Vanished

by Maureen Child

Book Overview

Forever fated to defend humanity against demons, immortal Guardian Rogan Butler has given up all hope of finding peace. But when a beautiful American unexpectedly appears, with all her self-assurance... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373618042
• ISBN13: 9780373618040
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

This immortal warrior will steal your heart.

Another wonderful addition to the author's Guardians series. The setting--Ireland--comes alive in this story of suspense and love. The immortal hero is one of my favorites and the heroine is more than a match for him. I could not put the story down once I started. Plenty of chills and thrills are seamlessly weaved together with searing heat. Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to what's next from this exceptionally talented author.

True love trumps a reluctant warrior

In some ways, this book wasn't quite as satisfying a read as some more recent Nocturnes, but that's certainly not to say that it isn't exciting and worth curling up with. It's fun to watch the romantic leads -- Rogan Butler, an Irish warrior turned demon-hunting Guardian and Alison Blair, a member of the Guardian Society sent to his manor in Ireland, to deliver him a message from one of the Society's seers -- circling each other and jabbing at each other with verbal barbs. He has his reasons for keeping her at arm's length, least of which is his distrust of the Society, but there is something more deep-seated about the young lady that only adds to his annoyance around her. And then tragedy strikes when Alison's sister Casey disappears, one of several dozen tourists who have vanished from the village close to Rogan's manor. Reluctantly, Rogan agrees to help find her, and in so doing, finds that fate is drawing him close to something he had thought had vanished forever from his immortal life. The final twist at the end somehow came as less of a surprise than I'd hoped for, but it still left me with a smile for this couple.

Best of Child's 'Guardians' so Far

Back to the world of Child's Guardians. The Guardians are Immortal Warriors resurrected at their deaths and recruited to hunt and destroy demons - demons escaping from their own hellacious worlds, bent on turning our world into a playground of death and destruction. This time the star is the mightiest and most committed of the Guardians, Rogan Butler, who lives a solitary life focused solely on his vow to protect humanity from the demon invaders. Bringing Rogan intel on a new more deadly demon threat is Alison, who is equally dedicated to her job as researcher for the Society which serves and suppports the Guardians. But Rogan has no use for the Society or for the stubborn woman who throws his stable world off balance by a single touch. The third in the series, Vanished, is definitely the best of the Guardians so far. I loved the grumpy gorgeous ancient Celtic warrior hero, Rogan, and the stubborn and capable - if a bit weepy - heroine, Aly. Oh and the Ireland setting of the story also has a nice supporting role - I wish that I could go there right now. One of the things that I liked best about Vanished, the title referring to the disappearance of young tourists like Aly's sister Cassie, is that even though Rogan and Aly experience an electric connection from the moment they touch, the pair doesn't willingly rush to explore that connection. Rogan already had a 'destined mate' and grieved for centuries over her rejection and subsequent loss. Rogan is determined to spend the rest of his eternity alone and is resolute in his intention that he and Ally go their separate ways after finding Cassie. The way that Rogan continues to hold himself apart from Aly, even after their initial joining, works to build the relationship tension and add a bit of steam to the story - it also builds Aly's longing for the relationship that she didn't initially want with Rogan. The immortal hunter Rogan battles demons to work off some of his anger at fate and of course to save Aly and the world from a scheming demon king, so there's some action in the story to go along with the romance. I thought that it was a nice touch that Aly is truly a match for Rogan, and has the skills to battle at Rogan's back - he certainly got a better mate the second time round. My only nit, with the story was the ending -- it's not a surprise, we know how it is going to turn out, just not the 'why' of how it will work out. But still I liked Vanished, and if you are a series nut and want to read books one and two (Eternally and Guardians: Nevermore they are still available on Kindle and through eHarlequin, even though you don't need to read them to enjoy this one.

exciting romantic fantasy

Alison Blair accompanied by her sister Casey travels to Ireland to deliver a message to centuries-old Guardian Rogan Butler, whose mission is to keep Ireland safe from demons. However, as Aly goes alone to her appointment with Rogan, a demon kidnaps Casey, who is an anomaly as she is the first family member in centuries without the guardian skill imprinted in her DNA. A frantic Aly persuades Rogan to rescue her sibling. As they work together to save Casey, Aly and Rogan realize they are soul mates. Still in spite of the overwhelming desire for one another, neither takes the first step to embrace their attraction. Each recognizes rescuing Casey and protecting Eire comes before personal desires. This exciting romantic fantasy opens with a fabulous atmospheric start as Aly feels the fear of walking alone in isolation and the plot goes from there into a more frightening paranormal environ. The lead couple is a great pairing of soulmates in denial using the rescue quest as a psychological defense mechanism to avoid their feelings. Readers will appreciate Maureen Child's latest demonic thriller as she returns to the world of the Guardians (see ETERNALLY and NEVERMORE). Harriet Klausner