The Viking warrior
In her cellar…
Lady Annis must stop Viking Rurik Sigurdsson from
discovering the truth about his family's death. Her only solution is to
imprison him. But as the ruggedly handsome Viking starts to charm his way out
of his cell and into her heart, can she be sure he's not still intent on
vengeance -- or perhaps an unexpected alliance is the solution?
Very good book. The sons of Sigurd continue their quest
for revenge over their father's death and the murders of their friends and
families. The book opens on the day of the attack. Rurik and his brother
Brandt, arrive back at the village for Alarr's wedding only to find
heartbreaking scenes of death and destruction. Furious at what has occurred,
Rurik vows revenge on those responsible.
Two years later, Rurik has traced one of the culprits, Wilfrid,
to Glannoventa. While he is in a local tavern, a young woman approaches him and
lures him outside where he is captured. He wakes up later, chained in a cell. After
a short time, Lady Annis arrives to question him about his reasons for being
there. She heard of his inquiries in the town and suspects she knows the reason
but needs to hear it from him.
Lady Annis is Wilfrid's daughter-in-law. Her husband was
killed in a battle with Rurik's father, Sigurd. Both she and Wilfrid had
reasons to want Sigurd dead. While Wilfrid paid for assassins to kill Sigurd,
Annis took a much more active role in her revenge. Since that time, she has
suffered from guilt over what she saw and did, and would keep that information
from Wilfrid.
I loved the scenes between Annis and Rurik in the cellar.
Rurik is furious at being captured (a little embarrassed, too) and is
determined to confront Wilfrid. Annis is equally determined to keep him away,
for reasons of her own. I loved their confrontations. Both of them are stubborn
and have their pride, so neither is willing to back down. There are also
obvious sparks between them. It doesn't take long for Rurik to decide to use
those sparks to his advantage. I had to laugh as Rurik used a bit of trickery
to lure Annis into his cell. Their struggle was short, but intense, with Annis
giving Rurik more trouble than he expected. Though he did overpower her, his
confidence was short-lived. The heat that flared between them proved to be his
downfall, allowing her to escape him. But fate left a little on his side, and
he soon managed to escape his cell and go in search of Wilfrid.
What he finds puts an end to his plans for Wilfrid,
leaving him searching for a new target for his revenge. He is still a captive,
but one with more freedom. He and Annis clash frequently, and Rurik discovers
that he enjoys the challenges she presents. Rurik stirs Annis's feelings the
way no one has before. When word arrives that the local Dane ruler, Jarl Eirik,
is on the way to facilitate a marriage between Annis and one of his men,
Wilfrid proposes that Rurik marry Annis. This will protect her, as well as give
Rurik something he has longed for - a place to belong.
I loved seeing the struggle that both Rurik and Annis had
to accept that this was the best option. But once they accepted their fates, it
warmed my heart to see how they were all-in. Their troubles are not over,
however. First, Annis has not told Rurik of her part in what happened to his
father, and the guilt eats at her. She knows she needs to confess to him, but
she also fears his reaction. Second, they must deal with Jarl Eirik and his
anger over their marriage. There were some tension-filled moments, but Rurik
held his own very well. I liked how Annis worried about him. I also liked that
Eirik explained the reasons for his actions. During the weeks that Eirik was
there, Annis and Rurik grew closer, but she knew that time was running out to
tell Rurik the truth.
I ached for Annis because the truth came out before she
could tell him herself. Rurik's feelings of betrayal were devastating, and his
fury at Annis is so great that he won't listen to her explanation. Her despair
is heartbreaking because she can see that she has destroyed any feelings he
might have had for her. What she doesn't realize is that his anger is so intense
because of how he feels about her. My heart hurt for her as she made the only
decision she could see to solve the problems caused by their falling out. I
wasn't sure how they would get their future back on track if she succeeded. I
loved Rurik's reaction as he realized how much he had to lose.
Also present in the book were two visitors. The first was
Rurik's younger brother, Sandulf, who had also been present on the day of the
murders. He spent the last two years searching for the assassins, from England to
Constantinople and back. His search brought him to Glannoventa and precipitated
the problems between Rurik and Annis. I liked how Annis tried to make amends
and provided Sandulf with some vital information. I'm looking forward to his
book and seeing what is in store for him. The other visitor was Rurik's twin
brother, Danr. He arrived for a visit after hearing of Rurik's marriage. An
item discovered in Wilfrid's belongings raised more questions about Sigurd's
death and sent Danr off on his own pursuit of answers. It stirred up suspicions
that I had in the first book, and I can't wait to see if I am right.
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