Lord of A Thousand Nights [Libro de bolsillo]

Madeline Hunter is a terrific writer of historical romance. IMHO, she has written some of the most exciting and different medieval romances to be released in the past few years. She has set herself a tough standard though, and for me Lord of a Thousand Nights doesn't quite match the quality of her others.

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean it's not a really good book...it is. It's just a little more conventional, and a little less intriguing than her last efforts. I didn't learn as much from this novel, which may sound like a strange comment if you haven't read a book by Ms. Hunter before. One of the more fascinating qualities about Hunter's By... series and The Protector is that they look at the medieval world from slightly different angles than the "typical" medieval romance. Whether the hero was a merchant or stonemason instead of a knight/lord, or the heroine was a potter or a serf instead of a lady, the characters in the previous novels were different, and the settings unique.

In comparison, Lord of a Thousand Nights doesn't give you enough of that. The heroine (Reyna) is a widowed lady and the hero (Ian) is the less-than-honorable head of a mercenary company hired by Morvan Fitzwaryn (hero of The Protector) to seige and hold the tower in which Reyna lives. That Ian succeeds in his task and Reyna is then dependent upon him for her safety is a given, and it's a plot device that works. It's tried and true. That's the problem with Lord of a Thousand Nights - it plays by the expected medieval rules and that's disappointing from an author who was so exciting because she was rewriting the standard.

The characters are good: Reyna and (Ian also recurring from The Protector) are engaging and well-drawn; and they're a good match for each other. Reyna is feisty without being too stupid to live (TSTL in romance reader shorthand), and Ian is an alpha warrior who isn't afraid to think outside the box. That quality includes his dealings with Reyna, and his invention of devices to make his work easier. That plot element was fun, and gave Ian more depth than your usual "me-alpha-knight" character. I liked the h/h byplay, and I liked seeing them both interact with characters from Ms. Hunter's previous books.

I really don't like the title of this book, which puts so much emphasis on Ian(it's his nickname, which just seems so silly), because to me this story is really more about Reyna and her history/land than it is about Ian. But hey, that's my opinion.

Overall, Lord of a Thousand Nights is a well-written, historically detailed medieval romance with characters you will enjoy getting to know and a plot that is interesting if not entirely unique. If it were written by anyone but Madeline Hunter, I would probably have given it 5 stars. Unfortunately it just doesn't live up to the standard she's set for herself, so it gets 4. But do yourself a favor, and check out anything by this talented author. You really can't go wrong.

I can't tell if I liked this story or not. I loved the preceding four books and think I liked this book only because I was waiting to read it. If I had picked this one up without reading the others, (By Design, By Arrangement, The Protector and By Possession) I do not think I would have enjoyed it quite as much. We see the characters from the other books and actually continue the story of the retaking of Harclow for Morvan. I really enjoyed seeing "the gang" and often complain about other authors where we never see characters from other stories. Unfortunately, I think it would be a bit confusing if you have not read their stories first.

That said, I thought the writing was well done and enjoyable to read. Our characters are deep, with complex histories. The building of the story and how the plots intertwined was exciting and kept my interest keen. I was glad that Morvan finally regains his birthright (as we knew he would), but I was a bit disappointed in how it effects the other people in the story.

I have always loved how Ms. Hunter brings the past to life. She uses history and makes it seem, as the reader, that you were right in the thick of the action. I guess that is where my reservations of this book come from. There was little history and descriptive passages of everyday life which was evident in her other stories. Much of this book takes place during war and sieges in 14th century England, yet instead of feeling like I was a participant in the battles, I felt like most every other book I have read, like an outside observer. Lord of a Thousand Nights is still an excellent book, just not what I have come to expect from Ms. Hunter.

WOW! When I found this book on amazon I thought 'must buy' and so I bought it. Simply because it looked hot, and because I adored By Arrangement. When I read LoaTN, I discovered that the book was even hotter than I'd dared hope for. Ian was, to be blunt, all man. And I'm talking MAN! He was sexy, proud, sexy, strong, sexy, tender, sexy, filled with a gorgeous and admirable love for Reyna and, yep, sexy. He possessed all qualities a great hero should have, and then some. And he played his part from the second Reyna looked at him.

Reyna was also incredible. I hate it when the heroine is too stupid to take a breath and walk at the same time. Thank God, and Madeline Hunter, that Reyna was not like Barbie, even if she was blond, thin and very much like the first breath of dawn. Reyna was smart and she had guts! I absolutely loved reading about how she teased Ian, and then froze (or melted ;) )when he tried to seduce her. Yet she tried to stick to what she wanted, and while reading the book I almost cheered 'Go Reyna, go Reyna!'But, don't get me wrong. I cheered 'Go Ian' more than a few times. I loved every scene with him in it, but SPOILER when he rescues her from Reginald, I just felt this surge of devotion and sweet love for him.

Ian and Reyna were made for each other. That's something we all knew from the start. I mean: it was never likely that Reginald or perhaps Elizabeth would ever interfere with the action.

I loved reading how they got to really know each other (and not just physically :P )and how they both changed for the other.

There are so much I liked about this book. Reading about Christiana, David, Morvan and Anna again was GREAT, and all the characters were so convincing. And also, Madeline Hunter has done some great historical research. From warfare down to the thinnest shift. I think, or, all right, I know, that what I liked a lot was Ian's personality. I enjoyed that he was a bit arrogant and full of himself. That's what made him pursue Reyna with such vigor. He was so certain of his own sexuality (I mean, just look at the title), that he had no trouble helping Reyna with hers.

Okey,I'll stop talking about Ian now. I just want you, yes YOU, to buy this book. It's only a couple of dollars and that's like nothing when you think of the experience that awaits you when you read it.

I just know that I loved, oh LOVED, this book and I find myself opening it at a random page to read about l'amour when I want to read something good.

You know, this book actually kept me up for one night, which isn't so cool when you're a student, but- Why are you still reading? Buy it!