The Guardians

By: Mandy M. Roth

Narrated by: Sarah Van Sweden

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Ass-kicking Guardian Madelyn Mason is the only female in a sea of supernatural males. College student by day, she spends her nights fighting for mankind - the innocents, the ones who have no clue that the things of nightmares walk among the living.

Larger than life Hollywood hunk Brady Devens has won the hearts of millions of adoring fans. But, the only heart he wants to win is that of his mate, Madelyn. She hasn't shown an interest in him as anything more than a friend, and he's beginning to think the Powers That Be goofed.

In this world of magik, mishap, demons, gods, and pleasure nymphs, anything is possible. Can they find a love that transcends time and space or will the Powers That Be decide maybe they weren't destined for one another after all?

©2014 Mandy M. Roth (P)2023 Mandy M. Roth

Entertaining and Interesting

Would you consider the audio edition of The Guardians to be better than the print version?

No, the narrator almost made me want to stop listening to the story, but luckily the story is great, so I continued.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Guardians?

The action scenes are awesome, and the I love you exchanges are super sweet.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

her voice is too breathy, makes her sound like an airhead, and at times sounded a bit robotic.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but there are some really heartfelt tender moments that were lovely

Any additional comments?

Full Review -So, I ended up really enjoying this book. The premise is interesting, unique, and I loved the action scenes. The reason why I say I ended up enjoying the book is because the characters came off rather moronic at times, and I was having a hard time wanting to continue. Also, I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and the narrator was really grating on my nerves. Her voice was really breathy, and added to my thoughts that the female lead was a ditzy bimbo, and at times her voice was a bit robotic, so I was having a hard time getting past that to continue the story, but I pressed on and I was glad I did. I do really enjoy Mandy M. Roth's writing, but I think I will stay away from this narrator from now on. The premise is really cool in this book, Madelyn is a Guardian that kicks some major supernatural butt!! She is put into lots of dangerous situations, and she has people out to kill her because she is a Guardian and she is immensely powerful. Loved the suspense, and how the secrets unfold. I love that this story has a lot of different supernaturals! Madelyn also has a best friend, Brady, who she has recently moved in with, but he doesn't know anything about what Madelyn does, or how powerful she is, so she does what she can to hide it from him, so he won't be in danger, but Madelyn may not be the only one keeping secrets, and both Brady and Madelyn have been kept in the dark about a lot of things. Now, Madelyn at the beginning of the book came off really ditzy and clueless, Brady and her rub up on each other and such, and it is very obvious that Brady wants her, but she just doesn't get it! There's many times in this book where people say things that are huge clues to who they are, or what they are doing, and she just doesn't pick up on it; it's like she is off in la la land, so I was annoyed with that aspect of her character. Brady is an actor, and I hate all the fan-girling involved in that, so I'm glad it wasn't too huge a part of this book. I happen to love shifter books, so I was super happy that Mates is a thing in this book, and the sex scenes are hot! I was actually surprised at how intense they were since the characters felt rather young to me, so at first I was a bit startled, but I did enjoy them. The action scenes were badass! And I found them highly entertaining. I found this story gripping, and at times really heartfelt. This story ended satisfactory, but there is still a bigger story that needs to be completed, so I'm looking forward to continuing the story. The next book looks like it deals with different main characters, which I'm looking forward to, but I also hope we get more from Madelyn and Brady. The things I could've totally done with out are Vance and the Pleasure Nymphs, I can't stand characters that are pretty much prostitutes; especially the overly sexual Nymphs, they do have some comic relief because of how ridiculous they are, but not enough for me to enjoy their parts in the story. So yeah, I'm looking forward to the next book, staying away from the audio version, and going to continue to enjoy Mandy M. Roth's books! She has some great ones!

Really good story‼️‼️

I loved this story, did not want to stop listening to go get out of the car. Maddy is 25 and a Guardian,the only female Guardian too. This is her story of finding out she is more than meets the eye. This is a must read/listen to story. The characters are wonderful and take you on an adventure. Happy listening.

Guardians

I love strong female leads. Maddy is that and more. She is the only female guardian, in a world where it is usually men policing the supernatural world. She is very smart, sassy, and stubborn. There were numerous action scenes in story and each was better the previous. I did get mad a Brady a a few times because he was very jealous and did not give Maddy a chance to explain or tell her why he was mad. I cannot wait to see where Mandy takes us in this world. I want to see the upcoming war and find out who Hudson, Franco and Gabe are destined for. Sarah Van Sweden did an amazing job narrating this story. Not only was the story great but she made it come alive while I was listening to it.

great story, well written.

Any additional comments?

a nice story, with great humor, and well developed story line. it was worth the price.

Madelyn is a kick-ass heroine!

What made the experience of listening to The Guardians the most enjoyable?

I loved the banter between Madelyn and the rest of the characters. The nymphs were especially humorous!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Madelyn is a kick-ass heroine and I am excited to read more about her in the books to come. I love that she is humble, but not wimpy. She is strong, and yet vulnerable. Madelyn is smart, and oh so snarky. I love the snark!
Excellent start to a series!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

While some parts are ok, I just truly felt like I was listening to Siri read me a story. The delivery of certain phrases just felt forced, and emotionless. While others were delivered with great emotion and inflection. I think the worst part was the inconsistency. It was a large detractor to the story for me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I was angry when my life got in the way. Who needs things like sleep?!

GUARDIANS...Mads

Just so delightful. Narrator great story terrific now need the next one thank you much

kickass

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story has I bit of everything. Romance, action, drama, comedy.

What did you like best about this story?

All of it

Any additional comments?

I loved it. Sooooooo much action. I don't like to give the story away so all I will tell you is Madelyn Mason is a strong willed kick butt guardian. The story is hot and full of so much action that the author could have made 3 books out of it lol. I loved it and so hope she makes a part 2 and so on! If you love action and a great story plot with your romance then this book is for you.

enjoyable listen

I love this narrator and what they bring to the story, i was listening and reading this book and i have to say the audible version brings the story more to life was a totally enjoyable listen highly recommended

Crazy fun.

Good book with a lot of the things I like; romance, action, humor, and drama plenty to keep me entertained. This reminds me of a sexier version of Buffy or Angel. A little unrealistic and a lot of drama, but fun nonetheless. The age thing was a little weird, since she knew all her boyfriends since she was a girl. The story was a bit choppy and would often jump to the next scene without any headway and it didn’t always make sense. I liked the characters and while I wasn’t always thrilled with the direction the story was taking, it was still fun. I look forward to ready more craziness from this author in the future. Narrator was okay, she talked a little fast but she was always clear and understandable.

nice introduction into Roth’s paranormal romances

I never quite know what I’ll get with a Mandy Roth title, beyond the smart-mouthed comments and some incredibly hot and sexy scenes, the layering of her characters with otherworldly traits, unique settings and inherent conflicts can be set anywhere: from real-world to outer space.

Madelyn and Brady are friends, roommates and absolutely adorable together. Madelyn is a guardian, protection of the innocents with her not insignificant fighting skills. Brady is the latest Hollywood hot thing, an actor that works for Madelyn’s father. The only person to know Mady’s secret – Brady is that stand-up guy that you want in your corner, and that is her main reason she isn’t willing to endanger the relationship that they had with sexual games. But they do, at first, dance to that cliff and back in nearly every interaction.

Not only is Madelyn the only woman in guardian’s history – it seems that everyone is keeping secrets from her. And as kick-ass as she is, and able to manage just about every challenge she faces in her efforts to protect the innocents, she just can’t seem to put all the pieces together.

And then, the revelations starting coming fast and furious- and here I thought Mady was a little ‘off’. Thinking she had to manage it all, and believing that those who ‘knew’ her secret didn’t understand her, when the pieces start to fall in for her, she is far too complacent in her reaction. A temper tantrum, some smart ass comments, even a few punches would have felt better for me. But, this led the story into the well-developed and still transforming relationship between her and Brady, and from the seriously palpable sexual tension that was unfulfilled, we move into some incredibly inventive and steamy moments with plenty of heat and action to spur the imagination.

Narration in this story is provided by Sarah Van Sweden. Her tone is pleasant and her speech is clear, and while the performance starts with only small modulations in tone and pacing to delineate each character, those changes became more pronounced as the story progressed and worked to smoothly set Brady and Madelyn separate from the other characters that were introduced. What I did notice was a decided lack of “performance” in the narration: concise and clear speech is necessary for the listener, but the tiny pauses as each single syllable and word is enunciated ( slowly – I – faced – them ) left me knowing that the text was being read. What that did was add a hiccup in the flow: I understand that careful attention to the written word is important, and clarity in speech is necessary, but the quest to not make errors (when they WILL happen) halts the natural flow of the narration. What I can say is that during the more action-heavy scenes, she does speed her pace slightly and the hesitations between the words seems to diminish slightly.

A fun story, this is a nice introduction into Roth’s work for those not familiar with her writing, and sure to please those who enjoy a paranormal fantasy romance with a bit of heat and a smart-mouthed heroine.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.