Warner, $6.99, ISBN 0-446-61112-3
Paranormal Romance, 2004

In 1390, Michael Lammergeier is told by an old crone that he is actually the reincarnation of his great ancestor Magnus Strong. The old crone kisses him, thus channeling mystic visions of his past to him, before an overzealous crony of Michael kills her. Bastard. Old women need love too, jerk. The seventh son of a seventh son now is doomed to wander around in a lovelorn state, comparing every woman he sees to this grand soulmate he saw in his vision. Cut to nineteen years later, where Michael feels that Aileen of Abernye is this reincarnated soulmate of his.

And instead of courting her, he drugs everyone in her castle and then kidnaps her, to force her to wed him.

Needless to say, she thinks that he’s the scum of the earth.

He doesn’t trust her.

And on and on they go, finding often really petty reasons to reinforce their negative opinions of the other person. The word “childish” and “petty” come to mind to describe Aileen and Michael.

I find it very hard to care for The Warrior because this book is really nothing better than a long misunderstanding and miscommunication ordeal. Both the main characters come off as total dimbulbs acting like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd reenacting that parody of a Wagnerian Valkyrie opera in a certain Looney Tunes episode. Filled with dumbed-down and simplistic depictions of trust and love, this one is a throwback to the author’s almost child-like dim-witted characters and overly simple plots of her early Bride Quest books for Dell. The first person narration style only allows me more access to these dimbulbs’ annoyingly bratty psyche, as if the petulant bickering aren’t bad enough.

This book has some nice ideas in the premise of reincarnation and love, but the execution of the plot could have been so much better.