Category: Tracy’s Reviews

BLOG TOUR – One Night with her Viking Warrior by Sarah Rodi

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, VikingLeave a comment

One Night With Her Viking Warrior

Her forbidden love is back to claim her!

Once Lady Rebekah shared a life-changing night with stable hand Raeden but he disappeared the morning after. Now she’s consort to a cruel Saxon Lord, and when Northmen lay siege to Ryestone Keep, Rebekah’s shocked to see Raeden leading the charge! This Viking warrior is not the man she remembers, yet she finds herself drawn to him again. Taken as his hostage, Rebekah must decide: can she trust him with her life…and her dangerous secret?

Purchase Links:

UK ~ US

Author Bio:

– Sarah Rodi has always been a hopeless romantic. She grew up watching old, romantic movies recommended by her grandad, or devouring love stories from the local library. Sarah lives in the village of Cookham in Berkshire, where she enjoys walking along the River Thames with her husband, her two daughters and their dog. She has been a magazine journalist for over 20 years, but it has been her lifelong dream to write romance for Mills & Boon. Sarah believes everyone deserves to find their happily ever after.

Contact Sarah:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Email

Tracy’s Review:

One Night with Her Viking WarriorOne Night with Her Viking Warrior by Sarah Rodi

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 2022

Lady Rebekah’s life has been far from easy, orphaned at ten when Danes attacked her home, an attack she survived but was burned and sent to live with her uncle at Ryestone Keep. Then years later when she falls in love with a stable boy named Raedan, she hopes for a future with him and willingly gives him her virginity, but the next day he is gone, and later she is told he is dead. With no chance of happiness, she agrees to marry her cousin Atol, but soon after her uncle dies and Atol abuses her and when she learns she is pregnant, he refuses to marry her unless (or until) she gives him a son. So when a daughter is born, Rebekah is left to act as Lady of the Keep but is really little more than Atol’s unwilling mistress. But all that changes when the Danes raid again and Rebekah is taken captive by a man named Halfdan who reminds her of her lost love.

Halfdan (aka Raedan) can’t believe that Rebekah married Atol so soon after he was beaten and sold to a slave master, he thought she loved him, but he won’t make that mistake again. After spending years as a slave, he was bought and freed by a Dane, Jarl Knud, and his sister Brita, that was the day that Raedan died and Halfdan was born. And thanks to Jarl Knud, Raedan learned to be a warrior and rose in the ranks, until he was Knud’s best warrior. He eagerly leads the raid against his old home and takes Rebekah hostage. He thinks he is over her, but once they are alone, he realizes he is still attracted to her, much to his disgust. But after they talk, he learns that she had no part in his banishment and had no idea he was sold into slavery – a secret shame that he isn’t willing to share with anyone. He learns of the abuse she has endured and makes the decision to take her back to his home in Nedergaard, it is then he learns of her daughter and the shame Rebekah has lived with as little more than Atol’s leman. He then boldly rescues her daughter Gytha from under Atol’s nose and takes them both with him – but not before Atol realizes and gives chase. They escape, but Atol vows revenge and Raedan makes more than one enemy. Once they are back in Nedergaard, they marry to protect Rebekah and their old feelings begin to rekindle, but with so many secrets between them and their enemies bent on revenge, finding their HEA won’t be easy.

This was a very well-written, fast-paced story featuring wonderful characters and a second-chance romance. This book has a little bit of everything: secrets, lies, revelations, action, revenge, steamyish love scenes, a marriage of convenience, more than one villain who won’t give up, new beginnings, forgiveness, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. The only qualm I had was that I felt that at least one villain got off too easily, but that was a very minor thing and I readily admit that I am a blood-thirsty wench. So overall, this was a fantastic read and I enthusiastically recommend this title! I am sincerely hoping that the author decides to write stories for Knud and his sister Brita.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Her Worthy Rake by Charlotte Anne

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Non-Traditional Romance, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Her Worthy RakeHer Worthy Rake by Charlotte Anne

Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone, but connected to “The Unworthy Duke”

Release Date: January 1, 2023

**Fair warning – the last paragraph of this review might be spoilerish – please don’t continue if you don’t want to know.**

Sophy Calder has been waiting for her twin brother Sherborne “Sherry” to return from the war. Her brother had been press-ganged into the Navy four years ago, but the war ended, and his ship returned to England over six months ago, and yet she hasn’t seen or heard from him. And now that she has gone through her own inheritance trying to keep the family estate from ruin, she can no longer wait for her brother to return and take over – a feat she was unable to do as all the estate accounts and funds are in his name and she is living in genteel poverty. When she gets no answers from the Navy by writing letters, she heads to London. But getting answers is no easier in person, even with the backing of the Duke of Woodhal and when she finally has some information in her grasp, it is almost lost by an unfortunate dip in the Thames.

After a disheartening meeting with his good friend and tailor, George “Owen” Tattershall’s day goes from bad to worse in the blink of an eye, when a collision with a winsome red-head ends with a swim in the Thames followed by stolen boots and a hackney ride to evade the men chasing said red-head – who turns out to be the woman who begged his cousin’s help the night of his engagement ball. Owen remembers Sophy well and offers his help, taking her to his adopted mother’s house, who hires Sophy as her companion, so she can stay in London and find her brother. Owen is surprised by his attraction to Sophy and the more time they spend together, the more he wants – but Owen has secrets that he assumes will prevent their HEA, but perhaps he shouldn’t make assumptions…

{This is where it might get spoilerish}

This book was not what I expected based on the blurb, it was a lot more complex – or more accurately – more convoluted than a simple romance/mystery. First of all, there are A LOT of characters, making the story hard to follow at times, which is not helped by the fact that the story tends to ramble, then there is a side-plot of Owen trying to secure funding for a printing project with his friend, oh and the fact that Owen is bisexual – which would be fine if it was actually pertinent to the story, rather than seeming like a gratuitous “inclusion” move and I wasn’t thrilled with his revelation of this to Sophy – where it is completely downplayed and he tells her that he loves her and only wants her now – which raises the question is he now “straight” or is he just going to ignore that part of himself? Either way, that needed to be addressed, as did other things – like why her brother let her go broke instead of making arrangements for her to send estate bills to his solicitor, and why did he risk so much for someone whom he didn’t seem to want a future with, and how did Owen come to be adopted? I finished this book with more questions than answers and felt unsatisfied even though it ended with a HEA. I really did like Owen and Sophy and rooted for their HEA, but without addressing how they move forward in respect to his sexuality, I am not sure how they can have a true HEA. This is the second book in the series – but it is billed as a standalone title. And to be fair, I didn’t read the first book, so I don’t know if the questions I had in this book would have been moot if I had read the first book. Anyway, that is just my two cents – do what you will with it. Overall, it was an original story with likable characters and fascinating author notes (which in my opinion were the best part of the book) and I am not sorry I read it, but it is not a story I would go out of my way to read again.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*