Guardian's Grace

Rebecca Zanetti

Oct 2020 · Dark Protectors Book 12 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

Duty—or desire?
 
Vampire soldier Adare O’Cearbhaill’s default setting is cranky.  Or irritated.  Or down-right hostile.  Still, as a Highlander of honor and duty, he stepped up to save an enhanced and special human female by mating her—with merely a bite and a brand. The last person he wants in his life is a fragile human, yet he can’t get her out of his mind as she regains her strength before taking off for parts unknown. And when he discovers she is in danger, nothing can stop him from hunting her down—whether she likes it or not.
 
There’s only one way to find out . . .
 
Photographer Grace Cooper has had it with vampires, demons, and the rest of an immortal world she was happier not knowing about. She also doesn’t believe she’s destined for some great battle because of an old birthmark. Forget the fact that her mate is the sexiest thing on two stubborn feet, or that her brand is fading along with her health. She’ll handle things on her own—until an old enemy reappears and she learns the only way to stay alive is to actually mate, wild sex and all, with that ripped and dangerous Adare—a powerful, captivating Highlander who demands nothing less than everything . . .
 
“Spicy romantic interplay; highly recommended.”
—Library Journal on Vampire’s Faith
 
“Sizzling sex scenes and a memorable cast.”
—Publishers Weekly on Claimed
 
“A fast-paced, excitement-filled explosion of action… Zanetti keeps getting better.”
—RT Book Reviews on Marked, 4.5 Stars Top Pick

Ratings and reviews

Guardian’s Grace by Rebecca Zanetti Dark Protectors #12 In the continuation of the Dark Protectors saga we see Adare and Grace finally truly mated after five years apart. He did what he could to bring her out of a coma then let her roam free for a while. The whole realm is still in need of bringing Ulrich and the Kurjans down, but something happens in this book that tears the various parts of the united realm apart. I have to say that this book did not hold my interest quite as much as some of the previous stories and I am not sure why. I perhaps wanted there to be an explanation for Adare and Grace to have been apart rather than getting together earlier. I liked them together but didn’t feel the chemistry that some of the other couples seemed to have. I also think I am eager to see how this will all be tied up in the end and what will happen. I really like Hope and am eager to see how she, Libby, Pax and Drake will fare as the story continues on to the eventual conclusion. This is a book that is better read as a series or at least with some of the back story under your belt. I cam in late to the series on book 7 and have not read all the books between. I felt there were a lot of characters to sift through and keep track of and I wanted to know what would happen as I tried to remember where I had seen these characters before and in what context(s) and books. The fight scenes were splendid, the bad guys truly evil, the plot was furthered nicely, there was a bit of a surprise with Pax’s thread in the story, and the main H/h did get their HEA or at least a HFN as we still don’t know how the Key (Grace is a key) and the 7 (Adare is one of the 7) will fare by the end of the book. I believe I will continue with the series but I am eager to see how it will end…eventually. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical for the ARC – This is my honest review. 3-4 Stars

I absolutely love this world! That’s saying a lot when I despise ongoing series. There are only a few that I’ve dedicated my time to and this is one that I will always want to read. I’ve been waiting to get Adare’s and Grace’s complete story since they were first introduced as a “couple”. Their relationship is not one of choice as much as necessity. That intrigued me with where their storyline would go and how they’d eventually come together. It was all that I had hoped. Grace, as a human, is weaker but holy heck did she have a will of iron and she was quick to show it in full force to Adare. The thing I really liked about it was that she didn’t have to yell and shout or carry on, she simply said what she wanted or she did as she wanted. It pretty much drove Adare crazy. As all of Ms. Zanetti’s heroes, Adare is the perfect example of an alpha male with strong protective tendencies and even a bit of jealousy when called for, although with these mated males jealousy is harder to come by as anyone who makes a move, even jokingly, pays the price for doing so. Watching him slowly come to some new realizations was endearing as he thought he had his life all planned out, even with his mate that he had separated himself from. This is chock full of action and excitement with a lot of new information regarding the ongoing struggle between the Seven and...well, pretty much everyone else. We see lots of old familiar characters from the past, as well as a few new ones. I’m so excited to see where this series is going to take us as there is just so much possibility here.

4.25 stars--GUARDIAN’S GRACE is the twelfth instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult DARK PROTECTORS paranormal, romance series. This is vampire-demon hybrid, and one of the Seven Adare O’Cearbhaill, and photographer/enhanced female Grace Cooper. GUARDIAN’S GRACE can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order, or at the very least, this particular arc of the series as there is a on-going premise throughout. SOME BACKGROUND: A thousand years earlier, a number of immortal warriors went through a ritual that, if they survived, hardened their bodies against attack, a ritual meant to create a group of Seven known as The Shield. The Shield was created to protect the world from an evil race of vampires known as the Kurjans, their sect group known as the Cysts, and ultimately a rogue warrior once considered a friend- Ulric-a male of immense power. To protect the human race, Ulric was captured, and along with two of the Seven, was encapsulated in one of three spheres for all eternity but the spheres are no longer capable of holding the ‘Seven, and the warriors have returned to Earth. As the warriors search for the ‘Keys’ to perform the ritual, the ‘Lock’ must be protected in order to take down the evil that is hoping to take over the world. Told from dual third person perspectives (Adare and Grace) GUARDIAN’S GRACE following the acrimonious relationship between vampire-demon hybrid, and one of the Seven Adare O’Cearbhaill, and photographer/enhanced female Grace Cooper. Having spent two years in a coma after an unexplained attack that left Grace without any memories of what happened or why, Grace’s health started to fail. In in an effort to save his best friend’s sister, Adare O’Cearbhaill offered to ‘mate’ with our heroine, a mating that was not mutual, and one only for convenience. Five years would pass before Adare would face his wayward mate, a woman whose importance to the supernatural world has made her a target of the Kurjans and Cysts. To protect the woman with whom he is falling in love, Adare struggles with Grace’s independent nature, a nature that continues to place her in the direct line of fire. What ensues is the building but tempestuous romance and relationship between Grace and Adare, and the potential fall –out as Grace’s inability to let go of the past threatens not only her life but the life of everyone she loves. Grace Cooper doesn’t believe the mating is real yet as the mating mark continues to fade, Grace struggles with the potential loss of a man she does not know. Adare O’Cearbhaill battles between head and heart as it pertains to the woman whose life he saved but mating if forever, and although there is the possibility to negate their mating, no one knows if Grace will fall back into her coma. The relationship between Grace and Adare is one of convenience in that Adare mated Grace to save her life. Grace doesn’t want Adare to feel obligated to remain mated to a woman he doesn’t love but the reality goes much closer to the heart. The $ex scenes are passionate and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. One again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including Realm King Dage Kayrs and his mate Queen Emma; Zane Kyllwood, Nicolaj Veis and Simone Brightston, Logan and Mercy, Ronan and Grace’s sister Faith, Benjamin Reese, Talen and Cara, Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood and her besties Libby and Paxton Phoenix; Ivar Kjeidsen and Promise Williams; Dayne, leader of the Kurjan nation, and his brother Terre; as well as Haven’s mother Allison; Grace’s ex boyfriend Brian, and his new wife Bobbi, and cougar shifter Jacki. GUARDIAN’S GRACE is a story of betrayal and vengeance; secrets and lies; revelations and struggle; love and acceptance. The Kurjans and the Cysts have a new ally, and thusly the enemy is quickly evolving. The premise is detailed and engaging; the romance is captivating; the characters are strong, energetic, stubborn yet lost.

About the author

Rebecca Zanetti is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty romantic suspense, dark paranormal, and contemporary romances, many of which have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple bestseller lists and sold millions of copies worldwide. She is a Daphne du Maurier Award-winner, a five-time Daphne du Maurier Award-finalist, a PRISM Award-winner, and a two-time PRISM Award-finalist. Nearly a dozen of her novels have been selected as Amazon Best Romances of the Month, including Lethal Lies, Mercury Striking and Fallen, which were also Amazon Best Books of the Year. Previously an an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner, Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body – all in the name of research and only to culminate it all in stories about alpha males and the women who claim them. Please visit her online at RebeccaZanetti.com