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Tender Warrior
Before celebrated author Fern Michaels soared to stardom with her Texas saga, she wrote extraordinary stories of peril and passion that have become legendary. Here is one of her classic gems—a searing tale of medieval Spain where a willful princess finds herself at the mercy of a man like no other. . . .
They call him El Cid. His real name is Ruy Diez, Spain's unconquerable hero. Until he meets Mirjana. The beautiful princess of Seville begs him to rescue her from a nightmare. But once she is in his arms, he cannot let go. He takes possession of her body and soul, forsaking his own ruthless ambitions in the name of desire, only to betray her. But Mirjana has plans of her own—and she will battle the king himself to win the heart of her beloved warrior.
They call him El Cid. His real name is Ruy Diez, Spain's unconquerable hero. Until he meets Mirjana. The beautiful princess of Seville begs him to rescue her from a nightmare. But once she is in his arms, he cannot let go. He takes possession of her body and soul, forsaking his own ruthless ambitions in the name of desire, only to betray her. But Mirjana has plans of her own—and she will battle the king himself to win the heart of her beloved warrior.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
4 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
426 books6,523 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 2, 2021
Откъде да започна, направо потривам ръчички! Нищо чудно, че тази траши антика не е преиздавана, толкова чекчета за неполиткоректен любовен роман отмята, че няма много накъде повече, което за любител на (по-леката версия) на старите bodice rippers си е направо гурме.
1. Времето - 1071 г., Испания на крал Алфонсо, който тъкмо е заклал брат си крал Санчо, и мавърска Севиля на емир Мутадид. Никаква Англия, драги зрителки, нито дори САЩ! Алелуя!
2. Героиня - мюсюлманка! Дъщерята на емира. За да избяга от уреден брак, урежда керванът им към Гранада да бъде нападнат от испанци, но леко не съобразява последствията. Не е прицвъкната лейди с откачени псевдофеминистки наклонности, взети директно от #metoo. Нито старо девойче на 40, отчаяно от живота, и забягнала в някоя винарна/пицарийка/книжарничка в китен и благоустроен градец, с дантелени перденца по прозорците.
3. Героят - чиста проба разбойник. Наемник, бие се за испанци и маври, който предложи повече. И когато героинята арогантно се оплаква, че е позакъснял с нападението, я завлича да се полюбува на труповете на избитата си охрана.
4. Имаме зла майка! Християнски фундаменталист направо! Освен, че замъкът е мръсен и търчат мишки из кухнята, дамата настоява, че почтената католичка не се къпе след раждането си. Добре че героят, бидейки наемник, е отворен към чужди култури и е възприел някои арабски привички, и се къпе… А madre урежда подмолно брак за нашия човек, от който той не може да офейка.
5. Имаме си изневяра. На нашия човек не му харесва да е женен, и просто отсвирва кралската внучка през девет града в десети. И си живее щастливо с мюсюлманката!
Хайде да видим коя от превзетите сегашни авторки на дамски боклук ще се престраши с нещо такова. Не, героините днес трябва да са “независими” (най-вече от собствения си мозък!), да си търсят “правата” (т.е. да вдигат нервите на всички наоколо с малоумни претенции без покритие). Това, драги съвременни чиклит авторки, не е феминизъм, а инфантилизъм! Феминизмът често е въпрос на силен дух, силен мозък и оцеляване. Но къде ти да плашите забързаните читателки с такива работи…
Само заради тази веселба закръглям оценката нагоре. Иначе откъм исторически фон има какво да се желае, па и лИбоФта не е чак уау. Не трябваше да замесва Ел Сид авторката, загуба на време. Пиетро не е испанско име, а италианско. Хуано не е испанско име, а Хуан. Но пък няма нито един херцог, кеф!
⭐️3,5 звезди⭐️
1. Времето - 1071 г., Испания на крал Алфонсо, който тъкмо е заклал брат си крал Санчо, и мавърска Севиля на емир Мутадид. Никаква Англия, драги зрителки, нито дори САЩ! Алелуя!
2. Героиня - мюсюлманка! Дъщерята на емира. За да избяга от уреден брак, урежда керванът им към Гранада да бъде нападнат от испанци, но леко не съобразява последствията. Не е прицвъкната лейди с откачени псевдофеминистки наклонности, взети директно от #metoo. Нито старо девойче на 40, отчаяно от живота, и забягнала в някоя винарна/пицарийка/книжарничка в китен и благоустроен градец, с дантелени перденца по прозорците.
3. Героят - чиста проба разбойник. Наемник, бие се за испанци и маври, който предложи повече. И когато героинята арогантно се оплаква, че е позакъснял с нападението, я завлича да се полюбува на труповете на избитата си охрана.
4. Имаме зла майка! Християнски фундаменталист направо! Освен, че замъкът е мръсен и търчат мишки из кухнята, дамата настоява, че почтената католичка не се къпе след раждането си. Добре че героят, бидейки наемник, е отворен към чужди култури и е възприел някои арабски привички, и се къпе… А madre урежда подмолно брак за нашия човек, от който той не може да офейка.
5. Имаме си изневяра. На нашия човек не му харесва да е женен, и просто отсвирва кралската внучка през девет града в десети. И си живее щастливо с мюсюлманката!
Хайде да видим коя от превзетите сегашни авторки на дамски боклук ще се престраши с нещо такова. Не, героините днес трябва да са “независими” (най-вече от собствения си мозък!), да си търсят “правата” (т.е. да вдигат нервите на всички наоколо с малоумни претенции без покритие). Това, драги съвременни чиклит авторки, не е феминизъм, а инфантилизъм! Феминизмът често е въпрос на силен дух, силен мозък и оцеляване. Но къде ти да плашите забързаните читателки с такива работи…
Само заради тази веселба закръглям оценката нагоре. Иначе откъм исторически фон има какво да се желае, па и лИбоФта не е чак уау. Не трябваше да замесва Ел Сид авторката, загуба на време. Пиетро не е испанско име, а италианско. Хуано не е испанско име, а Хуан. Но пък няма нито един херцог, кеф!
⭐️3,5 звезди⭐️
July 20, 2017
***MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD***
I would have loved to give this book 5 stars because it's one of the most romantic I have ever read and you never doubt the sincerity of the protaganists' love.
For that reason, I was satisfied with the ending, because there is no denying Ruy and Mirjana desperately love each other and will do their best to succeed. Besides, Ruy did wed Jimena, ward of the king, and this is historically accurate. Not that I can say that for the rest of the book. This is a book about the greatest Spanish hero of all time, El Cid, and never do we witness any of Cid's heroic actions. He's a very nice hero, but that could have been anybody else in history, too. What a wasted opportunity.
But Ruy's and Mirjana's love is instense & steadfast.
Even though there was an "unconventional" happy ending, there is no denying Ruy's and Mirjana's deep and abiding love and they will make it thorugh until the end.
But as for the rest of historical accuracy....that's not something that I can say that for most of the book (or most Fern Michaels' works for that matter!). This is a novel about the greatest Spanish hero of all time, El Cid, and never do we hear about or witness any of Cid's heroic actions. Where's the action, the battles, the killings? Also, the fact that Cid's mistress was an Arab princess is not something to be taken lightly by his peers.
This novel is not about the El Cid of legend. Ruy is a great, loving hero to the heartbroken Mirjana, but that could have been anybody else in history, too. What a wasted opportunity! All he had to do was kick a few guys's bums, slay some "infidels," and rally his troops to victory. That would have reinforced his tough guy image. That would have been a story worthy of El Cid.
Still for Fern Michaels, this was a great book, with scheming enemies, sad tragedy, and passion galore. 4 stars!/B
I would have loved to give this book 5 stars because it's one of the most romantic I have ever read and you never doubt the sincerity of the protaganists' love.
For that reason, I was satisfied with the ending, because there is no denying Ruy and Mirjana desperately love each other and will do their best to succeed. Besides, Ruy did wed Jimena, ward of the king, and this is historically accurate. Not that I can say that for the rest of the book. This is a book about the greatest Spanish hero of all time, El Cid, and never do we witness any of Cid's heroic actions. He's a very nice hero, but that could have been anybody else in history, too. What a wasted opportunity.
But Ruy's and Mirjana's love is instense & steadfast.
Even though there was an "unconventional" happy ending, there is no denying Ruy's and Mirjana's deep and abiding love and they will make it thorugh until the end.
But as for the rest of historical accuracy....that's not something that I can say that for most of the book (or most Fern Michaels' works for that matter!). This is a novel about the greatest Spanish hero of all time, El Cid, and never do we hear about or witness any of Cid's heroic actions. Where's the action, the battles, the killings? Also, the fact that Cid's mistress was an Arab princess is not something to be taken lightly by his peers.
This novel is not about the El Cid of legend. Ruy is a great, loving hero to the heartbroken Mirjana, but that could have been anybody else in history, too. What a wasted opportunity! All he had to do was kick a few guys's bums, slay some "infidels," and rally his troops to victory. That would have reinforced his tough guy image. That would have been a story worthy of El Cid.
Still for Fern Michaels, this was a great book, with scheming enemies, sad tragedy, and passion galore. 4 stars!/B
May 8, 2018
Too many words. I will explain. If you feel that you have to fill up the pages with the same (or very similar) description over and over you should realize I will skip those words. I was cleaning, SURPRISE!! and was trying to rearrange books, both read and unread; I put a bunch in a pile and let it fall, what ever came out on top was what I read. The story was fine, in my opinion, there were too many characters and TOOMANYWORDS. Anyway, keep the repeated descriptions to a minimum and I might pick this author up again.
March 23, 2020
I thought I knew what I was getting into with a romance novel. But this is possibly the worst book ever. It shouldn't even qualify as literature. Not once did it elicit any emotions from me as the reader, other than boredom.
September 2, 2019
Best novel ever
February 25, 2020
Lots of angst. Author propels you through w/ that waiting of the other shoe to drop, on, &on. Good story.
August 21, 2020
This app is tiring 😔
January 5, 2025
#4 - 2025
Genre: Historical Romance
Genre: Historical Romance
March 27, 2013
May be a spoiler~
This started out great. I like the back story given for the heroine and her maid which eventually had char development. The interactions, thoughts from the main couple during the start of the story drew me in. I felt for the hero & heroine each feeling guilty & remorse for the foolish decisions they made. Unfortunately, the hero turned out to be such an idiot whether regarding their relationship or the decisions he made. And to that the unforgivable physical violence he did. That's a no-no in my book esp considering his reason why he lost control. I wish the brave heroine and her spunky maid could have lived out another adventure, it was almost like that at the end. Pity. El Cid does not deserve her.
This started out great. I like the back story given for the heroine and her maid which eventually had char development. The interactions, thoughts from the main couple during the start of the story drew me in. I felt for the hero & heroine each feeling guilty & remorse for the foolish decisions they made. Unfortunately, the hero turned out to be such an idiot whether regarding their relationship or the decisions he made. And to that the unforgivable physical violence he did. That's a no-no in my book esp considering his reason why he lost control. I wish the brave heroine and her spunky maid could have lived out another adventure, it was almost like that at the end. Pity. El Cid does not deserve her.
May 23, 2011
This book starts out kind of slow, but it is a compelling love story and after I got through the first chapter or two I was hooked. Loved the characters and the love story portrayed.
October 19, 2014
Read in 2011. Definitely a five star read! Fern Michaels never disappoints!
July 23, 2016
I enjoyed it.
Read
September 15, 2008F Mic
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews