BOOK REVIEW ~~~~~ THE DANCER (Men of the North #7) by Elin Peer

It might seem that I only ever read good books - I don't.  However my decision for this blog is to only include books that were better than average, books that were more than simply 'OK'. 

The Dancer is one such book.  It is part of a series of books, all of which can be read stand alone though their stories interlink in such a way that you definitely benefit from starting with book #1, The Protector.

Men of the North is set 400 years in the future, men are few and women rule the world.  Except for the area formerly known as Canada and Alaska, which is inhabited by the Men of the Northlands, a group of strong men, who refuse to be ruled by women.

My Review - 4.75 stars

A wonderful second-chance romance

We first met Solomon and Willow as childhood sweethearts in The Mentor  and subsequent books. Having discovered, in The Genius, that things had somehow gone badly wrong for them, I was very eager to know their truths. This book didn't disappoint me at all, and yet again reflects the writing talent that is Elin Peer.

Though I really couldn't understand her animosity at first, I still really liked Willow. She was vile to Solo, yet she was such a gentle, caring person the rest of the time that I knew there was more to the story than we were seeing. Even if she irritates you it is worth continuing with this as the reasons for her attitude to Solo become clearer further into the story. And you would miss one heck of a powerful and wonderful tale.

Solomon is a fierce warrior, not only a Huntsman but one of the feared DoomSquad. In fact we first meet him whilst he is carrying out his soldiering duties. Duties that, despite protecting women from domestic violence, haunt him. In previous books he came across as quite arrogant and even a tad overbearing, but in this book we see quite a different side to him. Ms Peer managed to give us a hero who felt things deeply and acknowledged his own emotions without losing any of his strength or dominance.

There was just such emotional angst and a huge depth of feeling from the outset. My heart ached almost from the first page and there were times when both main characters brought tears to my eyes. Normally in a second-chance I'm wanting the hero to grovel and beg forgiveness before he wins back the heroine, but the story line of this book was so unique that I was just hoping and praying for Willow to realise how much Solo loved her and was perfect for her.

Whilst this can be read as a stand alone, I think reading the two books mentioned will help provide very important background information. Whilst Solo and Willow are only side characters in both books we do see how close they are in The Mentor.

Synopsis
Sometimes the purest love can turn to the deepest hate. 

I was twelve when I promised Solo that I would one day marry him. Maybe I would have if he hadn’t gotten impatient and ruined everything that summer when I was fifteen. For the last seven years I’ve replaced the love I once felt for him with anger over his almost getting me killed. 

Willow, a talented Motlander dancer, goes on tour in the Northlands. What should have been a chance for a new beginning brings her face to face with her traumatic past when Solo, a mountain of a man and the fiercest warrior of his generation, is put in charge of her safety against her will. If she can’t get rid of him at least she can return the favor and make his job a nightmare too. 

The Dancer is the 7th book in Elin Peer’s wildly successful Men of the North series that has readers gushing over the Nmen, unusual plotlines, and the strong set of characters. 

If you like large alpha men, strong women, humor, and a lot of depth, then this romantic sci-fi is for you. 



Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FGDT8PX/