Series:
Shieldmaiden Sisters (Book 2)
Tempted by the warrior…
But she'll never wed!
Brynhild had once been close to Erik -- until he'd
betrayed her, and she'd hoped never to see him again. Now the fiercely
independent shieldmaiden needs Erik's skills to rescue her sister. Striking a
truce with the tough, isolated loner, they reach a mutually beneficial deal:
help her and, in return, she'll help him in his quest to find a wife -- by
teaching him how to please a woman in bed!
Terrific book that caught my attention from the beginning
and kept me hooked to the last page. The story picks up immediately after the
end of the previous book (
The Viking She Would Have Married). While this can be
read as a standalone, I feel the reader gets a deeper understanding of these
characters by reading the other book first.
Brynhild and Erik had once been friends until he betrayed
her. Years later, she'd hoped never to see him again, but with his half-brother
marrying her sister, that was a forlorn hope. Erik has been tasked with helping
Brynhild, her mother, and her youngest sister, Helga, find land to purchase.
But before he can do that, Helga is kidnapped, and Brynhild needs his help to
rescue her sister.
I liked Brynhild and Erik. Brynhild is strong and capable,
with a fierce reputation as a shieldmaiden; she sees herself as her family's
protector. As a result, she doesn't plan to marry, though she occasionally finds
herself wanting more. Though supremely confident in her fighting abilities, she
is very self-conscious about her appearance. Tall and muscular, she's been
teased and bullied about her looks since she was a child, and she feels unlovable
and unattractive. But there is also a softness to her that she keeps well hidden.
Amazingly, Erik has turned out to be the good man he is. His
mother was a Persian noblewoman captured and enslaved by his Viking father,
making him a slave, too. He experienced humiliation and prejudice from both
sides of his heritage and was accepted by neither one. His father was physically
and emotionally abusive. Recently freed from his enslavement through the
efforts of his half-brother Halfdan, Erik is ready for the next stage of his
life. But he puts that on hold to help Brynhild rescue her sister. He also
hopes to make amends for past mistakes he made with her.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Brynhild and
Erik develop. Several flashbacks show their past and the events that drew them
together and drove them apart. Brynhild still harbors a great deal of anger
over his actions years ago and is not happy about the attraction she feels
toward him. At the same time, Erik knows he wants Brynhild in his life but has
no confidence that she would ever feel the same way. Forced together on their
search, their sparks continue to grow while they work through their past
issues. In an interesting role reversal, Brynhild is the experienced one of the
pair. Erik has held himself back for reasons that are both admirable and
heartbreaking. I loved seeing his first experiences with tenderness and passion
happen with the woman who has held his heart for so long. Ultimately, will Brynhild's
need to protect Erik from her family's troubles cause her to deny her feelings
for him? Or will Erik be able to convince her that they can overcome anything
if they are together?
I liked the intensity of the plot. Helga is kidnapped as
a hostage by Rhys, the Black Dragon, who blames Erik's father for the failed
marriage bargain that would have married his sister to Halfdan. Erik and Brynhild
must find the sister, who ran off with her bodyguard and return her to Rhys to
free Helga. While hot on the heels of the runaway couple, Erik and Brynhild experience
various situations calling for their cooperation and trust. An unexpected twist
changes the dynamic of their mission, and the result is different from what
they wanted. I ached for Brynhild and her fears for Helga's safety. The
epilogue hints at Helga's story, and I'm glad I already have it to read next.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the richness
of the descriptions. Whether it was the landscape, the people, or the action,
the depth of detail made the scenes come alive. I was intrigued enough to look
up the names of the towns to see what they are today and follow along on a map.
No comments:
Post a Comment