In honor of Valentine's day, I am going to review an actual romance novel. Gasp! Yes, a novel you would find if you went to the romance section of the library or the bookstore. Believe it or not, there are actually good romance novels out there, just as there are good dime-store mysteries on the shelves. Unfortunately there are so many more poorly written ones that the genre has little if no respect.

I think the good romance novels are the ones that still follow the traditions of the first novels that were written in the 18thc, or the romantic period. Those romances tended to be more gothic than the ones written today, but they usually included a mystery of some sort. Be assured, that it is possible to find a good story and a well written romance novel on bookshelves, and that is what you will find if you read Julie Garwood's Guardian Angel.

In my opinion, two things are necessary to move a romance novel from being "just bearable" to a "good read:" 1) an interesting plot that does not invovle the romance itself, and 2) a strong woman. Guardian Angel contains both of these elements; it is also a mystery and an action adventure; this makes the novel itself an interesting page-turner that just happens to have a romance at the heart (pun intended) of it. The romance portion is well written, funny, and witty; it is not sappy. The strong woman is essential to the story itself; she stands alone and can make her own decisions. This is an extremely important element of the novel; without a strong woman, the novel would be a shell of a story....(if you allow me to milk the pun, an empty heart or vessel)...(sorry)

Guardian Angel centers around the two main characters; Jade and Caine. The rest of the cast of this story are eccentric and well written; you are guarenteed a smile when reading about Jade's uncle. The story itself revovles around a conspiracy against the British Empire and a pirate named Pagan. I think that is what makes this story fun - the story is well researched and could stand alone with or without the romance portion of the novel, although the romance is half of the fun!

So for all of you fellow readers that enjoy some purely fun novels every now and then, and you know who you are, this is a good read. Sometimes we need a break from the serious, soul-searching, social commentaries found in Literature (with a capital L). Sometimes we need to read a good mystery from the NY Times Best-seller list, or a romance novel from a well-established good writer, (beach reading). Julie Garwood is a fun writer; she is witty, intelligent and her novels are a journey into adventure and yes romance. So Happy Valentines Day - pick up a romance. You won't go wrong with Guardian Angel. Happy Reading!