Customer Reviews

The Promise of Rain

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story of Lord Roland Strathmore, a battle hardened warrior whose fiersome nature earned him the dark title "Hound of Hell," and the woman he was once once betrothed to and must now capture and bring before the King, a woman who is running from scandalous rumors of murder and betryal which surround her family. But upon taking her prisoner, Roland quickly finds himself struggling with his overwhelming attraction to the beautiful, tormented Kyla, and soon finds himself willing to forfeit everything to help her unearth the truth about her past, and unwittingly, the most shocking truth of all: the truth about his dark, hardened soul.

This book is wonderful! It is extremely well-written, powerful, and moving. As she did in "A Rose in Winter," Ms. Abe breathes life into her characters with her descriptive and cogent writing. A must read for any fan of the historical romance, or for a superb love story. This book was so good that my only wish was tht it was longer!

Got this after I read her first book, A Rose in Winter, because I loved it so much. I know others have said this, Ms. Abe's style of writing is so unique, very intense. It's true. I'm so happy I've discovered her. This book maintains her style with a fresh story, and I loved the hero and heroine, and the location. Such great descriptions! VERY GOOD! Wanted more!

What another great story from this new author. Lord Roland Stathmore ordered to find and capture Lady Kyla Warwick - his one time betrothed. Because of a huge scandal at court, Kyla and her brother Alister had run away to relatives in the highlands of Scotland, and Lord Roland, aptly named the Hound of Hell would do his duty to his soverign and bring them back.

Strathmore had never met his betrothed and was not ready for her incredible beauty, and spirit. Temptation and feelings he could not control, led him to gamble his very life in an attempt to save her from the Tower.

What follows is a marvelous story of romance, a little bit of magic, quite a good mystery, and an unforgettable love story. What more could you ask for!

I know that when Shana Abe writes a book I will be buying it! Roland and Kyla go through so much but they are strong, and when they get together it is so rewarding. I love the way Ms. Abe writes because it is so different from anyone else. She is so descriptive and just pulls you right into the story. She is great with historical detail too. I didn't really read medievals before this but now I do because of her.

In 1117, King Henry sends the Earl of Lorleau, Lord Roland Strathmore, one of most his ferocious knights, to Scotland to arrest Lady Kyla Warwick, rumored to be a murderess. Roland knows he must honor his pledge to his liege, but also feels a certain loyalty to Kyla who, though he never met her, was once his betrothed before her family fell into regal disfavor.

Roland catches Kyla, who remains defiant and vows to do more than just escape. She plans to wreck havoc on Roland, a man she feels is a traitor. However, neither of the duo expected love to enter their differences. Instead of just blindly handing over his prisoner to his king, Roland assists her on her quest to learn what really happened to ruin her family.

THE PROMISE OF RAIN is an actin-filled and exciting Medieval romance that will exhilarate fans of the sub-genre. The lead protagonists are a delightfully dueling duo, who garner immediate attention and the support cast adds the necessary genuine feel to the plot. The brisk story line never stops moving forward as Shana Abe ably scribes a crowd pleasing historical romance that distinctly demonstrates her vast capabilities.

Harriet Klausner

Shana Abe has done it again. She has written a wonderful love story. It has just the right amount of tension between the hero and the heroine to keep the story from becoming vapid, but not so much as to make the reader wonder if they will ever get it right. A wonderful follow up to her debut novel "A Rose in Winter". I just hope she keeps on writing at this same high quality level. I loved it! :-)

Kyla and Roland's story was well worth reading. Here are two well defined characters who are a pleasure to follow and lead the reader on a merry chase. Although I found the conclusion of the story and the ultimate motivation behind the plot to be a bit weak, the steps to get to the end are interesting and entertaining. Kyla's story is a bit tragic since she loses everyone she loves and knows, but Roland's growing love, home and family all help to succor her loses. What a wonderful group of secondary characters. Lively, quick witted, loving, with a dash of, I don't know what to call it...paranormal...all draw the reader in.

Kyla has just the right mixture of innocence and determination. Here was a fairly sheltered nobleman's daughter who was thrust into a position as the head of the family and protector. She learns what needs to be done to survive in the "wild" and does so without complaint (and actually misses that freedom when confined to Roland's Island). Yet she yearns for stability too, after she can avenge her mother's deaths and her father's suicide (although he did not kill himself, without his wife he had no desire to live). Roland is also an interesting character. His title as the Hound of Hell is fierce yet deceptive. As we learn, the king has given him this name because he goes after something and does not let up until the task is complete. His mission with Kyla is no different. It is true that they were once betrothed, but that is no reason to protect her. Deep down he feels that she and her family are innocent, or atleast has his doubts about her father killing her mother, and will safeguard her until it can be proven one way or the other.

Besides the "bad guy" in the story, my only other complaint about the plot is the king, and the court's easy willingness to believe in Warwick's guilt. He was a loyal king's man, yet without proof and being an obviously grieving widower, he was presumed guilty and his family put at risk. I find that difficult to believe. All and all though, this was a great story, one you wouldn't want to miss.

I was not very impressed with this book at all. I have a couple other books by Ms. Abe but this one was not near as good as the rest. :( I didn't even finish the book. The storyline was all over the place and I didn't really like the couple at all. They didn't seem to fit nor did it seem they should be together.

In 1117, King Henry sends the Earl of Lorleau, Lord Roland Strathmore, one of most his ferocious knights, to Scotland to arrest Lady Kyla Warwick, rumored to be a murderess. Roland knows he must honor his pledge to his liege, but also feels a certain loyalty to Kyla who, though he never met her, was once his betrothed before her family fell into regal disfavor.

Roland catches Kyla, who remains defiant and vows to do more than just escape. She plans to wreck havoc on Roland, a man she feels is a traitor. However, neither of the duo expected love to enter their differences. Instead of just blindly handing over his prisoner to his king, Roland assists her on her quest to learn what really happened to ruin her family.

THE PROMISE OF RAIN is an actin-filled and exciting Medieval romance that will exhilarate fans of the sub-genre. The lead protagonists are a delightfully dueling duo, who garner immediate attention and the support cast adds the necessary genuine feel to the plot. The brisk story line never stops moving forward as Shana Abe ably scribes a crowd pleasing historical romance that distinctly demonstrates her vast capabilities.

Harriet Klausner

Overall the romance was okay. However, the story was completely ruined for me because I couldn't get past the way Lady Kyla was mercilessly hounded like a rabid dog by our hero. King and court were no prize either. Lastly, the surprising revelation at the end was really weak & came out of nowhere.