Customer Reviews

The Reluctant Viking (Timeswept)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The word "Reluctant" in this book's title is decidedly apropos. Never has a man been more exasperatingly reluctant to love a woman than Thork, the Viking "hero" in this novel.

Admittedly, I read the stories of Thork and Ruby's children first ("The Outlaw Viking", "The Tarnished Lady", & "The Bewitched Viking"--in that order). So, I was disappointed when I went back and read the parents' story only to find an extremely aggravating relationship between the hero and heroine.

Ruby loved Thork from the get-go and remained faithful to him because of that fact. Thork, on the other hand, realized that he felt something for Ruby, but refusing to acknowledge it, availed himself of every woman he came across in the novel. He was hurtful to the heroine to the point where in one scene he actually threw her out of his bedroom, but not before she overheard him loudly ask a servant to bring his mistress to him to take care of "his needs".

Worse yet, Ruby continued to pursue the idiot...relentlessly. I knew ths novel wasn't for me when I started hoping that Hill would have Ruby take another lover. Thork simply didn't deserve her love, or even her caring. He didn't even come around and admit his feelings (and start being faithful) until the book was a chapter or two from being finished.

Still, I gave this novel 3 stars because it contained a lot of Hill's trademark humor and it was well written. There are some readers who will no doubt like this book a lot...my mom enjoyed it immensely. But my mom also enjoys Danielle Steele and ulcer-inducing sagas like "The Thornbirds". If you're like my mother and enjoy reading those types of gut-wrenching, harrowing novels where tragedy isn't triumphed over until the very end, then you will like this book. If you're like me and can't stand novels like that, then save your money.

I have to admit, this isn't as funny as her other books, but I still loved it and thought it was EXCELLENT. The history in this book is outstanding and very accurate. The story is about a woman named Ruby Jordan. It's the year 1994 and her husband Jack of 20 years walks out. Ruby is distraught and confused. She sits back and listens to a tape to calm her emotions when suddenly she wakes up in the 10th century and aboard a Viking ship! Ruby sees a man that looks EXACTLY like Jack, but this man is a powerful Viking with long blonde hair named Thork. He thinks she is a spy sent by his enemy to destroy him and the village. No one believes she is from the future and Ruby tries to convince everyone she is married to Thork in another life, this is when everyone believes she is insane. The story takes us through the turmoil the Vikings went through and shows us they are a fierce and proud people, but also a gentle and loving people. We get to meet the characters from the other books in the series. Although I was upset with Thork's fate, I liked the ending a lot. What happened to him was meant to be and it touches your heart. This is the first book in the Viking Series. Here they are in order---'The Reluctant Viking', 'The Outlaw Viking', 'The Tarnished Lady', and 'The Bewitched Viking'.

Tracy Talley~@

I was in tears reading this book, from laughter. I had tears of sadness at Thorks destiny. Even thought he was not very nice to Ruby until the end, he is still a man to die for. You are never disapointed by Sandra's hero's.

Ruby's antics in the 10th. century are absolutely hillarious. The things she got up to were totally unbelievable, like giving women contraception advice, starting her own lingerie business.

The ending had me in stitches while she was trying to seduce Jack into coming back to her.

If you love a book that will make you laugh and cry this book is the one, but saying that all the books i've read of Sandra's make me feel this way. Great read Sandra!!!!!!!

Though the writing was done well, I more then once wanted to put this book down. I found the character of Ruby to be frustrating. And her actions were painfully repetitive. For a 38-year-old woman, she seemed a little dense. Perhaps the first thing one does when one wakes up 1,000 years in the past is try to convince people you're from the future. Perhaps. But After 50 pages I think you would shut up and try to figure out what's going on instead of yapping so much. And though Thork looks like her husband Jack, I don't feel that's enough to make her love him despite all the horrible treatment she gets. That was another problem for me. Thork and Jack were two different people. Why couldn't she see that? OK, I know Thork is an earlier incarnation of Jack, and Ruby finally figures that out, but her constant insistence didn't make sense after the first few times. Once again, the character is not too smart. In all, I was reluctant to keep reading the Reluctant Viking, and only suffered through it because so many people gave it great reviews. I guess it's another case of chacun à son goût

Ihad very high expectations for this book as I started the Viking series with "The Blue Viking". The book started out great but then the back and forth, hot and cold banter between Ruby and Thork (the two main characters) had me going in circles and extremly frusterated. Although Hill's time travel romances are (I think ) her best and funniest work this book lacked the usuall humor and fast pace that her readers have come to identiy her with.

I really loved this book,the characters Ruby and Thork I really warmed to and I disagreed with the reviewer that said if you like Danelle Steel then you will like this;I cannot stand her books, but I liked the wit and humor in this story,so much so I have now bought all Sandra Hill's books.I liked the banter between Ruby and Thork,if Ruby and Thork had hit it off from the beginning there would have not been much point to the story.This is a really great read not at all like your traditional historical romance story,if your fed up with the traditional historical romance type book then buy this.

This is one of the few books that I can't forget! It made me laugh and cry and while I didn't like Thork's fate, it was still one of the best books I've ever read. Through her vivid descriptions, use of ancient Norse and English we are taken back in time with Ruby. You'll feel like you're sitting in old England just watching it all unfold. If you've never read one of Sandra's books before read this one - you'll be hooked on her forever.

I always enjoy a Sandra Hill romance, and I did enjoy this one. I love her Viking tales. She brings to life the harsh realities that they faced and gives us just enough actual historical background without making it seem like a history book. I like that she adds humor and passion to her books equally.

This book was enjoyable but it did leave me kind of wanting. I just felt like there was something missing. I'm not really sure what though.
This is the story of Ruby Jordan, a modern day 38 yr old woman with two kids, a marriage that is failing and a busy business selling and making lingerie. Her husband of 20 years leaves her and she falls to pieces. She is listening to a self motivational tape when she is suddenly flung back in time to the time of the Vikings. There she meets Thork, the look-a-like to her husband Jack. He thinks her a spy and almost kills her. She soon realizes that no one believes her tale of being from the future and that her very life is really in peril.

She must learn to adapt to her new life and its harsh surroundings. Thork is not very nice to her even though he is highly attracted to her and she to him. Of course she tries to tell him that he is her husband and that they have been married 20 years ut he can't believe her because he's never married and has no intention of ever doing so and the fact that she appears to him as 18 again.

There is a lot of humor and a lot of tense moments where you aren't really sure what will happen next. I did enjoy this book and plan to read all her other books soon.

This book alot of people can relate to and is an excellent story to read. It made me laugh, cry and have such strong emotional feelings inside while reading it. Sandra, this is one of your best I think. It took along time for the two characters to come together, but it was well worth the wait. Powerful emotions that the reader can feel..great job great book!

I like this author. In fact although I read her Viking books out of series order, I thought I'd start at the beginning with The Reluctant Viking. Good thing I read the others first. This one was terrible. In the "real" world, Ruby would have been shunned or killed because she was insane instead of suddenly been taken in with these people, not to mention showing up mysteriously on a ship in the middle of the sea. I will read more of the Viking series simply because I know what Ms. Hill is capable of and in hopes that this first Viking effort was a fluke.