TEST
Prince of Thieves is not at all what I expected. Its cover boldly proclaims its membership in Love Spell’s Legendary Lovers line, in a manner that can politely be called “flashy.” Frankly, I was expecting white hot love scenes – and plenty of them. What I got was a subtle love story with a lot of action. It’s not perfect; readers seeking historical accuracy and a sense of time and place will be disappointed. So will readers hoping for a “hot” read. But the hero and heroine commit to each other early on, and the conflict is primarily external. The action is almost non-stop. Basically it’s a pleasant read.
With a title like Prince of Thieves, the inspiration for the legendary hero is pretty obvious – yep, it’s Robin Hood. But this particular Robin Hood is set in a fictional country called Sakim. Sakim has recently lost a war with Neran, and Neran lords occupy Sakim lands. After Lady Maryana’s father dies, she must travel to Sakim to live with her uncle, Baron DeLay, who occupies a castle formerly owned by Lord Roderic Hode, a Sakim Earl. Maryana meets Roderic upon her arrival in Sakim, and the two strike up a friendship. Soon they are meeting secretly, and their interest in each other grows. Baron DeLay is mostly kind, but he is a weak man who is easily led. When the Neran king asks him to collect taxes from the local populace, he does – even though he knows the harvest has been poor and the people can ill afford it.
Lord Roderic sees no choice but to rob from the tax collectors and give the money back to the people. Baron DeLay sends out the collectors again and again, and they are robbed every time. Meanwhile, the Neran king sends an emissary to Sakim to try to control the situation. This man is Miles Foulane, a cowardly, wasteful lord who has long coveted Maryana’s Neran estate. When the king orders Maryana to marry Miles, she escapes. What follows is a roller coaster of political intrigue and adventure. Maryana and Roderic are sure of their love for each other, but before they can be together, they must outwit the determined Miles, and solve the disputes between their two countries.
The main weakness of this book is the setting. It’s an odd hybrid of fantasy and history, and it never quite gels. Frankly, I couldn’t quite see the point of taking such a quintessentially British legend and setting it in a fake world. There are some aspects that are true to life, like the dominance of the Catholic Church. And then there are fantasy elements, like giant birds. Saranne Dawson has won an RT career achievement award for futuristic romance, and at times it is clear that the future is her primary milieu. The historical details are sketchy at best, and there are a few outright errors. The Neran soldiers wear green wool uniforms instead of armor or chain mail, and everyone eats in castle dining rooms instead of a great hall. More historical realism would have greatly improved the flavor of the story.
What made this story work was the conflict, which was almost entirely external. While Maryana and Roderic certainly didn’t hop into bed on the first page, they did commit to each other early on. The level of commitment steadily increased throughout the book. While they both had occasional moments of doubt, mostly they worked together to thwart their common enemies. I found it refreshing to read about a hero and heroine who didn’t spend most of the book denying their love for each other. However, I think the story could have used just a little more passion between the main characters. The love scenes were subtle, which didn’t quite jive with the dramatic characters or action-packed plot
And the constant action was well-written and enjoyable. If you’ve recently read a bunch of quiet, slow-moving books (and I have), you may really appreciate the whirlwind pace. The characters were always on the move, and always in danger. There were several daring rescues. My personal favorite involved a broken fence and a herd of sheep.
Prince of Thieves could have been improved with some additional historical detail and a couple of steamy love scenes, but it’s not a bad read. External conflict fans may really appreciate this adventurous tale. One caveat for the cover-shy: this cover is not what you’d call subtle. If you’re embarrassed by ostentatious covers, you might want to invest in a book cover before reading this one in public.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Fantasy Romance
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 18/01/99
Publication Date: 1998
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.