The Golden Valkyrie is a reissue of a book first published in 1984 and, for this reader at least, it shows its age. I've read several books by Iris Johansen over the years so picked up this book expecting a similar sort of tale. I was surprised to find myself reading what seemed like a rather average Mills & Boon story. It even has a
foreign prince and a sheik, all the classic tropes from '80s romances. Many aspects of the plot
are completely unrealistic and simplistic, and the central romance seems unlikely.
There
are some good points to this book. Johansen writes the hero, Prince Rubinoff, in such a way that
- despite his being a womanizing rake - I found myself quite liking him. His relationship with his cousin Alex
is well-written. Unfortunately, the heroine, Honey Winston, is too fluffy and seems a remarkably hopeless
private investigator at the beginning of the story. When discovered hiding in a food-serving trolley (I kid you not), she immediately tells the person whose apartment she was about to burgle the name of her client - absolutely hopeless! Her
naïveté is meant to be endearing, but to this reader it's just a bit stupid.
This is a much shorter book than the others I have read by Johansen; with a large font and wide line spacing, it's just under 300 pages. It's
okay for an airport or beach read, but it's clear to this reader that Johansen
has honed her writing skills a great deal since writing this book.