"First of three exciting adventures from talented Owens"
Lladrana is in a desperate situation and they need help or
their world could perish. But the help they seek is not for
the asking, they must "summon" their warriors, their
marshalls. They are bound by magic, yet within the universe
where they live the magic is waning, so they cannot fight
the terrible monsters waiting to invade their beautiful
kingdom. The Marshalls of Lladrana are bound to follow
their ancient traditions to fight in the only way they
can...summon the warrior from a distant land, one who
leaves behind the desire for their own world, one who will
pick up the sword. Or else Lladrana is doomed. Alexa Fitzwalter is an everyday lawyer on unmagical earth.
She's on an errand in the mountains of Colorado that has
her doubting her sanity -- she's following a song. Her life
is at a point where she's not happy. She's filled with
remorse over the death of her close friend, and worse, she
is hearing things no one else does, such as chants and a
gong. Only, this isn't the Gong Show. She's not expecting
to be "summoned". To Alexa a summons is a legal paper
served, telling you need to show up in court. This summons
as is far from that as...well Alexa is in for a BIG shock.
Alexa's journey starts with the words, "Help us. Come to
us. We need you here as no one there ever will." Unable to
resist the lure, she follows the summoning, dropping into
Lladrana almost Alice-through-the-rabbit's-hole, into a
realm of monsters, of guardians losing their power, and a
whole world that will depend upon her to save them. She
lands - literally in this foreign realm, no by your leave,
no welcome wagon, no take me to your leader. And that is
just the beginning. She little understands the intricacies of this unusual
land, cannot understand the language. Yet, armed with only
her wits, the help of a mystical companion and the sexy
chevalier Bastien, Alex must assume her new role as one of
the Marshalls of Lladrana. Alexa must discover skills from
within herself she had no idea existed in order to battle
the encroaching menace. Then she will have to face the
ultimate decision, return to her world or stay with Bastien
in this new land where she is needed. Once again, Robin D. Owens gives us an alternative world,
as richly defined as few futuristic/paranormal writers can
deliver. In this one, instead of the Heartmates and kitty
Fams of Celta, we have the first of three ordinary women,
who are summoned to save Lladrana and learn they have the
power within them to make a difference, to be more than
they thought they could be. Owens has always impressed me
with her magical ability to create a paranormal realm,
people it with interesting characters that you care about
and within a highly developed alternative universe. You
just don't read about her 'worlds', you enter them. I
especially compliment Owens on her deft use of Multi-POV
(Point of View) that permits the readers the fullest
enjoyment of knowing all the characters and their emotions.
It's the difference between a paint-by-numbers landscape
and the sheer brilliance of a Turner watercolor. In a time when the market is screaming for new directions
within the Romance Genre, looking for stories with more
substance, this is just what you need. Futuristic/Fantasy
with heart, soul and endless adventure. On occasion, I see
comments on this style of book as not an "easy" read.
Maybe. It depends upon the commitment of the reader.
Frankly, I think it's so much more -- it a worthwhile read,
that delivers on all levels that take you away to a magic
world where all things are possible, even within
yourself. 'Guardian" is the first of three "Summoning
Books". Based on this tale, I eagerly await the next two. Posted January 25, 2005
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted January 3, 2007
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**2005 PEARL NOMINEE - BEST FUTURISTIC ROMANCE** With their magic boundaries falling and terrible monsters
invading, the Marshalls of Lladrana must follow ancient
tradition and Summon a savior from the Exotique land.... For Alexa Fitzwalter, the Marshall's call pulled the savvy
lawyer into a realm where she barely understood the
language, let alone the intricacies of politics and power.
Armed only with her wits, a mystical companion and the help
of the chevalier, Bastien, Alexa must use her very human
mind and skills to fight the encroaching evil-and resist
manipulation by the Marshalls to force her to stay in
Lladrana. Now torn between her affinity for this realm and Earth, if
given the chance to return home will she? Or dare she risk
everything for a land not her own?
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