Warrior (The Blades of the Rose, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Oct 01, 2010 cc rated it really liked it

Shelves: heroine-v, steamy, 2010-read, paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, this was a joyful ride. Where to begin? Sometimes I really don’t know where/how to start a review *.*

So…Warrior, the first book in The Blades of the Rose series, is a fast-paced, romantic-adventurous tale about secret Orders, ancient and powerful magic, exotic places, a beautiful and brave heroine, an extremely hunky hero, and yes, a steamy-no-really-can-someone-hand-me-a-fan love story. I don’t think I’d ever read a book quite like Warrior before, nevertheless, a somewhat unsettling feeli Well, this was a joyful ride. Where to begin? Sometimes I really don’t know where/how to start a review *.*

So…Warrior, the first book in The Blades of the Rose series, is a fast-paced, romantic-adventurous tale about secret Orders, ancient and powerful magic, exotic places, a beautiful and brave heroine, an extremely hunky hero, and yes, a steamy-no-really-can-someone-hand-me-a-fan love story. I don’t think I’d ever read a book quite like Warrior before, nevertheless, a somewhat unsettling feeling that I’ve seen this movie already kept coming and going. And then again, maybe this was just because the author knows how to write a scene that can unfold itself before one’s eyes just like a movie, in which, by the way, what happens is what the reader wishes to see.

The whole adventure is engaging -believe me, there’s never a dull moment in this- and the lead characters, with whom the reader naturally spends most of the time, are a pleasure to watch in action. The female protagonist, Thalia, has a mind of her own, is sensible enough without being a whiner, and most importantly, gets things done even with such a strong male lead beside her; and Gabriel, a recently retired army Captain, who just wanted to settle down and raise a family, but who gets caught up in this good versus evil unusual fight instead, is manly enough without ever being the common alpha-jealous-possessive guy -he’s all that: yes, but with a lot of (appreciated) moderation. Of course once he sets his golden eyes on Thalia, the battle quickly gets to be his own too, and that Settle Down life plan is no more.

And because I already started the lust topic, here we go again…it’s Confession Time! So, one thing that annoys me a bit in some books is when the sex scenes make me feel like I’m reading the script of a porn movie (if such things even exist). You know…*unsure*…when after the “normal” first scene, things make a turn to Kinky Road. Now I’ll just pretend I’m being interviewed -by myself- and ask: but why is that annoying to you? Weeell…first because the whole thing is just predictable…really it is, want to see? It usually goes like this: man on top, girl on top, doggy style, one finger, two fingers (optional), oral for her, oral for him, oral for both, and again from the start! Marry me, my love, the end (note that sometimes there’s a pause for pregnancy -not the case here, though) –and Warrior is only ruining my sequence because the first two stages are switched; second, because I hate the sex talk that comes with it -all the “Oh…God, yes!” variations and alikes: hate them; and lastly, because I don’t want to know about the “juicy” details… -that’s just too much information…really, keep your eating/drinking habits to yourselves, lead characters. (Note to future readers: be sure this book is going to be…say, 50% of lust, 20% of consummated lust, and 30% of everything else.)

(I’m so cranky today. Forgive me, Zoë.)

To finish: I will certainly read the rest of this series (Scoundrel: next) because, besides the fact I want more Blades of the Rose adventures, these books are addictive, and because *blushes* well, I kind of acquired a literary crush on the nerdy-genius Blade, with coffee colored skin, and oh-so-cute way of quizzically cleaning his glasses, Catullus. He appeared briefly in this one, but will be the hero in the fourth and last book of the series (not really sure if it’s the last one…), so yeah…I have to keep reading to get to him.
Cuidado com o Dálmata - Warrior ...more

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May 26, 2011 Tammy rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. It was very different. I loved the 2 main characters. He was all " manly hero" with just enough sensitivity to make him really loveable. She was tough and strong without being bitchy about it. Together they were really a great couple who brought out the best in each other and made for a really likeable pair. The rest of the ensemble were interesting as well. Great start to what I hope will continue to be a fun series. ...more

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Oct 12, 2010 Daffodil rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, historical

4.5 Stars. Definitely recommend this book. It's a historical, but doesn't "feel" like a historical. Thalia has been living in Mongolia since she was a little child, so she is a strong character with atypical views. Gabriel Huntley is also a very strong character, having been in the army for the majority of his adult life. But he hasn't become hardened and still cares about doing the right and fair thing. The book is well written and the action moves along well. I'm definitely going to be reading ...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Rachel-RN rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2014

3.5*
I liked that this was set somewhere different (in this case Mongolia). I enjoyed Thalia and the fact that she was not TSTL. I loved that she was able to save herself at the end of the book. I would have liked to have had less staring/watching/looking between Thalia and Gabriel. I also thought Gabriel was too focused on how unconventional Thalia was. The first half of the book was a bit slow going. Once they found the Source it picked up. The end of the book packed a punch and made up for the ...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Wan rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic-witch-warlock-druid, dangerous-hero, 5-stars

4.5 stars. Love it. This is like Indie Jones plus Lara Croft. Though, it took me a long time to read -- got interupted by Irene/power out al all -- but finally finished. Zoe Archer rocks. Moving on to the next book.

Oops! how could I forget....to mention THE chapter 13. Hot!!!

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Oct 02, 2010 Amy ~Lover of Books~ marked it as to-read

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Oct 09, 2010 Anja marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: c, w-az

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Oct 10, 2010 Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) marked it as to-read

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Oct 12, 2010 Sandra J Weaver rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pnr

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Oct 18, 2010 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, romance, 2014, travelling-together, protective-heroes, jealous-heroes, adventure, paranormal, spitfire-heroines, virgin-heroine

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