Rating: 
Summary: FABULOUS. PLEASE.
Review: "The Secret Swan" was amazing. I surely do not know what book that anonymous Peruvian read, but it was not this one.First off, this is a MEDIEVAL. If you do not like medievals, OR ARE PUT OFF BY COMPLEX CHARACTERS AND INTENSE SITUATIONS, don't bother. Read something else.But if you, like many of us with great taste and who know how to spend our money (!!!!!), do enjoy this genre, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is captivating.Amiranth and Tristan are intense. They rock. Their emotions are real, and they fully take you on a wonderous journey. This novel is less about action than emotion. There are secrets and misunderstandings, but Abe makes it all convincing. Amiranth is every shy girl, loving a distant dream. And Tristan especially is amazing in his ability to fight his past and change into a true hero. Loved it. Can't rate it high enough.Abe is one of the best, the BEST, in this genre. Better belive it.
Rating:
Summary: The very, very best
Review: "The Secret Swan" is an exquisite book - original storyline, wonderful characters and beautiful prose. I like everything about it., especially the heroine Amiranth (Lily), she really is strong, intelligent, clever, resourceful (not like the heroines in so many other romance fictions who we are told to be intelligent but are actually too stupid to live), she saves and helps the hero, Tristan numerous times, a truly worthy match for him. I am a cynical reader, but in my opition this book is a near masterpiece. Don't miss it!!! Ms Abe, you are a brilliant diamond among so many mediocre writers in this field. Please don't ever stop writing.
Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS. PLEASE.
Review: "The Secret Swan" was amazing. I surely do not know what book that anonymous Peruvian read, but it was not this one.First off, this is a MEDIEVAL. If you do not like medievals, OR ARE PUT OFF BY COMPLEX CHARACTERS AND INTENSE SITUATIONS, don't bother. Read something else.But if you, like many of us with great taste and who know how to spend our money (!!!!!), do enjoy this genre, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is captivating.Amiranth and Tristan are intense. They rock. Their emotions are real, and they fully take you on a wonderous journey. This novel is less about action than emotion. There are secrets and misunderstandings, but Abe makes it all convincing. Amiranth is every shy girl, loving a distant dream. And Tristan especially is amazing in his ability to fight his past and change into a true hero. Loved it. Can't rate it high enough.Abe is one of the best, the BEST, in this genre. Better belive it.
Rating:
Summary: Tender & Heart warming Romance
Review: A lovely , well written book . This was the first book by Abe' that I have read. I have since ordered 2 more of her books. The romance between Amiranth and Tristan was exciting and heart wrenching at the same time. I was a wee bit bothered by the fact that Amiranth continued to want her freedom even after the changes she could see in her husband, Tristan . One more point that I had trouble with was the idea that Amiranth could physically change so much in 8 years that she could pull off that type of deception. However, I suppose anything is possible in troubled times and this book shows how two people that are obvious soul mates , both completely change to suit the other. Tristan in his way of thinking and Amiranth in her appearance. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy sensual romance books.
Rating: 
Summary: Does not live up to its promise
Review: After reading the reviews of other readers, I ran to buy this novel, my first by Shana Abé. It starts out well enough, but does not live up to its promise. There is practically no communication between Tristan and Amiranth. The author writes in a narrative style with very little dialogue, which slows down the plot. I expected Tristan to confide in Amiranth his terrible ordeal, but this does not happen, she learns about it in an indirect manner. Therefore, the author misses a splendid opportunity to deepen and develop the relationship between Tristan and Amiranth. I also have an issue with the intimate relationship between them. They become intimate after almost 300 looong pages, and even then the relationship remains distant. The author does not give a true flavor of the daily life of the characters, main or secondary. The subplot about Tristan's situation seems contrived and is not developed fully. The epilogue is not really an epilogue, we do not get to know any further developments of the story. To sum it up, I will not be running to buy another book by this author.
Rating:
Summary: THE SECRET SWAN
Review: Amiranth, the plain, dowdy sister of a powerful earl, is given in marriage to Tristan, the man of her long-time, secret dreams. But her new husband has been forced in this marriage by the king, so Amiranth's love goes unrequited. Seeking adventure for himself and glory for England, Tristan quickly leaves Amiranth behind and ventures to France to fight in the war and claim France for England. However, intstead of succeeding, Tristan is captured and jailed for eight torturous years. The beauty and romance in THE SECRET SWAN actually begin after Tristan's escape from prison, as he seeks his Amiranth, her love and her forgiveness. This is a beautifully told tale and a real page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: TALE OF WOE
Review: Definitely not a "feel good" book. This couple's troubles went from start to finish, and I found it depressing. A few lighter moments might have helped. This was my first Shana Abe book. I have another on order. If the second one is not any better than the first, I'm afraid I won't be purchasing any more of Ms. Abe.
Rating:
Summary: This was a very engrossing story!
Review: I don't usually read romances. Honestly I usually find them trite and superficial. I hate stupid plot lines and shallow characters, and it's just a shame that so many romances are like that. But my mother told me about this book, and then a friend mentioned it as well, so I picked it up.Well, I am so impressed! This was nothing like those other romances I read. I am so glad there are a whole other kind of romance novels out there for those of us who like deeper books.The heroine was not shrill or unbelievable. The hero was not dense or blind to her faults. They were both wonderful and rich characters who really grew over the course of the book to become such great people. Like you would want to know them in real life.I really enjoyed the twists and turns to the plot. I liked how Amiranth pretended to be someone she was not, and then pretended to be herself again while still the other person. I loved when Tristan realized that she was his wife. That scene brought me to tears.I am going to buy more books by Shana Abe. Great job, Mrs. Abe!
Rating:
Summary: secret swan
Review: i found this book to have one of the most heartfelt and true characters. I loved the way Shana went into detail about Amaranth's insecurities (i mean, come on! we all have them) and feelings she had over the years. I found the flashbacks to be very helpful. You really get to know the characters and see what they've been through over the years and how they're trying to over come that. I had tears forming when I read the part, when Tristan finally realizes that Amaranth is alive. Tristan, had gone from cocky, war-livng youth, to a noble and determined man. Sure he's not the most polished guy, and he has NO experience what-so-ever as being a husband and knowing what the term means. But that doesn't stop him from trying to regain the one thing he had truly lost over the years- acceptance. Amaranth had accepted him right -faults included- because she understood the value of loving another and wanting to be loved. And Tristan was wanting that too, yet he thought he could find it through glory from war. Well, for those who read it, knows how well that turned out...not so well. I recommend this book to any of those that are hopeless romantics at heart.
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect... but wonderful!
Review: I have read fewer and fewer romances over the years because it has gotten harder to find original plots and interesting characters to read about. _The Secret Swan_ was a most welcomed surprise. This was a wonderfully sweet Medieval romance that pulled me in from the first page. The characters were very well developed. These are not the cardboard cutouts found in far too many romance novels, they are people with hopes, dreams, faults and secrets. Tristan and Amiranth grow, change and develop throughout the course of the novel.Unlike some of the other readers, I found Tristan's feeling towards his wife while imprisoned most believable and not contrived in the least. From reading stories written by soldiers in WWII, I would say Tristan's feelings were quite plausible. Soldiers who had married women they knew for just mere hours (yes it did happen) emotionally clung to the memories of their 'loves' through their war ordeals and it was this love that go them through the horror. Sure, it isn't the type of real love that marriages are based on, but that comes later. Just as it did for Tristan and Amiranth.Amiranth is an interesting character. I think there is a little of her in many of us. The scared, unsure little girl who wishes she were someone else? I certainly have been there. (Some readers may have been confused as to why she stayed at that desolate estate, but that was explained during the course of the story so I'm not going to waste the time and space repeating it here.) Is it possible to fall in love with somene from afar? I think so. Athough it does need to be nurtured and shared for it to grow. And that happens within the course of the story, also. Eight years is certainly a long time for us, but do keep in mind that time was experienced differently in the Middle Ages. In a world where it took several weeks to several months to travel from one place to another, eight years really isn't that much time.I must say that the plot of this novel was wonderful. It didn't drag and it wasn't boring. There was excitement, danger, adventure and tenderness blended beautifully together. I was literally at the edge of my seat waiting for what was to come next, wondering when Tristan was going to realize that 'Lily' was really Amiranth. The villain of the novel wasn't too much of a surprise, but he was a welcomed addition to the story.As I said, this novel wasn't perfect. There was nowhere near enough dialogue between the characters. It really would have added much to the story and the developing romance. And well... the sensuality was a little lacking. While the emotions were sweet, there was very little longing between Amiranth and Tristan. The love scene (and a half) that was described was beautiful and tastefully written, but there should have been more. Maybe that's just me.All in all, _The Secret Swan_ is highly recommended and a definite keeper!
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