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Romance / Viking
11th
century
Orkney / Scotland
We
meet our hero, Finlay, in prison because he tried to abscond with the woman he
loves. Upon his release, King Malcolm of Alba sends him to the court
of his half-brother Thorfinn, Lord of Orkney, where he is to marry Thorfinn’s
half-sister, Ratagan. Finlay is not unwilling as his true love has been forced
to marry his cousin. Ratagan has a young lover. She knows she must marry Finlay
because that’s what her brother wants but she is ambivalent.
As with most romance plots, there is a great
deal of falling in and out of love between the parties, and the reluctance of
Finlay and Ratagan to decide whether they will marry or not leads to several
encounters that resolve nothing. Meanwhile,
war looms when King Malcolm dies and both the king’s grandson, Duncan, and our
hero, Finlay, are prospective heirs to the throne of Alba.
I
have to say that I’m not a great fan of romance, so I didn’t find that side of
the story engrossing. However, this is an unexplored period and setting for me,
and I enjoyed the history and the glimpses of Viking life. (Throwing knives at
one poor fellow for entertainment.) Most of all I enjoyed Ms Black’s faculty for creating atmosphere. I
could almost feel the sting of wind-blown snow on my face, the welcome
warmth of a firelit room, or the eerie menace of a mist-wrapped wood.
There
are some editing errors, mostly missed words, but not enough to spoil the
reader’s appreciation. Those who like to mix their history with romance will
enjoy this book.
© Susan Appleyard
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