Title: Defiant In The Viking’s Bed
Series: Victorious Vikings Book #3
Author: Joanna Fulford
Genre: Historical Romance
Blurb: Consumed by revenge—and desire! Captured by his enemy and chained like a dog, Leif Egilsson has one thought in his mind: revenge. He’ll no longer be beguiled by the treacherous beauty of Lady Astrid, and her innocence, which he so craved, will finally be his.
On his escape, this fierce, proud Viking is bent on making her pay the price of her betrayal—in his bed! Only, Astrid has the heart of a warrior, and she will not be tamed as easily as he believes….
Victorious Vikings – No man could defeat them. Three women would defy them!
Thoughts: I’m not usually big on historicals, but occasionally one will catch my eye. Right away, the cover caught my attention – and after reading the blurb I just had to give this one a shot! And I did not regret a single moment of it! The story was beautifully told, and managed to be captivating, heart-wrenching, frustrating, and sweet all at the same time.
Leif and Astrid met prior to Leif’s capture, and they were immediately drawn to each other. So much so that Leif decides he wants her as his own! But unfortunately, it has been decided by Astrid’s uncle that she is to be married. Against her wishes, she is betrothed – and both her uncle and her betrothed have also set out to capture Leif…and use Astrid as the bait! As more and more circumstances conspire against them, can Leif and Astrid ever get past all the misunderstandings and find each other? Or will episodes from their past to come to haunt them?
Astrid was the perfect mix of the quintessential lady and fiery minx. I enjoyed her character, and how she refused to let anyone get the best of her, while at the same time dealing with her circumstances with eloquence and grace. And Leif made for the perfect Viking hero – strong, with a warrior’s heart, yet vulnerable against his past and this one small, petite female. While at times I wanted to smack him for his sheer stubbornness, I also loved sympathized with his history and his vulnerabilities. I couldn’t read these pages fast enough in order to see him and Astrid get their happily ever after. In fact, I flew through the pages in a matter of hours.
The only thing that really bothered me ended up happening after I was done reading the novel. Upon researching more about this great author, and searching for more about past titles and release dates for more in this series, I discovered that the author just recently passed away (July of this year). It really hit me with a wave of sadness, and I wanted to send out my condolences to her family and friends – and all of her many fans. I had just discovered her with this book – but if this is an example of her works, the writing community lost a spectacular author! I know that I intend on going back and reading many of her past works myself, and I highly encourage everyone to do the same.
To the memory of Joanna Fulford – you will be dearly missed.
Rate: A
Book one of this series is The Vikings Defiant Bride, and is followed by The Viking’s Touch
