In [b:Guardian Demon|12739450|Guardian Demon (The Guardians, #8)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349827881s/12739450.jpg|17878149], the final book of the Guardians series, things have finally escalated in the war between Guardians and hell. Lucifer has set into motion events that will allow him to break through the barrier to earth and destroy humanity. In order to stop him, the Guardians must pool all their resources together. This includes Andromeda Taylor, who, after the events that brought Michael back from hell has committed herself to leaving the guardians by “falling”.

Guardian Demon was an intense read and an excellent conclusion to these books. What made it so suspenseful was that everyone was racing against the clock to discover Lucifer’s plans for starting the apocalypse and to save loved ones who got pulled into the fire. This became direr as each move seemed to play into his hands. On top of this, Michael has finally returned from his torture in the frozen field and is committed to atoning for what he has done to Taylor before the personal clock he’s racing against runs out.

What I love about Brook is that she isn't afraid to put her characters through some pain. Just because someone has been a staple of the series since it began or has gotten their own book, doesn't mean they’re safe. Knowing that characters you love could be hurt makes the emotional impact of the battle so much more engaging. I only wish that Brook had pushed this envelop a bit more in the final confrontation and that ending of the book wasn’t so clean cut.

All in all, this was a fantastic read and a very satisfying conclusion to the series. If you’re looking to get into the Guardians, I would recommend you start at the beginning with [b:Demon Angel|42668|Demon Angel (The Guardians, #1)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348005381s/42668.jpg|42139] since each book builds upon the other. However, if you don't want to read all 8 books in the series then at least read Demon Angel and [b:Demon Moon|1066445|Demon Moon (The Guardians, #2)|Meljean Brook|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348396494s/1066445.jpg|1053093] prior to this one since the characters from those two books are key ones here. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Andromeda Taylor is a guardian who is sworn to protect humans from all otherworld creatures. When Lucifer decides to break through hell into our world it is up to Andromeda and the other guardians to keep everyone one on earth safe. If that wasn’t bad enough, Taylor must protect herself from getting hurt when Michael, another guardian, decides he wants her for himself.

Opening Sentence: Detective Andromeda Taylor’s life had ended with a kiss.

Excerpt: No

The Review:

Detective Andromeda Taylor sacrificed her life to save the life of her partner, in doing so she became a guardian, sworn to protect humans from demons, vampires and any other unnatural creature. Still a novice guardian, Andromeda is put to the test as a guardian when the battle between Heaven and Hell intensifies. Lucifer is bent on breaking out of Hell and into earth. If he succeeds, he plans to destroy the world. Now, with the help of the other guardians, Andromeda must defeat the most powerful demon in the world. Also, she must figure out how she feels about the leader of the guardians and whether she can trust him with her heart.

I really liked Andromeda. Even when things go wrong and most people would just give up — she does not. She stays strong and endures. She is a wonderful heroine. She fights her own battles and does not need a man to always rescue her, but she does enjoy being rescued by Michael at times. Also, Taylor has a strong sense of right and wrong which helped her be a good cop and an even better guardian. Taylor is very loyal. She doesn’t love easily, but when she loves someone, it is unconditional.

Michael is your typical hero, very well built, dark, mysterious and he would do anything to protect the woman that he loves. On the other hand, he has wings, can heal any supernaturally received wound, and can teleport to anyone who does not have a strong mental shield up. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like Michael. First because I thought he was supposed to be an angel and I have never really enjoyed angel stories. It turns out that guardians are not angels, but are actually somewhere between angels and humans. The second reason I did not think I was going to like him was because he had a dark side that once harmed Taylor. As the story progressed, I started to like him. Even though he was thousands of years old, he still made mistakes and felt guilty about them. Also, though I am independent, I like a man who would do anything to protect his woman, even if it killed him in the process. He is strong and a good leader, protecting those in his command. Also, Michael never asks the other guardians to do something he is not willing to do himself, which is a really good quality in a leader.

Even though this is the first book I have read in this series, it was very easy to follow and understand what is going on and what has happened in earlier novels. I thought I was not going to enjoy this book when I started to read it, but it actually surprised me and turned out to be a very enjoyable read. I recommend this to fantasy lovers. Also, if you are like me and do not like angel type books try this one —- it is truly a book worth reading.

Notable Scene:

Khavi yanked the spear back. Excruciating pain tore a gurgling cry from her, but that wasn’t all that went. Bits of her bone and flesh clung to the spear. Michael’s big hands rose to catch her even as the spear’s head, dripping with her blood, jerked back through his body.

And her mind didn’t release him. He was ripped away, and she screamed as his psyche tore free with bits of hers still clinging. He caught her as darkness filled the shredded remains. No white light, no kiss. Just darkness and pain and the stench of Hell, wrapped up in Michael’s arms.

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Guardian Demon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Though I'm sad to see the series end, I have to admit this was the perfect way to close it. Michael didn't disappoint. As much as I enjoyed the romantic aspects of the story, I was really drawn in by the final battle between the Guardians and the Demons. A dramatic and stunning conclusion to the series. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

While I have fallen in love with various aspects of The Guardian series over the years, there have been two dominant threads plucked in the background, piquing my curiosity and humming along behind the humor, the violence, and the happily-ever-afters of every other book. This ever building anticipation culminates in GUARDIAN DEMON, where Brook delivers both the final conflict with Lucifer and Michael’s romance. These two elements deliver engrossing action and off the charts romance, making GUARDIAN DEMON one of the most satisfying series finales I’ve ever read.

Part of this satisfaction is derived from the build up. Brook has crafted a long, sweet road to this final conflict. The battle with Lucifer has always been on an epic scale, spanning millennia and every possible attack, from crafty betrayals to full frontal force. This book brings all of those different political fronts to a head, and the lynchpin is once again Michael. Leader of the Guardians, the Alpha hero to end all Alpha heroes, and by this point in the story, battered, broken, and barely hanging on. Michael’s vulnerabilities make it believable once the inscrutable, all-powerful shield comes down, when we get to see the raging mass of power and emotion underneath his holy warrior shell. But this chink in his armor does not make him any less alien. Rather, Brook does a fantastic job imagining how the love affair of an immortal, magical being might progress. And the sex scenes, oh my sweet heavens, the sex scenes. As interesting as Michael’s emotional landscape may be, I must admit even that was overpowered by the reality of a shape-shifting, super-sonic teleporter in bed. Michael is everything I could have hoped for, everything I was anticipating, and once I got a taste of him I couldn’t get enough.

In fact, my only complaint about this book could be that I was so engrossed in the romance I often lost patience with the “battle for the fate of the world” side of the plot. The action was very well paced, and gave Taylor and Michael’s romance both a believable foundation and room to breath, but every time the hero and heroine left the page (or paid attention to anyone other than each other), I was just biding my time, waiting for our smoldering hero to come back.

Brook made me laugh out loud, fan myself, devour GUARDIAN DEMON in one sitting, and then wish there were more… It’s always hard to say goodbye to a series, but it’s also hard to imagine any Guardians book could ever be better than this one.

Sexual Content: Sex Scenes. ( )