Rating: 
Summary: He never disappoints
Review: Nicholas Sparks writes love stories...everyone knows that, but now he has added suspense in The Guardian, and he still has a most entertaining read. His heroine, Julie Barenson, is a young widow struggling to cope with her loss, get on with her life and make good choices. Her friend, Mike,is always there for her, but he was her late husband's best friend and Julie doesn't realize how much he cares for her. Richard Franklin arrives on the scene and in her town looking good and acting like a gentle person who has a flare for being there with the right touch at the right time. Richard is not what he seems, however, and as his true nature unfolds, the suspense builds. The story becomes a male version of Fatal Attraction, but thanks to Mr. Sparks sensititve handling of the story line, there is a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, I couldn't put it down!
Review: I have read all of Nicholas Sparks books. I loved this one, as well as every one he has written. I grew up in NC, spending every summer in Emerald Isle. I live far from there now, but I love how he paints the setting..I felt as if I was there! It is also wonderful to be able to read a book that is not full of profanity and filth! I enjoyed how he combined the love story and the mystery. I have to say that I cried my eyes out at the end of the book. I loved Singer, the last time I have been so sad is when I read Sounder...many years ago. Singer almost took the charater of a human. You must read it...it is a page turner!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing - Save your $$$
Review: I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, all great. So it was with great expectation when I opened to read The Guardian. And it is such a disappointment! A contrived love story mixed with a slow and predictable mystery. The most interesting character was Singer, the dog. Maybe Sparks should have written a love story about Singer because the Julie/Mike relationship just never got developed. My recommendation is that if you MUST read this novel, then borrow it from a friend or check it out from the library, but learn from my mistake, and spend your $$ and time on something more enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Halves Make a Hole
Review: Nicholas Sparks, perennial bestselling author, shows courage here by broadening his genre. Romance and suspense? I harbored a vague belief that it could work. Like an old Helen MacInnes novel. Or even a Mary Stewart. Being a male hopeless romantic, I've hung on stubbornly as a Sparks fan, waiting for the same magic that I experienced in "The Notebook." Maybe this book would provide it. "The Guardian" has promising flashes. The characters are more believable and down-to-earth, the plot meatier than in most of his novels. In essence, though, it is two books: a romance and a suspense story. Unfortunately, the relational interests are wrapped up half way through, and the second half devolves into a predictable stalker story with more than a few elements that stretch credibility. As a romance novel, it climaxes far too soon; as a suspense novel, it gathers speed at a snail's pace. If two halves make a whole, then Sparks' effort to expand his capabilities can be seen as a success. I give him credit for the attempt. For this reader, though, two halves made a hole. Once again, I'm left feeling empty.
Rating:
Summary: The Guardian
Review: Again, Nicholas Sparks work keeps you turning the pages with anticipation. This book adds a little twist never seen before in his work, suspense. The book is at first a story of perseverence, recovery, then romance. It then evolves into a suspenseful read that keeps you turning the pages in anticipation, waiting for the last act to play out. While it is a little bit longer than his usual works, the book certainly keeps the reader interested right down to the last pages. I would highly recommend this to fans of romance and suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: One Half of the Book was Great
Review: I gave the book a four rating only because half the book was very good. The first 25 or so chapters were slow, uninteresting and boring. I know the writer had to set the scene and show the character's relationships to one another. I just wished it could have been done in a way that would have better held my interest. The last half of the book was great. I could not stop reading because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. It is a great love story between Julie and Mike, a relationship between brothers, relationships between friends and between a woman and her dog. I loved the book once it got started.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable!
Review: This is my first Nicholas Sparks book and I thought this book was great from beginning to end. I don't think the book was slow at all, as Nicholas was letting us feel the relationship of Julie and Mike develop beyond friendship. I was on the edge of my seat and could barely put the book down. I truly enjoyed all of the characters and from reading other reviews in that this was not his forte I think, Nicholas did a great job!
Rating:
Summary: The Guardian
Review: I've never read any books by Nicholas Sparks but if The Guardian is any indication at how he writes, I will definitely be reading more of his books. Mr. Sparks keeps you wondering, just what did he mean by the title The Guardian. You really won't understand until the shocking ending.
Very well written. You will not get lost and wander through the book as if you didn't know what was going on. Page after page you will want to know what happens next. The Guardian would make a great movie.
The ending will make you cry but you will be happy for the characters also. If I could change anything at all about the book, I would have ended it a little differently. You'll see what I mean when you read this exciting, suspenseful book: The Guardian. Mr. Sparks shows you how a true deep devoted love of someone can follow you even after death.
Rating:
Summary: Decidedly disappointing!
Review: I'm always suspicious when I read about an author's spectacular editor(s), agent(s), and/or manager(s)under "Acknowledgments." The "Author's Note" at the end seems even more pathetic than it struck me before reading what Mr. Sparks so boyishly tried to explain away as a first attempt at combining "love story," "suspense story," and "dog story." The resumption of entering the field of "dating" for the 29-year-old widow/heroine becomes a painful process straight from "Seventeen" or "Cosmopolitan." Does Sparks really believe that that age group runs right back to relate every detail of an evening's outing to boss, friend, or relative? Or that neglecting to do so is unusual to the extent of being remiss? The "nice guy" was just that, and my only concern was that he might stumble, figuratively and literally. The villain was predictable right from the start; the dog was somewhat typical of his breed, but the human beings lacked the intelligence to be in charge. Sorry, Nicholas Sparks, you'll have to re-educate yourself and your attempts at composition in order to regain your popularity.
Rating:
Summary: Good...but not suspenseful
Review: Suspense is not the reason I think we read novels by Nicholas Sparks. He is out of his element here with trying to intertwine a suspense novel and a romance novel. A widdow at 29, Julie is not ready to give up on love quite yet. With the promise from her dead husband to always watch over her and the unexpected gift of a puppy to be her guardian, Julie must choose between a very sophisticated suitor and the man who used to be her husband's best friend. I think we all know how the story will end before we wvwn finish the first chapter. But this book offers hours of light, easy entertaining reading--the perfect book to relax on vacation with.
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