Book Review - The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance by Lucy Morris #HistoricalRomance @LMorris_Author

 

The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance

By Lucy Morris 

 

A challenging wife

For a warrior Viking

When Thorstein Bergson rescues a beautiful woman from a storm-tossed long-ship he little expects to broker a powerful marriage alliance with her. This high-status ice queen is not the comfortable wife this warrior chief is seeking. But maybe the bitter-sweet pain in Gyda’s eyes hides another woman beneath? The one he tasted that first night when she’d kissed him with such pent-up longing…?

Right, let's start with the cover because we all know we judge a book by its cover, even if we say we don't! I think the cover is really beautiful, or maybe it is the male model that I think is really beautiful, dare to disagree!!! Next, I want to mention the publisher — Mills & Boon. Reading a Mills & Boon novel is like coming home. You know exactly what you are getting — a ruggedly handsome hero and a strong-willed damsel in distress, and between them, there is enough chemistry to light up Jorvik. 

Gyda has recently been widowed, but her situation is precarious. She must flee, with her silver and her tapestries, and head to Jorvik where she plans to start a new life. Unfortunately, she encounters some difficulties along the way — a shipwreck is going to spoil anyone's day if they are on the ship when it starts to sink! But thankfully, the handsome Thorstein is there to save the day. Unfortunately, he could not save Gyda's silver and her tapestries, but he did save her life, so that has to count for something - right?!

As one would expect from a Mills & Boon novel, it is desire at first sight, but their relationship is not without its ups and downs. Both have serious trust issues, and they both have their fair share of past trauma, which causes caution and difficulties in the relationship. A simmering boil their desire may be, but first, they have to get over their past if they are going to live a happy life together. Of course, there is an antagonist in this story,  who tries to throw a spanner in the works, but this only strengthens the bond that Gyda and Thorstein have made.

I really enjoyed reading how Gyda and Thorstein's relationship evolves throughout this novel. Their relationship was believable, which is always a good thing. The author has also gone to some lengths to also make the setting her story is set in as historically accurate as possible.

If you like a simmering romance set during the Viking era then I think you will love The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance.

If you would like to be swept away in a Viking romance then head over to Amazon

Lucy Morris

Lucy Morris has always been obsessed with myths and legends. Her books blend sweeping romance with vivid worldbuilding to whisk you away to another time and place filled with adventure. Expect passion, drama, and vibrant characters.

Lucy lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves Terry's chocolate oranges and Irn-Bru. In her spare time, she likes to explore castles with her family, or drink bubbly with her friends.

A member of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association. In 2020 she was delighted to accept a two-book deal with Harlequin after submitting her story to the Warriors Wanted submission blitz for Viking, Medieval, and Highlander romances.

She hasn't looked back since.

Writing for Harlequin Historical is a dream come true for her and she hopes you enjoy her books!

Social Media Links:

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

On tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club - The Prisoner of Paradise (The Paradise Series, Book 1) by Rob Samborn #BookReview #Thrillers #BlogTour

I am so excited to share my review of The Prisoner of Paradise  (The Paradise Series, Book 1) by Rob Samborn. Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for inviting me to be a part of this tour.

The Prisoner of Paradise 

(The Paradise Series, Book 1)

By Rob Samborn

The world’s largest oil painting. A 400-year-old murder. A disembodied whisper: “Amore mio.” My love.

Nick and Julia O’Connor’s dream trip to Venice collapses when a haunting voice reaches out to Nick from Tintoretto’s Paradise, a monumental depiction of Heaven. Convinced his delusions are the result of a concussion, Julia insists her husband see a doctor, though Nick is adamant the voice was real.

Blacking out in the museum, Nick flashes back to a life as a 16th century Venetian peasant swordsman. He recalls precisely who the voice belongs to: Isabella Scalfini, a married aristocrat he was tasked to seduce but with whom he instead found true love. A love stolen from them hundreds of years prior.

She implores Nick to liberate her from a powerful order of religious vigilantes who judge and sentence souls to the canvas for eternity. Releasing Isabella also means unleashing thousands of other imprisoned souls, all of which the order claims are evil.

As infatuation with a possible hallucination clouds his commitment to a present-day wife, Nick’s past self takes over. Wracked with guilt, he can no longer allow Isabella to remain tor-mented, despite the consequences. He must right an age-old wrong – destroy the painting and free his soul mate. But the order will eradicate anyone who threatens their ethereal prison and their control over Venice.

Trigger Warnings.

Violence, a rape scene, a torture scene.

Oh, how many books am I going to get that are set in Italy? My main goal is that, if I read enough books, it’ll be like I’ve been there myself, but the more I read, the more I just want to actually go! My plan is backfiring, and I’m not at all complaining.

This is very much a mystery/thriller/intrigue/supernatural kind of book. So it should come as no surprise that Nick O’Connor starts to hear a woman talk to him from a painting!  And when a secret organisation, who are responsible for painting evil souls into paintings so they can trap them forever and keep them from doing any more harm to the world, notice Nick’s strange way of interacting with the painting they start keeping a very close eye on him – what does that scream but ‘thriller’? And then, when Nick starts to remember things from another life, as a swordsman in the 16th century, who knows Isabella Scalfini, the woman in the painting, you cannot help but be intrigued. 

This is the kind of book that my husband hates, not because he would actually ever pick up a book and read it, but because I spend every spare moment reading it, and he can’t have a proper conversation with me for a few days because I’m always reading and when he tries to talk to me, I shush him. But then again, books like these are impossible to put down, and that is a fact. 

This book has characters you will love, for example, Nick and Julia, and others you will absolutely loathe. I am not entirely sure how much I can list the characters I didn’t like without giving at least some little spoilers, so I won’t talk about them too much. I didn’t like them anyway. Nick and Julia, however, I loved. Although, Julia spends most of this book convinced Nick is suffering from after-effects from a concussion following an accident he had while playing hockey, and Nick spends most of the book trying to convince Julia he is actually hearing a woman talk to him from a painting. It does seem like a difficult thing to try and convince someone to believe.

The whole idea of souls being stuck in a painting is one that I can’t say I have ever come across before. I can say for sure, though, that if I was stuck inside a painting, and couldn’t move, but had to stare out across a sea of tourists every day, I would most certainly go mad. I can’t imagine what being sentenced to an eternity of nothingness would be like – I tried, and my first thought was that I would miss tea and chocolate immensely. 

This book was incredibly interesting, even though I’m almost certain things like the Order, or people being stuck in paintings is purely fictional, the ins and outs of how they worked fascinated me. Nick’s journey was one that I greatly enjoyed following. He is married to Julia, and loves her with all his heart, but Isabella is his soulmate, and his love from another time. To find one’s soulmate is something rare, but if you love someone truly, as Nick loves Julia, I think the souls can grow to be soulmates. The whole relationship dynamic, of Nick being married to Julia, and then finding this soul that his soul loved centuries ago, is certainly challenging. How exactly does one explain to their wife that this other woman is their true soulmate?!

If you want a good dose of mystery and a book that will hook you in and not let you go, this is the one to choose. Venice and a secret organisation, souls trapped in paintings, and a couple who know nothing, trying to figure out what exactly is going on – what more can you ask for?

I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club but you can grab your copy from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon AU, Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble

Rob Samborn 

In addition to being a novelist, Rob Samborn is a screenwriter, entrepreneur and avid traveler. He’s been to forty countries, lived in five of them and studied nine languages. As a restless spirit who can’t remember the last time he was bored, Rob is on a quest to explore the intrica-cies of our world and try his hand at a multitude of crafts; he’s also an accomplished artist and musician, as well as a budding furniture maker. A native New Yorker who lived in Los Ange-les for twenty years, he now makes his home in Denver with his wife, daughter and dog. 

Social Media Links:

Website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, BookBub, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads

Tour Schedule

Happy #NewRelease Day!!! Oh my goodness - check this out. Ellie Yarde's debut novel, Escape The Choice (The Choice Series, Book 1) YARomance #OneHourRead @ReadingAlNight

 

Escape The Choice 

(The Choice Series, Book 1)

By Ellie Yarde

How do you make a choice when you don't want to choose?

Oliver's friendship may be important to Ali, after all, she's the only friend he's got, but that's all they will ever be – friends. When it comes to Noah, she can't help but hope their friendship will become something more. Her heart flutters when he is near, and her eyes always seem to find his.

Unfortunately for Ali, Oliver would make things very difficult if anything were to happen between her and Noah, and while Noah has never told her not to be friends with Oliver, his distaste for the man is quite clear. For Ali to resolve the ongoing dispute, she will have to choose between them. But how can Ali choose between the two men when her decision will mean she has to cut one of them from her life?

A quick read filled with friendship, love, and a deep adoration of coffee and muffins.

Doesn't this book sound amazing?! And get this it is only 0.99 on #Kindle and it is also available on #KindleUnlimited, so what are you waiting for? Grab your copy NOW - HERE!

Ellie Yarde

Ellie Yarde is primarily a reader and blogger. She writes short stories, which are published on her blog, Reading All Night, where she also shares her reviews. Escape The Choice is Ellie’s debut novel, and the first in The Choice Series. 

Social Media Links:

Website, Twitter, Goodreads