What happens when love and war don’t mix?Ivar Sorenson is not only his father’s heir to their jarldom, he’s his parents’ last remaining son. There isn’t much choice for the future jarl when his father demands an alliance with their feuding neighbor. That alliance can only come in the form of a marriage…to a woman Ivar doesn’t want and doesn’t like. Not when he already has the one great love … already has the one great love of his life already by his side. Can Ivar convince his father that a marriage is needed to end the feud? Can he prove that the woman he loves is the woman his tribe needs to lead alongside him?
What happens when the heart wants what the heart wants? Will these friends to lovers get a second chance?
Lena Torbinsdóttir has known Ivar Sorenson her entire life, growing up and training alongside him. As children, they were inseparable playmates and best friends. As adults, Lena and Ivar are soulmates. But ongoing conflict between their tribe and their neighbor may force Lena to give up the only man she has ever loved in the name of duty and politics. Can Lena walk away when Ivar faces marriage to another woman? Can Lena survive when her competition wants Ivar’s attention all for herself?
With help from their friends, Rangvald and Lorna, can Ivar and Lena find a way to create peace while protecting their future together?
Lena & Ivar is the prequel novel to the Viking Glory series. Meet the generation that laid the foundation for the unstoppable characters from this suspenseful and steamy series.
Viking Glory is a steamy historical series that will transport you back to the world of the ancient Norse with brave heroes and even stronger heroines. The series follows the lives and loves of five friends. Brother and sister, Leif and Freya, along with their cousin, Bjorn, and their friends Strian and Tyra sail the seas and conquer hearts. This is a four book series where each book can be read as a standalone but is best read as part of the series.
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DUDE!!!
IT’S CELESTE BARCLAY!!!! NEED I SAY MORE????
This author is so creative ! And honestly it shows in each and every book she puts out to us ! We, the readers, just know to flio the cover and the most amazing , gripping , epic adventure awaits within the covers!
DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!! YOU’LL LOVE IT!!
Thank you Celeste Barclay for another exciting read! Thoroughly enjoyed this one too!
**I recieved this book as an ARC copy and this is my review honestly and freely given**Celeste Barclay
Celeste Barclay brings the Viking Glory series full circle with Lena and Ivar. With her amazing talent for incredible character development she brings her characters to life beautifully, allowing you to feel and experience their passions and emotions. There are so many fantastic characters interwoven into this story, in the entire series making it easy for you to become invested not only in the story but in the character themselves. Celeste weaves a passionate story of first love, only love, amidst political alliances and Viking life. She eloquently writes a passion so hot and so pure she almost sets the pages on fire. This is a must read if you love Vikings and romance. With Celeste Barclay you cannot go wrong. Thank you so much Celeste for such an exciting, beautiful love story!
I’m so glad that Celeste wrote this book! It brings together all the characters of the Viking Glory collection. The character development is wonderful, and the story is hard to put down. There is a lot of drama, passion, deceitfulness and danger within the pages. The story gives us insight into how the future characters become the strong individuals they become. A must read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
You must not miss this one …
In the beginning there was Lena and Ivar…..and what a beginning! Fabulous prequel to the other amazing books in the series with Leif and all the others! This book fills in any gaps you may have wondered about. The entire Viking Glory series is a TBR MUST!!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Celeste Barclay never disappoints with her romances. There’s always a lot of love, strife, and hot sex. Really hot sex. If you want a clean romance she’s not your author, but you want passion so hot your afraid a fire is going to break out she’s your lady. Besides you talent with passionate scenes her characters are incredibly well written. Her heroines are strong ladies that make their own way even during time periods that frowned on that behavior. Lena is a shield maiden and she is fierce, but she knows how to be soft too. She wants the best for her and Ivar’s people. She’s afraid she’s not the best wife for a jral’s wife. Viking society was complex and this is a real fear. I loved the story. I loved the HEA and I love that there is a series about all the children. A 5 out 5 read and a must read for the rest of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
They have been soul mates since they were children and expected to wed. Lena was a shieldmaiden and expected to fight with the men. She was strong and tough for her size but she so loved Ivar.
Ivar was a Jarl’s son and the only one left of four boys. He would be the next Jarl. They had started to share each other’s bed for the last four years. It seemed they could not keep their hands off each other.
Ivar’s father, Soren had arranged a marriage for him with another Homestead. But Ivar refused but Inga and her family arrived just a few days later for a trial marriage. She was horrible, selfish, unkind and went to bed with any man she came near.
I enjoyed the story, but she hurt a lot of people, Especially Lena and Loren. The characters were wonderful and showed so much love for each other and the people of their house. The writing was smooth, well written and kept your attention. You kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I enjoyed this book new Viking Glory book. It features Lena and Ivar. Lena is a shieldmaidens and fights beside her man, Ivar, who is the son of the jarl. Things are fine until Ivar’s father decides to marry his son off to the daughter of a neighboring jarl to enact a peace pact. Then the problems begin. You have an immature, demanding, lazy spoiled bride to be, an unwilling groom, a crushed lover, a proposed trial marriage, brothers who can’t stand their sister, a traitor, a stubborn jarl and tears and action. There are quite a few typos and this is the cause of a one star deduction.
Lena isn’t acceptable as a wife to the future leader, Ivar won’t let her go.
The anguish both of them feel will melt your heart for them.
A really good story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A powerful story of love beyond reason, of a bond seemingly unbreakable that will be pushed to the limits. Prepare for your heart to be engaged from the first page as such strong emotions emminate off the page to pull you into the story.
Lena and Ivar had grown up together and both were warriors. They fought together and found love.
But Ivar was the remaining son of the Jarl and he was expected to marry for the sake of an alliance to strengthen their forces. Unfortunately the woman is Inga, who Ivar does not like and Inga will not allow Lena in his life. Not that he would want her to become his concubine.
This story grabbed me from the beginning. I fell in love with these two and all of the secondary characters who worked to help them stay together.. Truly this is one of the best of this series and that is saying a lot because I have absolutely loved them all!!
They are true loves but he is been forced to marry as the only son to cement the Jarldoms safety Ivar may love Lena and wants her to be his wife but is father has promised him to Inga and she is determined to have him even if she has top destroy or Kill Lena to get him. Can Ivar and Lena find a way to be together you will have o read to see. be prepared for an action packed love story with quite a few explicit scenes but no cheating This book was extremely well written
It was great to finally read Ivar and Lena’s story! It explains how Freya and Leif turned out be so strong, brave, caring and loyal to family and friends! It was nice to see how all the stories are bond together through family and marriage. Would love to read more about Rang and Lornas story. Grab this book you won’t be disappointed! I couldn’t put it done read it straight through to the end and didn’t want it to end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A well-written story of Ivar and Lena’s love. The struggles they faced to be together. Ivar is the heir of a jarl and should marry to create an alliance with another family, but his love is for a common woman. Lena, a strong shieldmaiden for the clan, grew up with Ivar, fell in love, even though she knew it would not be destined to come to fruition. A beautiful love story with wonderful characters.
I have been waiting for Ivar and Lena’s book which we learned a little about in the earlier books in the series. This is actually a prequel story which tells of the troubles Ivar faced in getting his father to accept Lena as his future wife and help mate for Ivar. She is a shield maiden and warrior herself but Ivar’s father wants his son to make a match outside his village to strengthen their alliances.
The story is as interesting as it sounded with Ivar forced into a trial marriage and attacks against Lena to remove her as competition. I was worried about Ivar handling the problems but was very satisfied with his dedication and love for Lena.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Amazing story & series
This, like each of the other books, was an incredible story! I love reading series that have most of the same characters in them. The fantastic writing transported me into the village where they live. From the first page to the last things were moving at a brisk pace. Page after page I could not put this book down! Each of the characters are all so memorable with deep personalities. It’s great to get the story of these characters and to have the history of them all. Now I feel like I want to re-read the series again!
I was so excited when I knew this book was coming out. I couldn’t wait to see how it all began. This was beyond what I had hoped for! I was on my toes, biting my nails and just didn’t know how this couple were going to make it through all those trials. Thank goodness for HEA
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
**Warning** There are explicit bedroom scenes. The author approached it in a natural way and I felt the scenes were not trashy at all.
Once you start reading this you will not put it down. This is a major dramatic action book. The H/h had to fight overwhelming odds to overcome the obstacles to marry and fight they did even when their own lives were in peril. The author did an incredible job making the characters come to life. So realistic and I definitely could relate. The villainess in the piece had me angry and almost hating her. Our heroine, Lena, is strong, a warrior and a natural leader. She did not begrudge hard work or constant training. I truly admired her. After what the villainess put her through, she deserved her happily ever after. Our hero, Ivar, son of the Jarl was already a formidable man. Lena was his first and only love. He had never been with any other woman. He fiercely loved her and knew she was his other half. The same held true for Lena. He was her only love and although politics and people tried to violently tear them apart, they still clung to each other. An amazing story. A must read. You will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this book.
LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE WORLD
I received this book for free and am giving my honest and voluntary review.
This is the fifth book in the Viking Glory series but is the start of how things began with the parents of the characters in the first two books, Ivar and Lena. Their story is one that had me wishing I was there to help. Well-written and full of suspense. You can understand the things that are going on and feel Lena’s despair and Ivar’s determination. A book one should read.
Ivar Sorenson is not only his father’s heir to their jarldom, he’s his parents’ last remaining son. There isn’t much choice for the future jarl when his father demands an alliance with their feuding neighbour. That alliance can only come in the form of a marriage…to a woman Ivar doesn’t want and doesn’t like. Not when he already has the one great love of his life already by his side. Lena Torbinsdóttir has known Ivar Sorenson her entire life, growing up and training alongside him. As children, they were inseparable playmates and best friends.
I’ve read all of the Viking Glory books & I’m so glad that Ivar & Lena’s story & to some extent Rang & Lorna’s story has been written, not only is it a page turning enthralling read but it is a true prequel or book 0 as it explains how & why the conflict between Einar, Inga, Ivar & Rang started & I would recommend reading this book first. A very well paced story that I read in two sittings. The characters are well developed, I loved both Ivar & Lena who were soul mates, whilst theirs was a very passionate relationship they were also true partners & really felt for them when Ivar was forced to marry Inga & several times I wanted to shake Soren.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
**Spoiler Warning **
I’ve already read Bjorn and Tyra back in August and when I saw this one I took time to debate this one, since I was hesitant if this was a quick story where it’ll leave gaps and make you think about what happened. Then the next thing I wanted to pull away from this is about the other woman Inga, the woman that Ivar marries. I was thinking he would push Lena away heartbroken and be with Inga in the husbandly duties but with Ivar’s determination to be with the only woman he’s ever been with and proclaiming his love and marriage, I was like okay I can keep reading with nothing of him screwing around behind Lena’s back. But he his marriage night he can’t get out of the marriage bed since he has witnesses to make sure he’s consummating the marriage, now I’m thinking it’s about to be skipped since I don’t want to read that but again I pushed onwards. Now to even touch the OW he has to picture Lena but that can only go so far and just touching the OW makes him puke and he runs. Thank you Freya I didn’t have to read him cheating! But that’s the least of the problems this Inga will cause Lena and Ivar. Lena’s life will be in constant threat and people will come out of hiding to kill, mangle or possess Lena for their own dirty deeds. Will they overcome all these trials to get their HEA with their friends and family or will Ivar be forever to say goodbye to Lena either with her life or her leaving of their homestead……
I look forward to reading more of this series