Queen of Swords: A Novel

I want to start by saying I did like this book, but it was not my favorite in the series. From the name and the description on the cover, I thought the focus was going to be on Jennet and Luke--finally--as a couple. In other books in the series Ms. Donati has given us a good amount of time with Jennet and a fair amount of time with Luke, although not enough since I still do not know him as well as I would like, certainly not as in depth as most of the other main/recurring characters. What the author has not given us much of is time with Jennet and Luke as a couple. I thought at least half the book would be devoted to their relationship. It was certainly long enough.It became apparent the queen of the saga was going to be Hannah. Hannah seems to be a favorite character of the author, and of course, she has that right. With that in mind, it would have been nice to have the queen use her own sword at least once. She did not come off as weak by any means, but she was repeatedly rescued and always by the same man. Really? I saw Hannah Bonner go from a warrior to a victim. As that happened, I felt the book go from historical fiction to a romance novel. Don't get me wrong. I read and like romance novels. I just didn't expect one in the middle of the Into Wilderness series.I liked the new character of Jean-Benoit Savard (Ben) a lot. He was hot and sexy. He had an exotic ethnic background. He was a bit sure of himself, but he never pushed it so far he could not be forgiven for it. In fact, why shouldn't he be confident. He saved almost every one of the other central characters single-handedly at least once. That is a lot for one book. Who needs Andrew Jackson when you have Ben Savard?Another new character I liked a lot was Major Christian Pelham Wyndham (Kit). His presence in the story let us see the British side of the war through the eyes of a likable and honorable solider. I like this kind of storytelling better than the simplified us against them with the us always good and the them always bad. I wish things could have worked out better for him, though. It did make for a quick and easy resolution to the Ben-Hannah-Kit triangle, but I wish he could have had that chance he seemed to want so much to distinguish and define himself. He had a sword, too, after all.The book was too long for me. The parts concerning the politics and battles of the War of 1812 were well written and well paced, but it took too long for everyone to get together. Also, I don't think all of the supporting characters that were added served to advance or enhance the story. These are two of the issues I had with Dawn on a Distant Shore (I had a lot of issues with book). I think characters that only show up once or twice should be there to contribute to the main plot and not just to tell their own stories, no matter how interesting.All in all it was a good romance novel set during a true historical event. I give it 3-1/2 to 4 stars.

This is the 5th book in the series. Hannah and Luke have been searching for Jennet in the Caribbean for about a year. But when they find her, they are devastated to find that she has sent her baby son away to keep him safe. They return to Florida to find out more and make a plan. What they find is that the boy is in the control of a powerful New Orleans family and they intend on keeping him. So the family begins a plan for getting him back, but things begin to go wrong from the very beginning, separating them and causing great distress. But connections from the past may help them to survive and find a way to rescue Nathaniel. The situation in New Orleans is unstable, with the British preparing for invasion. As the Bonners navigate through dangerous situations, Hannah finds purpose and the hope for a new future.

This....where do I even begin? Amazing read. We follow the next generation of Bonners (Hannah, Luke, and his wife Jennett) into Louisiana and the War of 1812. It begins as Luke and Hannah try to find Jennet who was adducted in the previous book. After they locate her, they then begin the search for the baby Jennett had while she was captive and it leads them to Louisiana. Hannah was already traumatized enough from events in the previous book, but becomes even more traumatized when she and Luke come across the evils of slavery and slave runners. The society of New Orleans was so complicated with the elite Creoles who were of French ancestry, the freed people of color who weren't protected by illegal slave running, and the Indians and people of mixed race, as well as slaves. I wasn't even prepared for the raw descriptions that Sara used. The main antagonist was an evil man named Honore Poiterin who made Satan look angelic.Even though Luke and Jennett are reunited with their baby, they must begin the healing that all the traumas have wrecked upon Jennett's mental health. Hannah struggles with trying to deny her feelings for a mixed Choctaw Indian with African heritage named Ben. He is up to the task and is more than her match. It is a long book, and it can exhaust it you, but it is worth it.

This is the fifth book in the Wilderness series and once again it is hard to put down. The story this time takes place right away from Lake in the Clouds, mostly in New Orleans at the time of the war of 1812. The characters involved are Hannah, Luke and Jennet and of course plenty of new ones. Plus Nathaniel and Runs-from-Bears make an appearance in the last part of the book, but all the other favourite characters are only referred to in conversations and letters. However this does not detract from the story, which as usual, is exciting, romantic, sad and horrifying in varying degrees. I can't wait to read the next instalment, which I gather goes back to the north. I hope there will be more to come after that. I think this book could be read without having read the others but I would strongly advise new readers to start at the beginning - you're in for a treat!

If you love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series you will love Sara Donati. The Wilder series is a great read. I have read Queen of Swords twice can help but fall in love with the passion between two people in love and nothing will get between them.

The only disappointment was when I turned over the last page. I wanted their to be more.The next pair of footwear I buy will be moccasins.

One book in a series called 'Into the Wilderness' by Sara Donati. I couldn't put these books down and looked forward to the next one in the series - very enjoyable.

Excellant, this one also had to read till finished