Roberta Olsen Major Reviews

Added October 10, 2003

Royal Pains Book 3: The Good Knight Kiss

Author: Roberta Olsen Major
Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc
Available At: www.wings-press.com
Publishing Date: September 2003
Genre: Young Adult: Fantasy
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/MS Reader and Trade Paperback
Price: $6.00, $9.95 (price through Wings ePress)
Author Email/Website: www.authorsden.com/robertaolsenmajor
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo

Most knights are renown for their jousting abilities, but King Arpeggio's knights excel in jesting. And so do most of the other royal subjects and inhabitants in this medieval fantasyland. The Good Knight Kiss is a galloping romp of hilarity on a quest of pure enjoyment. Roberta Olsen Major delights her readers with wit, puns, and good old silliness.

This book is the third in the Royal Pains series. Although this reviewer hadn't read the previous books, the story line was easily followed. While the setting is fantasy, there are some "typical" elements of the medieval time period here. The knights are never hopeless, the females are mostly helpless, and danger lurks for the hapless. There are actually three stories in this book, yet each one interweaves the others, and all join together at the end.

Honoria, the king's youngest daughter, is a bit unusual for a girl of that time period, but that only makes her more likeable. Sir Gabriel positively "shines" as her father's favorite knight. Cousin Vivacia is one of the many royal pains, and Rampianne will remind readers of another young lady with extra long hair who was also trapped in a tower. Each character is gifted with a healthy dose of wit and charm .The stories themselves spotlight the special abilities of knights. Finding husbands for the king's daughters, rescuing a damsel in distress and uncovering a baffling and dangerous mystery are all parts of a day in the knight's life.

Future books in this series include: The 24-Karat King, The Ice Cream Crone, and The Troll Princess. This reviewer will certainly be looking out for them. It isn't every day that an author comes along who creates a book that is filled with the perfect combination of chivalry and joviality.

While The Good Knight Kiss features knights in shining armor, it also speaks to its young adult audience about practical things, like love, forgiveness and the beauty of reality. Yes, reality. Because in every fantasy, there is the real world looking to get out.

Life, love and the pursuit of laughter reign in this marvelous book.

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