Assassin's Honor (Order of the Sicari, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Sep 15, 2010 Akaria Gale rated it it was ok

This book was at once compelling and completely frustrating. I really found the world of the Sicari engrossing and you could tell Burns put a lot of effort into creating their world. The story was a classic oldie but goodie. A big strong warrior male must bring an unknowing smart and gutsy female into his secret world to protect her from a great evil. The action scenes painted an exciting picture. The love scenes were tame (for me) but sexy. All this should equal up to a satisfying three star re This book was at once compelling and completely frustrating. I really found the world of the Sicari engrossing and you could tell Burns put a lot of effort into creating their world. The story was a classic oldie but goodie. A big strong warrior male must bring an unknowing smart and gutsy female into his secret world to protect her from a great evil. The action scenes painted an exciting picture. The love scenes were tame (for me) but sexy. All this should equal up to a satisfying three star read for me but it just didn't gel.

I think I'm going to chalk it up to pacing. Things just moved too slow. I liked getting inside both Ares and Emma's heads and seeing how they felt and what motivated them, but there was too much of that. There also wasn't enough action. I never really felt Ares and Emma were in that much danger. Most of the story took place between two ultra secure Sicari compounds so Ares obsession with keeping Emma safe seemed more neurotic than alpha male protective. In fact, I didn't really care for him or Emma and that's a horrible thing in a PNR! I wanted more of Ares as a strong, respected leader. A little more interaction with his fellow warriors or some backstory on why he was so respected by Lysander, Phae and the others could've gone a long way in making him more believable. Emma. Oh Emma. A gutsy heroine is admirable, but Emma's version of that came across as whining and annoying. There were several times where I wanted Ares to just duct tape her mouth shut and chain her to a chair so she'd stay put and be quiet.

The secondary characters intrigued me most. Lysander, Ares second in command impressed as well as Ares's sister Phae. I also enjoyed meeting Atia, the Sicari leader and Ares's godmother and Cleo another warrior and skilled swordswoman. Lysander and Phae are up next in Assassin's Heart and I look forward to their romance.

All in all I liked the world and the secondary characters enough to read the next book. If Burns stays true to the Lysander and Phae we met in Assassin's Honor it should be one wild read. ...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Daffodil rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, assassin

I loved the concept and mythology. I loved Ares, Lysander & Phae. I could understand where Emma was coming from, even when she was being irritatingly illogical; finding out people you count as friends and colleagues might also be liars and murderers would throw anyone off. The book was well written and the action kept the pace mooving smoothly. It was easy to see what attracted Emma to Ares. The only thing I had a problem with: Why was Ares so attracted to Emma right from the beginning? What did ...more

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