Keeper of the Heart

Rating:
Summary: I read it twenty times
Review: I love Keeper of the Heart. I love reading stories about times gone by and about places that the writers have created from their imagination. That way we can do anything we want and it should not be questioned. It is in fact not real. So, if a character is spanked, loved or otherwise, we as readers have to know that this is not really happening somewhere. I feel Johanna Lindsey isn't afraid to go there, those who are write boring stories. Those who can't read it miss out. Johanna I'm waiting for a story about Dalden, you can even write another story about Shanelle and Falon. I miss them.

Rating:
Summary: Something of a let-down.
Review: Well, I'm sorry, but in this book, I think the Big Guy loves Helpless Girl goes a bit too far. I liked the use of technology, Martha rocks!

Rating:
Summary: Johanna is simply the best!
Review: Keeper of the Heart is another fantastic romance from one of the most talented romance authors today. I enjoyed every page of it. Lindsey isn't afraid of being politically incorrect. Why should she. It's fiction and a little bit of fantasy, after all!

Rating:
Summary: KEEPER OF THE HEART was fun to read
Review: KEEPER OF THE HEART was fun to read. Shanelle and Falon were enigmatic and very alive characters. There was one thing Lindsey did in this book that in my opinion was unforgivable: She legitimate wife beating. Whenever Falon thinks Shanelle did something wrong, he punishes her by beating her. He even has the nerve to try to comfort her afterward and to tell her the punishment was for her own good. Of course Shanell is so weak that she is angry with him only for a few hours and then she forgives him. In the end everyone even convinces her that the beating wasn't so bad after all. It is just unbelievable. I believe that as a writer Lindsey as the responsibility to educate her readers to stand up for themselves and never to be satisfied with something less then equal rights for husband and wife. I believe that in fiction, no writer as the right to write about wife beating as legitimate thing, and it doesn't matter which century or society he is writing about. Lindsey is no exception.

Rating:
Summary: Why Is Tedra's Daughter Such a Baby?
Review: "Keeper of the Heart" is a fun sci-fi romance, but by no means is it one of Lindsey's better efforts. In fact, "Keeper" in no way compares to its prequel, the outstanding and wonderful "Warrior's Woman," yet it is a far cry from the stupidity of its boring sequel, "Heart of a Warrior."

"Keeper" is a decent story, with bits of passion and humor here and there. The gist of the story is that Shanelle's fear of marrying a warrior and her low tolerance of pain make her resist and flee from Falon, forcing her chosen lifemate to chase her across the galaxy to prove his love.

First, the positives. Lindsey did an excellent job of incorporating the characters from "Warrior's Woman" into "Keeper" with little to no back-story and stayed true to their personalities and speech patterns. I read the three books back-to-back, and was pleased at how naturally "Warrior's" story flowed into "Keeper."

Now, the negatives: Shanelle's fear of pain and punishment were ridiculously overblown. It was difficult to sympathize with her. If she could learn to defend herself with martial arts, etc., she should be able to tolerate some pain. But the entire book was about her dopey fears! I found myself rolling my eyes once or twice while reading. Worse yet, with Tedra as her mother, how could she be such a wus?!?

I also thought the men in "Keeper" - Challen, Dalden, and Falon (wow, that rhymes!) - were ALL a bit heavy-handed where Shanelle was concerned. I'd be pretty upset if I had three overbearing warriors breathing down my neck over my love life. Yeah, I'd leave the planet, too.

As for the spanking scene, I started rolling my eyes (again) over the reviews freaking out about it. I'm sorry, but if that really offended you, you should not be reading a Johanna Lindsey romance. A lot worse happens to other heroines in her other books, many of which are awesome novels. This was NOTHING.

Rating:
Summary: MY FIRST REVIEW WAS DENIED
Review: I think my first review was denied because I gave away the "plot" if you can call it that.

This is supposed to be a romance/science fiction novel. It is a poor excuse for either genre, and I am ashamed for the author for her half-***ed attempt at combining the two. For those of you who enjoy romance, but would like to venture into the realm of science fiction or fantasy, PLEASE do not think that this is in any way a fair representative of the genre. For those who enjoy SF/F but want to read something spicier, look elsewhere. This book is about as spicy as a bowl of oatmeal.

This book has many reviews that might lead a reader to believe this is an X-rated, hot and sensual romance novel. There are only two "love" scenes in this book, neither of which are x-rated, hot, or sensual. And they are certainly NOT romantic.

The ONLY interresting and halfway realistic character in this story is a COMPUTER, for crying out loud. ALL the other characters are completely un-likable. The "heroine" is a simpering, whiney, indecisive flake. The love-interrest is a hunk. That's it... a hunk. There are no other adjectives to describe this non-character. Only a doe-eyed teenager would think this man was anything but repulsive.

The "romantic" plot is based on love-at-first-sight. They have no relationship whatsoever throughout the entire book, except she is physically attracted to him, but mentally and emotionally repelled. (Until she decides all she really needs is a hunk after all. Who needs a relationship when you've got a total Babe?)

The "plot?" You could say there are many twists and turns, but that would be an understatement. A roller-coaster has twists and turns, but at least it has a stable base that keeps it on TRACK. This book is like a leaf in a hurricane. It really veers off-course when the heroine leaves the planet to escape being married to the handsomest bore/boar in the universe. From here on out, it's one seemingly random, unimportant mini-story after another. The ending is drawn out and forced. New characters are introduced for no apparant reason in the last few chapters. And to make the entire book a complete flop, the main character (who should always ALWAYS go through some sort of change...for better (novels) or for worse (literature))fails to do so. She ends up in the exact same situation that she started out in, and just resigns herself (happily) to being the same simpering, whiney, indecisive flake she always was, only now we can add "submissive" to the list of bad character traits.

I won't go into the male dominant/female submissive angle much, as it has already been discussed at length. However, I would just like to say that this was a great opportunity for the author to make a positive advancement in the leading lady's character, as she was TERRIFIED OF PAIN and this was the ONLY basis of the novel's momentum. If she had not been so afraid of pain, there would not have been a conflict which is the driving force in any work of fiction. I suppose you might consider the fact that she was forced to experience pain by way of semi-public humilation, and a spanking that left welts and bruises on her body the heroine's "great transformation." Some people's reviews have hinted that this "punishment" was sexy. It was not written in a sexy manner, and it did not lead to sex. It was actual punishment, and she ended up being brain-washed into believing that she DESERVED this and all future punishments because she was a woman. Yes it is fiction, and no it is not "real," but this is the message that is being represented. Another reviewer stated that her father whipped her and her mother with a belt. I sincerely hope that her mother is able to get help, and the reviewer does not end up in an unhealthy relationship where this type of treatment can be perpetuated from mother to daughter again.

I gave this book one star because this was the lowest possible rating. I hope Amazon will soon offer a zero-star rating, because that is what this book deserves.

Rating:
Summary: My fave of the 3
Review: I have read Warrior's Woman first, Heart of a Warrior next and now Keeper of the Heart. I enjoy Keeper of the Heart most. I love the determination of Falon to pursue Shanelle and make her his, his tenderness and his good measure of reasonableness as compared to Challen and Dalden. Shanelle is kind-hearted but with a temper (not excessively). I like this book better also as it has much follow-up of Challen and Tedra. The verbal battle between Martha and Brock is amusing too. It does not have excessive explanation of the background and history unlike the first and the last book. Readers who have read the first book could follow it easily and should love it too. Heart of the Warrior is the most disappointing of the lot. The possesiveness and protectiveness of the warriors are quite endearing. I enjoy reading how Falon tried to make up for his initial lack of sensibility, with a blend of determination and self-control, to gain Shanelle's trust. I like Falon character to be capable of jeolousy and frustration, he is the most expressive of the 3 warriors, and I think the most likeable.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: I read these Sci-fi romances from Ms. Lindsey out of order. I read Warrior's Woman, which is the first, THEN I read Heart of a Warrior, the third book before I picked up this one. So I had a good idea what it was about when I started to read.

I *loved* Warrior's Woman so much, that I was pretty disappointed at Heart of a Warrior. I didn't know what to expect of this one. But it is on equal ground for me as Warrior's Woman.

I loved the story and I loved Falon. He was sooo undeniably awesome. He was a little brutal at the beginning of the book, but he spends the entire book trying to make that up to the heroine. I didn't mind the spanking scene as so many people have, but spanking seems to be a common theme throughout Ms. Lindsey's books, so it didn't bother me at all. It was simply Shanelle's sensitive skin that bruises too easily that made it seem more than it actually was. Even Falon regretted what he did afterwards and lovingly carried her to a meditech.

The warriors that Johanna has invented are so extremely arrogant, yet she writes them in such a way that they know what they are talking about. They are arrogant *because* their ways work, pure and simple. They are so possessive and intimidating, yet at the same time, they are all teddy bears at heart. That is what I love about these books, and I truly hope that Johanna isn't finished with only three books about these warriors.