Customer Reviews

Intimate Enemies: A Novel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A strong, sexy hero and an intelligent, resourceful heroine. Abe takes what might have been a standard plot and turns it into something truly special, primarily though her terrific writing. The two main characters are boldly drawn. So much so that feeling what they were feeling was effortless and seductive. You understand why Lauren cannot love Arion, and why he loves her so much. You rejoice when they get together. You are thrilled when they defeat the true enemy of the story. Hot love scenes, again using beautiful language without the silliness that mars some historicals. Great setting. Easy to feel you were there on the Scottish island with the mists and the forests and the winter snow. Very believable. All in all, a VERY worthwhile read, and I understand why Amazon.com named it one of their ten best romances of the year.

Lauren and Arion make an unlikely couple, to say the least. She is the leader of the Clan MacRae (thanks to her father's death) and he is a powerful english overlord -- and her clan's sworn enemy.

Neither can allow themselves to trust the other. But a defining moment in their past (once, when they were children, Arion saved Lauren from a tortuous fate), combined with their shared love for the land bring these two lovers together, against all odds. To keep safe everything they believe in, they must become allies and the two headstrong leaders form a risky alliance. This of course causes strife not only with Lauren's clan, but with Arion's soldiers. You can probably guess the rest.....

Ms. Abe writes with a touch of the mystical and has a deft hand at describing the beauty and wildness of the time period. This is an emotional book, with strong sensual characters. Lauren and Arion are striking figures and a well-matched couple who stay in your mind long after you finish the book.

I think the only reason I didn't give it higher stars is that I don't normally enjoy serious historical romances, prefering instead a light, comic approach. Also this book can be predictable and I saw the ending coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed the beautiful way it was written. As historicals go, this one is lyrical and filled with deep emotions. Pick it up especially if you have a love of Scotland.

Whew! I just finished this book and I think I was holding my breath the last few chapters - it was that exciting and oh soooo romantic.

Beautiful Lauren MacRae was kidnapped as a child and held hostage by the English and it was in a dungeon she would meet the Englishman Arion du Morgan who would save her life. Years later she would return that favor on a battlefield against a new enemy and save his life.

He was now the Earl of Morgan and she the leader of the Clan MacRae. Both of these wonderful people were raised to hate one another but they were intelligent enough to realize they needed the strength of an alliance to fight a more vicious and common enemy. It made sense to form an alliance, but it also forced them into each other's company, finding themselves drawn to one another in spite of the history that taught them to hate and despise one another. Lauren was betrothed since childhood to Payton Murdoch, a powerful laird of Clan Murdoch and she would do her duty to her people for the honor of Clan McRae, even if it meant denying a love she thought never to feel.

This was such an amazing story, there were so many obstacles to overcome between these two people but Ms. Abe writes with such intensity that you can feel the passion drawing them to one another. This is a historical romance, but one that has a tremendous amount of bite and so much action that you will have trouble putting it down. Ms. Abe is definitely on my `buy' list!

In 1177, upon the death of his odious uncle, Arion du Morgan inherits the earldom that includes the English side of the Isle of Shot. As Arion knows, the isle remains in dispute with the Scots who also reside on it. When the islanders, English population ask their new Earl for help against invading Vikings, Arion arrives on Shot.

He meets the Scottish clan leader Lauren Macrae whose father was just killed by Vikings. They agree to work together to stop the invaders because if they fail to do so the Vikings will triumph. As Arion and Lauren fall in love, they struggle to keep their people from breaking the temporary agreement. His side does not trust the barbaric Scots while her side awaits the arrival of Lauren's betrothed Peyton to rescue them from the dreaded Vikings and the detested English.

INTIMATE ENEMIES is an exciting Medieval romance that shows the abilities of Shana Abe to make the past seem like the present. The story line is fun as the star-crossed lovers struggle against a common enemy, their own followers mistrust of the other side, and their love that seems which like a betrayal than a blessing at times. The twelfth century comes bustling into existence as readers have come to expect from a historical romance written by the very able Ms. Abe.

Harriet Klausner

I always thought other reviewers were exaggerating when they said they threw a book or felt like it. I was in for a huge revelation! I'm the kind reader that says ok 'I know that they make it through, but how do they get there?' OMG, I was having my doubts half way through the book! I even found myself wanting to toss it because I was s SO caught in it. I read the first 200 pages, ending about 3 am. Knowing I had to get up of course I finally convinced myself to laydown. I was awake wondering what is going to happen next! At one point, I even stopped to make sure someone doesn't die in the book. The casual look ahead to see if that character has anymore dialog. Thank you Shana Abe for letting me understand what others really meant.

Wow! This book was great! I just finished reading it last night - and I'd have to say Shana, you did a fabulous job! This one ranks up there with your first one A Rose In Winter - the characters were very well established and the chemistry between the two was great.

I have to admit I was a little disapointed that the love scenes occured so late in the novel, but after finishing the novel, I think the placement was perfect! Excellent reading!

Shana Abe doesn't just write Historical Romance, she's created her own genre, Historical Adventure Romance. This includes all 3 books I've read of hers, and am now on a quest to get her backlist. What you need to know about Shana Abe, if you haven't read her, is that her stories are intense and emotional. Her books seem to have a goal that has an unattainable happy ending for both hero and heroine, but while she's winding the HEA, you are just plunged into a rich story line of characters, scenery, and emotions and at the end of the book you can finally breath again because you've been holding your breath to see how her story will end.

In Intimate Enemies, Lauren and Arion are enemies that are temporarily working together to defeat Vikings that threaten their island. In briefly coming together, each are drawn to the other, despite being groomed from birth to hate the other. So there is internal conflict and external conflict. Shana Abe makes you feel the tension that each of these felt with each other and their families. After several injuries and denials about their feelings, the couple's ending FINALLY comes with such a sweet reward, and the last few paragraphs of the book is something that I'll pick up and reread again and again. The heroine wasn't too feisty, even though she had to lead her clan, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was honorable man, even though he didn't want to be sometimes, they were both likable characters who so deserved the love that each of them needed from the other. Definite Keeper.

Fun read. I don't like it as much as her later dragon romance novels, but it sweet and interesting.

What a great Author. I couldn't put the book down.

Thank you for writing a book with so much passion.

This is the first book I am reading of this author and boy is this book wild!

When you put two enemies together with an already existing bond and throw together with it a powerful sexual attration, you get this fantastic love story.