I gave the thread a quick read and you brought up a lot of points that I agree with. I'd love to be able to recruit her through a more linear and less evil way. Bonking her in the head, as you put it, feels a little silly haha.
However, in your suggestion, I think Minthara might not be so willing to flee in the middle of battle. It's a little tricky. She does have a big ego though so I could also see her wanting to live. If only that was possible in the game. That fight at the Grove had a hype intro but it ended up being so easy to kill everyone. Having her attempt to flee could very well drive up the difficulty.
