"The Guardians of the Palace are a contemporary "A-Team" of military veterans plus three friends from outer space. When one of the veterans hires the others to provide security to a new building called the Palace, they soon notice something very strange inside the building. That would be the friendly space aliens, who bond with them through combat training in which they receive mortal wounds that are instantly healed. What they're training for is war against the hostile aliens who will be noticed next. This species, charitably called the Infected, have depopulated planets with stronger sources of magical energy but, because our Sun is considered "dead" as a source of magical energy, humans may have a chance to defeat the Infected. But complications set in. The general public "can't" be told what's going on, lest they panic, and the federal government moves to interfere and do it all their way.

More action-adventure fantasy than witty satire, this novel opens a series. There will be more bloodbaths before the story's over. There's more than enough carnage in this volume to suit some readers, e.g. this one. However, if you like a fantasy with lots of fights in it, this is a clearly and tastefully written one.

(Long bloggy review, and reviews at book sale sites, are forthcoming; delayed due to hurricane.)"

"The Guardian of the Palace by Steven J. Morris is a fast paced urban fantasy, with a team of ex special forces soldiers now trying to settle back into normal life.
Some get a job as security, which is how they get dragged into trying to save the world. And who does the dragging? An elf, a troll, and a couple of other creatures who could be straight out of world of warcraft...

I especially liked how there was no romance, despite the main character being a woman! There's way too few female led books that aren't actually Paranormal Romance in disguise. And on top. She's very good at her job as well. A POV I loved all around!

The plot felt a bit disjointed in places, but the idea behind it all was interesting, and the tone and voice easily hooked me to the end. More like this please!"