Review of Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Basic Info

Released: February 14, 2012

Pages: 292 (hardcover)

Interest: Debut Author, Robin Hood

Rating: **** 4 stars

Summary (from Goodreads.com)

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.
Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.
It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Review

I was pretty intrigued when I heard about Scarlet, pretty much all I knew was that it was the story of Robin Hood where Will Scarlet is actually a girl.  Since I didn’t know much about Will Scarlet, it was easy to make that switch in my head.

Scarlet was a quick and exciting read.  There was plenty of adventure and a dose of mystery.  I think I could guess Scarlet’s background before Robin and the rest did.  You probably will too, the other characters were a little dense about it :).  The setting is well developed, and the characters a younger, more hot-headed generation.  The one thing I wondered about was: where is Prince John?  I’m so used to seeing him as the villain.  In this case we had the Sheriff of Nottingham and Gisbourne the thief taker, who were both superb villains.  Maybe Prince John will enter the storyline in later books…

There is a touch of romance, and a big helping of jealousy involved in the story.  If you’re looking for adventure, the romance won’t be enough to distract you, if you’re reading for romance it will just whet your appetite.  The characters actually know each other, or are working on it, as opposed to simply groping each other.  No instant romance here, just the conversation and development that could lead to a more lasting romance later. 

Scarlet did not have a big cliffhanger, but it did leave enough loose ends for the weaving of the next story.  I’m betting on this becoming a series, but it could also settle here if it needed to.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of Robin Hood, or others looking for an adventure with a pinch of romance.