Series:
Shieldmaiden Sisters (Book 3)
Kidnapped by the warrior
Tempted by the man…
Captured by the infamous Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince intent
on revenge against her family, Viking healer Helga must keep her wits about her
if she's to be freed. Easier said than done when she desires him rather than
fears him! Helga senses there's good inside Rhys and feels compelled to reach
his heart. But first, she must make him see there's more to her than just his
enemy…
Fantastic conclusion to the series. This book mostly
takes place at the same time as the previous book (
Tempted by Her Outcast Warrior) but from the viewpoints of Helga and Rhys.
Helga is the youngest of the three sisters and the only
one who is not a warrior. She has always felt like she is a disappointment and
a burden to her family. Her talents lie in other directions - healing,
organizing, and understanding human nature. All of those qualities become vital
in this book.
Rhys is a Welsh noble whose sister was supposed to marry
Halfdan (
The Viking She Would Have Married) to cement an alliance with Halfdan's
father, Ulf. The marriage fell through when Halfdan married Valda, and Rhys's
sister eloped with her bodyguard. Rhys only knows that she has disappeared and
blames Ulf and his family. He kidnaps Helga to force Ulf to return his sister.
He thinks Helga is the weakest of the sisters and gets quite a surprise.
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Helga
and Rhys. Many years earlier, Helga had a dream of a black dragon with blue
eyes carrying her away and believed it was a sign of her marriage. Rhys is
known as the Black Dragon in his homeland of Wales. When Helga first sees him,
she is immediately drawn to him, though her initial fascination takes a bit of
a hit when he kidnaps her. Rhys is attracted to Helga, but she is the enemy and
his hostage, so she is off-limits.
The journey back to Rhys's lands was an exciting trip.
Though she is a hostage, Helga is treated well, and it isn't long before her
feelings for Rhys return and begins to grow. As she learns of his reasons for
taking her, Helga's empathy leads to her desire to help him. Rhys is weighed
down by his responsibilities to his people and his land. He was raised to put
them first, before his desires and happiness. As a result, Rhys protects his
heart by keeping everyone at a distance. I loved watching Helga get under his
skin and stir up the emotions he's kept locked away.
I enjoyed the effects the journey had on Helga and Rhys.
Helga is open about her feelings of inadequacy around her family. As he gets to
know her, Rhys can't understand their attitude and becomes angry on her behalf.
I love how he learned to listen to her insights and ideas and showed her the
respect she deserved. His treatment of her boosted her self-esteem. I loved
seeing her confidence grow. Rhys is intense and focused to the point of tunnel
vision on his sister's rescue and his issues with Ulf. I loved seeing Helga's
success at breaking through some of that intensity and getting him to look at
the bigger picture.
I liked seeing Helga settle in as a "guest" in
Rhys's home. It doesn't take her long to feel as though she belongs there. Rhys
feels the same way but fights his feelings because of the events of his past.
Helga's love and empathy for him enable her to finally get him to open up to
her. I loved how she showed him that he deserves love and happiness, too. However,
Rhys still has some major trust issues, and as the book reaches its climax, he
has choices to make. Brynhild and Erik's arrival with news of his sister and
his reaction to it put his newly committed relationship with Helga at risk. A
heartbreaking scene between Helga and Rhys exposes his fears and drives Helga
to call him out on his hypocrisy. The ending is intense as Helga takes a
desperate chance to save the man she loves, and Rhys realizes his mistakes
almost too late. I was glued to the pages as I read the intense battle scene.
The post-battle scenes were terrific as Rhys faced Helga and her family. It was
an eye-opening experience for him, and I laughed out loud at some of his
encounters.
The epilogue was wonderful. I loved seeing how the couples
from each book have progressed with their relationships. Each is consistent
with their personalities but shows how they have grown and changed. I adored Rhys's
surprise for Helga, showing the depth of his love and understanding of who she
is.
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