"Scarlet"

I always love books that friends recommend to me.  Firstly, it gives me new authors and new novels to dive into.  Secondly, it gives me a peek into the thoughts, feelings, and likes of my acquaintances.  I get to see a side of them that I may never have seen otherwise.  Most of the time I realize how much we really are alike on so many levels!  Books have a way of bridging people together and connecting us to others.

"Scarlet" is one of those books.  A friend that I really admire, and feel that we have a "book-bonding-kindred-spirit" ... recommended this book highly.  I quickly went out and purchased it only to have it sit on my shelf for a very long time.  One day I found myself in the mood for something "different".  I had recently been involved in a series of dystopia and historical romance novels, and knew that I needed to find a fresh genre to read.  If I didn't, they would all begin to blend together and each book would begin to sound the same.  That's when I revisited my bookshelf and found "Scarlet" ... calling out for me to pick her up. A retelling of Robin Hood might be just what the doctor ordered.

Honestly, I didn't really know if I liked the book at first.  There was something about it that kept me from burying myself in it's pages.  The biggest thing that held me back from loving it in the beginning was the dialect the author used when sharing Scarlet's thoughts and words.  I understand what A.C. Gaughen was trying to do but for me, it didn't help me connect to the main character.  This brings me to my second complaint, Scarlet was hard to get to know.  She had so many secrets in the beginning.  I found it hard to bond with her.  However, this may have been the author's tactic in writing this story.  As the chapters continued, the story unpeeled itself and slowly opened up.  That's when I started to see a light in the tunnel of dark I was in.  Slowly my feelings for the book began to change and I actually liked it!

The characters were strong, the villians were evil, but for me ... the highlight was the romance!  Give me a strong but tattered heroine ... add two ... YES TWO ... amazingly, enticing guys ... and you have the makings for a fun story.  I won't tell you who wins out in the end but I will say, there is no complaining from me!

Here's a quick glance at what "Scarlet" is all about:

"Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for."