I really enjoyed the premise of A Warrior's Heart, with its isolated community, fierce defender, and the interloper with regrets, I expected a bit of historical fiction with a healthy dose of eventual romance.
While some of those elements were present, in the end, I felt like I wasn't the intended audience for this book.
The elements I was most intrigued by (the village of Laurent, the life of a female warrior, etc) all quickly took second place to a romance plot between the two lead characters.
The Village of Laurent is a fascinating town hidden in its caves with a history that was only hinted at. I truly hope some of that is unveiled in future novels of the Brides of Laurent series as it felt so underutilized here.
As did Brielle. I really wanted to love her as a lead. She has risen the ranks to be a protector of her people, had faced down hardships and loss, and was a character that hinted towards great strengths and awareness of her weaknesses. But most of the book focused on her attraction to Evan in a way that felt contrary to the character and history introduced in the earliest chapters.
Same with Evan, although he had some shining moments later in the book, most of my memory of the story was his pining after Brielle, even as she was in a position of authority over him.
I think I just went in with the wrong expectations. I wanted the history of Laurent, the reality of life on the frontier and the uniqueness of the culture that had sprung up in their isolation. In reality, this boils down to a romance novel placed in a previous era more than historical fiction and romance fans will probably find a greater connection to the story Beller shares.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."
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