More Than Prophecy
Ebook: ISBN: 159279324X
Paperback ISBN: 1592798071
Shannon Leigh
Amber Quill Press
January 1, 2005
She fell from the sky, as if an unseen hand had plucked her from the earth and transported her to this strange, new world in a flash of lightning and rush of wind. Vulnerable as she has never been before, Cheyenne is suddenly a woman out of touch with everything she has ever known: her nursing job, her home, her crazy cat, Milo. Somehow, she's ended up on a barbarous, warring planet where she has no say in how she will be treated or where she will go. And how medieval is that?!
With her freedom curtailed and her wardrobe sadly lacking -- oh God, is she really standing nearly naked in front of a group of scary-looking men? -- Cheyenne has no choice but to put her trust in Darian, Lord of Andreas Castle. His accent is almost as foreign to Cheyenne's ears as the name of this backwards planet: Zandar. Amazingly, she manages to adapt to her surroundings fairly quickly and even forms an instantaneous attraction to her tight-lipped protector; no, stony-faced guard.
Savior would be the wrong word to use, she silently grumbles, because the man chased her through the woods, for crying out loud, and is disgustingly condescending a times. But that's neither here nor there. The tattoo on her lower back, on the other hand, seems to be of some importance to Lord Andreas because when he catches a glimpse of it -- the roving-eyed scoundrel! -- Cheyenne's sudden appearance on Zandar has startling new significance. Prophetic import, in point of fact.
Isn't that just dandy?! Not only will Darian's brother, Chris, want to take her away and claim her as his own, but Cheyenne will have to contend with an entire planet's belief that an ancient prophecy has brought her to Zandar to bring peace to their world and unite the three territories. That's quite the tall order to fill for a twenty-something nurse from a world light years ahead in women's rights (and lacy, scintillating undergarments).
While her fated role as some man's possession and/or pawn in an age-old struggle for power and dominance is anathema to Shannon Leigh's gutsy, likeable heroine, Cheyenne is far from being a victim (of circumstance or anything else) in this author's big, bold, old-fashioned, fantasy-type romance. More Than Prophecy is a good-sized read, has an impressive cast of characters (some likeable, some not), and is told from multiple viewpoints -- but not to the point of confusion, never fear. As such, it provides quite the bang for a reader's buck.
Darian's jealousies and insecurities about Cheyenne, her faithfulness, etc., are enough to keep the plot a-bubblin' and a-brewin'. Add to that the hazy, nebulous, belatedly explained prophecy hanging over Ms. Leigh's protagonists' heads and you have a recipe for all sorts of delicious conflict and hair-raising close-calls. Cheyenne, poor dear, is at constant risk of ravishment, and is a little confused about her feelings for Darian. Which is a little off-putting when one is so enamored with the big lug. But then, she's been dealt quite the unexpected twist of fate. So I guess I'd be a little confused as well if I were in her shoes.
Still, Cheyenne is a bit of a confusing puzzle, as she's a modern-day nurse surprisingly ignorant about sexuality. It's a good thing she has an experienced tutor like Darian on hand, eh, ladies and gents? The lines of communication between these two have a tendency to suffer -- let's face it, their initial attraction to each other is based purely on the physical -- but that's what you get when you add culture shock to the mix: a clashing of ideals and ideologies. Zandar, after all, has close ties and strange similarities to medieval Scotland. I'm still kind of confused, though: What exactly is Zandar's relationship to Earth? What other commonalities do they share? And how did they come about? I know, I know; ever the curious one, aren't I?
To make a long review short, More Than Prophecy is a tempestuous romance from up-and-coming author, Shannon Leigh, that's fraught with friction and is given an extra dose of curl-your-toes sex appeal with Darian and his fellow barbarians. They may not be politically correct or all-knowing about feminism and equal rights, but they're pretty darn irresistible and willing to learn the finer points of wooing a lady and earning her heartfelt esteem through both word and deed. I foresee great things for Ms. Leigh's writing career, in fact, if this fun, sexy, spirited and slightly campy romance is anything to go by.
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