Lucy Morris (2)

Terrific second chance romance. Valda returned home to Jorvik after confessing her love to Jorund (A Nun for the Viking Warrior) and finding it was not reciprocated. Upon arrival, she found her mother and sisters in dire straits, the money they planned to use to buy a farm stolen by her mother's unscrupulous love. Determined to raise the funds they need, Valda tries to find work on a merchant ship, but no one is hiring. Then she receives an offer from Halfdan, the former love who betrayed her. The offer is too good to pass up, but Valda is determined to protect her heart this time.

Halfdan is the son of the local jarl who plies his trade as a merchant to escape his cruel father. He lost Valda once because of his father and doesn't want to lose her again. However, he isn't free to pursue her. He promised his father to marry the bride he chose to save his half-brother, Erik, a slave. He sees this voyage as fate giving him another chance.

I enjoyed seeing the rekindling of the relationship between Valda and Halfdan, though I sometimes wanted to knock their heads together. Each has a wide stubborn streak and pride that keeps getting in the way. Halfdan wants to take care of Valda, but her pride won't allow her to be an object of pity. The first part of the voyage is spent with Valda pushing back at Halfdan for everything he tries to do for her. Eventually, they talk enough about their past to discover that their parting was caused by misunderstanding, not betrayal. Their past attraction grows stronger as they get to know each other again. Valda gives in to her feelings, even though it will only be for a short time before she gives him up again.

There are obstacles to a future together. Halfdan is promised to another and cannot honorably renege on his word. I was unhappy that his solution was to set Valda up as his mistress. I loved that Valda had the self-respect to stand up for her needs. At the same time, Valda questions her plans for the future, torn between her duty to her family and her love for her work. Halfdan struggles to find a way to save his brother, keep his word, and have the life that he wants with Valda. There were some unexpected developments at the end that opened up new possibilities. I loved how everything worked out, and the ending was terrific.

One of the most riveting things about this book, besides the relationship between Valda and Halfdan, was the intriguing look at Viking life. The skillfully woven details of the journey from Jorvik to Miklagard (Constantinople) and back made scenes so vivid I felt I was there. I can't wait to see what is in store for the next book.… (more)

Another delightful Viking love story
5 stars

This is Ms Morris’s third book and the start of a brand new series. With that said, our heroine, Valda, did appear as a minor character in the previous book (A Nun for the Viking Warrior). While I’ve been looking forward to her story, you really don’t need to have read that story to understand and enjoy this one.

Valda now finds herself in Jorvik and the circumstances she, her sister and her mother find themselves in, are pretty dire. She needs to find employment that will bring in enough funds that they can buy a small farm and out from under the thumb of a nasty overlord. Unfortunately, there is only one boat taking on crew - and that’s the boat of Halfdan, her first love and the man she thought she would spend her life with before he betrayed her.

I find it’s often hard for authors to write a strong, confident female character while still making them both relatable and likeable. Luckily, I liked Valda from the start. She was all of the above but there was definitely a vulnerability about her and her inner voice showed that she was often uncertain and at odds about her future - especially where Halfdan was concerned.

I loved Halfdan from the first, too. He was a big man - strong and kind. He had principles and honour to the hilt and he was impossible not to like. But it was his almost unintentional love and devotion for Valda that had me sighing in delight while also falling forever in love with him. Halfdan sees her again after all these years and we don’t even get to hear his protestations that he was over her before he’s smitten once again. Yay for big, hulking men being floored by the women that they adore.

We’ve got quite a lot of animosity, anger and hurt to work through on our way to Halfdan and Valda’s happily ever after - but they still have a spark between them and the chemistry is delightful to watch. Even when they’re ignoring each other, there’s still a delicious tension that speaks to their excellent chemistry.

One of the many things that fascinates me about the Vikings is that they seemed to be much more ‘modern’ in their attitudes towards sex and relationships. This obviously works in our favour as readers as it means we get lots of sexy times. Since Halfdan and Valda were lovers previously, the sex has a lot of emotion from the very first and it really deepened the connection between the pair.

Something that I’ve come to associate with Lucy Morris’s writing is her innate ability to weave the history of the time period into her story in a really organic way. She paints such a vivid picture with her words that you can imagine every single detail of the world where the characters live. But it’s done with such a light touch that the characters always remain at the forefront of the story.

This is another fantastic story from Lucy Morris and one that I enjoyed from the first word to the last. What makes it even better is that it’s the first book in a new series and I’m already giddy with excitement about Valda’s sisters getting their own stories. But this story of second chances and putting love above all things left me with happiness in my heart. I hope Ms Morris never stops writing Viking romances as I’ll never stop reading them. 5 stars.… (more)

I enjoyed this slightly different take on the classic Viking romance. Amée entered the nunnery believing that she would finally escape her father and gain some peace. After witnessing and experiencing her father's abuse of her mother and her, Amée swore she would never again put herself under a man's thumb. But as the book opens, a group of Vikings batter down the door of the nunnery, its leader there to claim Amée's hand in marriage. Amée is furious, frightened, and unwillingly fascinated.

Jorund was awarded the lands of Évreux by his friend and overlord Rollo, aka Count Robert, while the count's wife arranged the marriage to bridge the divide between conquered and conqueror. Jorund looks forward to settling down with a wife, children, and the prospect of peace.

I liked Amée and Jorund. She may be tiny, but she can be fierce when defending her people. She has a fighting spirit and refuses to give up hope of finding a purpose in her life. Jorund was a surprise. He is large and intimidating but has a kind and honorable heart. Rather than rule by fear, he leads with insight and perception.

I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship between Amée and Jorund. He is willing to give Amée time to get to know him and lets her know it is up to her when to move forward. Amée initially intends to find a way to return to the nunnery and keeps Jorund at a distance. But the more time they spend together, the more they like each other. But each has baggage from their pasts that make it difficult to open up completely to each other. Jorund's early life as a Viking warrior has left him feeling unworthy of her and unwilling to tell her why. Amée's experiences with her father make it challenging to trust Jorund, and her misinterpretation of his relationship with the female warrior Valda compounds the distrust.

I loved Jorund's patience and protectiveness as he kept a tight rein on his feelings. It is easy to see how much he wants Amée to be part of the life he dreams of. Amée's feelings for Jorund grew stronger despite her misperceptions, and I liked how she went after what she wanted. A visit by Count Robert and Gisela helps Amée along with that goal. Matters become complicated when Amée's father shows up for an unexpected visit. I ached for Amée as she endured her father's attitude and cheered when she realized she no longer had to accept it. Jorund's protectiveness and suspicions are aroused when Amée is attacked while they are riding. I loved the scene where he confronts the person behind it. The icing on the cake is when he discovers what haunts her and takes steps to end it. I also loved seeing him tell her about his past and how she showed him how it brings out the good in him. The epilogue was terrific.

One of the things I liked about this book was how skillfully the author wove in information about the cultural differences between the characters and the history of the conflict that brought them to that point. I loved the slow building of trust between the Vikings and the town's people. It felt realistic in tone and detail. The descriptions of the land and buildings were vivid enough for me to visualize them easily.

This was my first book by this author, but it won't be the last.… (more)

Delightful and rich Viking romance
5 stars

This is Lucy Morris’s second novel, the second of hers that I’ve read and also the second of hers that I’ve enjoyed immensely. Much like her first novel (The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance), we’re sticking with the Viking theme with this story set in Northmannia (present day Normandy) in 912 AD.

We get started right into the action with Amée finding her life’s course suddenly thrust from taking her vows into the last place she ever planned to be. Married. And to a huge, hulking blonde Viking who claims to be the lord of her childhood lands.

Amée is a delightful heroine and I liked her from the first. She tries so hard to be good, and to find her place in the world but she always feels like she’s falling short. It was hard not to feel a real connection with her and immediately want her to get her heart’s desire. She is rightly fearful over her changed circumstances but I admired the way she couldn’t quite reign in her real nature - fierce and willing to stand up for herself and others.

Jorund is my favourite kind of hero. He’s a huge, hard and powerful Viking warrior - but underneath he’s a little bit broken and unsure. The way he feels so unworthy and unloveable but can’t help but yearn for Amée’s love - it was so yearny and delicious. I loved it. It’s my always adored ‘the big, bad hero just needs a hug from a good woman’ thing.

Speaking of that, this book had a nice sizzle to it - descriptive but not overly explicit. But it still packed quite a punch as the build up of sexual tension between Amée and Jorund was magnificent. When you add in both their fears and how they danced around each other and their attraction, by the time they got down to it, it was satisfying to more than just our main couple. Happy sighs.

What I especially enjoyed about Ms Morris’s previous book, The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance, was the richness of historical detail that was woven into the romance. This book was no different and painted an intricate picture of the landscape and life of medieval France and the people that lived there. I also love the way that the writing is so clever as to never feel that we’re being bogged down in history yet such a vivid impression was shown to us as readers. After the fact, I’ve realised that much of the information about events and wider secondary characters was all based in fact, cementing my prior belief that Ms Morris’s attention to historical accuracy and detail is second to none.

Overall, this was a rich, romantic and delightful Viking/medieval story with characters I was really rooting for and a satisfying and sigh-worthy love story. This book has really lived up to the promise of her first and I wish that I could have lived in the world of Amée and Jorund for longer. Recommended and very worthy of 5 stars.… (more)