Shannon C.’s review of Gentle Warrior by Sedonia Guillone
Fantasy Romance eBook released by Ellora’s Cave 16 Apr 08

Well, it turns out that the art of writing extremely overwrought prose in romance novels is alive and well in this book. I’m not really sure whether this is cause for celebration or not. I suppose it depends on the day that you ask me about it.

Aside from the overwrought prose, Sedonia Guillone’s A Gentle Warrior isn’t a bad story. It starts out with an interesting premise–Ariana, Queen Maya’s favorite bed slave, is accidentally at the scene of the crime, as it were, when her queen is poisoned. She runs for her life, and is rescued by Karan, the queen’s former general, who has been haunting the forests and hoping for the day he could rescue his daughter.

I’ve mentioned before that short stories don’t really do it for me. This one is billed as a novel, but it’s really not, so I don’t know that I have very much to say about either the characters or the plot. The characters are a bit flat, the romance comes too fast and wasn’t terribly believable, and there were gaping plot holes throughout.

Still, this book isn’t without its charm. The flowery, overwrought prose seemed pretty appropriate given the setting, and I also liked that there were hints of f/f stuff that went on before the story between Ariana and the queen.

I think I’d have liked this a lot better had there been more of a story. As it is, this is a quick and fluffy read.

Grade: C+

     The warrior Karan was the Pierran queen’s prized general until a hideous betrayal left him an outcast, whipped and branded, his family destroyed. When Ariana, the queen’s favorite slave, is framed for murdering her mistress, Ariana escapes a brutal punishment only to be captured by the very man Queen Maya had exiled.

     Ariana recognizes the good heart beating in Karan’s broad chest. Her faith in him and her enchantment with his physical beauty prove as irresistible to Karan as the comfort she offers him. He succumbs to her erotic charms in spite of the walls he’s built around himself.

     However, the palace holds something extremely precious to Karan, the reason he’s remained nearby. Desperate to begin a new life with the man she loves, Ariana risks her life to return to the palace.

     You can read an excerpt here.