Bintang 3Buku ke2 seri Ly-San-TerSemua orang pasti memiliki ketakutan dan traumanya masing masing tak terkecuali kedua karakter tokoh utama dalam buku ini Shanelle dan Falon.Shanelle, gadis cantik peranakan dari dua orang yg memiliki kebudayaan dan planet yg berbeda. Ibunya Tedra de Arr adalah seorang pejuang wanita yg merupakan pahlawan di panet asalnya Kystran sedangkan ayahnya Challen Ly-San-Ter adalah seorang prajurit barbar dan sekaligus shodan di negerinya. Dengan latar belakang kedua orangtuanya itulah Shanelle yg memiliki sifat dan didikan dari ibunya menghindari pria pria prajurit yg selama ini menunjukkan ketertarikan pada dirinya. Takut akan menjadi ibunya yg tunduk dibawah kekuasaan ayahnya. Shanelle tidak suka jika ibunya kena hukuman ala prajurit oleh ayahnya. Shanelle juga memiliki trauma terhadap rasa sakit akibat penyiksaan yg dialaminya waktu kecil membuatnya bertambah takut memiliki pasangan hidup seorang prajurit yg berukuran raksasa dan kasar. Menghindari ketakutannya itu Shanelle menuntut ilmu di Kystran dengan seizin orangtuanya.Sepulang dari pendidikannya, kembali ke planetnya, Shanelle disambut keramaian turnament yg diadakan oleh ayahnya (untuk memilih kandidat calon suami untuk putrinya tanpa sepengetahuan Shanelle). Sebelum tiba dirumah Shanelle bertemu seorang pria yg sangat menarik hatinya untuk dijdikan pasangan hidup mengingat usianya yg layak dan tak ingin dijodohkan ayahnya. Gayung bersambut, Falon sang pria yg dikira Shanelle pendatang ini juga tertarik pada Shanelle. Dan Shanelle memberikan kali pertamanya pada Falon. Tapi apa yg terjadi? Pada saat saat kritis ternyata Falon ini lepas kendali karena terburu nafsu dan sangat kasar sehingga menyakiti Shanelle yg masih perawan sampai pingsan. Setelah sadar dari pingsannya, Shanelle membatalkan niatnya untuk berpasangan dan meninggalkan Falon yg tidak rela sebelum menebus kesalaannya pada Shanelle.Betapa terkejut Shanelle setiba dirumah dirinya bertemu Falon yg merupakan tamu undangan ayahnya untuk urusan bisnis dengan planet lain. Shanelle akhirnya tahu bahwa Falon ini adalah seorang prajurit yg selama ini dihindarinya.Falon Van Yier Shodan dari Ba-Har-An sebenarnya tidak menyukai pendatang seperti ibu Shanelle. Alasannya karena keluarga Falon pernah mengalami kejadian pahit. Saudara perempuannya diculik, disekap, kemudian diperkosa sampai hamil dan menghasilkan anak oleh seorang pendatang. Semula Falon mengira kalau Shanelle itu adalah pendatang dan berniat untuk dijadikan Shanelle budak pemuas nafsunya. Setelah mengetahui identitas Shanelle maka Falonpun menetapkan Shanelle sebagai pasangan hidupnya dan memenangkan turnament dan mendapat izin dari Challen untuk menjadi pasangan Shanelle.Shanelle yg ketakutan dengan pengalaman pertamanya dengan Falon dan juga mengetahui kalau Falon ini pemilik para budak melarikan diri setelah mengetahui kemungkinan keputusan ayahnya untuk menyerahkan dirinya pada Falon.Falon yg sudah menetapkan Shanelle sebagai "Keeper of the Heart"nya tidak rela ditinggalkan Shanelle. Dengan bantuan pesawat canggih dan peralatan yang super modern yg merupakan hal hal yg tidak disukainya beserta bantuan keluarga (terutama Dalden saudara kembar Shanelle), Falon mengejar Shanelle sampai disebuah planet yg memiliki keunikan sendiri yg tenyata memberikan perlindungan kepada Shanelle.Di planet ini Shanelle ternyata mengalami keadaan yg selama ini selalu dihindarinya yaitu perbudakan dan penyiksaan oleh seorang oknum. Untunglah Falon yg direncanakan kehilangan ingatan cepat datang membantu dan membebaskan Shanelle. Untuk memperlihatkan kebaikan hatinya Falon tidak menghukum Shanelle bahkan Falon menunjukkan bahwa dia bisa bersikap lembut dan dapat mengendalikan dirinya kepada Shanelle. Dan Falon pun dibawa Shanelle kembali kenegerinya Ba-Har-An sebagai pasangan hidupnya.Betapa gembiranya Shanelle setelah mengetahui bahwa di negeri Falon para wanitanya lebih dihargai. Pakaian para wanitanya sama praktisnya dengan pakaian para prajurit dan mereka diperbolehkan menyandang senjata. Walaupun begitu hukuman ala prajurit tetap ada bila seorang wanita tidak menurut pada pemiliknya (hukuman ala pukul bokong).Shanelle yg takut dengan tindak kekerasan histeris saat mendapat hukuman dari Falon. Saat itu Shanelle menerima tantangan yg diajukan saudara perempuan Falon yg membenci Shanelle karena Shanelle anak seorang pendatang dan Falon tidak mengizinkanShanelle menerima tantangan itu. Semula Shanelle menurut dengan apa yg diperintahkan Falon. Tapi karena mulut pedas serta tindakan saudara Falon terhadap anaknya (hasil dari perkosaan) membuat shanelle menerima tantangan dan mengalahkan lawannya dengan cepat (Falon dibuat terkejut dengan keahlian Shanelle).Saat menjalani hukuman, Shanelle yg trauma dengan tindak kekerasan menjadi histeris (Falon dibuat malu juga dengan teriakan Shanelle yg keras). Tapi Falon yg cinta mati dengan Shanelle ini tidak tega melihat lebam ditubuh Shanelle dan mengizinkan Shanelle mengunakan unit meditech untuk menghilangkan lebam dan rasa sakit yg ditimbulkan akibat hukuman Falon (padahal lebam dan rasa sakit harusnya hilang secara alami). Namanya juga cinta, siapa sih yg tega menyakiti orang yg dicintai?
Honestly, I did not judge this book by its cover. I had picked it up, looked around inside, read the back of the paper back version but still when I opened this book, I was blown over to find that this story was not set on Earth but in outer space, many solar systems away from our own planet. This caused much confusion with me because I simply could not relate whatsoever with any of Shani (the heroine's) problems. Shani is the daughter of a shodon (they have their own terminology in this book, that is hardly explained) and must chose a lifemate (husband) before her father chooses one for her. Shani doesn't want her father's choice because she knows he is going to pick a warrior from her own planet and they are known to not treat their women as equals, but as children and even punish them so. So Shani sets out looking for a visitor to join with so that she'll live a life far away from the rules and regulations of her home planet. But she didn't expect to have her socks blown off by one man that ended her search though she didn't know this for good. Still Shani has fears and when her father accepts the man she is attracted to she can't handle it.There were a lot of elements of the book that I felt were completely unneeded. When writer's pan out their stories for more than just a few days and add a whole lot more complicated things to the story it completely looses quality. There was a whole section of the book, that I felt was completely unnecessary and the book would have been fine without. That part was added more for the benefit of the next book than for this one.Still, even with her irrational fear that is completely an eyeroller, Shani is still a pretty likable character. I didn't love Falon very much but the book did have its okay parts. Still, I wouldn't recommend it.
What do You think about Keeper Of The Heart (2006)?
2-2.5 starsThis was a quick easy read, but i definitely had some problems with it.I understand that this is set in an alternate world and therefore maybe some issues i have with it should be put to the side, however, i did still really struggle with some aspects of this book.The main character is definitely the type of woman who says no a lot when she really means yes and i really hate this in a character. I also don't agree with a woman having to be cajoled or deceived into a relationship.I also did not enjoy the way sexual relationships in this book were portrayed.As i have said, i understand this is set in an alternate world were relationships between men and women are different so i did try to put my issues aside and this was definitely just a quick, easy read so i will still definitely pick up the final book in the trilogy.
—Kerryn (RatherBeReading)
I thought Warrior's Woman was okay when I first read it, but it was one of the first romance novels I ever read. Recently I learned that it was just the first in a trilogy, so I picked up Keeper of the Heart which is the second in the series. It was better written than Warrior's Woman, but I had a lot more trouble getting into it. The story centers around Shanelle, the daughter of Tevra and Challen from the first book. She dislikes and fears the warriors of her homeworld and wants to get away before her father gives her away to a suitor. After spending a long period of time training to be a pilot on her mother's much more civilized homeworld, she returns only to almost immediately fall for a good-looking visiting warrior.So far so good. I don't mind stupid plots like this, so long as they're fun to read. However, Lindsay takes the whole male-dominance thing too far for my taste, and Shanelle is the ultimate woman-who-says-no-when-she-means-YES. I find it inconceivable that any female would be willing to return to her homeworld, as it was described; everyone knows that for her own good, she needs to be deceived, cajoled and ultimately forced into joining with a big strong warrior. The only thing that could have redeemed this book for me would have been Shanelle hanging herself and proving all those *#&@(* wrong.
—Rhapsody
If this is the book I think it is, then this was my my first exposure to a douchebag hero. I remember reading as a teen and getting to the part where the "hero" spanks the "heroine" as a punishment enough to injure her, then just puts her in a healing device because so long as she's better now, its all ok.O.oI don't care that later on she is turned on by it. The fact is it all started non-consensually and that is an immediate turn off.Edit: This isn't an anti-BDSM sentiment. If the heroine had been on board from the get-go with the bedroom plans, then I wouldn't have had an issue. It was the use of it as a punishment (and then when her mom agreed with the "punishment" - argh - it's been years but that whole part pissed me off).
—Kathy (Kindle-aholic)
