Glen- if you like the Bard now, you'll have even more reasons to love her in the next version.
I've gotten a lot of mixed feedback on her. Some people think she's too powerful (the Inspire bonus, in particular, is too deadly against low Defense units like mages). Others say she's not powerful enough (i.e.) her one good ability does not make up for her low Defense (which makes her tough to choose between Samurais, Warriors, and other heavy units).
With the new version, I hope to address both criticisms by evolving her into a full support unit. Check out the full details here in the Bard section:
https://heromages.com/forums/index.php?topic=217.0