A kidnapped royal…
Could be the Viking's undoing!
After Brand Ivarsson of Kald abducts Anne of Termarth on
the eve of her wedding, the Viking's consumed with only one thing: revenge
against her loathsome betrothed. But confronted with the stunning princess, so
foreign to his world, Brand's captivated not only by her beauty, but by her
spirit and her kindness. Is Anne his prisoner…or is she the one who's captured
his scarred heart?
Very good enemies to lovers book. The story grabbed my
attention from the first pages. Anne is the daughter of a Saxon king and has
been kept a virtual prisoner in her home. She dreams of marrying for love and
is horrified when her father bargains her hand for soldiers from a neighboring
lord. The night before her wedding, she is walking alone on the castle walls
when she is kidnapped by Brand the Barbarian.
Brand has sworn revenge against Anne's betrothed, Lord
Crowe, and has spent years preparing for it. Learning of Crowe's betrothal gave
him the perfect weapon. Kidnap Anne and wait for Crowe to attempt a rescue.
I was glued to the pages from start to finish. Anne is no
pampered princess and stands up to Brand from the get-go. She only cooperates
when he threatens the lives of her people. Brand has a fearsome reputation and
uses it to get his way, but he is surprisingly protective of her. I loved their
interactions on the journey from her home to his. Each quickly realizes that
they have misjudged the other, and the more they get to know each other, the
more they are drawn to each other.
However, Brand has put a lock on his heart. He has
suffered so many losses that he refuses to allow himself to care for someone
else, preferring to protect himself. Anne doesn't take long to get under his
skin and find her way into his heart, but he resists the feeling. Brand also
has deep-seated insecurities that make him feel he is no good for her.
Anne doesn't take long to see the good man behind the
fearsome reputation. Brand stirs feelings in her that she's never felt before,
and she isn't sure what to do about them at first. She soon feels more at home
with him than she ever did at her own home. But she's a Saxon princess, and
he's a Dane, so there's no way her father will allow her to marry him.
There are some terrific scenes of Brand and Anne
together. The push and pull of their first meeting changes as they get to know
each other. I enjoyed their exchanges of ideas and seeing their growing respect
for each other. But when Lord Crowe shows up, Anne learns that not everything
is as it seems. The fight between Brand and Crowe went pretty much as I
expected, but other things were revealed in the aftermath. Brand's apparent
betrayal breaks Anne's heart and makes her angry. Meanwhile, Brand must come to
grips with his feelings for Anne and what it means for his people.
I loved seeing how Brand and Anne dealt with the fallout
of Anne's kidnapping. Brand must face the unexpected results of his actions and
what they mean for himself and his people. I wanted to shake him for his lack
of belief in himself, but I also understood and appreciated his response to Anne's
father, the king. Anne also has fears to face, and I enjoyed seeing her take
her fate in hand and go after what she wanted. The ending was fantastic, and
the epilogue was a stellar wrap-up.
I enjoyed the setting of the Dane/Northmen versus Saxon
relationship. I especially liked seeing that not all Vikings were the raging
barbarians that some portray. I liked seeing the everyday life of Brand's
people and learning the background of how they came there. I also enjoyed the
descriptions of the land's beauty and its importance to both sides. There were
some internal conflicts on both sides, and I liked seeing how they were
handled. Both "bad apples" got what was coming to them.
My favorite secondary character was Brand's sister, Svea.
I ached for everything she'd been through and loved seeing her resilience. I
can't wait to read her story and see her get a happy ever after for herself.
Could be the Viking's undoing!
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