Consumed by revenge—and desire! Captured by his enemy and chained like a dog, Leif Egilsson has one thought in his mind: revenge. He’ll no longer be beguiled by the treacherous beauty of Lady Astrid, and her innocence, which he so craved, will finally be his.
On his escape, this fierce, proud Viking is bent on making her pay the price of her betrayal—in his bed! Only, Astrid has the heart of a warrior, and she will not be tamed as easily as he believes.
Astrid is a noblewoman who is promised in marriage to a horrible man. Her uncle, another horrible man, has arranged it all and it’s all political for him. Astrid, who was once asked by Leif Egilsson if she would be his mistress and declined, now tells Leif that she would happily be his mistress if he could just get her away from her fiancé. Unfortunately Leif, who is no friend of the uncle’s or of any of his acquaintances, is captured and is made a slave. He’s also made to believe that Astrid had a hand in his capture and the betrayal burns along with his anger until he’s rescued. He doesn’t leave without Astrid though and seeks to humiliate her as he was humiliated – by having her become a slave both in and out of his bed.
Astrid knows that Leif is angry but tries to make him believe that she had no part of the previous events. He eventually believes her and doesn’t bed her until she’s willing. They begin a relationship but when Astrid become pregnant she wants marriage and that’s one thing that Leif refuses to give her.
The characters:
Leif was a good guy who had been thoroughly screwed up by his first wife who tried to kill him. He swore he would never marry again and he meant it. Even Astrid’s pleas couldn’t get through to him at first. Yes, he was stubborn but he had good reason to be and was smart enough to think about what people said and know that they’re right and he’s wrong.
Astrid was wonderful. She had led a pretty good life until her uncle arranged that horrible marriage and was a kind and loving person. She was attracted to Leif but not willing to be his mistress until she was desperate. Once that happened she quickly fell in love, which was to be expected. I loved how she stood up for herself and when she made up her mind to do something nothing would stand in her way. She took a stand for what she believed was right even when it broke her heart to do so. She was a great heroine.
Oh how I love a good Viking tale! This had all the elements I adore – fierce and true Vikings, damsel in distress, avenging of honor, and of course in the end, love. If you love Vikings like I do then you won’t want to miss this one.
Rating: 4 out of 5
I'm not usually a Viking fan but this sounds like an intriguing read, thanks for sharing.