HR-ML's Reviews > Julie Garwood Box Set: Gentle Warrior, Honor's Splendour, Lion's Lady, and a New Excerpt!

This contained 3 books by the same author. The
late Julie Garwood wrote some great romances,
but not so much on the following.

1) Gentle Warrior -medieval. Gave this 3.5 stars.
Lady Elizabeth was treated like a boy by her sire IE
taught to ride a horse & to use a bow & arrow. And
had a pet hawk, 2 wolfhounds, & served as healer.
She wanted personal revenge for the death of her
sire & sisters. She made unwise decisions (almost
TSTL) but had good intentions.

She wed a baron, Lord Geoffrey, a too-serious
warrior, who lectured her IE stay inside the
castle walls, know your place etc. Geoff verbally
abused her, shook her, pulled her hair; bodice
ripper behavior. She felt he was too slow at find-
ing the murderer of her family & she thought
SHE knew.

2) Honour's Splendor- medieval. 2 stars.
Lady Madelyne saved a baron, Duncan, from her
baddie half-brother. Who planned for Duncan to
freeze to death. She feared horses & claimed to
never lie and to be a "good, gentle lady." The
moody MCs argued too often and seemed to have
the same convo. over & over. Their back/ forth
insults 'cut to the bone.' Why the drama? She sought
validation by others, but spoke too harshly to
almost everyone.

Was is necessary for readers to know half-brother
was a 'special friend' of the king & lusted after sister?

3) Lion's Lady- Regency. Finished Ch 12 & then DNF.
Beautiful Christina was raised by a Native American
couple. Fast forward to Boston, then England. Her
greedy countess/ aunt/ guardian x 1 year ran out of
money & now wanted all of niece's inheritance. Lyon,
a marquess, met the beauty and then nearly stalked
her. The beauty proposed to Lyon. Who'd want grumpy
immature, former spy, Lyon? I liked his bestie better.
Sorry, not my cup of tea.

4) books #1 and 2 had similar elements.
Elizabeth saved 1 warrior & Madelyne saved 2. Mad
feared horses, had no survival skills & a thrown to-
gether map & planned to seek refuge w/ her female
cous in Scotland. Huh? Both women cried too often.
Both chided spouse b/c the warrior wouldn't share
w/ wife his military strategy- huh? Both men were
obsessed warriors who never smiled or joked. Both
men showed authority by placing their hands on
their hips. Enough already! Both lectured their wives
and/ or broke her spirit. Both wives contradicted the
warrior in front of his men-uncool. These themes
seemed too much the same.

5) All 3 heroes were huge men with huge chests and
shoulders etc. And huge egos to match.

6) IMO much better books by this author: The
Wedding, The Bride, the Secret. The last one I've
read several times.

Revised 09/04/23.