Glynnis Talken, best known in the gaming realm for her voice as Starcraft's Sarah Kerrigan or Diablo's rogue, has another interesting talent. She has both the vision and ability to write historical romance novels.

Yes, I said historical romance novels. I must admit, I felt somewhat self-conscious and embarassed reading her books while getting my car's oil changed. Romance novels, although very popular among women, are emotional like chick flicks and a bit graphic like soft-core erotica--with the notable exception that the visuals are formed in your imagination.

The last time I read one, I was probably about 14 years old. As a young teen, my friend and I would sneak off with some of these books and a small tub of chocolate hazelnut spread, skip straight to the pages that had been flattened the most, and giggle over the cheesy storylines. As an adult, I don't have the excuse of being a silly teen as I sit in my mechanic's lobby. Gamer Shame really doesn't touch Romance Novel Shame! And yet I got so hooked on these books that I couldn't put them down until I was done.

Although I normally don't pick up romance novels these days, and I typically would not review them for a gaming site, these books in particular intrigued me. Sarah McKerrigan (that's Glynnis Talken's pen name) created strong warrior women characters for her novels, the kind that are reminiscent of ones you might find in a video game. Lady Danger and Captive Heart had something I personally have not run across with many other romance novels--smart, savvy female lead characters who are capable of being strong and feminine at the same time.

McKerrigan did an excellent job of developing the relationships between the main characters. There were times when I would sympathize with the male interest in the book just as much as the female--even yelling at him out loud without realizing it, only to look up and catch my husband giving me a quizzical look.

I did feel that Lady Danger in particular could have developed some of the secondary relationships a little more. It also lacked a bit in the "historical" department. Regardless, both books were quite entertaining.

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