Falcon's Honor

Denise Lynn is a new voice in the Harlequin Historical line. Her first book Falcon's Desire (February 2003 was a Reviewers International Award Winner in Short Historical Romance - and impressive debut!), ensuring more "Falcon" tales. This book, Falcon's Honor (April 2005) is followed by Falcon's Desire (July 2005), so those of us who have waited for this next books of this promising historical writer gets a double treat. This one is the tale of Lord Gareth Faucon. Set in 1140s England, Gareth has made a vow to King Stephan to fetch Lady Rhian to her family. What sounded like a simple chore edges toward to a medieval version of the Ransom of Red Chief! Rhian is determined not to be fetched back to the bosom of her loving family. This family is not know to her. She's known little of her mother's side of the family, but rumors has run around they are evil and even worship the devil. They have never wanted to know her before so she has no intention of going blithely to them, arms open, just because some strange is supposed to marry her. At birth she was betrothed a man she's never heard of, and it just doesn't suit her plans to become the bride of someone she's never met. Gareth is having enough problems with the willful and resistant Rhian. Worse, he becomes aware that not only does Rhian hold notion of not returning to her estranged family, there is someone who has the same plan, but with a different mode of seeing this end. Assassins are following in their wake and dispatching Gareth's guard a few at a time in a grisly fashion. As they near their destination, the difficultly of his task grows as his attraction to the Lady also will causes interference with the king's plans. The characters are fun. Lynn writes with a growing strength in her voice, enabling her to paint her tale with clever characters, secondary as well as the hero and heroine, and give fresh touch to the typical medieval plot line, that shows her talent coming into it's own. I eagerly look forward to the third tale in this series.

Setting - Northern England, 1142 --- Lord Gareth of Faucon had made a vow to King Stephen to deliver the Lady Rhian to her family, but what seemed like a simple enough task one obstinate woman was turning into her own private war and Gareth was no longer sure who was winning! Rhian was determined that she would NOT be delivered into her unknown family's bosom. From the rumors she'd heard of her mother's family they were nothing but evil devil worshipers and as they'd never made contact with her before, she was not about to go and marry some person she'd never met and been betrothed to at birth - no way, no how! Not only was Rhian herself fighting Gareth but it was apparent that they were being followed by assassins who also didn't want to see Rhian reach her destination and were neatly knocking off portions of her guard in a most grisly manner. As the journey to Rhian's family progressed, Rhian and Gareth's attraction to one another heated up to where Gareth's vow to King Stephen to deliver Rhian safely was going to be as problematic of keeping her safe from the assassins as keeping her safe from himself. *** This certainly was an action packed medieval laden with a very passionate and seductive tone. Both lead characters were well matched and the secondary characters added a pleasant spice and wit to the dialogs. My one problem with this book was that the dialogs came off as a bit too contemporary for the period with instances of `smart alec' remarks that just didn't fit in. The very original plot kept it interesting what with the mysterious assassins purpose in why they were so intent on capturing Rhian, and the ending where all the many twists were all neatly tied up. For a newer author, I believe that in given more time I am sure she will develop a more fluid prose that combined with her very clever and original plots will shoot her right up to the top of the heap in this medieval/paranormal genre. --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---