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A review by readingpenguin
Scoundrel by Zoe Archer
5.0
The Blades of the Rose are the type of thing you read when you want historical romance that's more along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean than Pride and Prejudice. After finishing the first book, Warrior, I looked forward to reading Bennet Days story. I was not disappointed.
Bennet is in Greece looking for a Source in order to prevent in from falling into the hands of the Heirs. He meets London and discovers that she is the daughter of an Heir, as well as the wife of a man Bennet was forced to kill. London knows nothing about the Heirs, mainly because they are terribly sexist. She is, however, one of very few people able to read ancient languages. Her father plans to use London's linguistic skills and then immediately marry her off to one of his comrades to get her out of the way. But when London comes to understand what the Heirs do, and the destruction they are responsible for, she changes sides to join Bennet in his quest. Naturally, this leads to them falling into bed together. Bennet is a notorious libertine, and London tries to be accepting of the temporary nature of their relationship. Helping Bennet and London along their journey are Athena the Greek witch, and Kallas the expert captain.
I loved this book. Intense action, intriguing mythology, sexy romance, and a well rounded cast of characters. Archer did a very good job with character development in this book. London starts out a sheltered heroine desperate for adventure, and grows in terms of strength and independence. Bennet, the classic playboy, goes from carefree to committed in a way that's surprisingly believable. Archer uses their relationship to help them grow and mature. On top of this, I liked Athena and Kallas and enjoyed their budding romance.
The only potential criticism I can offer about this book is that in some instances, because of the nature of the plot and the personalities of the characters, it can get a bit cheesy. Whether that will bother you or not depends on taste. For myself, I like a little cheese in a book like this.
I highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars.
Bennet is in Greece looking for a Source in order to prevent in from falling into the hands of the Heirs. He meets London and discovers that she is the daughter of an Heir, as well as the wife of a man Bennet was forced to kill. London knows nothing about the Heirs, mainly because they are terribly sexist. She is, however, one of very few people able to read ancient languages. Her father plans to use London's linguistic skills and then immediately marry her off to one of his comrades to get her out of the way. But when London comes to understand what the Heirs do, and the destruction they are responsible for, she changes sides to join Bennet in his quest. Naturally, this leads to them falling into bed together. Bennet is a notorious libertine, and London tries to be accepting of the temporary nature of their relationship. Helping Bennet and London along their journey are Athena the Greek witch, and Kallas the expert captain.
I loved this book. Intense action, intriguing mythology, sexy romance, and a well rounded cast of characters. Archer did a very good job with character development in this book. London starts out a sheltered heroine desperate for adventure, and grows in terms of strength and independence. Bennet, the classic playboy, goes from carefree to committed in a way that's surprisingly believable. Archer uses their relationship to help them grow and mature. On top of this, I liked Athena and Kallas and enjoyed their budding romance.
The only potential criticism I can offer about this book is that in some instances, because of the nature of the plot and the personalities of the characters, it can get a bit cheesy. Whether that will bother you or not depends on taste. For myself, I like a little cheese in a book like this.
I highly recommend this book. 4.5 stars.