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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgetable hero. Undeserving heroine., January 4, 2009
I couldn't wait to read Kadar and Selene's story, as they were smartly portrayed in Lion's Bride to the point I wanted to read more about Kadar than Ware. Not your typical cookie cuter hero, Kadar was an unforgettable character who deserved a great story of his own.
The Good:
The story was interesting, the characters had a history together and they had a powerful bond from the start, which was a nice change from other romance novels where sex comes before love. The conversations were witty and entertaining, and the new characters developed quite nicely.
The Bad:
The prose was extremely simple. Short, crisp sentences with hardly any description of surroundings and much less the character's actions. The author kept that to a minimum, including the love scenes (both sexual and verbal)which are vital in romance novels. Sex was portrayed as very technical and almost unimportant, especially to Selene.
The book was based and moved on dialogue. 300 plus pages of dialogue, that although redundant sometimes, was entertaining enough to be a quick read.
The Ugly:
Selene. Her strength and pride and her need to have everything her way went too far. She was bossy and pushy and too proud to admit her feelings and cooperate with the other characters. Her capriciousness and her attitude was so constant and convincing that the only thing that let the reader know she loved Kadar was the constant reminders of the narrator, totally ambiguous to Selene's actions. She whined about everything, was annoyed by everything and the mutual game she had with Kadar that everything had to be how she wanted WHEN she wanted became old and infuriating.
In conclusion, the book was okay, I certainly was expecting much more. Kadar was the saving grace, yet not so much as to make the book worth it's price.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Dissapointing, December 16, 2008
I don't normally do reviews, but this is so disappointing for Iris Johansen,that I had to comment. This is written in such simple language like you'd see in a teen's romance novel. The story line isn't new...I've read one almost identical in the past. If I could return a "read/used" book, I would do so with this one.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Johansen Is Back to Romance Genre with Her Immense Talent!, December 12, 2008
I am a true fan of Johansen's historical romance novels. I have read and reread everyone of her earliest novels. I was truly sadden because romance readers lost a true "treasure" when she left for mainstream thrillers. I stopped reading her for years afterwards because I wasn't a fan of her new thriller/mystery books. I thought we had lost Iris from romance novels for good. So when I heard she was writing the sequel to the Lion's Bride, I had to have it. I never buy hardcover, unless I really enjoy the author's work. I can count on 1 finger, the authors I consider so worthy of shellling out hardcover prices. And it didn't disappoint.
I don't want to spoil the book for anyone by detailing everything that happens, but the old Johansen is back. I thought with years away from this genre that I would not get the same heat as she delivered in her previous historical novels, just like what happened to Catherine Coulter. I didn't have high expectations, happily I was wrong. She gives me what I would expect from a Johansen historical, with the strong intelligent, dialogue between the Kadar and Selene, a little darkness from the hero and a strong minded, independent heroine.
The story takes place around 4-5 years after the Lion's Bride. You know from the off-set that Selene loves Kadar loves Selene, but he feels she is not ready. She doesn't trust, even Kadar, who saved her from slavery from the House of Nicholas when she was a child. She has issues of abandonment that stems from her time when she was a slave.
After Kadar takes Selene's virginity in the beginning of the book, the adventure/action takes off. Sinan's people kidnap Selene to force Kadar to go back to Nosari mountains to have Kadar make good on a promise he had given to Sinan (the Old Man of the mountain, king of the assasins) in the past to ensure that the HEAs from the Lion's Bride were able to escape (another novel). What Kadar and Selene doesn't know it's not Sinan that summoned him but Nasim (Sinan's trainer of assasins). Sinan has been dead for awhile. I loved the building of the relationship between our HEAs.
The ending was a bit mystical in what happens to the heroine and hero. I couldn't summarize everything or else I'd go on and on. Those who loved Johansen's Lion's Bride will be happy with this book.
This book can be read as a stand alone because it involves new characters and the main HEA's,so there will not be any scratching of the head b/c the author puts something in that you have to know to follow the story line. Those who haven't read the Lion's Bride will definitely be tempted to read how it all began.
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