Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

You remember Will Scarlet from the legend of Robin Hood? Well, this is that legend from his (or, more accurately, her) eyes. That's right, there was a woman in Robin Hood's band of Merry Men! And, of course, a love story!

My Thoughts:

1. This book has Robin Hood as a love interest! THE Robin Hood!!! Reading this book inspired me to trace the evolution of my undying love for said legendary character, which you can read here, if you are so inclined. 
2. I absolutely LOVE novels set in the days of yore, and this delivered nicely in that department. 
3. One thing I didn't really like about this was the Marian/Scarlet thing. See, Scarlet is a "tough girl" type character...and I just don't identify with women like that. I can respect women like that, but I am just not like that. How can you have this heart-stopping romance without the element of he is a nobleman who has defied the system to be come an outlaw, she is a noblewoman who has to choose between him/life in the castle type element. I don't know, Scarlet just struck me as coarse, and I'm sure that's probably accurate, but it just didn't do it for me. The author even says in the back of the book that simpering Marian didn't do it for her, and Robin deserved someone strong, a fighter. Well, I'm a proponent of opposites attract, and I think there's something to be said for people like Marian in BBC's 2006 Robin Hood, who spy for information, distract the bad guys etc. Not everyone has to whip their weapons around to make a difference. (Not that 2006 Marian doesn't do a bit of that as well, but you get the idea). All I'm saying is, I prefer the more traditional Marian, but you obviously know what you prefer in your heroines, so don't discount the book for that reason.
4. This had a fair amount of adventure and suspense, and it didn't drag either.
5. At the end, the author put historical info/recommended works on Robin Hood, which I thought was great because, geek that I am, I am SO into stuff like this!
6. This was a nice book. It was a quick read, it made you think, but not too much and, while it didn't have a profound impact on my love of Robin Hood, it is worth reading. 

Who Should Read It:

• Fans of Robin Hood. (Yes, you, don't tell me you're not out there.)
• Fans of historical novels
• Romance lovers!

Final Score: 8/10 I had a really hard time deciding on this. I think the reason I'm hesitant to give this book a higher score, is because I've had so much exposure to the story of Robin Hood that I've sort of taken aspects of the different adaptations and put together in my mind my perfect version of the legend, and, obviously, this isn't my perfect version of the Robin Hood legend, it's A.C. Gaughen's.