BOOK REVIEW: Warrior by Zoe Archer

Title: Warrior (The Blades of the Rose #1)

Author: Zoe Archer

Publisher: Zebra Books

Publication Date: Sep 2010

ARC Ebook: 370 pages

Genre: Paranormal/Historical Romance

REVIEWED BY LAURA

RATING: 6/10 - good

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

To most people, the realm of magic is the stuff of nursery rhymes and dusty libraries. But for Capt. Gabriel Huntley, it’s become quite real and quite dangerous…

IN HOT PURSUIT…

The vicious attack Capt. Gabriel Huntley witnesses in a dark alley sparks a chain of events that will take him to the ends of the Earth and beyond—where what is real and what is imagined become terribly confused. And frankly, Huntley couldn’t be more pleased. Intrigue, danger, and a beautiful woman in distress—just what he needs.

IN HOTTER WATER…

Raised thousands of miles from England, Thalia Burgess is no typical Victorian lady. A good thing, because a proper lady would have no hope of recovering the priceless magical artifact Thalia is after. Huntley’s assistance might come in handy, though she has to keep him in the dark. But this distractingly handsome soldier isn’t easy to deceive…

REVIEW:

Captain Gabriel Huntley has returned to England after years of serving abroad in the army. With no remaining family he has nothing in his pocket save a letter from a friend inviting him to Leeds to make and honest living, settle down, marry and have a family.

But Gabriel is restless after years of travelling the world and fighting for his country. He does not know how to fit in to English society, let alone how to go about courting a delicate, Victorian lady.

However, fate intervenes and on his way Gabriel discovers a man being brutally beaten. The man is seriously outnumbered Gabriel cannot bear bullies and rushes to help him. But he's too late and cannot stop it as the man is fatally stabbed.

Gabriel cannot refuse a dying man's wishes so when he requests Gabriel passes on a gravely important message before he knows it the course of his life is irrevocably altered. He finds himself the keeper of a bizarre, encrypted message, in possession of an unusual compass on a ship on his way to Outer Mongolia. Knowing only that he must find a man called Franklin Burgess.

Thalia Burgess has spent most of her life living in abroad. She is more at home wearing a Mongolian del than a corset and bustle. She's not one to live by the rules and decorum set by society. When Captain Huntley arrives with a grave message she knows that her injured father is not well enough to do what is necessary. So she embarks on the dangerous quest on her own with no more than her faithful servant Batu for company.

When Thalia realises she is being followed it is not long before she discovers it is the noble Captain intent on protecting her on her mission. But she protects a sacred, ancient secret. How can Gabriel protect her and not discover the truth?

I can't reveal the full premise of this book as it would spoil it for you. At the beginning the reader is as much in the dark as Gabriel which adds to the overall mystery and intrigue.

When I picked up this novel I expected it to be a standard romance, but it is much more that that. While romance is integral to the story, this is a book about magic, intrigue, and bravery. It is essentially an epic adventure across Mongolia and China as the main characters battle against large odds to fight for the greater good. Which culminates in a spectacular finale involving a rag tag group of unlikely heroes and Shaolin monks all working together.

This book is superbly written and while I'm certainly not a expert in Mongolian culture it is clear that that the author has researched her subject very well. It is the small inclusions as to how the Mongolians lived their lives back in the 19th century that adds to the richness of the narrative.

The main characters are well rounded and three dimensional and avoid many of the clichés that romance characters often fall into. I in particular loved Captain Gabriel Huntley who is a great mix of nobility and strength while at the same time unpolished. The archetypal rough diamond.

If I had one small criticism it would be that at times the narrative is a little slow moving, but just as you're beginning to get frustrated the pace picks up once more.

VERDICT:

This is a fun, adventure that complements a warm and unconventional love story.

SOURCE: Thank you to the author for sending BCC a copy of Warrior for review.

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You can find out more about the author here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Where Stories Are Made: Anya Bast

'Where Stories Are Made' is a new feature here at Book Chick City. It's where the author takes us on a tour of their writing place, be it an office, coffee shop or park and tells us about their writing day and rituals.

My guest today is paranormal romance author Anya Bast...

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Once upon a time, I had an office of my very own. It had a big, beautiful corner desk with bookshelves all around. It had a tilted keyboard and a comfy office chair. It was in the back of my house, far away from the hustle and bustle. I spent so much time there I nearly forget we had a living room.

However, that was back in the time before we were parents. A little more than three years ago we brought our beautiful daughter home from China and so much about our lives changed, the least of which was the loss of my office. Since that day I have been writing on a laptop at our dining room table, a place that is roughly in the center of our house.

This allows me to be a mother first, writer second. I can see and hear what my darling girl is doing at all times and, of course, I can be bothered to do the all-important tasks of changing Barbie clothing, fetching crayons, and opening/shutting toy palaces, doll houses, toy farms, ect and ect.

My daughter is in pre-kindergarten now and I could return to my office during the day, but apparently I’ve formed a new habit. I like seeing the rest of my house and my laptop is nicely portable. Sometimes I take it out onto the porch, sometimes I curl up in an easy chair in the living room. If it’s Saturday or Sunday and the house is too loud for me to concentrate, I take my laptop to a Starbucks.

Of course, we have a few cats (*cough* We have seven through no fault of our own). So I usually have at least one, (if not two or three) somewhere around me while I’m writing.

My laptop is…well, let’s say “well loved”.

I’m probably due a new one soon even though it’s really not that old; It’s just that I use it a lot. This one has had wine spilled on the screen (cat knocked it over) and an entire mug of hot tea spilled on its keyboard (a different cat knocked that one over). I now only drink liquids in sippy cups, thank you very much. It has endured playdoh melted onto its bottom and a fairly serious virus, yet it’s still going strong.

When my daughter was younger I used to only be able to write in snatches of stolen time, early in the morning before she woke, during her naptimes, and after she went to sleep at night. These days I have a long stretch of time during the day to write and I take advantage of it. I set myself a goal of so many words, usually 3 thousand. I write until I reach my goal. Then I take care of the other minutia of a writer’s life—dealing with promotion, advertising, sending out books, answering emails. Generally I take the weekends off, but that’s a recent thing and I have to force myself. I think it’s healthy, though, to take a break every week. Good for my creativity.

I live in my head a lot and don’t tend to pay a lot of attention to anything but my plot and characters while I’m writing, yet I’m lucky to have nice views from my spot at the dining room table. To my left is my aquarium, always a relaxing sight to me.

To my right, I have this view out the window.

My husband is very proud of me. He’s more proud of me than I’m proud of me…by far. He made this corner of all my print published books, the few books I’ve blurbed, and a couple of other mementos.

I never would have done this myself. Left to my own devices, I probably wouldn’t even have all my printed books collected and in my possession, so I guess I’m lucky to have him.

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Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Witch Fury: Out Now

Wicked Enchantment: Out Now

Cruel Enchantment: Out Now

You can find out more about this feature HERE

If you're an author and would like to be featured on 'Where Stories Are Made' please email me: HERE

**Next time on 'Where Stories Are Made': Lauren Kate**

View Shedule Page for full author listing!

Cover Crush - US Edition: Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

'Cover Crush' is a regular feature here at BCC. I love covers - they're the first thing that catches my eye and will be the primary reason I pick up a book. This feature is where I highlight gorgeous covers of books I've seen either around the blogosphere or at the bookshop. These posts run sporadically, as soon as I see a cover I love, I post it!

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I saw this gorgeous cover for Archangel's Consort, the third book in the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh, on the author's blog and I absolutely love it! This instalment will be coming to the UK March 2011, but after seeing the awful UK cover, I think I will buy my copy from the US! I have yet to start this series but I do have Angel's Blood on my shelf so I have no excuses, other than time.

The artist is the brilliant Tony Mauro, make sure you visit his website as all his illustrations are fantastic, including some amazing movie posters. So, what do you think - you likey?

Archangel's Consort

(Guild Hunter #3)

Nalini Singh

Berkley

Jan 2011

Artist: Tony Mauro

Goodreads

Summary:

When vampire hunter Elena Deveraux became an angel, with magnificent wings the colours of midnight and dawn, it turned her world upside down. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control even when it comes to the woman he considers his own.

But Elena has never done well with authority ...especially not when it seems Raphael is the one who needs her help. The archangels may be almost all-powerful, but there are some things that only a Guild Hunter can get done, and Elena and Raphael may be heading for their most dangerous investigation yet.

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Other US covers in the series:

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Event Announcement: Crescendo UK Blog Tour!

Announcing… the Crescendo UK blog tour!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Crescendo, the stunning sequel to international bestseller Hush, Hush, UK publishers Simon & Schuster are unveiling an exclusive blog tour! The tour will take place from the 29th September – 15th October, and stop at the following venues:

29th September - Book Chick City

An exclusive Q&A with Becca Fitzpatrick

4th October - The Bookette

A never-before-seen flashback extract from Crescendo

5th October - Once Upon A Bookcase

A never-before-seen flashback extract from Crescendo featuring Patch & Nora!

6th October – I Was A Teenage Book Geek

SPECIAL FEATURE: “You know you’re obsessed with Hush, Hush when…”

7th October – Book Geeks

Competition to win copies of Crescendo!

8th October - So Many Books So Little Time

Exclusive audio extract from the Hush, Hush audiobook

9th October – Daisy Chain Books

Discussion post: Crescendo playlist

The second leg of the tour will commence at Wondrous Reads, who will celebrate the release of Crescendo with a week dedicated to all-things-Patch, including US vs. UK, an interview with designer James Porto, review, signed goodies to be won, and many more super secret Hush, Hush related material!

Each stop on the tour will reveal an exclusive question and answer with Becca Fitzpatrick, so make sure to follow us every step of the way for your chance to snap up all the sneak peeks and potential prizes! Each blog will also be reviewing Crescendo in the run up to the tour, so keep your eyes peeled to hear what your favourite bloggers thought of this amazing book.

Simon & Schuster will also be celebrating on their Twitter page (@simonkids_UK), giving away exclusive early copies of Crescendo and updating you on all the tour action, tweeting reviews and posts as they come in. We’ll also be following Becca Fitzpatrick through her entire UK tour (more details on that to come later). (Written by S&S)