“I still don’t know who I am… What if I’m an enemy?” Injured in battle, Magnus awakens with no memory of who he is. Knowing he is in danger, he flees…only to encounter a Saxon maiden in peril. Aisly hates the Danes who invaded her land and killed her husband. Yet, when a mysterious wounded warrior saves her life, she cannot turn her back on him. As Aisly tends to Magnus’s injuries, desire … Magnus’s injuries, desire surges between them. But when Magnus’s true identity is revealed, she’s thrown into turmoil–she has invited her enemy into her bed!
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In Bed with the Viking Warrior is the third book in Harper St. George’s “Viking Warrior” series. This story is based on Magnus who we saw glimpses of in the previous book, One Night with the Viking. We didn’t get to see a lot of him, so I was anxious to know more about him.
This book starts out with Magnus waking up in a death pile, not knowing who he is or how he got there. He’s able to escape and in doing so he crosses paths with a man attacking a woman, Aisly. After saving Aisly, she offers to take him back to her home to feed him.
Aisly is a Saxon widow. Her husband was killed by the Danes after he set fire to some of their homes. Her marriage wasn’t a pleasant one and she has made a vow to herself to never marry again.
Aisly was such a great heroine, a kind and compassionate woman who hasn’t had an easy life. She was an orphan from a young age and married a man who wasn’t kind. Now that she is a widow, her evil father-in-law is threatening to take her home. Magnus was a wonderful hero. Although he’s lost his memory he still has this great warrior presence about him, strong, brave and yet caring and protective of Aisly. There are some serious obstacles this couple has to overcome and yet it was obvious they wanted and belonged together.
Ms. St. George is an exceptional writer and always does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story. I truly felt these two belonged together and I felt their pain when they thought it impossible. What a wonderful story of love conquering all and another fabulous book to add to this series. Absolutely loved it!
Magnus came to at the bottom of a pile of dead bodies. He doesn’t remember how he got there, nor who he is, he only knows that he has to escape as soon as possible, before the enemy sets fire to the gruesome mound. Magnus, dizzy because of a head wound and naked, flees the first chance he gets, but a man soon catches up to him and calls him Magnus. A fight ensues: it’s killed or be killed, but at least now Magnus has some clothes on his back and a sword to defend himself.
Aisly is out rooting for plants she will use to dye the thread she uses for her embroidery, when she espies a Dane, the enemy! She tries to get away, and Magnus, although weak, saves her. Aisly notices that her saviour is injured and convinces him to follow her so she can heal him. Aisly still lives in the home she acquired when she married, but she might lose it any day now that she is a childless widow, and she apprehends the future. Her embroidery and weaving skills have allowed her to survive since her husband’s murder at the hands of the Danes in Heiraford, but how long will it last? Will her father-in-law throw her out? Will she have to go live in the abbey and become a nun? And what will happen to “her foreigner” with no memory of who he is?
IN BED WITH THE VIKING WARRIOR is written in a calm and quiet tone, and I love that Harper St. George respects the passage of time as it was in the Middle Ages, even though there is always danger with the nearby presence of the enemy Danes. I think the unhurried pacing was perfect for the story, I felt I was experiencing the narrative in real time, I felt involved with the love story that was slowly blooming between Magnus and Aisly. I love a good amnesia trope, and IN BED WITH THE VIKING WARRIOR is excellent, because it’s entirely believable, and also because Magnus’ amnesia has repercussions on many levels; it’s not only that he doesn’t remember, or what he can’t recall, but what he doesn’t remember sets several things in motion.
IN BED WITH THE VIKING WARRIOR is a study in subtlety, and yet it’s utterly engrossing because Magnus and Aisly are such engaging characters, Aisly is so brave and strong and they have real chemistry. Ms. St. George’s inclusion of little details of everyday life adds a feeling of authenticity and makes medieval England come to life. Magnus behaves honourably at all times, if at times it’s heartbreaking, and like Aisly, we speculate at to what the future holds for him, for her, for them. There is always that nagging doubt of who is Magnus, when and how will he remember? Or even will he? They trust each other in spite of Magnus’ unknown origins, their love is true, but still they try not to think about what might be. And then, several things that were simmering underneath happen all at once, not at all as I expected, and the exciting conclusion kept me on the edge of my seat until the fabulous ending!