Review: The Last Warrior by Susan Grant

Author: Susan Grant
Title: The Last Warrior
Genre: Science fiction / fantasy romance
Publisher: HQN (imprint of Harlequin Mills & Boons)
ISBN: 9780373775422
The Romance Author's Verdict: 4/5 Stars


As a decorated soldier, the young General Tao knows only one kind of honor—to his people. But when his own king betrays him, he discovers that his sacrifices, his successes, may not have been for the good of the country at all.
Fate—and his enemies—throw him together with Elsabeth, a red-haired beauty who has served as the royal tutor. Her loyalties, though, remain with her father's people, the rebellious Kurel, who worship the old ways, even harboring the forbidden arks that brought the Kurel to this planet ages ago. When a threat greater than their peoples' war looms, intent on destroying the world they both know, the fierce warrior and the sensitive scholar must unite. Together, they must fight for their planet, for their world and for their love.

The first Susan Grant book I ever read was The Legend of Banzai Maguire, book one in the 2176 series. It was a great book, so I went out and got some other Susan Grant books. Unfortunately, I feel the other books I read by Ms. Grant haven't been quite as good. I'm not saying her other books aren't good -- they are, she's a talented writer. And so I keep buying her books on the hope another story will capture me like that first one did. Obviously so far, Banzai Maguire is my favorite.
But I'm supposed to be talking about The Last Warrior. Though this is a romance published by HQN, I felt the relationship between Tao, a General falsely charged with treason, and Elsabeth, took a backseat to the world building and story of Tao's fight to clear his name -- also not necessarily a bad thing. I quite enjoyed this world, the different factions, and the history of how the current situation on the planet came to be. While I found it a bit slow going at the start, the story built into a really great ending, with a character acting very unexpectedly to tie everything up fairly nicely.
There aren't that many big name sci-fi romance authors around, though slowly we are starting to see more into the mainstream romance publishers (though not enough for my liking!), but Ms Grant has certainly made a name for herself as a successful SFR author.
If you're looking to venture into this genre, or already love it and haven't tried Ms. Grant yet, then I can definitely recommend picking up one of her books. The Last Warrior is a satisfying read.