Customer Reviews

Viking in Love

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

 

 

I can't believe I wasted a few hours to read this book. I kept having the internal conversation, just like the book was using; "what does the author think about the reader? stupid or naive?" These are really modern Vikings, not all like the Regency romance story I love to read. I gave up reading and vowed not to touch the similar books ever again.

Okay, so if you're one of those historical readers that are very mindful of the speak, you will hate this completely. You'll read a lot of terms used in contemporary novels within the speak of the characters but that did not detract from the story. The hero is solid, the heroine is like-able and sensible. This is a comedy thru and thru, and that made it so enjoyable. There are some sexy scenes, so you get your fill. i would say an 7.5 on the sensuality side and it wasnt all roll your eyes corny. The supporting characters in the book are fabulous and the children had me laughing out loud at one point with their "Victory" shouts. It was great, fun, easy reading. I cant wait for another book by this author, hopefully on Wulf!

Princess Breanne of Stoneheim has a problem. Her sister's abusive husband has died of unnatural causes and Breanne and her other sisters know the Norman officials will not look kindly upon them for it, even though the killing was warranted. So they hide the body and run, going to the only place they think they will be safe, Larkspur. The situation is only supposed to be temporary, until they can return to their father, the King.

When they arrive, though, they find the keep in disarray. It is filthy and there are children running everywhere. The Viking sisters set out to put this right, and Breanne goes in search of the master of the keep.

Lord Caedmon has spent nine months in the king's service. When he returns home all he wants is to bathe, eat and sleep. Finding a beautiful Viking in his bedchamber shocks him, and he's not thrilled when she starts berating him for the horrible way his keep is run.

Even though he's distantly related, by marriage, to one of her sisters, he's not thrilled with the arrival of the Viking Princesses. When he discovers the real reason for their appearance he knows they can't stay; that is until he strikes a bargain with Breanne that brings her into his bed, and into his heart.

Viking In Love is classic Sandra Hill, written with lots of humor and wonderful characters. The interaction between Breanne and Caedmon is wonderful, as are their relationships with the secondary characters. Each one is unique, and work together to create a world that is entertaining and captivating.

I adored both Breanne and Caedmon and watching them try to outwit each other and fall in love at the same time was brilliant fun. Sandra Hill is one of my favorite authors, and Viking In Love is a wonderful example of why.


Amelia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Heavens, where on earth do I start? I know it's historical romance and don't expect as much as I would from an historical novel, but still - this is beyond bad. I'll try to make the synopsis short and sweet and spare you the details. I only picked this one up at the library as another reviewer mention something in her review about a Viking S-trick and we had to know.

Set in the 10C in Northumbria, the story begins as Vana the White (I am not kidding) and her merry band of Viking princesses are disposing of the pieces of the body of Vana's abusive husband down the privy (I am not kidding). Fearing trial and hanging they flee for their lives and seek succor at the home of distant relative Caedmon of Larkspur. The Princesses find the place a disaster (Caedmon's been off a-knighting with the King) and proceed to fix it up. Cleaning the walls, planting roses and repairing the roof (I am not kidding) and mothering Caedmon's wild band of children from two previous marriages plus the odd illegitimate child.

Of course you know when Caedmon returns home he's going to set sights on one of the Princesses and it's lust at first sight, right? It is a romance after all. This is where I'll spare you the details but these two end up making a silly agreement to protect the others and she'll sleep with him for ten nights (swive is Caedmon's word for it). Thus proceeds lots and lots of sex in mind numbing quantities and in any position you can imagine. You do not want to know about the various places on a body wherein honey can be put on and then licked clean.

The sex scenes were excruciating and made me want to wash my head out with soap and water. Top all that off with this bizarre slap-stick type of modern humor and it just doesn't cut it. I know there are readers who like nothing better than page after page of detailed sex acts in a prettified fake believe historical setting but for anyone else I suggest giving it a pass. I hear the author is known for her slap stick style of humor and she's written some kind of Gone With the Wind take off. No, I am not going to do it. No way, no how. Not for anyone.

I think I'm being quite kind to 'Viking in Love' by giving it two stars when I wasn't actually able to finish it. It was a disappointing read in that when it started out I thought there was some potential; an unhappily-married woman kills her abusive husband and her four sisters help her to cover it up, finding themselves being hunted down as possibly to blame for the mysterious disappearance of the husband.

The sisters go to a distant kinsman, Caedmon, to try to get him to help them. He isn't keen and so has to be 'persuaded' by sister Breanne. This persuasion involves her eventually seducing him, and then the book went on and on about her 'large nipples' (about which I was distinctly bored within a couple of pages). The other sisters variously disappear and we just read of Breanne and Caedmon in bed, knowing that the authorities are looking for the Viking sisters and Caedmon doesn't seem to want to agree to help them or not. At this point I got too fed up and gave up with the book (probably about three quarters of the way through).

I haven't read many books set in the dark ages so there were some interesting aspects to the story. The mixing of the Vikings and Saxons in the East of England (where I live) was interesting, as were the ways in which the two lands traded and intermarried. Unfortunately the story was light on character - neither Caedmon nor Breanne felt convincing - and it didn't hold my interest enough for me to want to finish it.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2010

I can't believe I actually got through this less than mediocre book. The only reason why I rate this book 3-stars is due to the vast and abundant romantic interludes. This book lacked plot and suspense. Although the protagonists were well matched for one another, the hero was completely crude and crass. Other than extremely lusting for his heroine, you cannot determine what actually brought these two lovers together in the first place and what will actually bind them in the future; other than the hero taking the maiden's virginity upon her request.

We get a complete picture of the hero's virility and resistance to remarrying, but frankly he did not have any positive attributes that are commendable and beneficial to a relationship. It seemed to me that the heroine was both the best female and male (the all encompassing) character within the story, while the hero could be termed simply as mere "horn dog." What seemed to be somewhat of a promising story completely died when neither of the authoritative figures enforces their powers given their roles within the time period (a king and an archbishop). The author kept hinting about the king's abusive, raping and tormenting behavior towards women and the archbishop's hatred for women so much, that when neither of the two exercised any of the aforementioned traits, the story lost all kinds of hope. In this story the heroine and her sisters get away with murder and are never frowned upon by their peers; granted the victim was a low life scum that abused his wife, but in any case the heroine and her sisters were never submitted to deep interrogation nor reprimanded for their crime. Finally, not one battle scene took place within this story; I guess everyone was truly horrified and afraid of the heroine's Norse father and his high numbered army when he shows up to collect her.

The author also bores us to death in page after page, when a character would make a flat out statement to then follow said statement with a mental anecdote during most if not all conversations. Moreover, the author endlessly frustrates readers with mundane camel proverbs constantly being made by the Middle Eastern servant Rashid; even when he was not around the other characters would get into the whole camel "proverbing" as well.
I found myself skimming page after page in order to skip each of the mental anecdotes and get quickly to the character dialogs. The story was truly unrealistic, even for medieval Viking era, with no battle scenes occurring at all. The teasing between the characters may have been cute and funny at first, but then it became monotonous as well.

I thank the author for including a reader letter informing us about Saxon and Viking mixed marriages, social Viking behavior of the time, her ability to trace back her paternal family tree to the tenth century and to even include a glossary, but sticking to more historical facts, with a suspenseful plot would have been far more appreciated!

I gave this book 3 stars because it was entertaining and very funny. However, it was (to me) a rehash of her "Very Virile Viking" without the time travel. You've got the same gorgeous viking who has upteen kids running around the keep and he definitely isn't looking for a wife and more kids. I might have given it 4 stars if I had not kept thinking "I've read this before."

ok so i dont usually read viking stories because the men are wayy to domineering but i did read S.H's book Viking heat and really enjoyed it so i thought id give this a try

I am soooooo disappointed! at first it was funny but i couldnt finish it because this man is such a pig! why on earth would anyone want to read about a man that has this many kids?! he has 2 dead wives and all kinds of children (some ligament and some not)Seriously? how is that romantic in the least????? at the beginning he even makes jokes about how many kids he has and some he probably doesnt even know about!

i deff would not want to be that girl hes been screwing everything that walks by and having babies so how 'special' can this viking really be? not at all. i cant imagine why S.H. would write a character like this! wish id have have read reviews before i had bought this by chance in the book store. what a waist of money!!

[...]

Warning: Do not drink or eat while reading this book lest you snort or spew the contents of your mouth as you laugh and hold your sides from sheer giggling abandon because, rest assured, this is the funniest romance ever.

I cannot begin to condense the sheer wonder of reading this book in a short review. The characters are well developed with personalities and quirks that appealed to my funny bone. On top of that, is the endearing bemusement and confusion of a fighting man when he meets a woman who is used to taking charge, and he feels love for the first time.

And the dialogue delivery! That style alone is worth mentioning. The internal one-liners before or after a character speaks had me in stitches. The truth of their thoughts being contradictory to what actually gets spoken reminded me of a comedy routine. Yet the doing so never spiraled into jokes for the sake of making a joke. Each and every utterance gives a reader insight into the man or woman highlighted in that scene. It provides depth and personality to the characters without need of POV head-hopping.

Caedmon is a fighting man who has a large heart. He can strategize a battle and swing a sword with skill. He just can't manage a household. Neither does he know how to handle a horde of kids. He has good intentions and means well, but he's a guy - clueless. He's delicious, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed his repartee with his friends, the loyalty he earned from his men means he is worthy of trust, but he is by no means perfect.

Breanne is a treat. She is strong where Caedmon is not so strong. She's clever and inquisitive. She's also a sensual volcano. Once she makes up her mind that Caedmon is going to be the man to save her sisters, she'll do anything to ensure it. I don't think she expected to find the doing so quite as much fun as it turned out to be. And I'm glad of it because it made for some hot pages when it came to the scenes between the covers.

Secondary characters would be her sisters and the cook. Oh, wait until you get a load of Amicia! Her character had Breanne blushing and me giggling. I had so much fun reading about apples and candles. I don't think I'll ever look at them quite the same again. Breanne's dad is pretty cool. Also, if readers are familiar with previous Viking stories from Ms. Hill, then they'll be in for a treat because there are important cameos from some of those characters. I love it when Ms. Hill does that.

I'd be remiss in not mentioning the drama and external conflict. The king is a lech and the archbishop is a power hungry narcissistic fool who sucks lemons and prunes for fun. Okay, so he doesn't really, but he acts like it. He was very convincing as someone to fear in this story and I didn't know how in the world the five princesses were going to escape his evil clutches. Oh they have a plan and here come the snickers and guffaws again. I have to hand it to Ms. Hill, she has original heroines.

Viking in Love is an absolute joy to read. I was entertained by the growing romance between Caedmon and Breanne. I found the pace of the plot and story consistently well-written and I can assure fellow readers that this book is going on my keeper shelf, to be read on those days when I want to smile and feel good, especially when life throws lemons - or apples with holes. *wink*

I LOVED the humor and sass back and forth between Breanne and Caedmon!!!

* Just the right amount of everything in all the characters really,
* no one was *to* perfect, *to* wimpy, etc.
* beautiful and accurate historical details,
* and an excellent read!!
* A 1-nighter for me! (Less actually!) =)

Short and sweet: this is the BEST "Viking" book yet! Forget the time travels and stick with this template!

Whose story would I like to see next? Wulf's definitely! And please include an update on Geoff's whirlwind wedding. Especially given he's described as a "blonde god" and his wife while pretty has slightly crooked front teeth and well, not what would be considered Geoff's perfect match! =)

And for the life of me I STILL don't know *who* or *where* "Alrek, the Clumsy Viking" and "Jamie the Rascal" were in this story? Was this a typo? Another book perhaps?