Customer Reviews

Beyond the Wild Wind (Signet Eclipse)

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

 

 

This is my second Sasha Lord book- The first was "In A Wild Wood"-which I really enjoyed once I got past the whole rape thing. I gave this book 2 stars because, although it's taken me a long time to finish, I feel the NEED to finish it,wanting to know how it ends- BUT--I couldn't get past the "ick factor" in the fact Istabelle thought Ruark was her cousin and still made love to him and how Ruark left her with her most hated enemy for over a month to be beaten and for all he knew worse, any true hero would have save her right away no matter what. But all in all I will read more of her books.

From the back cover:

Beautiful, brave, and wildly impetuous, Istabelle O'Bannon is the daring captain of her own ship. A "Robin Hood" who protects costal villages from pirates and marauders, she answers to no authority but her own. But now Istabelle is desperate to reclaim one of her most precious treasures from a vicious outlaw--and she trusts only one man to help her.

That man isn't the arrior Ruark Haagan, even though she's under the mistaken impression that he is. And now it's too late to Ruark to explain his deception and reveal his true identity. All he can do is help the untamed beauty triumph in this brutal clash--even as he resists succumbing to the fiery passion Istabelle has ignited in him...

And my review:

I really thought I'd found a winner when I started this novel. It had so much going for it: a easy-to-read writing style that flows well, a good balance between prose and dialogue (no rambling speeches or descriptions that take up a dozen pages), well-drawn characters, a well-drawn historical backdrop (that doesn't ever get "textbook") and a fairly interesting plot. I say "fairly" because this book does rely on the "big misunderstanding" as a plot device, and it is definitely not one of my favorite plots. However, if written well, with compelling enough characters, I can still enjoy it.

However, it was the hero who ruined this story for me. I didn't find anything redeeming about him. He himself boasts that he has no honor, and that is shown to be true through his actions. And his behavior towards the heroine is just short of abusive. She says that wrong thing and he attacks her with his sword. Believe me, what she said was not inflamatory enough to justifiably provoke such a reaction. Only her quick reflexes and fighting skills keep him from killing or maiming her. He comes close to raping her, justifying it that she got him all "hot and bothered" and "had it coming". Please! This happens after she interupts him from having sex with a whore in the middle of a public room in a brothel. Ugh. A healthy sexual drive in a romance hero is good. Having him do all his thinking with the wrong head (the guy never seemed to think about anything but getting laid) is not. And having him practically commit rape, and then blame the woman is unforgiveable, (at least it is in my opinion).

I am so disappointed! What I'd read of this book was so well written, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. Why did the author waste her talent on such an unworthy hero? Not recommended by this reader.

I read this book because i had read "In a Wild Wood" by the same author. I did not find this book interesting on any level. I used to read romances although i am not in any way a romantic. I just read the ones i think will be amusing. I expected far better from this author. It was just..boring. There was no chemistry between the characters, it was not funny, and i just could not find any real reason to like the hero or heroine. Ive read many entertaining romances. Ive even read some that actually displayed real human sentiment. This one offered nothing.

I ordered this book for my mother. It came quickly, it was well worth the price and she enjoyed reading.

The heroine's a naval Robin Hood, who's asked her cousin, a famed warrior, to help her get back Something an outlaw took from her.

But the cousin wants to stay in a monastery for 2 more months, so he sends another warrior in his place, and when he arrives, she thinks it's her cousin.

She's both too good to be true and occasionally TSTL (too stupid to live).

It doesn't bother him to sleep with her under an assumed name, but when it comes to saving her life, he's just too honest to lie about his name, which really made me want to *smack* him upside the head.

I liked the previous books in this series much better, and will probably check out future ones.

"Beyond The Wild Wind" introduces us to the feisty female pirate Istabelle O'Bannon. Well, she's not exactly a pirate, more a kind of Robin Hood character trying to make up for the flaws in her mother's behaviour towards the poor and needy by redistributing wealth to them. However her already impetutous nature has become worse since she was captured by a sea captain named Horik who mistreated her in some as-yet known way. There is only one man that she thinks can help her fight back against Horik and that is her cousin Mangan whom she hasn't seen for ten years. Still, she applies to Mangan for help by letter and waits for him to come.

Mangan, however, is spending a year in a monastery trying to find meaning in his life as the heir to an Earldom so when Istabelle's letter arrives he doesn't know what to do. However a warrior, Ruark Haagen, arrives at the monastery with his injured foster brother and Mangan realises that this famous mercenary will be able to help Istabelle. He bargains with Ruark to help his cousin in return for free medical care for Sven, the foster brother.

So Ruark, a mercenary warrior whose goal in life is earning enough money to retire and that's about it, meets up with Istabelle. Unfortunately he doesn't meet her in the best of circumstances and when she mistakes him for her brother Mangan he is required to continue the deception for a little while. However the little while extends to quite a long while as this story relies on "the Big Misunderstanding" to keep the protagonists apart, at least for a little while. Ruark ends up on Istabelle's ship as they search for Horik's lair. But Istabelle finds herself strangely drawn to her cousin Mangan, who seems rather different than she remembered, and they also clash many times verbally as they are both strong characters. As they face Horik and learn things about each other, can the love between two people of such different rank survive?

This book relies on the "Big Misunderstanding" for much of the plot and after the truth is revealed it relies on hero coming to the rescue and saving the day. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the storyline in this book, I just found it rather unsatisfying. There were too many clichéd set-pieces, the behaviour of the baddie seemed fairly inexplicable in reality terms but was necessary for the plot, and the heroine's tame gyrfalcon was frankly far too intelligent for a bird. There were some rather awkward plot requirements too, such as the thing that Horik has stolen that Istabella needs to get back; it all felt a little unlikely and Horik was an amazingly stupid baddie. The love scenes between hero and heroine were also rather more corporeal than emotional.

The setting on the high seas was good fun and there area some swashbuckling swordfights. The book is enjoyable as a light read but it didn't have great depth for me and it is ultimately forgettable.
[...]

Though she is brave and daring, a lady Robin Hood/Captain Blood, Istabelle O'Bannon does need help from a man, and so she turns to the only one she trusts, her cousin Mangan. However, she has not seen the man in years, and so when he is unable to come and sends another man, Ruark Haagen, she assumes Ruark is Mangan and never gives him a chance to explain. So, although Ruark finds that he is powerfully attracted to the lady, since she is his "cousin", she's off limits; and although Mangen is really the only man who can help Istabelle, Ruark does his best to help in any case.

*** Vivid imagery and sweeping scenes will carry a historical romance fan back to another time and place. Although much of the action is built on the strength of miscommunications, the powerful prose compensates for the slightly weak premise. ***

Amanda Killgore

Sea Captain Istabelle O'Bannon of the Adventuress steals loot from pirates to redistribute back to their victims. However, she has been captured by her enemy Horik who takes her greatest treasure from her; something that she needs to have returned if she is to regain her confidence. Desperate for help she sends a note to a monastery where her best childhood friend Mangan O'Bannon is spending a year of reflection. When mercenary Ruark Haagan arrives at the monastery seeking help for his badly injured companion Sven, Mangan cuts a deal. Ruark goes in his place to assist Istabelle in exchange for no fee for caring of Sven.

Ruark assumes that Istabelle is just a silly lady with no real troubles. She thinks he is Mangan who she has not seen in a decade; so is stunned when he refuses to help her. He changes his mind, but fears he must not reveal his identity for he will scare her off. As she keeps secret her treasure from her champion, Ruark and Istabelle fall in love, but first with his help she must confront her devil Horik while her beloved must reconsider his theory that there is no place called home.

BEYOND THE WILD WIND is an intriguing historical romance that takes off from the moment that Istabelle tosses the bathing Ruark's breeches high on a tree and absconds with his sword. The story line never slows down as she mistakes his identity as her anointed hero, a role the mercenary does not want to be, but his desire of her gives him no choice. The final exhilarating confrontation provides a too convenient solution to part of Istabelle's dilemma, but also climaxes a delightful romance.

Harriet Klausner