Publisher: sjacquebooks
Date of publication: September 23rd 2021
Genre: Fairy Tales, Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: HighTower Series
Winter Falls: A Tale of the Snow Queen—Book 1 (review here)
Cry Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 2
Lone Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 3
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 4
Between Dog and Wolf: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 5
Wolves at Bay: A Tale of Beauty and the Beast—Book 6
Depths—Book 7
Graves: A Tale of the Little Mermaid—Book 8
Storms—Book 9 (review here)
Robin’s Hood: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 10 (review here)
Marian’s Man: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 11
Lion’s Heart: A Tale of Sherwood Forest—Book 12
Letters by Cinderlight: A Tale of Cinderella—Book 13 (review here)
Wishes by Starlight: A Tale of Cinderella—Book 14
Purchase Links: Amazon
Goodreads Synopsis:
Who is the man who holds her heart?
After playing Robin Hood for months, Marian is starting to wonder how well she knows Robin of Locksley. Her husband could just be depressed, returning from a war that should have claimed his life. He could just be adjusting to their new life in the forest. Marian wants to be patient, but after surrendering Locksley to the sheriff and his men, the villages need Robin Hood more than ever.
When a fight for a king’s ransom costs much more than gold, everything boils to the surface. How can Marian continue to take the name or even stay married to a man she now despises?
And who will wear the hood in the end?
If you like inspirational heroines, unique love stories, and non-stop twists and turns, this action-packed fantasy retelling is for you.
First Line:
Ballads of Robin Hood have spread through the English countryside like wildfire, becoming greater and more fantastic with every pass.
marian’s man by jacque stevens
I enjoy reading fairy tale/myth retellings. Each fairy tale retelling that I have read has been different and exciting. Though, I haven’t read a retelling about Robin Hood and was immediately interested when Robin’s Hood came out. Then I read the blurb for Marian’s Man, and I couldn’t wait to read it!!
Marian’s Man takes place shortly after the events at the end of Robin’s Hood. Rob and Mare have been reunited. Mare is prepared to keep wearing the hood, but Rob doesn’t want her to, and he takes on the Robin Hood persona. While Mare isn’t happy, she understands. During one of her forays into the village, Mare discovers that the Queen will be riding through the village on her way to pay the ransom for King Richard. She also finds that the sheriff and his cronies have a plan to rob the Queen. What will happen? Will Robin Hood come to the rescue? Or will the ransom be taken? And can Rob and Mare reconnect, or will Rob’s demons take over?
Marian’s Man is a fast-paced book that kept my attention the entire book. It is a short book (183 pages), and with the fast pace, it took me a couple of hours (broken up over the day) to read. There was no lag, and the author kept up the fast pace of the entire book.
Marian’s Man is told from both Rob and Mare’s POV. I loved that!! I liked being able to see Rob’s take on everything that was going on. It made the book much more interesting to read.
I felt terrible for Rob. He suffered while in the Middle East. I wasn’t surprised that he was having flashbacks, and I wasn’t surprised when he started to deal with his demons the way he did. I was a little surprised at how much he didn’t want to be Robin Hood. He hated the hood, which was a direct contrast to how Mare felt about it. I also liked seeing how honest he was with himself about how he felt about Mare. It was refreshing to see a man lay it all out.
I liked Mare in Marian’s Man. She was determined to stand by Rob, no matter what. While she was confused by how he acted (the flashbacks made him do awful things), she was there for him. She wasn’t happy about not being Robin Hood. She loved wearing the hood and outsmarting the sheriff. So, I wasn’t surprised by what she did towards the end of the book.
Mare and Rob’s romance was a slow burn throughout the book. I did get aggravated with them during certain scenes. They were madly in love with each other, and then they would act a fool because of jealousy. But other than that, I enjoyed their romance.
This is a clean book. There is no sex, and there is a handful of kissing scenes. The chemistry between Mare and Rob is palpable, and I can’t wait for them to finally get down and dirty.
There is a hint of a love triangle, which I didn’t like. I felt that it could have been left out of the book because it added nothing to it.
The end of Marian’s Man was excellent. While it didn’t take me by surprise, it shocked me a little. I cannot wait to read the next book and see what happens then!!
I would recommend Marian’s Man to anyone over the age of 16. There is no sex (some kissing scenes), but there is violence.
One thought on “Marian’s Man: A Tale of Sherwood Forest (HighTower Fairytales) by Jacque Stevens”