Customer Reviews

The Winter Serpent

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

 

 

I love historical romances, but often bemoan the past few years where the majority of historical romances are 99% romance and 1% history. You often wonder why the writer bothered to set it in a historical era when they book is virtually a contemporary romance with a horse tossed in for show. I love history as much as I do the sweeping passion, so I am delighted there are still a few writers out there that remember the HISTORICAL. Maggie Davis is one of the best historical romance writers around. I love her OUT OF THE BLUE, HUSTLE SWEET LOVE and THE LAST MALE VIRGIN (rumour has it Hollywood is looking to do it as a movie - cool!!). However, I am shocked her historicals have often not gotten the attention they deserve.

The Winter Serpent is heavy on history and it is absolutely amazing!! It is a gritty story of a Scot's lass, beautiful and strong-willed, who will let no man break her pride. Dorieann is the beauty daughter of a Scots Chieftain and Pict mother. Her foster brother kills her father and assumes control of the Scots Clan. He desires Dorieann, but she refuses his advances. In his fury, he sells her to the Viking settles, fierce warriors of the Norse Bear Cult, believing she will kill herself rather than submit to them. Dorieann is surprised to learn she has been bought for Thorsten, their leader. She survives, adjusts, and earns Thorsten's approval so much that he takes her as his wife. This is not the way her stepbrother wanted her fate to go, so he begins to ferment trouble for her and the Vikings.

Maggie Davis pulls no punches as she gives you a true historical romance, full of details and realistic portrayals of a woman surviving, yet keeping her pride and spirit, making life the best she can in a world that was very harsh to woman.

Applause for her not taking the easy road, but sticking to a believable depiction of a woman of fire. So if you want more historical in your historical romance, this wonderful tale of the Scots, Picts and Vikings is just your cup of tea!

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was excellently written, very engaging and vivid. There is a lot of rich historical backgrounds and descriptions, but it never gets boring. This book does not include explicit descriptions of sexual encounters, and that is a very welcoming fact, since as we all know the paperback romance novels are full of them, and they are almost always sound silly and unrealistic. The only problem that i have with Winter Serpent is that it is not really a "romance novel". The heroine hates the hero in the beginning, as she is sold to him as a slave, and she does not really like him all that much at the end of the book either. Giving the fact that they remain apart for the larger part of the book I fail to see the "passion" that the back cover promises. I think that marketing this book as a "romance" does it a huge disservice. I thought that this book was excellent, had a very authentic feel and the amount of actual research that must have went into it was huge! I would describe it as a story of a strong and determined young woman who intends to survive the obstacles in her way, tries to adjust in extremely difficult situations and basically makes the best of what her life has to offer. But romance or not it is still deffinately the book worth reading.

If you think that this is one of the typical, silly romance novels featuring a hunky Viking and a California chick disguised in a tunic and a tartan, you are wrong!

This is a very well written novel about survival in the Dark Ages. The atmosphere in the novel is perfect: It is as dark as it should be, brutal and depressing at times. Thorsten and Doireann are true medieval characters who reflect the cruelty and the superstitious character of the period without making us dislike them.

Still, The Winter Serpent is an enjoyable read. Maggie Davis knew how to enter the elements of hope, compassion and love in this novel without taking the easy course for creating too likeable, too modern characters.

In short I can guarentee you a satisfying read, you will not be disappointed if you buy this book.

5 stars for the historical factor. 3 stars for the story line. Average is 4 stars.
I loved the historical information in the story, but the story line seemed choppy to me. There would be a change of thought and plot line from one paragraph to the next. The story centers around Doireann nighean Muireach and her connection to the Vikking Thorsten Ljot. It starts with the selling of Doireann by her cousin to the Vikkings (in an attempt to shame her), her eventual return to her own people and the political intrgue of the various clans/kings she is kin with. All this while Thorsten seeks her return amongst the raiding, sacking, plundering, etc...that Vikkings are known for. I personally would label this book as Historical Fiction, not a Historical Romance.

I picked up the book by chance after reading the two other reviews. I felt as if I were reading a "Gone with the Wind" for the Viking era. A great historical fiction that offers up a rich tapestry of the early Scottish and Pictish societies as they struggle against the Viking invaders as well as old beliefs that still hold sway in the acceptance of Christianity. However, be warned that this is definitely not a romance novel. The heroine, even accounting for the time when she lives, is not a likable person and keeps making rash, unwise decisions that hurtle her from one disaster to another. The only redeeming quality is her constant devotion to her son. The jarl, despite being a berserker and all that it entails, comes across as a more sympathetic character. The book left me wondering what'll happen to them once her famed beauty fades and her son is properly assimilated to the Viking society. "Gritty" is the right word.