The Warlord's Daughter

Wren's father has just been killed. A warlord, he was much despised throughout the planet and his sins are now Wren's. Her life is in danger and she is being hunted just for being The Warlord's Daughter. Aral Mawndarr is a traitor to the Drakken but a hero to the Coalition. Having single handedly helped the Coalition defeat the evil Drakken Aral has a deeper mission to complete. He plans on finding and marrying The Warlord's Daughter. Wren's identity is compromised when she comes face to face with Aral. And life as they both know it, changes in an instant. Aral was wicked hot. Manly, forceful - everything I love in a hero. Wren's characterization was that of an innocent pawn, but strong. Susan Grant's way of showing good versus evil in The Warlord's Daughter is notably well written. Secrets, passion, enemies, traitors - exemplary storyline notwithstanding - I found The Warlord's Daughter to be an excellent addition to the Borderlands series. It was yummy! Talia Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Just as traitors inside the Coalition has been responsible for the kidnapping of the goddess queen, Keira, one closest to the Drakken Warlord had been responsible for his fall. Battlelord Aral Mawndarr had allowed the ship carrying the Queen's consort, Prince Jared Jasper of Earth, to breach the Warlord's flotilla. Together the royal pair had ended the Warlord's reign of terror, by ending his life, and a centuries old war in a near bloodless coup as Draaken believers had finally stood up to be counted. This left Aral only two further pieces of business to attend to, the arrest and execution of his father Karbon Mawndarr, and the rescue of the Warlord's secret daughter, Awrenkka. Wren had been neglected by her father much as her people had been. Once, barely in her teens, he had seen fit to summon her to his presence only to parade her before the most powerful men in the Empire, a prize to be dangled and won by the man who garnered her father's favor. Poor Wren was hardly a prize except in the power a marriage to her would bestow on her unwanted mate. Denied the medical care even the lowest born in the Coalition took as a birthright, shy Wren was undersized and wore thick glasses that barely compensated for her poor eyesight. The room had been filled with cruel and powerful men like her father, except for one, a boy whose eyes had reflected the same loneliness and suffering she'd felt in her own heart, until, afraid of his father's scrutiny he'd hardened his expression. She's never forgotten the boy nor he her. Karbon Mawndarr had been an even worse father than the Warlord he worshipped. Aral would have preferred to have been neglected compared to the daily beatings he'd suffered in his father's effort to subjugate his spirit. He had never succumbed but had followed his father's career path, becoming a Battlelord, currying the Warlord's favor until he'd become a favorite, until the man he had been granted the man's daughter's hand in marriage. He had fallen for the Wren at first sight recognizing a kindred spirit. Suddenly afraid he had quickly hidden his feelings, knowing that his father would have vied for her hand if only to deny his son's happiness. As a favored Draaken warrior, Aral had been working covertly as a Coalition spy. Now with the Warlord dead and peace restored, he was an unsung hero. Soon his cruel father would also be put to death for his crimes, and he would be free. But the Coalition had one last assignment for Aral: Find the Warlord's daughter and bring her into custody. He would find her all right, but on his own terms. The woman he loved was not safe, not from anyone. Drakken loyalists would be seeking her, hoping to restore the Empire to glory through her DNA. The new Triad government would do anything to prevent that from happening, even if that meant executing an innocent soul for her father's crimes. A bounty had been placed on Wren's head. The entire universe is looking for her. Now his only duty is to find her befo

I am a LONG time Futuristic and Science Fiction Romance fan. There are only a handful of authors out there in this genre that consistently write a good tale that is not erotica (or bordering on it). Susan Grant is one of them. I've read everything the lady has written. I adored her Star King series and Contact. I was lukewarm on the first book of her Otherworldly Men series but really liked the second and third books. When I found I was lukewarm on her last book, the first of The Borderlands series, I hoped I was noticing a trend. Yup, I was right. The Warlord's Daughter blew me away. I couldn't put it down. This is the best thing she has written since The Star King. If you have been longing for the rip-roaring action, adventure, and intrigue of her earlier books, with a side-order of Sci-Fi and Romance, then this book is a must read. The main romance in this book is about Wren (the daughter of the evil Supreme Warlord of the Drakken Horde) and Aral (the son of the evil Battlelord Karbon Mawndarr). It is a tale of soul mates, love at first sight, recognition of kindred spirits. After one brief meeting they never forgot each other. Their shared memory gave them the strength and hope to persevere. Separated by years of war, when they are reunited by chance, the seed that was planted so long ago is finally allowed to grow. Hadley and Bolivarr from Moonstruck return. Bolivarr is still struggling to regain his memory and Hadley is now a Captain and given command of her first ship. It isn't necessary to have read Moonstruck to follow their story in this book. Susan fills in enough back-story so you won't feel lost. Unaware of each other, the two groups begin the hunt to find the lost treasure of the Goddesses. At the same time, the newly formed Triad and the Drakken resistance are searching for both Wren and Aral. The 1000 year war between the Coalition and the Drakken is finally over. Or is it?

The two powerful civilizations are on the brink of the final battle to determine who will dominate the galaxy. The brutal Draaken Empire informs Battlelord Aral Mawdarr that none of the Coalition fleet is to get past the Warlord's Flotilla. However, he has switched alliances and plans to see the end of the brutal empire that his father worships as a man of power. Aral expects his award will be THE WARLORD'S DAUGHTER, Awrenkka promised to him as his bride ten years ago when she was thirteen. His treachery works leaving the Warlord dead, but the offspring in danger as everyone wants her; the Draaken to begin a revival while the Coalition to end that revival; even earth is interested in her. Forging a Triad, they seek her while Aral also searches for his vanished fiancée, who plans to destroy a mythical treasure to keep it out of the hands of any warrior regardless of loyalties. That was her intention until she reconsiders when Aral finds his Wren. The latest Borderlands military science fiction romance (see MOONSTRUCK, YOUR PLANET OR MINE, MY FAVORITE EARTHLING, and HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS) is a terrific entry as betrayal for various reasons is the norm. Aral is a fascinating character who has played the dangerous game of traitor for several years while inside the inner most advisory circle to the Warlord; his stealth skill might seem implausible but espionage cases like Ames and Walker prove otherwise. In many ways Wren is the more intriguing protagonist as she goes from total isolation to being the most wanted person in the galaxy. Fans of the Draaken-Coalition War will enjoy the latest saga as the battles may be over for now, but the hostility remains heated. Harriet Klausner