In 1888, Kira Wall, surviving daughter of missionaries swept away in a tsunami, lives a primitive, but enjoyable life with natives on an isolated island in the South Pacific. But her serene world is turned upside down when an Australian merchant ship, commanded by the sinister Captain Darcy Coleman, arrives with an overabundance of modern and lavish goods. Kira suspects ill intent. Chief Ariki refuses to listen to Kira’s warning, forcing her to uncover the real plan of the captain on her own. Unfortunately, she has a distraction. A six-foot tall, blond, and handsome distraction. Trevor Marshall, doctor and botanist, hopes to find exotic plants on the island to research new cures and medicines. He is dedicated to science, but when meeting the strong-willed, beautiful Kira Wall, he’d prefer to spend time researching her—all night.
The captain thwarts Kira’s attempts to call him out at every step, turning the village chief against her. With only Trevor and her best friend Malana by her side, she stalks the captain and his officers through the dense, predator infested jungle, toward the island’s inactive volcano. Frustrated by her failure to reveal the captain’s true intentions, Kira begins to think maybe she’s wrong about everything. Then an explosion and earthquake bigger than anyone on the island has ever seen renews her resolve. Was the blast natural or man-made? She is determined to prove it was the captain’s doing. Kira races against time and the island people’s naivety to stop the captain from destroying her home and killing everyone she loves.
I enjoy historical fiction so I looked forward to reading this one – set on an idyllic island in the sun. The story begins with a rich description of the island that made me want to go and find it. Then we are introduced to life on the island and the circumstances of the main character – Kira the heroine. You learn she has chosen to stay on the island following the death of her parents. So as a non-native she has found a home there, loving the people and the land.
The arrival of a ship brings a threat that no one but Kira seems to see. It’s from this point we see Kira’s full character. She is strong, independent and intelligent, going against the wishes of the tribal leader to pursue the new arrivals – the baddies – cue ‘booo hiss’. For one so young and inexperienced she seemed to know a lot and considering she had left Australia at a young age her knowledge was wider than the island which for me did not quite fit. However, her passion and drive to protect the island is to be admired, though her stubbornness does land her in hot water and well as her friends. Not a wise person really.
Amongst the arrivals is a handsome doctor named Trevor – a good guy who is on the trip to conduct research. He wants to help the wider world which Kira understands and keeps a check on her feelings for him – at first. Trevor was a little one dimensional. I did not really get to know him – he went along with Kira’s ideas when she shared them with him. The romance is slow and sweet at first. But together, they discover more about each other and finally their attraction cannot be held back – sex scene time. Now considering she is a virgin and he is a man of the world, and she seemed to have lots of knowledge of the world and life, I am not sure she fully understood what was going on or how things happened which I found odd. Anyway more sex happens and their bond strengthens.
As in most stories – the bad guys are defeated and peace is restored to the island. However, these two young people have opposite dreams and desires so a parting happens. But is it the end for them? Well I’m not telling…
I did find the story was quite long and it was more of an action romance with elements of the historical – so for me it was not as satisfying as it could have been.
This book has action, adventure, a strong heroine, danger, disaster and a facing of the truth. Chuck in a romance and a perfect island setting and you have quite a nice story.
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Praise for Guardian of Paradise:
“Lawrence blends romance, action, and beautiful scenery into an alluring concoction.” – Kirkus Reviews
“There's mystery, intrigue, danger, romance; everything you could want in a story. This is definitely a book, and author, that deserves more attention.” – Charli Denae
“Reading this book is a great escape and will not let you down.” – Susan Scarcella
“This book was so good! It had a very sweet romance, but it also had a great, adventurous plot that pulled me in, and had me dying to find out what would happen next. I read the whole book in one day.“ – Jessica Hatfield
About the Author:
W. E. Lawrence graduated in 1978 from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a BS in business administration. He has run a successful home health care supplies distributorship for the past twenty-three years.
Passionate about God, writing, reading, family, sports, politics, and America, Lawrence currently lives in Davidson, North Carolina, with his lovely wife and their two wonderful children.
Passionate about God, writing, reading, family, sports, politics, and America, Lawrence currently lives in Davidson, North Carolina, with his lovely wife and their two wonderful children.
W. E. Lawrence enjoys writing historical romance novels filled with action and adventure. He published his debut novel Guardian of Paradise in October 2014.
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