Review: Service of the Crown

Service of the Crown
by Alex Airdale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Service of the Crown / B003CV7RNM

Commander Savoy is understandably frustrated. He should be with his men, keeping them sharp and battle-ready, but instead he has been called back to the capital for a year furlough in which he is meant to teach new cadets. And while his presence is a dream come true for young Renee, who hopes to learn from a true master of the arts, he isn't inclined to take it easy on the only woman in the class.

A promising beginning, in some ways this excerpt puts me in mind of a Mercedes Lackey novel (only, of course, her societies weren't so backwards as to fail to recognize the bonuses besides brute force that woman can bring to armed combat). The dialogue is especially well crafted, as witnessed in the gentle interplay between the two roommates and the "key" incident that does an extremely good job of humanizing the characters.

If I may make one suggestion, it is to upgrade the commander's age a touch. Twenty-nine is awfully young to be a well-respected bona fide hero of the land, and unless he is slated to be a romantic interest for Renee (and I hope that he is not - such a cliche would remove the freshness from this pleasant excerpt), I would think the addition of a few years and a gray hair or two would not adversely affect the plot? It's something to think about anyway.

Overall, I enjoyed this excerpt and would very much like to read more.

NOTE: This review is based on a sample excerpt of this book provided through the ABNA contest.

~ Ana Mardoll

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