I finished a re-read of this book yesterday. I did not remember it as being nearly as good as the first in the series, Warrior’s Woman, but I was pleasantly surprised.
This book starts up approximately twenty years after the ending of book one. Tedra and Challon had twins – a son and a daughter. This is the daughter, Shanelle’s book.
Unlike her mother, Shanelle is afraid of pain and hates confrontations. She knows that she will never be happy with a warrior for a mate, so she is looking for one amongst the visitors.
What she finds is Falon. He is obviously not one of her people. His coloring and emotional responses prove that. However, he is nearly as big as her father and that definitely appeals to her.
Of course, she discovers too late that he is a warrior after all, only from another region on her planet.
All of my favorite characters from the first book show up in this one: Tedra and Challon, of course, Corth, the entertainment android, and my very favorite, Martha the self-aware computer with an attitude.
We also meet Shanelle’s brother Dalden who is all warrior despite his mother’s influence.
I did not like Shanelle as much as I did her mother Tedra, but her upbringing was totally different. Even with her mother’s influence she was raised on a planet where women are submissive to the men. She also had an incident in her childhood that gave her an unnatural fear of pain.
Even so, I thought she could be a wimp. She does develop more confidence by the end of the book though.
A good bit of this book takes place in other regions besides her home. I think that is what gives her the opportunity to grow.
If you enjoyed Warrior’s Woman, you definitely need to read this. If you plan on reading the third book, Heart of a Warrior, you have to read this one. You will have no clue what is going on otherwise.
These books are a mixture of romance, science fiction, and humor. How can they miss?
Elaine Reads . . . constantly! 