Heart of Honor

November 20, 2006
Martin's latest romance, a convoluted Victorian frolic, is sure to test readers' suspension of disbelief, as well as their patience. Though she's the editor of a gazette devoted to women's cultural and economic issues, Krista Hart's powerful grandfather regularly reminds her that her real duty is to provide the family a male heir—and a suitable courtier, the handsome, educated Matthew Carton, has just made his intentions apparent. Then Krista and her mischievous friend, Coralee, visit the circus, where they find a huge, gibbering, unkempt man named Leif caged as a sideshow attraction. Thanks to her father, who happens to be a scholar of Viking culture, Krista recognizes Leif's shouts as Norse, and learns that he's the sole survivor of a shipwreck hailing from an isolated island where Vikings still live in the old ways. Krista's father rescues Leif and brings him home, eager to teach Leif the English language and customs in exchange for his firsthand Viking knowledge. Leif immediately claims Krista as "his woman," indulges in crude behavior and finally abducts Krista in hopes of taking her back to his island. Though some readers might be turned off by Leif's heavy-handed domination and Krista's tepid reproaches—a throwback to the genre's old-fashioned days—it's Leif's unconvincing transformation from rough 16th-century Viking to 19th-century English gentleman as well as Martin's overwrought prose and distracting repetition that make the romance vet's latest a disappointment.

December 1, 2006
Independent, educated, and headstrong, Krista Hart, publisher of "Heart to Heart", a weekly newspaper for London ladies, is not about to let her family bully her into marrying or stop her from saying or doing what she thinks is right. So when she sees a handsome Norseman imprisoned in a sideshow as the Last Barbarian and learns he speaks Old Norse and is from the mystical island Draugr, Krista has her scholarly father obtain his release. Leif's transformation from Viking to Victorian is fascinating and funny. Yet he's always a warrior; when someone begins to threaten Krista and her paper, Leif decides it's up to him to keep her safe. A fresh, clever plot, an appealing heroine, and a slightly-out-of-time hero combine to produce a charming, lightly suspenseful story that is sure to please Martin's ("Scent of Roses") fans.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.