“Bruised, bloody, and barely dressed, she knew it was over. She had no doubt the Vikings would search for her if she tried to run—especially now, with their companion lying dead. It would be dark soon, and she had no idea where she could go or hide. Jilliand knew they would come for her. The Vikings were not likely to let this go—especially it being an attack by a woman. She was defeated. Weak … and shaking, she stared at the man’s body. I think tonight I die.” Clare Gutierrez is a registered nurse who grew up on a cattle ranch in rural Colorado as one of four children. After living in Carlsbad, NM, for twenty-eight years, she now lives in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. She and her husband, Dr. Beto Gutierrez, host first-class photographers from the world over at Santa Clara Ranch, a 300-acre wildlife sanctuary. Jilliand is her third novel.
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“Vikings, it seems, make their own way.” –Helen Russell, The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country
I will admit that I let a review spook me into not starting this book as soon as I requested it. I almost passed on reading it. I’m glad I gathered up my courage and turned that first page. This was a fascinating story… dark, but fascinating.
We open with a prologue shrouded in mystery. We are not given names or places. We only have a woman biding farewell to her dying husband. As he took his last breath, the woman turned and asked a servant to tell the King that his son the Prince was dead. She then left the castle and the area never to return.
At the beginning of the next chapter, it took a while for me to figure out that it was several years after the prologue. We were presented with a horrible situation for a character that was not immediately identified. This shrouded secrecy was driving me crazy. Slowly the story unfolded that this badly beaten creature was the child of the ruling lord and was in disfavor with him… and had been since the mother died giving them life. We have this character’s POV and are privy to their thoughts and plans of escape. We also have two elderly servants that have cared for this child since they had promised the dying mother that they would take care of her child. It was becoming a harder task as it became apparent that the lord was determined to kill his child.
Vikings: Our story is in the early centuries of the history of England and costal Europe during what was known as the Dark Ages or the Middle Ages. At that time, England was made up of ruling kings, lords, and chieftains. Entering into that time period were the marauding Vikings that plagued the coastal villages and hamlets as they utilized the rivers to raid and trade their way up and down the coast. These Norse seafarers took anything of value, food, any articles that was useful to them and often left the village burned to the ground and the inhabitants left dead, dying or captured as slaves/servants. The mere mention of the word ‘Viking’ sent fear into the strongest of hearts. They were known for their expertise on the sea, their fighting strategies, sheer strength, size, their fierce fighting prowess and loyalty.
There have been documentaries on the Vikings and [according to Wikipedia] there is even a historical TV drama created by Michael Hirst for the History channel. I find their history fascinating and was soon pulled into the story as our heroine Jilliand met Rurik the Viking Sea King. I was especially moved by the military precision that these Viking warriors and sailors operated under. Their purpose was set… trade when they could, take when they couldn’t, kill if necessary… everything was shared, everyone worked because their very survival was dependent on their securing enough supplies for the winter… smoked fish, game and meats, grains, and goods for their families. It was amazing how they utilized every moment toward completing those goals.
Religious element: Surprisingly, there was a religious element woven throughout this story. Jilliand was Christian and Rurik observed the Norse beliefs. So… who was the pagan? Each was comfortable in their own ideologies and tried to respect the other in their beliefs. Each believed in a higher power, prayed and relied on help from on high and each walked that delicate balance between the two belief systems. I was amazed as I watched how the author handled this situation. Jilliand’s Christianity was not preachy as she prayed during those times of trouble, pain, loss, loneness or despair.
“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected by any armour.” –Kevin McLeod, The Viking’s Apprentice
This was an exciting, horrifying, shockingly vivid story that at times still hid information behind a vail and didn’t explain everything. Other times… I didn’t want that detail. OMG!! This was a brutal time period in the history of the world and I wonder at how anyone survived. This was simply fascinating. I enjoyed it. The love story between our main characters was an enduring love. Wow!! What she suffered was amazing.
Rating: PG-17: due to battle violence, some graphic in the description of what was seen by others, and mild sex scenes, nothing graphic.
I volunteered to read an advance reader copy via the publisher and NetGalley. The views expressed are my own. I absolutely loved the cover.