Fire Dance

The story was well written and it did not confuse me, but I couldn't agree with the logic. It seemed like the main female character was creating most of the trouble and yet she "didn't want trouble". If the main female character wanted the main male character to stay and govern and help her people, why did she allow him to be poisoned by arsenic through over 3/4ths of the book and then she gets upset when he thinks she was the one who did it. She didn't want to marry him so she hid herself with the servants, but she kept doing things to come to his attention. That's the problem with a lot of historical romances. If they are not written with some style and care, they tend to portray the female character as a dramatic ditz with very poor common sense and become bland, overdone, or just annoying.

Fire Dance is a somewhat silly historical romance - with an emphasis on the romance since the history part is daft. Admittedly, I only made it half way through the Audible narration before the constant eye rolling was about to cause me vision loss. The funny thing is - I don't mind a bit of supernatural elements or alternate universe. But seriously, the plot has to at least be believable and with some modicum of attempt to put history in the historical - or just make it a straight fantasy.

Story: Melisande's sorcerer/lord father has died and the Normans are at the gate. She decides to impersonate a maid in order to avoid a forced marriage to the handsome and just knight Alain de Crency. But Alain needs to wed the daughter of the lord - even as he pursues the beautiful maid - little knowing that her hearsay could destroy all he is building.

So yes, this is a romance and if you don't look too closely at it, you may enjoy it. The dialogue, characters, etc. are all very modernized and clearly we have clean peasant (and knight) syndrome. As well, actions that should get characters beaten, raped, or murdered never seem to happen. About half way through the Audible version of this, I'd had enough with the stupidity of both Alain and Melisande. He was borderline incompetent as a knight (ok, seriously, how hard is it to find one girl of a certain age and description - knowing she is hiding from him - and not figure out it is the woman without calluses, well educated, and who talks back to him?). And her actions were so patently stupid as to wonder how she put on a dress...er kirtle...in the morning.

I never even made it to the sorcery part, the romance was too wince worthy. I listened to the Audible version and the male narrator was perhaps a bit too gruff for the part.

This was just OK..I read Loki's Daughter by the same author so I thought maybe this would be as good. The story line was very convoluted ......too many strange twists and stupid misunderstandings, Just tell him that his shroud is poison already!!! Chapter and chapter of her keeping things from him even when he's proven to be a good guy. Why would you not at least try to explain that it is what is making him sick??? So ridiculous!

Yes I always try more than once

The whole story just seamed to blend together

Another performer

I have no idea... I didn't make it that far.

He should work on his delivery. He reads very well and has a nice voice but he somehow manages to make the hero sound like a pompous a$$ and the heroine like a weak ninny. He completely fails to establish the hero's sense of humor or kindness. Don't even get me started on the heroin's voice!

I was a bit dissapointed. This might have been a good book had I been reading the paperback version.

The story started out good, but as you read it, the plot unfolded and than dragged on and on. The mystery of the nightmares could not keep me interested till the end.

I really enjoyed this book.. I liked the narrator reading. The story was entertaining.. For me I like a little dread to make the story more believable but not to much that make it depressing. I need a good happy ending as well. I found this book had a great balance.

I am glad I picked this one up. I wasn't sure at first about the narrator but I was quickly drawn into the story and finished it in one day. I'll be checking out more titles from this author.

I never read the print edition

The Saxon Lord, he was just, chivalrous, understanding, and patient.

Melisande

I would recommend this book