Warrior / Scoundrel / Rebel / Stranger
Zoe Archer’s BLADES OF THE ROSE series—featuring dashing men and fearless women—is finally together in one complete bundle! Warrior -- Book One The vicious attack Capt. Gabriel Huntley witnesses in a dark alley sparks a chain of events that will take him to the ends of the Earth and beyond--where what is real and what is imagined become terribly confused. And frankly, Huntley couldn't be more pleased. Intrigue, danger, and a beautiful woman in distress--just what he needs. Raised thousands of miles from England, Thalia Burgess is no typical Victorian lady. A good thing, because a proper lady would have no hope of recovering the priceless magical artifact Thalia is after. Huntley's assistance might come in handy, though she has to keep him in the dark. But this distractingly handsome soldier isn't easy to deceive... Scoundrel -- Book Two London Harcourt's father is bent on subjugating the world's magic to British rule. But since London is a mere female, he hasn't bothered to tell her so. He's said only that he's leading a voyage to the Greek isles. No matter, after a smothering marriage and three years of straitlaced widowhood, London jumps at the opportunity--unfortunately, right into the arms of Bennett Day. Bennett is a ladies' man, when he's not dodging lethal attacks to protect the powers of the ancients from men like London's father. Sometimes, he's a ladies' man even when he is dodging them. But the minute he sees London he knows she will require his full attention. The woman is lovely, brilliant, and the only known speaker of a dialect of ancient Greek that holds the key to calling down the wrath of the gods. Bennett will be risking his life again--but around London, what really worries him is the danger to his heart... Rebel -- Book Three Nathan Lesperance is used to being different. He's the first Native attorney in Vancouver, and welcome neither with white society nor his sometime tribe. Not to mention the powerful wildness he's always felt inside him, too dangerous to set free. Then he met Astrid Bramfield and saw his like within her piercing eyes. Now, unless she helps him through the harsh terrain and the harsher unknowns of his true abilities, it could very well get him killed... Astrid has traveled this path before. Once she was a Blade of the Rose, protecting the world's magic from unscrupulous men, with her husband by her side. But she's loved and lost, and as a world-class frontierswoman, she knows all about survival. Nathan's searing gaze and long, lean muscles mean nothing but trouble. Yet something has ignited a forgotten flame inside her: a burning need for adventure, for life--and perhaps even for love... Stranger -- Book Four Gemma Murphy has a nose for a story--even if the boys in Chicago's newsrooms would rather focus on her chest. So when she runs into a handsome man of mystery discussing how to save the world from fancy-pants Brit conspirators, she's sensing a scoop. Especially when he mentions there's magic involved. Of course, getting him on the record would be easier if he hadn't caught her eavesdropping... Catullus Graves knows what it's like to be shut out: his ancestors were slaves. And he's a genius inventor with appropriately eccentric habits, so even people who love him find him a little odd. But after meeting a certain redheaded scribbler, he's thinking of other types of science. Inconvenient, given that he needs to focus on preventing the end of the world as we know it. But with Gemma's insatiable curiosity sparking Catullus's inventive impulses, they might set off something explosive anyway...
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1 primary book2 released booksThe Blades of the Rose is a 2-book series with 1 released primary works first released in 2010 with contributions by Zoe Archer and Bianca D'Arc.
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I read these individually when they were first released in 2010. They were my favorite books by this author, with smart, strong-willed women, and men who appreciated their intelligence, not just their looks. Each couple is on a quest to save magic relics before they fall into the hands of the Heirs of England, who want to use them to claim power for their country over all others. There are adventures, exotic locations, magic and Really Bad Guys, plus just enough humor and sex. The H/H generally start out with some mistrust, then work together towards their goal and fall in love gradually. There are no Big Misunderstandings and plenty of communication - the challenges they face are sufficient that they don't need a lot of artificial obstacles to their relationships. My favorites are #1, Warrior for the dashing ex-soldier Gabriel and #3, Rebel for the indigenous attorney with something extra Nathaniel. Unfortunately after three books that featured inventor Catullus Graves in a supporting role, the series conclusion Stranger that focuses on him is a bit of a let-down, with too much magic and not enough of his brilliant Wild, Wild West-type gadgets. But we do get to see all of the couples from the previous books, so that's something.This bundle is frequently on sale (I got it for $1.99) but even at full price it's well worth the cost. Zoe Archer seems to have moved on from steampunk (or maybe it has fallen out of fashion) to straight historicals (writing as [a:Eva Leigh 8886093 Eva Leigh https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1439934306p2/8886093.jpg]), but if she ever wants to re-visit this genre I'll be first in line.