Reviews: The Scarlet Series – A.C. Gaughen

Posted July 9, 2015 by Andi in Books, Review / 2 Comments

Reviews: The Scarlet Series – A.C. GaughenScarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Series: Scarlet #1
Published by Walker Childrens
Published: February 14th 2012
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Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.
The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

Review

I read Scarlet a while ago. I had had it on my TBR shelf for a long time, signed no less, but had never gotten to it. After being strongly urged to do it I did and I really liked it. I had trouble with the dialect originally. It is written in a way that is slightly hard to get comfortable with until you don’t even notice it as the book progresses. I guess what I liked best about Scarlet was actually Scarlet herself. She was such a strong female lead in a men’s world that you can’t help but like her. I didn’t always like her choices and her actions, but I knew what she was trying to do. And I loved her relationship with Rob. The end kind of broke me and although this wasn’t my favorite of the series it made me want to read book 2.

Reviews: The Scarlet Series – A.C. GaughenLady Thief by A.C. Gaughen
Series: Scarlet #2
Published by Walker Childrens
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Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

Review

Lady Thief took me a while to read and it wasn’t because I didn’t want to see what would happen to Rob, Scarlet, John, Much and the townspeople. It was because I was told the ending was a doozy and you would need Lion Heart almost immediately after completion. So I waited and waited and waited. And then I read it and loved it. It was a completely different book than Scarlet. Scarlet was almost this new character in Lady Thief and I loved seeing this layer of her. She had to deal with consequences for something she had done in Scarlet and it opened her eyes to a life she didn’t know what hers, nor did she really want. I loved seeing how things changed between her and Rob and how those changes affected what she did or the choices she made. I also liked knowing more about Scarlet’s background. And that ending! Oh that ending!

Reviews: The Scarlet Series – A.C. GaughenLion Heart by A.C. Gaughen
Series: Scarlet #3
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
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The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed and romance-filled adventure.Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.



Review

Lion Heart was by far my favorite of the 3 book series. As the plot progressed I thought Gaughen’s story got better and better and culminated in a book that felt pretty perfect, not only as a series ender, but as an exclamation on a great set of books. This book terrified me to read. After what happened in both Scarlet and Lady Thief I was legit afraid what would happen to the people I had grown to know and love. I had a pit in my stomach the whole time and for good reason. But Annie did an excellent job with Lion Heart. She tied up things that needed to be tied up and left some stuff open as it takes on a different historical context. It was utterly fantastic. It crushed my soul but I also loved every minute.

final

In conclusion the series was fantastic. Scarlet was a character that you don’t think has many layers when you meet her and then her story grows and you see she is very complicated and that there is more to her. Each book in the story changes her in some way and it makes her a better person even when it is a hardship or something truly awful that happens to her. And Rob, he and Scarlet together are unstoppable. What am I saying? This is a series you don’t want to miss.

Oh and that dialect that I had trouble with in that beginning? I was speaking it to a friend in the end. It gets into your pores and makes the story authentic feeling.

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2 responses to “Reviews: The Scarlet Series – A.C. Gaughen

  1. Ashfa

    I’m dying to get my hands on Lady Thief!!! I read Scarlet and love it and I won Lion Heart a few weeks back and it’s killing me to find out what ha[pens next! I’ve not really a fan of retellings but this series is just amazing!!

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