Resenting the Hero had a horrible copywriter. You know, that little script on the back that is supposed to tell you what the book is about? This one got it all wrong. It describes the book as "But can Dunleavy Mallorough and Lord Shintaro Karish put aside their differences to defeat something even more unnatural than their reluctant affections for each other?" That makes the book sound like a hokey romance, with pages upon pages of "longing looks" and passages of "I hated him, but why was I strangely attracted as well?". That, hands down, is my least favorite writing to read. When a friend first suggested I read it, I politely refused, based on that little line alone. She insisted, and I finally picked up the book, and promptly fell in love.

This couldn't be further from "longing looks" and "strange attractions". It's more along the lines of pride and prejuidice ... just because someone is upper class, doesn't mean he is a jerk, and maybe you come off as a little jerky because you jumped to that conclusion.

The fantasy element is also downplayed in the book's descriptor. It makes it sound incidental, when it is the hitch of the book. She explains the strange powers of the pairs, the world they live in, and incidentals short and sweet, and it is done by page 10. The fun is finding out that these characters are discovering powers that they've never heard of before.

Aside from an engaging plot, the characters are fantastic. Lee (our first person narrator) is wonderful. She's dry, almost humorless, and not quick-to-catch-on. She's also stubborn, pushy, and altogether a very atypical heroine. She's not especially clever, she doesn't wield the bulk of the power, and she's comfortable with that. It's nice to see a character like her; they seem rare. She also has some lines that made me laugh out loud. Karish (her ennobled male counterpart) is also great fun because he's working so hard at it. He wants to be everything to everyone, and I think everyone has a friend like that. He seems familiar, and that shows how well-written he is, because you swear he reminds of you of someone you know.

The characters are throwbacks to Lizzy Bennet and Darcy, in a lot of ways. But not quite so ... "chick lit" as those two would seem now. Instead, they're more flawed, and thus, more fun. And I have to add a Spoiler Alert, here, so if you don't want the ending ruined, just skip the rest... Lee & Karish don't even fall in love, which was refreshing and fantastic, because it would've been forced, here.

I honestly have to say that this book caught me completely by surprise and I loved it. I'm so incredibly sorry that the publisher has done such a lousy job of marketing it, because I would never have picked it up on my own. Hopefully, someone with my tastes will read this review, and give this excellent book a read. ( )

The heroine gets stuck with the person who she thinks is the wrong partner, but somehow, he turns out to be exactly the one she needs. It's a little cheesy and overdone as a premise, but the author makes it a quirkier, more unusual story than I'd expected, largely due to her stubborn heroine who just doesn't melt no matter whether other fantasty heroines would have in her shoes. And the interesting world she lives in certainly doesn't hurt!

I expected something a little more comedic from the cover, but it's still a fun read! ( )

I actually got this book by accident thinking that it was by
John Moore, and so I was expecting his brand of fantasy humor. It turned out that this book is definitely different from his, but I couldn't put it down just the same. This is good fantasy- epic in its way, but not about nothing but battles and fighting. I loved both the characters and the story. ( )

My initial take on this book, which I picked up as a light diversion, is that it's almost like written anime or manga. This is seeing as it has a science fantasy theme (a magical setting on a planet settled via space flight) and character types (the hero apparently gliding on rose petels with his put-upon reliable female sidekick) reminiscient of, say, "Louie the Rune Soldier" or "Sorcerer Hunters" or the like. What you mostly get is what you could call a delayed coming-of-age story, as our sheltered heroine has to rise above her petit bourgeois priggishness and misplaced trust of authority to get to grips with a plot against her order and live up to her role as a partner to her fellow magical guardian. Seeing as I gather this is a first novel I can't be too critical, but Moore doesn't surprise me as much as she could have in her plot choices. The absurdity factor also could have been played up further too; the book is not nearly as funny as the cover suggests. ( )

Groomed since childhood to be the perfect Shield to her Source, Dunleevy Mallorough has high hopes for her future. Standing in line as the Sources choose, she hopes for a bonding with someone steady, deliberate, and stable. Instead she gets Lord Shintaro Karish. Sure, he's brilliant, gorgeous, self-confident, and charismatic. But he's also a magnet for beautiful people, rumor, and trouble. And this is who she's supposed to count on to protect her? But she has no choice - the bond is for life, and death will take both Shield and Source at once.

Posted to High Scape, a city with a high disaster quotient, the pair grate on each other like sand in your socks. But when Karish is attacked and then kidnapped, Dunleevy must set aside their differences and rescue him if she wants to live.

Interesting plot, and finally toward the end of the book Dunleevy begins to soften up. Initially she's more like a block of wood then an person, which seems to be Moore's intent. Too bad it gets a bit old for the reader, too. Still, it's a promising enough series opener that I won't hesitate to read the sequel. ( )