Book It � The Guardian

This week�s featured book:

The Guardian
Author: Nicholas Sparks

Overview:

Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died - a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now four years have passed. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, twenty-nine-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire...

My Comments:

Despite the fact that he�d been around since 1996, and had already put out six successful novels, including the immensely popular and beloved �The Notebook�, I didn�t become a fan of Nicholas Sparks until 2004 when I picked up a paperback copy of this book. I�d heard of him, and even run across his previous books, but I never attempted to start one of his stories because I was convinced that he wrote romance novels. But not the good kind. The trashy, cheesy, highly predictable type that almost always depict a semi-nude, hulky man with bulging abs on the front cover. Or a semi-nude woman with the fallen bra strap. Tell me you don�t know what I�m talking about!

So what made me take the leap?

The dog.

That�s right; Singer the Great Dane in this story is what caught my interest. The idea that your deceased spouse had planned to gift you a dog to look after you � and keep you from being lonely � while still alive, well, that�s just more than my romantic side can take. I had to find out more. Particularly what happens to the dog. Cause you know I�m a big softie when it comes to animals.

Thanks to Singer, I discovered that Nicholas Sparks does not write trashy, cheesy, highly predictable books that almost always depict a semi-nude, hulky man with bulging abs on the front cover. Or a semi-nude woman with the fallen bra strap. He writes heartwarming love stories that carress your heart. This is one of them.

(You will adore the dog...)