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Warrior’s Bride is the quintessential C read. I’ve struggled for some time to write the review, because I felt that the sentence “this book was okay” more or less summed it all up. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t hate it, and there just isn’t much more to it than that.
Izzy was born into rather hellish conditions. Her mother was imprisoned in a tower on an isolated island by her evil, scheming father. After her mother’s death, Izzy worked as a servant to an island family. One day she receives the shock of her life. Douglas “Wolf” Stewart arrives with a band of his men, and announces that he and Izzy are to be wed – by order of the king, who is Wolf’s father.
Izzy has little choice but to go along, but she still thinks escape might be a good idea. Her own father is still powerful and dangerous, and she thinks that marriage to her could endanger Wolf and all his clansmen. Her suspicions seem to be confirmed when the party is attacked en route, and then again almost immediately upon their arrival in Wolf’s castle. Izzy is shot at, and then poisoned. However, events seem to move forward of their own accord, and Wolf and Izzy are married while she is still ill. But they soon discover that they genuinely like each other. Naturally, complications abound. They are up to their knees in political intrigue. Wolf’s father is at war with Izzy’s father. Izzy is afraid to tell Wolf who her father really is (he doesn’t know). Izzy has a seer’s stone that she has inherited from her mother, and she’s afraid to use it because she believes it drove her mother mad. Wolf has a loyal comrade who is a seer as well, and he can predict the future. There’s also a scheming other woman who really wants Wolf for herself.
And that’s kind of it. What the book has going for it is that Wolf and Izzy are both likable characters who don’t waste much time hating each other or plotting revenge. They both try to make noble sacrifices to spare each other pain, but it makes sense within the context of the story. Izzy is mostly level-headed (which is nice, as many Medieval heroines in similar situations run to ditzy and headstrong), and Wolf is a gentle warrior rather than an arrogant jerk. He even has a stained glass design hobby on the side, which ups his beta qualifications considerably.
That said, the book is somehow very put-downable. Try as I might, I just couldn’t get into it. Perhaps it’s just too heavy on the intrigue. There are a lot of plots flying around – including some that I didn’t even bother mentioning. At times it seems there’s so much going on that Wolf and Izzy didn’t really have time to fall in love. The little details also get a bit lost in the shuffle. When Izzy arrives, she knows next to nothing about running a castle. She’s been a prisoner, and then a servant. Somewhere along the line, she becomes that grand lady of the castle, but we’re told this; we don’t actually see it happen.
The plot with the seer stones might have been more interesting, but it tends to take on more or a background status as well. Their part in the end is just anti-climactic. Even though I’m not a huge paranormal fan, I would have liked to have seen this plot taken to a deeper level.
So in the end, Warrior’s Bride is just okay. Certainly it’s better to be okay than really terrible, but it’s just not something I’d go out of my way to read.
Grade: C
Book Type: Paranormal Historical
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 15/11/07
Publication Date: 2007
I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.