Lady Danger - Sarah McKerrigan
When I was growing up, there were few if any fantasy books / romance books that had a strong-willed, sword-wielding female character. Even Arwen in Lord of the Rings was a minor afterthought. It was always men who stood up to injustice and took action - usually as the women cowered in the shadows, waiting to be rescued.I am so thrilled that Sarah McKerrigan has written this trilogy of able-bodied, warrior-spirited women. These books mirror the mindset of movies like The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean, where women can ably stand alongside men to do what is right.
It's important to read the other two stories first, so that you get the background of what is happening. A trio of sisters have been guarding their castle for many years. In the first two books, the eldest, and then the middle daughter found happy pairings with men worthy of their skills. The eldest was mature and rational. The middle woman was rash and headstrong. Both of them - and indeed the entire castle's inhabitants - routinely ignored and looked down on the youngest daughter, Miriel. She was the non-warrior, the bookish one who maintained the castle's ledgers.
But in reality, Miriel had her own skills. With the help of a Chinese servant, she had learned the ways of quiet combat. As "The Shadow", she made sure that her elderly father's gambling habits did not destroy the castle's finances. Her skills were not flashy sword moves like her two older sisters maintained, but the subtle skill of knife and hiding.
I greatly appreciate how each sister in this trilogy is very different from the others, while sharing common family values. Deirdre was straightforward and responsible. Helena savored act-before-thinking. Miriel has learned to take advantage of people overlooking her. She deflects and deceives to reach her goals. She runs straight into a man who is equally adept in this art - a mercenary named Rand who has been hired to track down The Shadow.
Sure, we all knew from the beginning that The Shadow was Miriel. Heck, we knew that in the first book. Many books relish in the slow reveal, and that's fine. There are the usual misconceptions, but in this case, both main characters actively lie at every turn, so it's far more believable here than in most stories.
I love oriental cultures and ran a feudal Japan group for many years, so I appreciated the many references to oriental weaponry and technique. I also like how the training extends into her morality and her way of looking at the world.
Yes, it requires a fairly large suspension of disbelief that somehow this young teen girl in medieval England has ended up with a master Chinese warrior as her 'servant' and has become a ninja in a few years - complete with extensive arsenal. Still, when you look at what happens in most romance books, there's always odd things happening that you have to roll with. We wouldn't want to read books where a milkmaid goes about her chores every day.
As with the second book, I have to say I really like the style - and I did relate much better to Miriel than to Helena. But I adore the first book (Lady Danger) so much, and the main character is so near to my heart, that I still easily choose that as one of my favorite romance books ever. Still, it is great to finish off the series and to learn more about the trio of siblings that make up this intriguing family.
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