Rhiana [Paperback]

Michele Hauf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

She is called . . . and chosen . . .

Invaded by a cavalcade of vicious dragons, the villagers of St. Renan are snatched up when they venture beyond the walls.

Yet Rhiana Tassot -- who senses the dragons from a distance, who determines their attack scent from a mating scent, who is blessed with the instincts of a dragon, who dares stand before the fiery beasts without flinching -- cannot use her skills to defend her home. For the lord of St. Renan forbids her to track the beasts -- not in fear for her safety, but by some twisted desire to protect the dragons.

So conflict rages within and without the village and a long-held secret begins to stir beneath their very feet. Rhiana's knowledge of dragons is no accident -- and others begin to suspect why . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Seraphim is stunning, an utterly gripping compelling read that plunged me into fantasies of long ago and far away." -- Maggie Shayne, author of Edge of Twilight

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Luna (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037380234X
• ISBN-13: 978-0373802340
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michele has been writing romance, fantasy, action/adventure and paranormal stories for a couple decades and enjoys reading the same. It never fails that when she's working on a project set in the icy months of winter, that it's actually humid and hot outside, and vice versa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip this one...., August 23, 2006

By 

EFD (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhiana (Paperback)

Without going over the plot (already well articulated by the other reviewers and Amazon staff), please find my opinion here only.

My advice is to skip this one! I had previously read SERAPHIM which was most enjoyable. But, this particularly story falls far short of the quality of Hauf's first book.

Although the character of Rhiana would seem to be interesting by description (a tall Amazonian dragonslayer with tumbling garnet-colored tresses... a gold eye and a green one... a woman capable in her warrior skills, yet unsure of her feminine attributes...), she actually is not compelling at all.

Bored at reading the first fourth of the book, I had to do my "stinky book trick" which is to jump to the end and read the last few chapters. (If the ending looks better than I expect, I will go back and read the rest.) Unfortunately, except for her eventual meeting with Seraphim & Co. at the end, the culmination of the story seemed just as weak and predictable. So, I closed the book and piled it on my "already been read" pile and didn't waste another minute of my time.

I had just finished reading Michelle Sagara's CAST IN COURTLIGHT which was infinitely more compelling, so perhaps the blandness of this story came in the comparison for me. But, if I can help another reader save a few bucks in the bookstore when they pick up one of this slightly bigger and more costly paperbacks, I like to do so.

So my advice is to skip this one... look at the pretty cover art at the store... skim the book jacket overview... peek at the last chapter... and then put it down and move on. If you haven't read SERAPHIM, do so because that is a much better read. But, save your $ on this one!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting romantic fantasy, April 25, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rhiana (Paperback)

In 1437 in the French village of St. Renan, the residents have become complacent because no dragons have come seeking the vast hoard in years. That abruptly changes when a flock of dragons descend upon the village killing anyone outside when they flew over the site. The village has a dragon slayer Rhiana Tassot, a warrior who is not afraid to enter the dragon's lair.

She differs from her neighbors as she can belch fire and is not burned when fires strikes her. Rhiana has no explanation for these phenomena and even her own mother keeps a distance from her changeling daughter. With so many dragons in the area, she welcomes fellow dragon slayer Macarius Fleche, the son of the father who trained Rhiana in dragon fighting. In an odd development Baron Guiscard forbids the two slayers from killing any dragons. Unless they disobey his orders, many innocent people will die; but by doing so Rhiana and Macrius would become outlaws.

In a society that thinks women are weak, Rhiana proves they can be warriors too, just ask SERAPHIM or GOSSYMYR. There is plenty of action in this exciting romantic fantasy even as the heroine has doubts about the love of her life which adds a charming subplot to a fantasy that can be too tense at times. RHIANA needs to know more about her heritage as she can sense when dragons are near by the tingling in her blood. She makes the tale soar as Michele Hauf provides an entertaining tale that will elate her numerous fans.

Harriet Klausner

4.0 out of 5 stars Its OK, November 6, 2008

By 

S. Kelly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rhiana (Paperback)

I perfer the other two books with Seraphim, and Gossaymer than I do this one. It's ok, it's not fantastic or all that spell binding but it's cute i suppose. Could have been better with more details, and even with more characters. But I think she's a good writer and I hope that her other books are just as good as the others I mentioned earlier.