Gunnar's Guardian

Protect and Serve, Book 1

By: Pandora Pine

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

Aside from being a cop, Kennedy is used to living a quiet life. But when a new neighbor moves in next door, his peaceful days are at an end. 

Gunnar pushes all Kennedy’s buttons. He’s rude, cocky, and overconfident. He’s also sexy, and Kennedy can’t deny the attraction that simmers between them.

He helps Gunnar find a job at the local firehouse, where Gunnar seems to fit in well. As they grow closer, tragedy strikes. Will Kennedy be able to save the man who’s become his whole life?

Gunnar’s Guardian is the first book in the Protect and Serve Series and features a hot cop and his annoying neighbor, hot firefighters, and an arsonist on the loose.

©2020 Pandora Pine (P)2020 Pandora Pine

A hurt/comfort, heartfelt, opposites attract!

This is the first book in the Protect and Serve series .

A sweet opposites attract, hurt/comfort listen. This book was really well written and had character depth.
Kennedy's story was touching and heartfelt which explains why he was hesitant in establishing his relationship with Gunnar.

John Solo did an exceptional audio delivery and this was really an enjoyable listen overall.

Slow burn sexiness!!

Kennedy and Gunnar are the epitome of opposites attract! Such heat and sexiness! I love everything from this author and Mr. Solo always delivers an amazing story!

Hot Opposites Attract story!

Who can go wrong with a steamy opposites attract story? Definitely not Pandora Pine. Kennedy and Gunnar are the epitome of sweet opposites attract, especially when one of those men is a hot mess to start with. Gunnar and Kennedy's characters were well written and developed and the chemistry they share is by far the best I've read in a while. The slow burn to get them to their HEA was perfect and the love Kennedy's family shows Gunnar is amazingly sweet. John Solo's narration is what made the story realistic and helped me see the true chemistry between the characters. I would highly recommend this story to all readers of this genre and hope to read more of her work in the future.

I received and reviewed this book as part of Gay Romance Reviews.

You are my guardian angel

Sexy cops and hot firefighters! What’s not to like? And to put the cherry on top, there’s investigating an arsonist in the background to add the thrill.

Kennedy had a past that’s difficult. He’s aloof and grumpy most of the times. When a new neighbor moved in next door, he found out that Gunnar is as cocky as they come. However under the facade of that cockiness, Kennedy knew Gunnar needed help. Gunnar needed to find a way to figure out how to be an adult after after being abandoned by his wealthy parents. And Kennedy is just the helping hands he needs to guide him through right path.

I think the story is quite realistic. Although there was some violence in the story, it was appropriately inserted in so it didn’t feel out of place. And I loooooved John’s narration. He can never do any wrong in my eyes. All in all, this was an enjoyable listen and I look forward to more audios in the series.

4 You are my guardian angel stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Audio rating

Story - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OMG! What an awesome story!!!♥️

OMG! What an awesome story! I’m so in love with Kennedy and Gunnar! It’s definitely a very strong emotional storyline that really pulled on my heart strings! It’s also so well written and with such heart and creative realism and passion, it really pulled this awesome story together brilliantly! I absolutely loved everything about it! This was my first by author Pandora Pine and Im definitely looking forward to more to come, hopefully about this McCoy clan! Narrator John Solo’s incredible performance of all these different characters voices is magnificently achieved and made this audiobook one I couldn’t put down until the very end! I definitely recommend Gunners Guardian Protect and Serve Book 1 and just know you’ll really love it to!

Gunnar and Kennedy

This book was really good. Kennedys story was really sad and it explains why he is so hesitant to have a relationship with Gunnar. Gunnar was such a brat in the beginning but he learned so much and became a better person.

I'm not so sure about their chemistry.

The narrator was good. The story played out well.

One of the Best Romances of the Year!

'Gunnar's Guardian', the first book in a stunning new series by Pandora Pine, tells the story of abrasive detective Kennedy and his newly moved-in next-door neighbor, the outwardly brash Gunnar. Kennedy, being motivated by his need to help people, secures Gunnar a job at the fire station where his brother, Ozzy, is captain. Gunnar, who has been made penniless by his homophobic father, develops self-worth and a purpose under the tutelage and friendship of the station's EMS workers.

Pine delivers a slowly building age-gap story incorporated with an opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers vibe. There is no better character development than what Pine gives the reader with Kennedy and Gunnar. Each man works to overcome the difficulties in their pasts so that they can have the relationship they deserve. The subplots are well-developed as well. Not only do we have Kennedy and Gunnar's story, Kennedy's foster family has a significant supporting role to play throughout the burgeoning relationship between the two men. A multi-book subplot offering some danger and suspense, involves an investigation into a serial arsonist that has me itching to see the characters work together to bring the murderous fire-bug to justice.

I can't give a complete review without singing my praises for John Solo's perfectly performed narration. Each character's personality is given a brilliantly distinct voice. Solo's interpretation immerses the listener into this deftly-written and realistic story by Pine.

This audiobook was given to me, by my request, as a free review copy. This post is my wholly voluntary and completely honest opinion of it. If you decide to use a well-considered credit for this book, I believe you'll agree and love it as much as I do.

Highly recommended.

Loved this!

I loved this story! It was a great slow burn and so worth it! The narrator brought these characters to life perfectly and made this story even better than it already was. Kennedy and Gunnar were so perfect for each other and I didn’t want to stop listening to their story. I was sucked in from the moment I hit play and never wanted to leave this story. I’m excited to see what else is in store for this series and what will come next.

Wonderful listen

I thought that reading this book was amazing but hearing John Solo bring it to life was something I never knew I needed. I was sucked in from the first word and didn’t want my listening time to end. Gunnar and Kennedy and the entire McCoy clan are the true definition of friendships and family.

Amazing listen!

I love Kennedy and Gunnar!! They are so different but so perfect for each other. This is such an amazing start to this new series and John Solo brings this story to life. He took an amazing story and pulled me even more into this story. I absolutely loved it!

An enjoyable surprise

I know Pandora Pine for her paranormal romances and kept expecting a psychic or a ghost to appear. I needn’t have – this is just a straight up romance. And one I enjoyed.

Kennedy is a cop who’s good at his job but doesn’t do relationships. He tried that once and despite the warnings from his brothers, he persisted. And the guy wound up breaking is heart. No more long-term relationships for him. And I will take a moment to mention his four brothers – these men may not be bound by blood, but they are as close as brothers can be and each of the adopted men’s stories involves a degree of heart break. But they found a home and all the love they could ever ask for.

When Kennedy comes home one day and finds some kid moving in next door, he’s disgruntled. He’s rude, the kid is rude back and it’s the beginning of a wonderful relationship.

Not.

Gunnar was recently turfed from his parents’ home for being gay. He was evicted with just the clothes on his back. Eventually his mother snuck him in and he was able to retrieve some clothes, but that’s it. A friend is renting him this townhouse and his mother gave him her secret stash of cash, but even Gunnar realizes the money is going to run out soon. When he almost sets his house on fire during his first attempt at cooking, Kennedy realizes he has to step in. And so does the rest of his clan. Suddenly Gunnar isn’t so alone in the world.

But Kennedy’s not willing to let Gunnar fall any farther. He sets tasks for the young man, and also sets high expectations. Gunnar wants to pass those challenges. Despite his previous laissez faire attitude, he’s now on a path to self-acceptance. Kennedy knows the age difference is significant, and he doesn’t want to stand in Gunnar’s way. But he might get a little jealous when Gunnar meets other great men.

There’s also an arsonist on the loose and that is always just lurking in the background. That part of the story isn’t resolved but the love story is, so although satisfied, I also want more.

Finally I will mention that there is a horrific act of violence in the story that caught me off guard. Appropriate. but still jarring.

John Solo narrated this story and I thought he did a great job. I hope the rest of the series will come to audio and that he’ll narrate those as well.

Kennedy and the Kid

I had the pleasure of seeing John Solo record some of this audiobook both in his Facebook group WIP read and on Discord where he and several narrators like to open their recording sessions at various times. I had previously read the book as I love Pandora Pine's way of telling a story of two guys and all the other wonderful (and some not-so-nice) folk in their lives. This book brings together Gunnar, a young adult forced out into the world by parents who refuse to accept he is gay, with Detective Kennedy the first of 4 (or 5) foster brothers to find his man (boy).
Highly recommended contemporary MM romance with plenty of action and thrills as well of a whole cast of great characters that we will get to know even better as the series progresses.

Heartwarming, opposites attract, emotional

I’ve already read books two and three, so I knew the outcome of this book. Knowing and experiencing are two totally different things, though. Wow. It’s been a while since a book even brought tears to my eyes, but this one did. I’ve been avoiding that since the beginning of the quarantine. That said, I don’t regret listening to this book. //

I felt bad for Gunnar. He was a grown man, but was ill equipped to live outside of his cushy childhood upbringing. After experiencing cruelty, by the hands of his parents, he was forced to figure out how to live on his own, with next to nothing to his name. To top things off, his neighbor, Kennedy (who was a cop) was a grumpy son of a gun. They did not hit it off, despite both men feeling an attraction for the other. After learning his neighbor was living with nothing, Kennedy called in the troops—his rag tag family. They continually showed Gunnar what family is supposed to be, even if it’s not bound by blood. Of all their sons, only one was by birth. The others joined their family through foster care, including Kennedy. Eventually, Kennedy started thawing, but could these two completely opposite men make it work? //

This story was sweet, endearing, completely captivating, and had moments that took the wind out of my sails. It was well written, with characters I wish I knew in real life. Kennedy’s family is amazing. I absolutely love his mom. Kennedy’s interactions with his brothers made me smile so many times. //

John Solo did an incredible job bringing this story to life. He narrated with so much emotion that I felt whatever the characters felt. It seeped through his voice. I loved the voices he gave for Gunnar and Kennedy. They were perfect.

Good start to the series!

Overall 4 Stars
Performance 4.5 Stars
Story 3.75 Stars

I really liked Gunnar. He started out as a poor little rich boy who's thrown out by his parents after they discover he's gay. He's naive and spoiled, but throughout the book, he has amazing character growth. He's hardworking, determined, sweet, and friendly and I just wanted to hug him and make it all better. Kennedy, on the other hand, was grumpy and possessive and had certain attitudes that didn't endear him to me. In fact, up until the last 40 minutes or so in the audiobook, I thought Gunnar was too good for him. *shrugs* Were they hot together? Sure, but frankly, I couldn't get what Gunnar saw in Kennedy, other than him being protective sometimes.

I loved Kennedy's family and I'm looking forward to seeing them again in the next books in the series. I'm guessing the scorcher's case will continue in the next book(s) since we didn't get a resolution in this one.

John Solo's performance was really good and I really enjoyed both his narration and the different voices he gave the characters. He's always great at bringing the books to life for me.

Amazing start to an incredible new series

Kennedy is not impressed by his new neighbor, Gunnar, but soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. As these two but heads, others see what both are blind to and that is they have a lot of chemistry. This story has all the beauty of a Pandora Pine series that will leave you smiling and can't wait to hear the next in the series.

A captivating narration!

John Solo is one of my favorite voice actors so any book narrated by him is a must heard for me, but sometimes he converged with a favorite author like now in this book by Pandora Pine, from whom I have read almost everything she had written. Finding this new series was a wonderful treat! The story was entertaining and funny, and I considered it easy to read in spite some difficult parts that made me cry. At the end the story kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time not only because the danger and angst involved but also because the author masterfully maintained the tension in Kennedy and Gunnar's relationship, that helped with the plot and general ambiance of the book. Mr Solo’s performance complemented the author’s work, ensuring with his captivating narration we enjoyed every single dialogue and interaction rounding up the action on the book. Simply, a perfect combination! Loved it!!

Loved it

This was such a great audiobook.
It was definitely a very entertaining start to a new series.
I can’t wait to listen to more of this series.

Loved the book. Made better by the audio.

I loved this book when I first read it. Gunner and Kennedy are great characters. I absolutely love the family dynamic that Gunner is enveloped into. There is mystery, intrigue (that runs through) laughs, tragedy and tears. It gripped as a book, it enthralled with John Solo’s awesome narrative.
Can’t wait for the next book to be transferred to audio.

Great Start

Pandora Pine did an amazing job with the first book in the series, luckily I know the rest will be equally fantastic. Gunnar and Kennedy where great characters to get to know and the supporting characters were well written. John Solo did a nice job with the narration.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I want more of this.

Pandora Pine is a new-to-me author, and I have to say: YES, PLEASE! More of this.
I love these kind of stories with the strong Alpha protectors, and I even love when they descend into caveman territory (only to be put in their places by their love interest and everybody else around them).
Kennedy and Gunnar’s attraction is instant, and while Gunnar is pretty ready to embrace it, Kennedy has a lot of baggage to work through before giving in to the inevitable!
A bit of mystery and danger are a great “side-dish” to the romance.
John Solo is his usual awesome and the narration is spotless and catching!