
The book has a mixed POV mainly between the leading characters Kelly and Sam but also with the secondary and the 'baddies' of the book. Sam and Kelly both had a past, which was gradually fed into the story, making them real fleshed out characters.
At the opening Kelly had already arrived at the cult. She's there to bring Jake, her young brother, home after he ran away due to an argument with their father but she has no idea of the danger they are in, neither has she realised the cult has begun its brainwashing on her already.
Sam 'The Arrow' has been sent by her father to get her out. He does, but she still wants to find her brother and so hires Sam knowing she hasn't any money to pay him. He is smitten with her and decides to help her (he was once a member of the cult and so has 'unfinished' business with them). They are both attracted to one another but have no 'I hate you/let's have sex' going on which, considering it's opening, I was very certain was about to happen.
Sam and Kelly work together to rescue Jake, and Sam's newly discovered little girl (I did say he had unfinished business in the cult, didn't I?). It isn't a quick rescue and Sam isn't a superhero. He doesn't fling Kelly over his shoulder and shoot guns with his free hands. He's very human and has limits, and when things so wrong with the rescue, things go wrong big time! And I must admit I was turning the pages quickly to find out how it would be resolved.
Of course it ended happily, it was a romance, after all. But the ending wasn't one I saw coming. I hadn't a clue how Sam and Kelly were going to rescue Jake and Sam's daughter, and then Jake went missing... But all ends were tied with a nice satisfactory conclusion.
A nice little gem of a story, and worth a read.
No editing issues that I noticed.
Read more at http://wisewords-bookreviews.blogspot...
The blurb opens with the protagonist who receives a suicide letter from her brother, Jake, so I'm a little surprised that the book begins with the other leading character, Sam, but what a hook it was: What a perfect night for a kidnapping.
In the beginning, Desert Guardian was a little Mills and Boony with it's endless sickly sweet description of 'peach shaped bottom' etc, which I found annoying but I'm glad I stuck with it because, after the slow start, it zipped nicely along and I was able to dismiss the flowery descriptions.
The book has a mixed POV mainly between the leading characters Kelly and Sam but also with the secondary and the 'baddies' of the book. Sam and Kelly both had a past, which was gradually fed into the story, making them real fleshed out characters.
At the opening Kelly had already arrived at the cult. She's there to bring Jake, her young brother, home after he ran away due to an argument with their father but she has no idea of the danger they are in, neither has she realised the cult has begun its brainwashing on her already.
Sam 'The Arrow' has been sent by her father to get her out. He does, but she still wants to find her brother and so hires Sam knowing she hasn't any money to pay him. He is smitten with her and decides to help her (he was once a member of the cult and so has 'unfinished' business with them). They are both attracted to one another but have no 'I hate you/let's have sex' going on which, considering it's opening, I was very certain was about to happen.
Sam and Kelly work together to rescue Jake, and Sam's newly discovered little girl (I did say he had unfinished business in the cult, didn't I?). It isn't a quick rescue and Sam isn't a superhero. He doesn't fling Kelly over his shoulder and shoot guns with his free hands. He's very human and has limits, and when things so wrong with the rescue, things go wrong big time! And I must admit I was turning the pages quickly to find out how it would be resolved.
Of course it ended happily, it was a romance, after all. But the ending wasn't one I saw coming. I hadn't a clue how Sam and Kelly were going to rescue Jake and Sam's daughter, and then Jake went missing... But all ends were tied with a nice satisfactory conclusion.
A nice little gem of a story, and worth a read.
No editing issues that I noticed.
Read more at http://wisewords-bookreviews.blogspot...
December 27, 2013
I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Desert Guardian is a carefully crafted and fast-paced read. Kelly hires Sam to help her rescue her brother Jake from the Star Mother cult just as the leaders of the cult are preparing their followers for a Jim Jones style mass suicide.
Lovers of romantic suspense will enjoy the perfect balance of increasing suspense and developing romance woven together as the plot unfolds. As with any well-written suspense, Duvall includes a few twists, taking the plot in directions the reader doesn’t expect. The story progresses at just the right pace. The author keeps the reader moving from one intense situation to another while developing the obvious attraction between the hero and heroine that draws them together. The romance between Sam and Kelly builds as the tension increases. Duvall has created two very likable characters, and it is easy for the reader to immerse herself in their story. Although the author carefully portrays the brutality and cruelty of the cult’s leaders in such a way that the reader understands the danger Sam and Kelly face, Duvall never allows the imagery to become too graphic. This literary restraint was much appreciated, as I was able to get the idea without having to read all of the gory details.
I would very much recommend Desert Guardian to readers of romantic suspense. I look forward to reading more of Karen Duvall’s work.
Desert Guardian is a carefully crafted and fast-paced read. Kelly hires Sam to help her rescue her brother Jake from the Star Mother cult just as the leaders of the cult are preparing their followers for a Jim Jones style mass suicide.
Lovers of romantic suspense will enjoy the perfect balance of increasing suspense and developing romance woven together as the plot unfolds. As with any well-written suspense, Duvall includes a few twists, taking the plot in directions the reader doesn’t expect. The story progresses at just the right pace. The author keeps the reader moving from one intense situation to another while developing the obvious attraction between the hero and heroine that draws them together. The romance between Sam and Kelly builds as the tension increases. Duvall has created two very likable characters, and it is easy for the reader to immerse herself in their story. Although the author carefully portrays the brutality and cruelty of the cult’s leaders in such a way that the reader understands the danger Sam and Kelly face, Duvall never allows the imagery to become too graphic. This literary restraint was much appreciated, as I was able to get the idea without having to read all of the gory details.
I would very much recommend Desert Guardian to readers of romantic suspense. I look forward to reading more of Karen Duvall’s work.
January 20, 2014
**Small spoilers.
I am a huge fan of Karen Duvall's Hatchet Knight series and was pleased to learn she indie-pubbed another book. This one about a dangerous cult. While I don't usually read romance, I thought I'd give this one a shot.
I know the main story line in any romance is the relationship between the hero and the heroine, so putting that aside, I enjoyed the "subplot" of taking down a cult reminiscent of the Hale-Bopp cult, Heaven's Gate. Duvall does a great job setting up just how dangerous the cult is and how the members are "persuaded" to join and stay members. She obviously did her homework on how cults work, as her cult, Star Mother, is incredibly well developed.
I enjoyed this book. Not as much as Chalice and the Hatchet Knights, but this was a nice escape from what I traditionally read. The climax was suspenseful and there were a couple of times I had my hands covering my mouth (that's my OH MY GOD WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT thing). The story wrapped up nicely with a happy ending, as I'm sure is typical in any romance book.
I recommend this to those who have enjoyed Ms. Duvall's other books, Knight's Curse and Darkest Knight, as well as those who enjoy a good romantic suspense.
I am a huge fan of Karen Duvall's Hatchet Knight series and was pleased to learn she indie-pubbed another book. This one about a dangerous cult. While I don't usually read romance, I thought I'd give this one a shot.
I know the main story line in any romance is the relationship between the hero and the heroine, so putting that aside, I enjoyed the "subplot" of taking down a cult reminiscent of the Hale-Bopp cult, Heaven's Gate. Duvall does a great job setting up just how dangerous the cult is and how the members are "persuaded" to join and stay members. She obviously did her homework on how cults work, as her cult, Star Mother, is incredibly well developed.
I enjoyed this book. Not as much as Chalice and the Hatchet Knights, but this was a nice escape from what I traditionally read. The climax was suspenseful and there were a couple of times I had my hands covering my mouth (that's my OH MY GOD WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT thing). The story wrapped up nicely with a happy ending, as I'm sure is typical in any romance book.
I recommend this to those who have enjoyed Ms. Duvall's other books, Knight's Curse and Darkest Knight, as well as those who enjoy a good romantic suspense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2013
A chilling look at a cult's grip on its followers through main characters, Jake and Kelly. Jake, a former cult member, and now interventionalist, faces his past while trying to rescue Kelly and her brother from their confinement. Sexual tension grows between these two as they face one obstacle after another while combating the demented leaders of the cult. This book has it all: memorable characters, conflict, pacing, romance, and page turning suspense. I felt as if I was in the dessert along side them!
November 14, 2013
Okay I'm at my wits end but with this book it totally was like WTF for me. Star Mother please.
I do like Sam and Kelly though.
I do like Sam and Kelly though.
February 7, 2009
Pretty good fiction about cults.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews