Keeper of the Heart 36c (Mass Market Paperback)

"Keeper" is a decent story, with bits of passion and humor here and there. The gist of the story is that Shanelle's fear of marrying a warrior and her low tolerance of pain make her resist and flee from Falon, forcing her chosen lifemate to chase her across the galaxy to prove his love.

First, the positives. Lindsey did an excellent job of incorporating the characters from "Warrior's Woman" into "Keeper" with little to no back-story and stayed true to their personalities and speech patterns. I read the three books back-to-back, and was pleased at how naturally "Warrior's" story flowed into "Keeper."

Now, the negatives: Shanelle's fear of pain and punishment were ridiculously overblown. It was difficult to sympathize with her. If she could learn to defend herself with martial arts, etc., she should be able to tolerate some pain. But the entire book was about her dopey fears! I found myself rolling my eyes once or twice while reading. Worse yet, with Tedra as her mother, how could she be such a wus?!?

I also thought the men in "Keeper" - Challen, Dalden, and Falon (wow, that rhymes!) - were ALL a bit heavy-handed where Shanelle was concerned. I'd be pretty upset if I had three overbearing warriors breathing down my neck over my love life. Yeah, I'd leave the planet, too.

As for the spanking scene, I started rolling my eyes (again) over the reviews freaking out about it. I'm sorry, but if that really offended you, you should not be reading a Johanna Lindsey romance. A lot worse happens to other heroines in her other books, many of which are awesome novels. This was NOTHING.

This is supposed to be a romance/science fiction novel. It is a poor excuse for either genre, and I am ashamed for the author for her half-***ed attempt at combining the two. For those of you who enjoy romance, but would like to venture into the realm of science fiction or fantasy, PLEASE do not think that this is in any way a fair representative of the genre. For those who enjoy SF/F but want to read something spicier, look elsewhere. This book is about as spicy as a bowl of oatmeal.

This book has many reviews that might lead a reader to believe this is an X-rated, hot and sensual romance novel. There are only two "love" scenes in this book, neither of which are x-rated, hot, or sensual. And they are certainly NOT romantic.

The ONLY interresting and halfway realistic character in this story is a COMPUTER, for crying out loud. ALL the other characters are completely un-likable. The "heroine" is a simpering, whiney, indecisive flake. The love-interrest is a hunk. That's it... a hunk. There are no other adjectives to describe this non-character. Only a doe-eyed teenager would think this man was anything but repulsive.

The "romantic" plot is based on love-at-first-sight. They have no relationship whatsoever throughout the entire book, except she is physically attracted to him, but mentally and emotionally repelled. (Until she decides all she really needs is a hunk after all. Who needs a relationship when you've got a total Babe?)

The "plot?" You could say there are many twists and turns, but that would be an understatement. A roller-coaster has twists and turns, but at least it has a stable base that keeps it on TRACK. This book is like a leaf in a hurricane. It really veers off-course when the heroine leaves the planet to escape being married to the handsomest bore/boar in the universe. From here on out, it's one seemingly random, unimportant mini-story after another. The ending is drawn out and forced. New characters are introduced for no apparant reason in the last few chapters. And to make the entire book a complete flop, the main character (who should always ALWAYS go through some sort of change...for better (novels) or for worse (literature))fails to do so. She ends up in the exact same situation that she started out in, and just resigns herself (happily) to being the same simpering, whiney, indecisive flake she always was, only now we can add "submissive" to the list of bad character traits.

I won't go into the male dominant/female submissive angle much, as it has already been discussed at length. However, I would just like to say that this was a great opportunity for the author to make a positive advancement in the leading lady's character, as she was TERRIFIED OF PAIN and this was the ONLY basis of the novel's momentum. If she had not been so afraid of pain, there would not have been a conflict which is the driving force in any work of fiction. I suppose you might consider the fact that she was forced to experience pain by way of semi-public humilation, and a spanking that left welts and bruises on her body the heroine's "great transformation." Some people's reviews have hinted that this "punishment" was sexy. It was not written in a sexy manner, and it did not lead to sex. It was actual punishment, and she ended up being brain-washed into believing that she DESERVED this and all future punishments because she was a woman. Yes it is fiction, and no it is not "real," but this is the message that is being represented. Another reviewer stated that her father whipped her and her mother with a belt. I sincerely hope that her mother is able to get help, and the reviewer does not end up in an unhealthy relationship where this type of treatment can be perpetuated from mother to daughter again.

I gave this book one star because this was the lowest possible rating. I hope Amazon will soon offer a zero-star rating, because that is what this book deserves.