Challenge to Honor (Masters At Arms Book 1) by Jennifer Blake #review
Pages - 425
Original Publication - 2005
Publisher - Steel Magnolia Press
Published - March 1, 2017
Series - Masters at Arms book 1 of 6
Sold by - Amazon Digital Services LLC
Sexual Content - 3/5
Language - 0/5
Narrative - 3rd Person
The notorious swordsmen of New Orleans--charming by day, dangerous at night...
Horrified at the thought of her brother facing the notorious swordsman, Rio de Silva, on the dueling field, Celina Vallier pays a clandestine visit to the maître d'armes. Surely she can appeal to his honor and sense of fair play? What advantage can there be for him in killing such an inexperienced opponent, after all?
Rio had no intention of dispatching the young whelp; a scratch or two would suffice to mend his manners. That changes as he moves closer to Celina. Not only is she lovely and spirited, but she's the future bride of his sworn enemy, the Count de Lerida. What could be more satisfying than to deny him that prize? That's if the lady can be persuaded to give up her innocence.
Agreeing to the infamous pact is the most daring thing Celina has ever done. It's also the most dangerous as scandal and vengeance erupts around her. Caught in the tumult, she must decide who to trust: the man who offers wealth and security--or the one who sets her soul aflame?
For me, this was a fully immersed true romance and one I really didn't want to put down so I could go to asleep.
I actually started to read it during the day because I was so interested to discover what came next (which is extremely difficult to do and why I do all my reading in bed at night).
This was also extremely well-written and goes to show how much has changed in the world of writing and writers over time.
Back in the day type editing, education, and style that are such a refreshing change from today's opposite norm.
Jennifer is great at character development and story weaving.
These two things are probably why I became so interested in a story about two people living in 19th Century New Orleans who are drawn together by opposing viewpoints, slowly grow to admire one another, and yet allow a lot of incidentals to stand in the way of their own happiness.
Rio was dashing, sexy, and instantly like-able as a leading man but not overly confident about many things, like his skills, his charisma, or his sexual prowess.
These lads and their company actually did exist at one time in New Orleans, so it is worth the read for the historical impact alone but far more enjoyable as a romance surrounded by danger and intrigue at every turn.
Celina was easy to relate to and thankfully not overly independent, bossy, and bad-ass for the era in which she lived.
She was believable but not as simpering as readers tend to claim happens too often in these types of stories.
Frankly, I've yet to read a romance novel (historical or otherwise) with a wussy-type female lead in it, so I don't understand where this complaint stems from other than the lemming mentality: one person says something and millions of others start nodding in agreement w/out first thinking carefully.
I prefer my heroines to be levelheaded and assured but also to behave accordingly.
What I don't like and yet does occur far too often in Regency or other historical romance novels is that the heroine comes off as a 21st Century warlord, which is far more pathetic than having a wishy-washy female lead.
But, Celina is not wishy-washy, nor does she behave like a trailer trash biker chick.
Negative reviews at Amazon included the overly descriptive passages about room decor and outfits, the over-use of swordplay jargon, a lot of archaic wording, and a lackluster ending to an otherwise riveting plot.
And, to a certain extent, I would agree, which is why I wasn't able to come clean with a 5-heart rating here or at Amazon/Goodreads.
Honestly, I don't mind the archaic words being tossed about and actually highlighted a few for future reference.
I like words, and I especially like words that aren't used anymore but probably should be and are in need of a come-back.
I didn't mind, either, that the author chose to use fencing jargon because, after all, that is what the story was all about... a man who is excellent at his craft and knows his way around a sword.
If you are terrified of confronting a dictionary or expanding your vocabulary, this might not be the novel for you.
What didn't work for me was the lengthy tease followed by a let-down of an ending.
Yes, it's a HEA, but a meh one.
This series was originally published in the early 2000s and have only recently (2017) been digitized for us Kindle users.
I do not know (or can't really tell) how much of the original work was tampered with during the digitization process, but it didn't seem like it to me (or like the author didn't feel obliged to reword the whole thing to appease the butt-hurt crowd).
There are six stories in this series, and while I really enjoyed reading Challenge to Honor and became curious about the other players in this initial novel, I am very worried that the next five stories are going to read pretty much the same as this one.
Same circumstances, same dilemmas, same decision-making antics, etc.
However, I would like very much to read the second novel about Caid to find out how he fares and if, indeed, the author simply churned out story after story to appease her editor or if she actually took the time to concentrate on new, refreshing instances for each of her leads.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who appreciates good writing, intriguing story line, and an unusual career choice for the Hero.
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