Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey

JLindsey-Warriors-WomanBack in my early bookworm days, I was OBSESSED with romance. It was literally all I read for years and years. Then someone handed me my first science fiction novel and introduced me to a new ‘world’. Ok so it’s not exactly SCIFI, but it was my first taste of anything other worldly so it’s close enough for me. The novel was called Warrior’s Woman (book #1 in Ly-San-Ter series), by Johanna Lindsey, it was romance with space travel, and I LOVED IT. When I started to purge my collection, I decided this was the first book in my collection to reread to see if I still wanted it. After reading it, though I love it for the nostalgia it gives me, I’m putting it in my maybe pile, *sad face.

Experienced in combat but not in love, the beautiful, untouched Amazon flies with Martha, her wise-cracking, free-thinking computer, to a world where warriors reigns supreme – and into the arms of the one man she can never hope to vanquish: the bronzed barbarian Challen Ly-San-Ter.

A magnificent creature of raw yet disciplined desires, the muscle-bound primitive succeeds where no puny Kystran male had before – igniting a raging fire within Tedra that must be extinguished before she can even think of saving her enslaved world…

This is old school romance, like full on testosterone poisoning and stubborn damsel in distress, romance.  Even though I do love this tome, I still rolled my eyes at a few key scenes because I just can’t fathom WHY it’s a popular ‘plot twist’. In fact, one of those plot twists seems like an afterthought considering it has absolutely no impact on the story whatsoever, at least in my opinion. You also have the tried and true miscommunication, mind games, and characters getting even with others, that romance is known for. Basically, everything that happens in any romance novel you’ve read, it’s in this one too, it’s just futuristic. This used to not bother me, but this last read through, I’m kinda bugged by the drama and cookie cutter set up. I still love Warriors Woman though, and since it’s been in my collection for almost 20 years now, it’s hard to part with even though my tastes have clearly changed.

The characters themselves are loveable, as long as you remember they are who they are because of the world they grew up in. Tedra is used to doing whatever she wants, whenever she wants, however she wants, with no one to tell her that she can’t. Plus, she’s the highest rank in the military which gives her extra power, so to speak. Everyone in her super advanced world is still free and independent.  Between that and her career, it makes her super stubborn and spoiled.  Challen is an overbearing and dominating character to the extreme, but that’s how his world of muscled up giants runs. The men are in charge of EVERYTHING and that is how it’s always been. By the way, I do mean everything, from laws, clothing and whether a man’s ‘woman’ will get pregnant or not (there’s a special juice men drink that makes then infertile, and quits drinking it when he decides he wants children). Women are not even allowed to walk around their towns without a male escort! Seriously, gag me with a spoon! Anyway. These super human behemoths firmly believe that their rules keep their women safe, and it makes their world run smoothly since everyone follows the same guidelines. But over time you see he’s not a 100% jerk, he can be soft, and he does care, he’s just following protocol, mostly. (Honestly though, this guy is not on my favorite hero’s list; I don’t like that degrading way of thinking at all, ahem. )However, these two drastically different people are able to come together anyway, fall in love anyway, and find a way to coexist together without totally losing themselves in the process.

JLindsey-Warriors WomanThe worlds they live in, amazeballs. Hers you have human like robots who can do anything you want them to, including have sex with you! They have free thinking computers, robot cleaners, machines to prepare food, etc. The coolest tech gadgets for me was the solar bath which takes like 3 seconds, you get lazer beemed clean haha. The other one was that their homes are typically small with moveable walls that can become anything you need. You need a closet, you dial it up. You need a bedroom, bam you got a bed and blanket that will contort to your body/needs. Lastly, they have machines that heal you, no matter what ailment or injury you may have. Seriously, I wanna go there!  Challen’s world is just as cool, albeit primitive, there is no electricity but there is plumbing at least, haha. It doesn’t have the cool gadgets like Tedra’s does, but it does have cool creatures and glowing stones that people use to light up their houses. Things are very simplistic and calm on Challen’s home planet. This is what I have always loved about this novel -and series-, the worlds themselves (not the customs, cough) are intriguing.

If you can overlook the drama, and the egotistical world of Challen’s, then you can enjoy the bare bones of Warriors Woman. It shows the beauty of two extremely different people finding a way to survive as a couple. That is inspiring, and what makes me love this story as much as I do, which only makes me want to keep it even more. However, I don’t remember hating Challen quit this much when I first read it nor being this eh about the storyline. So, sadly, one of my almost 20 year old companions might be leaving me…

Read order:
Warriors Woman
Keeper of the Heart
Heart of a Warrior

About Nikki R 120 Articles
SAHM of 2, happily married bookworm, blogger and aspiring author. If I could read/write all day, every day, I would. Luckily I have a very understanding, and patient, husband who lets me get away with it as much as possible. Now if only the kids would understand my obsession, and the house would clean itself, then I'd be all set.