The tip the stranger left sent Nicole a painfully clear message. The past is no longer in the past.Nicole is fighting to bury the memories. Someone else is fighting to keep them exposed. Detective Daniel Grey is back in town, and diner owner Nicole Hunter isn’t sure how she feels about that. It’s been almost seven years, and now she doesn’t just have herself to think about but her six-year-old … six-year-old son as well. If she does find the courage to take a chance on love, her heart could be smashed into pieces. Again.
And it’s not only her heart that is in danger. Someone is working hard to disrupt her present with reminders of the past she has worked hard to forget, especially her darkest memory—of the night her husband was gunned down in the street in front of her. As much as she might want to push Daniel away, Nicole needs him closer now than ever before.
But the one she trusts to keep her and her son safe has a secret that may prove to be the biggest threat of all.
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This was a wonderful ending to Nicole’s story. So much pain and suffering, trust issues, lives turned upside down. It was wonderful and heartachey to follow this story through.
Novels like Guarded by author Sara Davison always create quite the conundrum for me. At the first peak, I’m immediately drawn in and I want to know. I want to know more, fast, while at the same time I slow my pace to savor the story, to not miss even one detail no matter how small.
In Guarded, Nicole is six years older, and her son is a bright and precocious boy. When someone leaves a mysterious tip at her diner, Nicole Hunter knows the past is closer than she knew.
Detective Daniel Gray never stopped loving Nicole, even when she chose someone else all those years ago, someone he tried to protect, and failed. Now he’s back in town, watching over Nicole and her little boy. And this time he cannot fail, his heart won’t allow it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and am under no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own, and freely given.
I had no idea that there was going to be a second book and I’m sure glad there is! It didn’t disappoint! I felt that this was more exciting than the 1st book!
I’m so happy to see Nicole back in this sequel to Vigilant.
This author is so good at what she does it’s amazing. I wish I could write stories like this.
She has the talent to pull you in her books before you know it. You’ll not want to put it down until it’s finished. Oh boy I am still thinking about Nicole and Daniel!
I loved the plot especially! It was exciting and there was a lot of twists and turns.
I was also happy to see Daniel is back!
I always did like him. I thought he’d be the perfect partner for Nicole.
There’s a saying that you can run but not hide. I think this is the case for this awesome story.
I have always said that secrets will come out in the end no matter what or how hard you try to hide them. And you can never hide anything from God. He knows all.
I hate hiding anything from my partner but I know he hides a lot from me. Or he thinks he is. Not so. I decided a long time ago that I was going to let God handle his short comings.
This was just an overall good book and I really loved it. I love Sara’s works and I’m hoping for more from her.
I highly recommend this book especially if you want action/adventure.
My thanks to Just Reads Tours. I was NOT required to write a review. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.
The second book in Sara Davison’s The Night Guardians series picks up seven years after the end of Vigilant. Daniel is back in Toronto, and Nicole is making a life for her and her son after the tragic and violent death of her husband. While Davison hits the major plot points of book one, readers will enjoy book two more if they’ve read Vigilant first.
The first half of Guarded is about Daniel and Nicole reconnecting and is heavier on the romance. Other than a light reference here and there, the suspense doesn’t really take hold until the mid-way point of the book. But when it does, it definitely pushes the pace of the story to full speed ahead.
Guarded is about letting go of fear and trusting the ones you love, even when they do something to break that trust. There are a couple other points of view in the book, unclear at first how they connect to Nicole and Daniel. One I figured out easily and the other took a little longer, but I got it (before the characters did).
Guarded is an enjoyable addition to the series, and the ending was more satisfactory for me than the previous book (I felt so bad for Daniel at the end of that one). With the sneak peek at book three, I’m looking forward to the next installment in 2021.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
My Thoughts on Guarded:
Guys. I loved book one of this series. SO much. When I finished it they gave me like a chapter of Guarded but that was all. And then I had to wait. . . and wait. . . and wait some more for the book to finally be released for reading. And now it’s here! It’s just as good as I had hoped or even better.
The first book needs to be read first. It will make this one make more sense but you could read this one without it if you wanted to. But I say read book one first because they’re both so good why would you want to skip one?
These books are so good because you’re never quite sure where the author is going to take you next. They twist and turn and flip upside down, but that’s what makes them so good. You can’t skip even one word or you might miss out!
While the first book, to me, had more suspense this book has more of the romance. It still has it’s moments.
I recommend this series and this author. Hope you give them a try and get your copies of Vigilant and Guarded today. Or request them from your library.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Umm, why? Before I get all of the way into this review I should say that I did like the end half of the book, it was really good, and if the characters were more like that throughout the beginning of the book I would have enjoyed it so much more. I even liked Daniel a lot in the last quarter of the book but this was loosely a least favorite suspense since the lead guy, Daniel, was so so very pushy, I get that he thinks he loves the girl that married another man, her husband died, he felt guilty for not stopping her husband from dying and all but couldn’t he have been more of a character?
Why the hasty love? Why did Nicole fall in love TWICE so quickly when it seemed like she and Daniel knew so little about each other? Don’t even get me started on how much I hated how Daniel WATCHED Nicole and Jordan BEFORE he even let her know he was back in town. (And a few crude jokes about how he could have sneaked in and been spying on her…) Just sick! And this is not very healthy behavior for a Christian suspense lead character.
The one bright spot in this was Jordan, he’s a cute kid, likable character, and sweet.
I’m really sad to give such a low rating but I did really like the ending.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
This book is amazing! It hooks you on the first page and doesn’t let go. If you like christian suspense, you will love this book. It is full of twists and turns and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. I received a complimentary copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my ow
A surprising sequel
I really liked Vigilant, the first book of the Night Guardians series and A Taste of Heaven by Sara Davison, so I was prepared to enjoy Guarded as well. I just didn’t realize how very much I would enjoy it!
Warning, if you plan to read Vigilant, don’t read further in this review – go read it first. Whie it is not necessary to have that background because of the excellent manner in which Guarded ties in and stands on its own, it is better to read them in order to fully appreciate the events and the characters.
A couple of additional story-lines had me wondering how they tied in. Chicago? Jail? Art? Huh? Yet I knew there was something to them. They would definitely tie in. And they did in amazing ways. The Chicago story took longer to “explain” itself and yet the timing was just right. And oh! It was so perfect!!
I had already come to appreciate the characters from the first book and was so glad to see them return. I loved Jordan, Nicole’s tenderhearted, six-year-old son. His open and genuine care for those around him made him so endearing!
The secondary characters were as much a joy as the primary ones. I loved the way Tom, Daniel’s friend, managed to give him relationship advice under the guise of not giving him advice. I was laughing, realizing before Daniel what was happening! Oh, and Shar, Daniel’s partner, was so fun with the way she was able to read him. He accused her of psychic powers at one point – in jest, of course!
This was certainly one of the best examples of how to include the important details from a prior book in a series in a natural manner. If I had just read Vigilant, I would not have been frustrated with the recap. Though it has been half a year since I read it, I found that many details had stuck in my mind. And those that were buried deeper were nudged out of hiding with the little nuggets shared to jog my memory in just the right places.
I highly recommend this book and this series to all lovers of Christian suspense!
Read my review of Guarded by Sara Davison at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Guarded is the first book I’ve read by Sara Davison and I’m looking forward to many more. In this book Sara has interwoven stories of second chances, forgiveness, and love, along with some well written suspense.
Each arc of the story is filled with authentic emotions from the greatest joy to the deepest heartache, the love of family to the deepest despair, and everything in between.
Through each person’s trials we are shown how easy it is to give in to those things that hold us captive, and rob us of our purpose. A thread of Faith is woven through the story as each protagonist battles with letting go of past hurts and fears, and trusting God’s plan.
Daniel has carried Nicole’s rejection for years. Is he strong enough to risk taking another chance?
Nicole lost her husband due to secrets he carried. He died doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Is she willing to take another chance on love?
Along with the romance aspect of this book, the suspense had me guessing what was going to happen next, and who it was going to happen to. I was taken by surprise when the antagonist’s plan was revealed.
I was given an ARC courtesy of the author through Interviews and Reviews, and this is my honest review. I recommend this book.
I am a sucker for a good suspense, but what do you do when that suspense is way too predictable and has a leading couple that you find hard to root for? You dig deep to figure out what you loved about the story, so that’s exactly what I did, and it wasn’t hard to find what made me enjoy this novel: the supporting characters and the love and support of family.
One character that captured my heart was Jordan, the heroine’s sweet little six year old boy, who I absolutely fell in love with. His bravery and childlike faith was so awe-inspiring that it truly stole the show, and was the perfect balance to the angst that his mother was facing. I also loved how loving and supportive many of the other characters were. Having such strong support in the midst of hardship is so important, and though it wasn’t a glaring theme in this novel, you can feel the support that both Nicole and Jordan have.
I know that I’m supposed to love Nicole and Daniel, the two main characters, but they did not jive with me. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read the first book in the series (though this book can definitely be read as a standalone), but something didn’t click with me. I know that Daniel is a cop, but his crazy stalker tendencies made me second guess his intentions. Call me a cynic, but I just wasn’t feeling it. His relationship with Nicole is charming but lackluster for me, even though I could tell the author really wanted me to fall in love with them as a couple. In saying that, I do have to admit that the ending is pretty cute.
Though incredibly predictable, the suspense was palpable, the writing is decent, and the love sweet, especially the love within the family. I craved more plot twists but I did love the happy ending and I am really looking forward to the third book in the series.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
This was a good sequel. I was happy to read about Daniel and Nicole again. I liked the storyline overall, but I did struggle a little with some of Nicole’s behavior and attitude. I was happy with the conclusion of this book. I look forward to reading the next book!
I was given a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author, but was not required to write a review. The thoughts and comments are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by Sara Davison. I was quite excited to read her book because I’ve been hearing such great things about this author’s work. Unfortunately I had not realized that this second book of The Night Guardians Series is a literal continuation of the first book. Since I had not read Vigilante first, I had a hard time grasping the details from the first book that are pivotal foundation, both in plot and character development, in this book.
There is definitely more romance than suspense and the plot is character-driven. There are funny and also endearing scenes in the book that will make the reader bond a little more with Nicole, Daniel, and Nicole’s son Jordan. Nicole is a difficult heroine to understand and her previous and present feelings for Daniel were hard to sort out. Daniel is a loyal and loving protector but I also had some trouble connecting with him. Introducing Troy and Mikayla as additional third person limited point of view voices confused me in the beginning but their roles became more clear as the story progressed.
The series should be read in order to get the most out of the stories and characters. I received a copy of the book from the publisher via JustRead Publicity Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.