Guest Review: Immortal Warrior by Lisa Hendrix (And a Contest)

Publisher: Berkley, PenguinGenres: Paranormal Romance

Tracy‘s guest review of Immortal Warrior by Lisa Hendrix

He came to England in search of treasure. Two hundred years later, he’s found her…

Ivar Graycloak is a brave warrior, a man known for his strength and integrity. He is also a man with a terrible secret. Long ago he was part of a Viking crew cursed by an evil sorceress to live for eternity as were-creatures. An eagle by day and a man by night, Ivar has lived a solitary existence for over two centuries. Then the king orders him to marry.

Lady Alaida is everything a man could want in a bride—intelligent, spirited, and beautiful—and their wedding night is a balm to Ivar’s lonely spirit. Then a seer brings him word of a dark vision, one that makes Ivar vow to stay away from his lovely wife forever. But now that Ivar has sampled Alaida’s passion, her humor and warmth, he is enthralled. His traitorous body—his very heart—longs for that which he can never possess.

Lady Alaida may surprise him yet, though, for she has a power of her own—a power that will either destroy everything they hold dear or ultimately set them free…

Ivar is a spy for King William in the year 1095. In payment for a job well done Ivar is given land and then a wife. He is very excited about both but doesn’t quite know how long it will last – he has longed for normality for so long he just doesn’t know if it will turn out the way he would like. You see, Ivar was cursed centuries ago by a sorceress and lives as a man by night, but as an eagle by day. He and two of his fellow cursed friends, Brand – who lives as a bear by day, and Ari – who is man by day and raven by night, head to Alnwick to take possession the land.

Alaida, who is the granddaughter of the former Lord of Alnwick, is a sharp-tongued lady but one who is not about to be taken over lightly. Unfortunately when Ivar comes to take his place as Lord she is forced to do the bidding of the king, no matter how much she despises the orders. She does find that Ivar is unlike how she thought he’d be and is kind and thoughtful. They have one night together in their wedding bed before Ari has a vision. Ari envisions Alaida getting pregnant and an eagle flying over a crib. The vision is interpreted as the curse will follow to children of the cursed one and the baby that Ivar and Alaida have will turn to an eagle by day. Ivar is instructed to have no more relations with his wife. This is a huge struggle for Ivar as well as Alaida. They are coming to care for each other and it is difficult to stay away from each other. It is already suspicious that the Lord of the manor leaves before dawn every day and doesn’t come back until darkness has fallen.

Despite Ivar staying away from Alaida it seems that she got pregnant on their wedding night. The baby is born and it seems that the babe does not turn into an eagle by day. Unfortunately Ivar falls asleep next to the baby one night and wakes up late. He has to turn into an eagle before he leaves his bedchamber. Alaida witnesses this transformation, as does her nurse and they flee the manor.

Matters come to a head when Ivar goes after Alaida with Brand. Some unexpected things happen that truly make the story intriguing.

I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention from pretty much the first page and didn’t let go. All these questions were going through my mind as I read: Would things work out for Ivar between his curse and the fact that he loves Alaida? Would Alaida accept him when she found out his secrets? Could the curse be broken? I thought it was a great book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good paranormal romance. I can hardly wait to read the next installment in the series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Head to Tracy’s Place for contest details.

This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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