Customer Reviews

The Barbarian

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4 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Judith French always does a first class job with her historical novels. THE BARBARIAN, the second book in her Alexander the Great series is well worth the read. It's filled with history, intrigue and an outstanding love story that is unforgettable. Her characters ring true, and the story never lets you down for a minute. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next one.

Suzanne Coleburn, Reader To Reader Reviews

The woman in Ptolemy's harem had little to no memory of her past, only flashes. It was easy to accept the Pharoah's word that she was an Egyptian noblewoman, and easy to accept his professed love. Then, a Barbarian entered the palace, insisting that he is part of her past.... perhaps future. Kayan had loved Roxanne all his life, even after the great Alexander took her for his own. Now that he was gone and his widow a prisoner of the conquerer's half brother, Kayan is willing to risk all to bring her back to the Twin Kingdoms.

**** Once the lost princess knows who she is, Roxanne is once again the hellion warrior queen readers grew to admire in the previouw book "The Conquerer". Her fire and defiance are as great as the heart that wins more than one realm. Yet even in her pride, she is all woman, willing to sacrifice her self for those she loves. I know Ptolemy and Alexander were real, and if Roxanne was not, then she should have been. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.

One of my huge pet peeves in romance books is when a character from a previous book is killed off and the remaining character is given another book to end up with someone else. It's a huge no-no for me, and I always try to stay away from books like that. THE BARBARIAN, for me, was like that. It's the sequel to THE CONQUEROR, and even though Roxanne and Kayan are betrothed when they were kids in the first book, Roxanne is forced to marry another.

In THE BARBARIAN, it starts off with Kayan receiving news that Roxanne has been killed, and he vows to avenge her death. What he doesn't know until later is that she was given poison to make her look dead while she was taken to Egypt on the orders of the King. When she comes to, she doesn't know who anyone is, nor her own name, and the King tells her that her name is Mayet and that she's the widow of a good friend.

Despite the King already having two wives and various concubines, he wants Roxanne/Mayet as his Queen too.

During this time, Kayan is given the news of what really happened to her and decides he's not going to sit back and just do nothing. He's going to find her and bring her back to her home, and finally, make her his wife.

Months later, the King and Mayet are surprised by a visit from Kayan and his two sons -- the King, because he doesn't want to lose her and knows it's only a matter of time before she remembers who she is, and Roxanne/Mayet, because when she first meets him, she is stunned to see him glaring at her so furiously. Later that night, she's awakened by images from her past to find the barbarian standing over her. He tells her who she is, and explains who he is, and she doesn't believe him, at first. Not until a confidant confirms his story. From there, it's a race to get as far away from the King as possible, because he's determined to find her and bring her back.

When I realized the same woman from THE CONQUEROR was the heroine in this one, I almost put it down without finishing it. I never could, and probably never will, understand why an author takes the time to write about one hero, have the readers enjoy his story, and then kills him off in the next one. And there was another thing that bothered me in the book -- how the hero and heroine didn't even come face to face until much later in the book. But from the moment he snuck into her room and told her who she was, I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what happened next. I couldn't find it in me to stop reading it, and hated every little interruption that took me away from the story.

Although the first few chapters lagged for me, from the moment Kayan and Roxanne saw each other the story and the vivid scenes had me captivated. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Mad

Ms. French started this saga off with "The Conqueror" and has continued the story with "Tha Barbarian." As before Ms. French has woven a very dramatic story around a time period and location that few authors ever want to touch on. The end result is a love story that is compelling and sensual.

Roxanne has found herself a member of the Pharoh's harem with no memory of who or what she is. She does not remember the love she felt for Alexander, or the child that she bore. She doesn not remember her childhood love Kayan. She easily accepts what she is told by the Pharoh and lives her life enjoying the friendship that has grown between her and the Pharoh. That is until one night a Barbarian sweeps in and changes her life. Daring her to remember what she has forgotten and embracing the truth once she realizes it.

We were introduced to Kayan in the previous title and in this story he is center stage. Ms. French has a very descriptive way of writing and as a result the reader will be transported back in time with the characters. You will be able to see, smell, and feel all that our strong heroine Roxanne experiences. This is a sensual romance that I truly enjoyed. I recommend Ms. French if you like vivid narrative and a large dose of history in your reads.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

In 315 BC in Alexandria, suffering from amnesia and listening to her kind host the Pharaoh Ptolemy, who insists she is an Egyptian aristocrat, is easier to swallow than the emptiness of knowing nothing about herself though flashes make her wonder if he lies. Though having some doubts, she accepts the Pharaoh's words as truth because Ptolemy also insists he loves her and will take care of her forever.

However, reality changes when Kayan the Barbarian arrives at Ptolemy's palace and sneaks into her room. He insists that she is the Princess Roxanne, whom he has always loved even when Alexander the Great took her from him and married her. With the conqueror dead, Kayan wants his beloved to go home with him to share the love denied them even as his arrival prompts her to remember that she is Roxanne the great warrior princess. Together they might be able to escape her luxurious captivity, but Roxanne wonders whether she wants to be the pampered prisoner or warrior princess as she also questions whether she still loves this barbarian as he insists she once did?

This exciting sequel to the fabulous historical tale, THE CONQUEROR, is a wonderful look at the ancient world just after the death of Alexander. The story line will delight readers who appreciate a vividly picturesque look back at Egypt, Persia, and to a lesser degree Macedonia and Greece. The romantic triangle is unique hooking romance readers as few ancient historical tales have. Combining strong fully developed characters, a sense of place due to the colorful descriptive locals, and a beautiful haunting romance, THE BARBARIAN is a must read.

Harriet Klausner

Upon completing "The Conqueror" the reader is left with a strong sense of longing and a "hole" in ones heart. Upon reading the beginning of "The Barbarian", and discovering that Roxanne did survive, the hole in my heart was healed. This is very powerful writing, and not too many authors have this gift! This second novel, in what I hope will lead to yet another continuation of this romantic saga, is well written and becomes a "re-read". I do wish that certain occurrences had been dealt with other than through the ghost of Alexander scenes; however, this in no way takes away from the overall novel.

If "The Conqueror" and "The Barbarian" are ever made into movies, I hope the roles of Roxanne and Kayan are played by the two leads of "Juana La Loca". As a resident of Maryland (now home to the author) I would very much like to meet with her if no more than to discover who posed for the cover of "The Conqueror". (I believe he also posed for "The Barbarian".)

I sincerely hope that the follow-up to these first two books will be on the book shelves in the very near future! Judith French truly demonstrates remarkable writing skills.

This was a very well written book; the story was good and I enjoyed the characters immensely. Being of Greek descent, I enjoy ancient period pieces about ancient cultures, especially those involed with the ancient Greek. Good Job Ms. French