Shana Abe doesn't just write Historical Romance, she's created her own genre, Historical Adventure Romance. This includes all 3 books I've read of hers, and am now on a quest to get her backlist. What you need to know about Shana Abe, if you haven't read her, is that her stories are intense and emotional. Her books seem to have a goal that has an unattainable happy ending for both hero and heroine, but while she's winding the HEA, you are just plunged into a rich story line of characters, scenery, and emotions and at the end of the book you can finally breath again because you've been holding your breath to see how her story will end.
In Intimate Enemies, Lauren and Arion are enemies that are temporarily working together to defeat Vikings that threaten their island. In briefly coming together, each are drawn to the other, despite being groomed from birth to hate the other. So there is internal conflict and external conflict. Shana Abe makes you feel the tension that each of these felt with each other and their families. After several injuries and denials about their feelings, the couple's ending FINALLY comes with such a sweet reward, and the last few paragraphs of the book is something that I'll pick up and reread again and again. The heroine wasn't too feisty, even though she had to lead her clan, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was honorable man, even though he didn't want to be sometimes, they were both likable characters who so deserved the love that each of them needed from the other. Definite Keeper.
In Intimate Enemies, Lauren and Arion are enemies that are temporarily working together to defeat Vikings that threaten their island. In briefly coming together, each are drawn to the other, despite being groomed from birth to hate the other. So there is internal conflict and external conflict. Shana Abe makes you feel the tension that each of these felt with each other and their families. After several injuries and denials about their feelings, the couple's ending FINALLY comes with such a sweet reward, and the last few paragraphs of the book is something that I'll pick up and reread again and again. The heroine wasn't too feisty, even though she had to lead her clan, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was honorable man, even though he didn't want to be sometimes, they were both likable characters who so deserved the love that each of them needed from the other. Definite Keeper.
Helpful Score: 1
I really like Shana Abe's new books. I have had hit and miss on her older books. This one I put firmly in the good category. It was an interesting read, but I found the interaction of the characters and the difficulty of the situation a little blase. I am a big fan of Shana Abe's books and think that her writing has matured into an amazing read now.
