He is bound by honor…
Eirik is eager to plunder the treasures of the fabled lands to the west in order to secure the future of his village. The one thing he swears never to do is claim possession over another human being. But when he journeys across the North Sea to raid the holy houses of Northumbria, he encounters a dark-haired beauty, Laurel, who stirs him like no other. When his cruel cousin tries to take Laurel for himself, Eirik breaks his oath in an attempt to protect her. He claims her as his thrall. But can he claim her heart, or will Laurel fall prey to the devious schemes of his enemies?
She has the heart of a warrior…
Life as an orphan at Whitby Abbey hasn’t been easy, but Laurel refuses to be bested by the backbreaking work and lecherous advances she must endure. When Viking raiders storm the abbey and take her captive, her strength may finally fail her—especially when she must face her fear of water at every turn. But under Eirik’s gentle protection, she discovers a deeper bravery within herself—and a yearning for her golden-haired captor that she shouldn’t harbor. Torn between securing her freedom or giving herself to her Viking master, will fate decide for her—and rip them apart forever?
I know this book sounds like your typical romance, and in many respects it is. But seeing as I am addicted to Vikings [the t.v. show] I was looking for something Viking-esque. This hit the nail on the hammer…? hammer on the nail? nail on the head? Something like that. It was great. I really enjoyed it. I liked the main character and the heroine. I also liked that the author did a very good and authentic job of getting us into the time period and the setting. She did not try to bring a modern woman’s viewpoint to the past she used the viewpoint of a women in the past. Many a time we do not think about what it must have been like to be them only what it would have been like if we were them. Note: it is not the same. Anyway EhBookEhDay wholeheartedly recommends this book. It is fast paced, filled with adventure and intrigue. You can feel the danger and identify with the main characters. The book was well written, with vivid descriptions of the Scandinavian landscape and lifestyle as well as culture; clearly well researched. Please read it and let us know if you agree with what we think or disagree and leave a comment below! And just for your reading pleasure we posted a snippet down below: 😉
Enthralled
Chapter 1:
806 A.D.
North Sea
“Lower the sail!” Eirik bellowed. For a moment, he feared the wind had snatched his voice, but then he saw the black outlines of his crew rise from the deck and move on uncertain feet toward the halyard lines. The ocean surged beneath the ship, threatening to topple some of the men overboard. Somehow, they all managed to keep their feet, and a moment after they reached the rigging, Eirik could see the inky shadow of the sail slowly lower toward the deck.
Eirik tightened his already white- knuckled grip on the tiller. They should have brought down the sail at the first sign of rain, but this cursed storm had broken upon them so quickly that he’d barely had time to bark out a few orders before the seas turned rough and the rain and wind hit them full force. Even now that the sodden wool sail was almost down, the sea still threatened to overpower his grip on the tiller, which would send the ship careening off course.
“To oars! To oars!” Eirik shouted into the wind. A flash of lightning illuminated the wave- battered deck as the crew scrambled to thread the long wooden oars through the oar holes below the gunwales. Another flash of lightning revealed Alaric’s drenched figure lurching toward Eirik. “Give up on staying the course we charted, Eirik!” Alaric yelled when he reached the tiller. “And you’d best give the men their coins!”
Dread sliced through Eirik, far colder than the wind and rain that lashed him. Every last member of the crew was hunkered over an oar, pulling with the might of Thor. If they were going to die in this storm, at least they should have a gift to give to Ran, the sea god’s wife. Eirik gave Alaric a single nod before letting the tiller go. Instantly , the tiller swayed wildly. They were now at the sea’s mercy. Alaric stumbled toward the rowing men. Eirik followed, feet wide to absorb the ocean’s violent rolling. As he passed each rower, he reached into the leather pouch at his belt.
“For Ran,” Eirik said to each man as he passed out gold coins. “Ja, for Aegir’s wife!” some of the men responded, nodding solemnly through the rain at their captain. When every sailor had a gold coin to give Ran to appease her and ease their journey to Valhalla, Eirik took up an oar across from Alaric. If the gods decided that it was his time to die, at least Eirik would go down fighting alongside his closest friend and this worthy crew.
Only a tiny twinge of regret shadowed his vision of entering Valhalla with his ship, his friend, and his crew. He would never get to see the lands to the west if Aegir and Ran claimed him and his men this day. He dug his oar deep into the roiling sea. By Thor, he could not die just yet. He had to live to set eyes on these fabled lands to the west. It wasn’t until the last raindrop had fallen that the crew of the Drakkar stood and cheered to the gods for surviving the storm. For Eirik’s part, he kissed the gold coin he’d kept for himself and tossed it into the sea. It was both an acknowledgment and an offering to Ran and Aegir. Eirik gave orders to withdraw the oars and unfurl their red and white striped sail once more.
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EhBookEhDay 