A WARRIOR NEVER SURRENDERS… HER HEART As the epic struggle to rule Brittany continues, Ivar the Red unexpectedly finds himself in charge of the Norse army after his brother, Valdrik, is severely wounded. Intensely loyal, Ivar is prepared to do everything to see their victory through—except taking a Breton wife. Nevertheless, Lady Emma of Quimper fascinates him more than any woman he’s ever … ever known. Although her highborn status protects her from bondage, Ivar vows to claim her as his own.
Lady Emma of Quimper is determined to defend her home as fiercely as any knight, until she opens the gates to save an old friend from Viking invaders. But her trust has been misplaced, and she finds herself at the mercy of a bloodthirsty heathen—Ivar the Red. Pride keeps Emma from fully surrendering to the conquering lord of Quimper, even when she realizes he’s not quite the devil she imagined.
Ivar has always enjoyed a challenge, especially one from a beautiful Amazon with the heart of a warrior. Though she defies him at every turn, Ivar deals gently with Emma—until she betrays his trust and escapes. Refusing to be made a fool, Ivar sets out to recover his captive who is determined to return to Quimper at the head of an army. When Ivar finds her in the clutches of death, he suddenly realizes she matters far more than his injured pride and sexual desire. He will do anything to save her and give up everything to make her his.
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You don’t ordinarily think of Vikings as a happy go lucky bunch, but that reminds me of Ivar. Just going through life, fighting and enjoying women with no attachments or emotions involved. That is until he was brought face to face with Emma, a stubborn giantess as he thought of her. He had enjoyed the fighting and killing without roots other than his two half brothers so naturally he had trouble making out exactly what was happening to him to make him become possessive and jealous over Emma. They were enemies, he was the winning of the battle with her father and his men. Victoria Vane writes strong, well developed characters that you can’t help but become interested in them and how their future plays out. I can easily recommend this book (and the whole series) as it is a quick, easy and interesting read. Give it a try to get your Viking on.
Lady Emma of Quimper is an unusual woman for her time. She prefers pants, does not do needle work, and can fight as well as any knight. She is waiting for her father to come back from a political meeting. The politics of the time have been thrown into an upheaval with the arrival of the Norsemen. Ivar the Red is a half brother to Breton and Valdrick. These three are trying to find land and settle themselves and their men in Brittany. When Ivar meets Emma, it is not love at first sight. Far from it. He takes her prisoner. Ivar takes control of Quimper and shows all the people he is fair and just. Their love story build beautifully throughout the book. I do love how Ms. Vane writes. I have loved many of her books and plan on reading all she has written.
If you are a follower of the DeWolfe books by Kathryn LeVeque, this series of books by Victoria Vane is for you. It begins with the Vikings and how they came to conquer Brittany and settled it the years after 907. Three brothers (Valdrik, Ivar the Red and Breton) decided to claim Brittany, castle by castle, and do it with care and as peacefully as possible. The thought was to marry the noble women and begin to become as civilized as possible for the time period. This clearly lays the ground work for the invasion of England in 1066.
“What is to be, Emma? Am I your friend or your foe? Your enemy…or your lover?”
Ivar the Red is a fierce warrior helping his brother Valdrik on his quest to conquer all of Brittany. But after Valdrik is critically wounded in battle, Ivar must take up the role of leader of their Norse army. More a soldier than a politician, he has met his match in one Lady Emma. She too is a fierce warrior who will do whatever it takes to save her homestead and protect her people.
Victoria Vane has woven a medieval tale filled with action, lust and betrayal. Can Ivar and Emma swallow their pride and see they are a perfect match for one another? Or will their pride cost them everything…even their very lives.
Oh I loved this story! The author snagged me with it being a Viking tale, but the story kept me reading!! Highly recommend!!!
In this second installment of The Wolves of Brittany it begins with Ivar the Red. Setting out to conquer Brittany, Ivar is half brother to Valdrik whose story was the first book. Now that Valdrik has secured his land and castle, Ivar is set to take hold of his own property at Quimper and the Lady Emma. But Ivar being the strong, independent warrior, does not want to be tied down and feels no need for a wife. What he doesn’t understand is that Emma does not want to be conquered and her people ruled by the Norsemen. Plus she is already betrothed to a neighboring disgusting man and feels she has to honor her father’s wishes. Although Ivar is fair and somewhat kind to her, Emma thwarts him every chance she gets; What is unexpected if the sparks that fly between the two, although each resist as hard as they can. Master storyteller, Victoria Vane brings another well researched and engaging tale filed with intrigue, adventure and passion. How can you not love these strong Vikings? Turning the last page I knew there was one more tale to go . Thank goodness!!