Month: September 2020

Redeeming Her Viking Warrior by Jenni Fletcher

On By TracyIn Ancient Britain, Author Collaboration Series, Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, VikingLeave a comment

Redeeming Her Viking Warrior (Sons of Sigurd #4)Redeeming Her Viking Warrior by Jenni Fletcher

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Sigurd, #4

Release Date: September 1, 2020

Danr Sigurdsson has come to the Isle of Skye looking for answers about the massacre three years ago that killed his father, sister in law and his brother’s betrothed, but when he confronts his late father’s wife Hilda, he new husband Joarr injures him and he is forced to run. He collapses in the forest and would have died for sure if not for the help of a silent woman with silver-blonde hair. He tries to talk to her, but she doesn’t speak. She tends him and after a few days leaves. He is weak, but he finds her living alone in the woods and doesn’t stop talking until she finally speaks. She is unlike any woman he has ever known (and there have been MANY), he wants her, but he made a vow of celibacy and can’t forget his true purpose, no matter how enticing he finds her.

Sissa has lived alone for years and trusts no one, especially not warriors. After an attack on her village by raiders leaves her alone save the company of her wolf, Tova, she would have perished if not for the kindness of a Gael healer, Coblaith. Unable to understand each other’s languages, Sissa stopped talking but Coblaith taught her healing skills and quite by accident she began to help the villagers, but she never spoke to anyone – until the Norseman and that was only to tell him to shut up and leave her alone – but the man will not listen! She agrees to let him stay and slowly they form a friendship. But the past has taught her a painful lesson of loss and as much as she likes him and enjoys his company, she believes she must guard her heart or suffer the pain of losing him.

This book was set in ancient Scotland and was a well written, fast paced book with wonderful characters and a lot of emotion. I really loved this book, Danr is such a great hero, I loved that he talked all the time – usually heroes are cast as the strong, silent type, so to have a chatty hero was a refreshing change of pace. And Sissa was far from your typical heroine, she is strong, capable and stubborn, she harbors so much pain that she almost forces the love of lifetime to walk away – thankfully, Danr was not willing to go without a fight! The book has a bit of everything, action, a quest for vengeance, heartbreak, betrayal, warm love scenes, reconciliation, wolves and a very sweet HEA. This book is the fourth book in an author collaboration series that follows five brothers in an interconnected plot to find out who killed their father – I did not read the three previous books before reading this installment and had no problem whatsoever following the ongoing story line – but it did make me want to go back and read the other books!! I am happy to recommend this title, I think it might be one of the best books I read this year and will definitely be checking out the other books in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*

Murder At The Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939)Leave a comment

Murder at the Brightwell (Amory Ames Mystery, #1)
Barbara’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Amory Ames #1
Publication Date: 10/14/14
Number of Pages: 336

I purchased this book because I first read the 7th book in the series, A Deception at Thornecrest, and very much disliked the character, Milo. That book was supposed to be after the playboy Milo had reformed and settled down, so I wanted to see the beginning – I am NOT a fan of reading of infidelity. Yes, I understand this is supposed to be a historical mystery – but I need a good romance along with my mystery and I just have a really hard time understanding why our female lead, Amory, would continue to put up with the stuff Milo dishes out. I was looking for some grand scene where a contrite Milo would realize the error of his ways and beg for forgiveness. Well, it didn’t happen. NEVER was there an apology – at least not from Milo – Amory made a couple of apologies for not believing him when he told her something.

The series is touted as a being witty and clever – a fun romp as in the Nick and Nora Charles style from the old movies. I didn’t see the slightest sign of any of the wit and humor found in those old movies and there certainly wasn’t any evidence of the love and respect Nick and Nora had for each other. As a child who grew up on those old movies, I can assure you that Nora wouldn’t have put up with Milo’s crap for 5 minutes much less 5 years. The series is set in the 1930s, but the only thing in this book that really evokes that era is the descriptions of the clothing – especially Amory’s. Those descriptions seem limitless and in the most minute detail.

To make matters worse for me, I listened to the audio version of the book. It may not be the worst narration I’ve ever listened to, but it is close. The narrator’s voice range seemed very limited. There just wasn’t any flow or smoothness to the delivery. It was as if the narrator was slowly reading the words for the first time – it was stilted and emphasis was placed on words that wouldn’t have been emphasized. If you saw the movie, Galaxy Quest, just picture the aliens in that movie delivering the narration to this novel. On the brighter side, I did notice that this is the only book narrated by this artist – there is a different narrator for the rest of the books. That is certainly a good move on the publisher’s part.

The mystery was well done with lots of red herrings to throw you off the scent. I did suspect who the villain was almost as soon as I met them on the page, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the rest of the investigation – because – well – I could have been wrong.

Believe it or not, I will be reading the second book in the series, Death Wears a Mask, because I do want to see if there is any repentance on Milo’s part. The writing and story development have definitely improved by the 7th book in the series, so I’ll be interested in where the next book goes.