Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Every possible cliche piled into a single book, 14 Nov 2000
By A Customer
I do enjoy reading a good historical romance. Perhaps the cover page should have warned me that this was not going to be a good one. The hero has his bare sword (without scabbard) stuck into a leather belt diagonally so that he could not ride walk or sit without piercing his thigh and cutting other vital parts. He grips the sword with his hand in a way which proves that he has never used a sword - the wrong way round. If he pulls it out of his belt like this he won't only cut off his own balls but he won't be able to inflict any damage on his enemy except possibly stab at a much much taller opponents face. So this is supposed to be the Great Warrior? He? I told myself that I must not let the daft cover prejudice me. I settled down for a good read. And what do I get? Cliche after cliche, with barely an original thought. Every single cliche used in historical and romance novels had been warmed up here and is served up - the heroine disguised as a boy, the heroine stitching up the heroes wounds, etc etc. I can't believe how boring this was. And I'm a reader who enjoys historical romance. Perhaps, because I'm such an avid reader, I recognize a cliche when I see one. But dozens of them in one book are more than I wish to bear again. This is a formula-manufactured book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strong woman with guts becomes a wimp in the end., 16 Mar 1998
By A Customer
Once a Warrior starts strong and boasts a maiden who actually has class and personal strength. The story unfolds with wisdom provided by an elder and self-knowledge becoming evident. Unfortunately, the ending is shallow and weak. Why does this strong heroine have to just cave in to the hero's decisions? Can she no longer think for herself just because she is in love? Except for the frustrating ending, an enjoyable tale. I hope Karyn Monk reconsiders weakening her females like this and allows them to remain strong even in the face of a man.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last, a hero who's not perfect!, 7 Nov 1997
By A Customer
Pick up "Once a Warrior", and be prepared to be glued to it to the end. Karyn Monk's characters are as unpredictable as predictable. Alpin, the seer, smacks of Disney's Merlin in "Sword in the Stone"; Ariella, the heroine, is the stereotype beautiful-slender-smart combination so loved in romances; Roderic, the villain, is the classic self-centered, cruel, but handsome bad guy. The surprise character in this book is the hero, Malcolm, a.k.a. the Black Wolf. A once fearless warrior, the man has been reduced to drinking excessively to kill the pain of battle wounds that twist and torture his body. The story is thick with deception and truth, realism and fantasy, humor and horror. You'll cheer for the good guys, snarl for the bad, and applaud for the entire book.
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