The Warlord's Daughter by Susan Grant

The Warlord's Daughter is part of the Borderlands series which I've been enjoying. I reviewed Moonstruck, the previous book in the series, here earlier. A few characters from previous books have important roles in this one and I would advise reading at least Moonstruck before you read The Warlord's Daughter.

The hero is Aral, son of a vicious Drakken Warlord. Aral has been leading a double life and secretly helping the Drakken's enemies for years. The heroine is Wren, neglected daughter of the assassinated Drakken leader. She is an endearing young woman and it was interesting to watch her grow during the book and realize who she really is.

There is a wonderful and emotional secondary romance between Bolivarr, Aral's brother, and Hadley, who was important in the previous book. She becomes a Captain, gets her own ship and comes into her own in The Warlord's Daughter and I was glad she got her happy ending.

Although I would give Moonstruck the edge if I had to pick which of the two books I liked best, primarily because of Moonstruck's hero Finn, they are both fun, action filled reads that I recommend to anyone who likes science fiction romance. I'd rate this book 8.0 out of 10.

Slave by Cheryl Brooks

This is a tough book to review. I've been thinking about it a lot and decided not to give a numerical rating. The book has such high points and such low points that it would result in an average rating, and this is anything but an average book.

First, the positives about Slave. It is very original--outstandingly so. It has interesting (though flawed) characters. It has an excellent beginning. The first sentence is, "I found him in the slave market on Orpheseus Prime, and even on such a godforsaken planet as that one, their treatment of him seemed extreme." It moves quickly and never bogs down. It has plenty of surprises and a satisfying conclusion.

But it is a seriously flawed book. One of the largest flaws is the excessive use of exclamation points. Where was the editor? I have never seen a book with more exclamation points and it became quite irritating. I opened two pages at random--one page had 5 and one had 7, and that was not unusual. Another flaw is the "folksy" sayings of the heroine. Folksy might be okay in a minor character, but not in a major one. This is the author's first book and you can tell.

Although the book has a good amount of sex in it, it is more sweet than erotic, even though it is explicit. It is interesting, particularly the alien aspects (although the nose fetish was just bizarre) but not hot. This is not necessarily bad, unless you were expecting a hot and steamy romance.

All in all, it is an intriguing book that would have been very good with some editing, but verges on being unreadable because of serious flaws. I may give the author another try, particularly if I can look through the book first to see if she's cured her addiction to exclamation points.

Moonstruck by Susan Grant

I've read several Susan Grant books and this is my favorite. When I first started to read it, I groaned because I thought it was going to have the same plot as one of the best SF romances ever, Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. There are certain similarities, but once I got a few chapters in I realized the books were quite different.

I love books with strong heroines, and Brit Bandar is a tough starship admiral. The hero, Finn, is a former pirate and Brit's long-time adversary, but they are thrown together when peace is declared and they must serve on the same ship. Finn is a witty, sexy rogue and it's easy to see how Brit falls for him despite her best intentions. They both have issues from their pasts that they need to overcome.

I loved the relationship between the two main characters, but I also thought the secondary characters were very well done. The plot moved quickly and had some interesting twists. The world building was a bit generic, but I didn't care because I was so caught up in the love story.

I'd rate Moonstruck an 8 out of 10 and look forward to Grant's next book.

Warrior by Angela Knight

The last book I finished was Warrior by Angela Knight. This is part of her Time Hunters series. The first in the series was Jane's Warlord, but you don't have to read them in order. It's a Berkely Sensation book, classified as Paranormal, though I think it fits in the Science Fiction Romance category better.

Angela Knight is a great writer and I've read most, possibly all, of her books. She excels in creating strong alpha males and writes some of the hottest sex scenes out there.

Things I liked about this book:
It's fast moving with no slow spots. The characters are likable and easy to root for. The heroine is strong and smart. It involves time travel, one of my favorite subjects. Knight does a nice job of world building with just the right amount of detail. The plot is interesting, with some suspense.

Overall, I would rate this book a 6.5 out of 10. It is a fast, fun read but not my favorite Angela Knight. I look forward to reading the next in the series, which is Enforcer.