Guard in the Garden
DETAILS: Series: A Fable of Finlestia Publisher: Golden Griffin Press Publication Date: March 4, 2025 Format: eBook Length: 294 pg. Read Date: July 30-31, 2025
What’s Guard in the Garden About?
After a lifetime of effort and service, Felton Holdum is admitted to an elite group of warriors, a culmination of his work. Shortly thereafter, he’s seriously injured. He’s convinced he’ll recover enough to rejoin his team, but no one else seems that convinced.
After convalescing for a while on the couch at a home his aunts share, he tries to rejoin his—or any unit. They politely guide him to the City Guard while he “continues to gain strength.” The Guard takes him on and assigns him to patrol the Districts he lives in. One of the quietest, most peaceful, crime-free districts in the city—or in all of Fiction from what I can tell.
He takes the job seriously, however (which is his basic approach to life). Then he goes home each night to wallow in self-pity.
But slowly, thanks to the people he meets on patrol, acquaintanceships he renews, and some wise words from a fellow injured-vet, he starts to find new purpose in life.
The Little Things
Let me pause here for a moment to say that Felton Holdum is a name that screams “dwarf” to me somehow, and yet it’s probably the least dwarfish name. Seriously, come for the sweet story, stay for the details like “Bendur Clagstack.”
There are loads of tiny touches that really bring this world to life, grounds it in Fantasy, and gives a little boost to the whole experience. These names, characteristics, creatures, and so on. One detail that I liked that I can’t resist sharing is that one of Felton’s neighbors is a human blacksmith in a Dwarven city. And he’s a successful one at that, which is strange to everyone. While noting the strangeness, everyone accepts him because of the work—and that part of town is just like that.
My New Favorite Curse
I try not to curse personally, but I fail at that daily. So I do try to be creative about it, and steal from fiction just to make myself grin. The first time I read Felton say, “Shave me,” I knew I found a winner. Not only is that a perfect curse for a dwarf—seriously, how have I not seen someone else use this? It’s right there, fantasy writers!
But also, as a bearer of a chin curtain, it’s just a great curse. It carries the same self-maladictory tone as the more popular alternative—and it won’t get me looks from anyone at work.
So, what did I think about Guard in the Garden?
This book is the walking, talking definition of Cozy Fantasy. You can see most of this book coming light years away—and you don’t care. You just don’t. This isn’t about suspense or plot twists—this book is about healing, growth, satisfaction, and finding joy in new ways. It delivers that in abundance.
The meet-cute that really kicks this story into a new gear is as cute as you could want—you can’t help but smile at it. And really, that goes for just about everything else.
I should note that there was one paragraph of really awkward dialogue—it stood out to me because the rest of the book was so seemingly-effortlessly smooth. But as it was the one moment like that, and I only remembered it because I made a note about it.
Do we get the blow-by-blow about Felton dealing with his demons? No. Do we get all the details we want about the romance? No. A lot of both of those happen between chapters, and we see the result of the work he’s doing. The way we see the bonds developing and deepening between Felton and the people in his District, his friends, and family.
This is a pleasant read that will leave you feeling warm and hopeful. You’ll enjoy the characters and getting to watch them. It’s everything that a Cozy promises to be—what more could someone ask?
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