Customer Reviews

Annie's Hero

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Annie and Richard Nelson have just returned from their honeymoon which they spent at Mystic Lake--the same lake where they met as children when their parents had a cabin there. Richard reluctantly kisses his wife goodbye and goes to work--driving a fuel truck. It's a stormy day and while on a bridge he sees a busload full of children out of control coming right for him. He makes the decision to turn his wheels towards the guardrail--saving the children but resulting in a fiery crash down a hillside sending Richard into unconsciousness.

When Richard awakes, he is lying in a meadow and the sun is shining. He wonders where the storm is and why he isn't hurt. A mystical being who introduces himself as Sir George tells Richard that he is a White Knight and that Richard is needed to become his best White Knight of all. Sir George erases all memory of Richard's mortal life and gives him the name of Ren and changes his appearance. He tells Ren it is going to be up to him to return to earth to save the life of an unborn child of Annie Nelson. This baby is going to grow up to save the world and there are dark and deadly evil forces at work whose job it is to prevent the child from being born.

Ren returns to earth and shocks Annie. To her, he looks just like her deceased husband. She doesn't understand why no one else recognizes him. Then Annie is perplexed by a young student in her 10th grade English class, Sara. Why doesn't she show up as registered at the school? Annie's friends fear she is losing her mind as she insists the mysterious dark-haird, dark-eyed Ren is really her blond-haired, blue-eyed Richard.

Sharing elements of both THE STAND by Stephen King and the movie "The Terminator," with all the magic and wonder of a Disney fairytale, Maggie Shayne weaves a mesmerizing tale of true love that is sure to enchant readers everywhere. The climactic scene is riveting with the battle between the forces of good and evil. The only things keeping me from giving it five stars instead of four was the book's predictability and an explanation towards the end of the book which was a bit unbelievable.

Richard and Annie were in love since they were children but shortly after their wedding tragedy strikes and he dies in a terrible accident. But his soul doesn't actually die, only his memories. He's taken over to an alternate universe and turned into the best "White Knight" and has dedicated his life to banishing the world of evil. His next and most important battle is to save an unborn child who has the power to change the world.

Ren (as he's now called) has fought evil for centuries but only eight months has passed on earth. Annie, alone and eight months pregnant, has been attempting to hide her grief for the sake of her family and has been sort of sleepwalking through life waiting for Richard to come back to her. One stormy night her dreams come true when he arrives just in time to save her life. But although this man looks, speaks, and acts just like her husband he insists his name is Ren and that he is only there to protect her unborn child from evil. Annie refuses to believe this and insists that he has just lost his memory. And eventually bits and pieces of Ren's previous life with Annie do come back to him and he falls in love with her all over again but because of vows he's taken to the "Light Side" he can't stay and refuses to break her shattered heart again. So he doesn't reveal that he's her Richard and tries to concentrate on keeping her and their baby safe.

This is a moving paranormal love story with a standard plot of good versus evil. Although the heroine's grief is heart-breaking and the couple's rediscovery of their lost love is touching and done very well the paranormal plot was extremely predictable and the villain was obvious from the beginning. Annie's Hero is a very good book but I've read others by her that are far more original.

Ok whats to say except I have been a major Maggie Shayne fan for awhile. I have read all her newer books, however I'm just now getting down to buying her early releases.

Annie's Hero was amazing. I went from crying to smiling to bursting with joy within just a few chapters. Talk about a love story. We all want to believe in life after death or a loved one not really being gone, but with the way Maggie wrote this book, it left you no doubt that true love can conquer even death.

Richard/Ren is absolutley a White Knight and what woman wouldn't want to model her husband after him? And although Annie is pregnant through the entire book, it doesn't detract from the love scenes like I thought it would.

I guess in the end, the only question left is, What would you do to bring back your one true love?

Ms. Shayne I must say it is and has always been a pleasure to read your books.

This book is one of the very best love stories I have ever read. I would not hesitate in suggesting this book to anyone. It is the type of book that you wish would never end.

This is now one of my Fav. books. It's a really great love story. I cried through the whole book. A great book for a good cry. I'm really glad I bought it. If I could give it a higher rating than 5 stars I would. I hope you like it as much as I did!

Annie and Richard deeply love each other. However, the perfect world they share together abruptly ends when Richard, driving his tanker truck in a horrible torrent, drives off a cliff to avoid crashing into a school bus of children. His heroic act takes the now deceased Richard to Sir George, who offers him an opportunity to become a White Knight battling the evil Dark Knights. The stipulation of his acceptance is that he will no longer remember his previous life with Annie.

Sir George also informs Richard that his beloved Annie and their unborn child are in danger because the Dark Knights know the lad is going to be special and change the world. They want him stopped before he is born. Eight months later, Annie thinks she is losing her mind when she meets Ren, who she feels is Richard, but who fails to recognize her. She depends on her love for Richard-Ren to awaken his lost memory of what they had and to save the trio from the evil that now stalks her. Ren may be a hero again, but deja vu seems eminent as he probably will lose his beloved again.

ANNIE'S HERO is a tremendous fantasy romance. Only that magnificent writing magician, Maggie Shayne, could have turned this surreal novel into a real story that feels entirely authentic. Annie is a great female protagonist, but it is the heroic Richard, who steals hearts and causes tears with his acts of valor, knowing he will die. If this is not a character willing to go to hell for a heavenly cause, who is? With this novel, the talented Ms. Shayne has clearly risen to the top of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

I loved Annie's Hero. The love that was portrayed in this book was amazing. You could almost feel the love radiating through the pages. I have read all of Maggie Shayne's books, and this was my favorite. GO MAGGIE!!!

Annie's Hero is a fantasy romance that I first read in 98 and loved, giving it 5 weepy stars before placing it on my keeper shelf. However in my re-read I found that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. I don't know if my romance expectations have changed or the romance genre as a whole has changed but this time through I found it to be fluffy, angst riddled and with far to much introspection and repetitive internal dialogue without the meat to keep me interested. The storyline however is still intriguing and I fell for our anguished hero Richard again but overall Annie's Hero just didn't do it for me this time.

Sweethearts since they were children, Annie and Richard share an unparalleled love filled with passion, joy and tenderness; they are a couple destined to be together always. (And the author tells us this a lot) However the fates have different ideas. Returning from their honeymoon Richard reluctantly leaves the bliss of their perfect world and returns to his job as a truck driver. On this day Annie has a bad feeling, and as the heavens open and lightning claps around her she knows Richard is about to leave her forever.

As does Sir George, leader of the White Knights who witnesses Richard sacrificing himself to save a bus full of school children. As Richard's fuel truck plunges over a cliff and explodes Sir George plucks him from his mortal existence and offers him a choice; he can pass over into eternity or join him and his Knights in their fight against evil. However in order to join, Richard must first give up everything he is including his memories, his name and even how he looks. Richard is now Ren, leader of the White Knights and he knows nothing except battle in this timeless world, battle and an all consuming emptiness and sorrow.

8 months later Annie is trying to keep it together for the sake of her unborn baby but she's a mere shadow of the woman she once was. She's also brutally aware that she might just be going crazy because that man she keeps seeing all over town looks just like her dead husband. His hairs longer and he carries more muscle but she knows in her soul it's him. Only why doesn't anyone else recognize him? And how could he not remember her? Or does he? Only Annie's love and passion can revive Richard's stolen memories but by giving into what they both want Richard will be breaking the last of his vows and risks losing Annie forever. And then theres also the small issue of the Black Knight, sent to kill their baby. Cheers!

I am sure all the five star reviews below are from people who have not ever read Maggie Shayne's wonderful books. If this were the first Maggie Shaye book I had ever read, I might be blown away as well, but this is her worst. I had trouble finishing it and only did so out of respect for the author.
The heroine, Annie was really stupid to not see the obvious villain from the beginning and the hero Richard/Ren was not likeable.
There was no chemistry. This was the most shocking disappointment of all because Maggie Shayne is a master at creating chemistry between her main characters. I have read all of her vampire books, witch books, and even all of her fabulous cowboy books. I have read the two Fairytale books and all the little ones in between. This one seems like she didn't even write it because it is so bad.
If you haven't read Maggie Shayne, then start with this one and maybe you will like it more than I did. Her other books will blow you away after reading this one.