Customer Reviews

Warrior's Prize

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

 

 

I've read Warrior's Prize several times and I can't get tired of it. What a shame that there aren't more men out their that can love a woman like Keso did Wannie. You won't regret spending time reading this wonderfully written book.

The main characters grab you from the moment they are introduced and the story just flows like the river after that! Although the directions each character takes is predictable; the story unfolds so smoothly that I had a hard time putting the book down! Georgina Gentry is one of the best writers of historical romance!

Wannie and Keso are Silver and Cherokees children. You didn't need to know the story of Silver and Cherokee to follow this book. Keso loves Wannie very much. Enough to give her what she wants and find some truths out about himself along the way. Wannie goes on a journey of self discovery and finds out how strong willed she needs to be for those who love her.

From the back cover:

A love worth fighting for...

Her Arapaho name is Singing Wind, but no one at the Boston ladies' academy knows of Wannie's Indian ancestry. Pretending to be Spanish royalty, she has concealed her past behind fine clothes and elegant manners. Now she returns to Colorado with her fiance, a wealthy businessman who wants to invest in land and gold.

Waiting there is Keso. Once a Denver street urchin, this full-blooded Indian has loved only one woman all his life--Singing Wind. In his pocket is the ring he bought for her; in his heart burns a passion no other man can match. And ahead lies a dangerous trek into the Colorado mountains...where the Ute tribe faces the last great Indian uprising...where nature's fury strips a man to his very soul...and where a woman called Singing Wind is taken hostage by the magnificent warrior who dares to battle for her body, her heart, and her precious love.

And my review:

My first try of Georgina Gentry's work, and probably my last.

Well, there were some things to like about this book. This historical detail was very well done. It's obvious that the author did her homework. But while this book was rich in history, it wasn't too "textbooky", nor did the romance suffer because of it. A lot of historical romance authors try so hard to impress readers with their knowledge of their chosen time period that they neglect the most important part of the book: the relationship between the hero and heroine. Thankfully, that didn't happen here.

I also liked the hero. I felt that he was a strong man without being a domineering jerk. (Rare in historical romance these days!) He had high ideals, and I admired him. For the most part, anyway. He lost a some ground in my opinion because of his high, and undeserved, opinion of the heroine.

The heroine was what spoiled this book for me. She was so shallow! All she cared about was clothes, jewels, parties, and appearances. First off, I really didn't like that she was ashamed of her Indian heritage. But to go so far as to claim that she's Spanish royalty? That's really crossing the line. Couldn't she just say that she's Spanish? Why does it have to be royalty? Shallow!

Also, she was often embarassed for (and by) the hero, just for being Native. This made it really hard for me to like her. It was like she fell in love with the hero in spite of the fact that he was Native. Rather insulting to Native people, I think. And again, a very shallow attitude for the heroine to have. Maybe I'm a little more sensitive on this issue than most, since, while I'm not Native, I am of mixed blood. I certainly wouldn't want to be with someone who was with me "in spite of" the fact that I'm not fully Caucasian! I would have much preferred to see a heroine who was willing to take society's scorn for loving a Native man, not one who basically agreed with the bigotry.

One last complaint, albeit a minor one: the hero's constant, continual use of the nickname "brat" for the heroine was a turn-off. Father-daughter or brother-daughter relationships between the hero and heroine are not very romantic.

I couldn't make myself finish this book, because I felt that the hero deserved a much better woman--one with some real substance and strength. WARRIOR'S PRIZE is not recommended by this reader. If you want a good Native American romance, try Catherine Anderson's COMANCHE MOON, COMANCHE HEART, INDIGO BLUE, COMANCHE MAGIC, or CHEYENNE AMBER.