Book Review - 5 STARS - The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy) by Jennifer Ivy Walker

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

(The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy)

By Jennifer Ivy Walker

Publication Date: 1st May 2025

Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications

Print Length: 522 Pages

Genre: Arthurian Fantasy / Historical Romance Fantasy / Paranormal

In this paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, the rightful heir to the Irish crown must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads Issylte to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a Celtic healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom from the ruthless Black Widow Queen.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of King Arthur's Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his traumatic past and defend his kingdom of Cornwall against a Viking invasion from Ireland. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Two parallel lives, interwoven by fate. Haunted and hunted by the same Black Widow Queen.

Can their passion and power prevail?

 From the very first pages, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven feels less like a traditional historical romance and more like stepping into a fairytale — but one that quickly turns uneasy. There’s a strong Snow White atmosphere at the beginning: a young princess being dressed and displayed, a watchful and unsettling queen, and a castle that feels as much like a place of confinement as it does of beauty.

What makes those opening chapters so effective is how intimate they are. We meet Issylte not as a distant royal figure, but as a girl who would rather be riding through the forest than sitting still to be braided and adorned. That longing for freedom runs through everything she does. It makes her feel real — especially when she is forced into a role that doesn’t fit her.

Her relationship with Brangien is the emotional core of the early story, and it’s handled with real care. Their bond is built through small, quiet moments — touch, reassurance, familiarity — rather than dramatic declarations. Brangien is warmth, safety, and the last connection to a life where Issylte felt secure. That’s why her sudden removal doesn’t feel like a simple plot shift, but something far more personal. When Issylte realises she’s gone, the grief is immediate and physical, and from that moment on, the story changes. It stops being about discomfort within royal life and becomes something closer to survival.

Morag’s presence is what drives that shift. She arrives like a classic fairytale queen — beautiful, composed, admired — but there’s something deeply wrong beneath it. The moment she touches Issylte, with that strange, draining cold, is subtle but significant. It signals that this is not just political danger, but something more intimate and invasive. From then on, Issylte is not simply navigating court life — she is learning, quietly and instinctively, how to endure.

What follows is a pattern that shapes the entire novel: Issylte finds moments of safety, and then loses them. The castle becomes unsafe. The forest offers freedom, but not protection. Later, new places and relationships begin to feel like home — softer, warmer, more real — only for those too to be threatened or taken away. Each loss builds on the last, so that her journey becomes one of repeated flight, grief, and adaptation. What begins as a fairytale slowly becomes something much more grounded in endurance.

Alongside this, Tristan’s story offers a different kind of intimacy. His world is harsher, built on discipline and physical strength, but it is no less shaped by loss. His past, his training, and his relationships with King Marke and Gorvenal all carry a weight of expectation. Where Issylte is trying to hold onto a sense of self, Tristan is trying to prove himself worthy of the role he has been given. His journey is about becoming — hers is about surviving — and that contrast works beautifully.

The romance grows out of these emotional foundations rather than sitting on top of them. It isn’t immediate or uncomplicated. Instead, it develops through distance, timing, and the different paths the characters are on. What’s particularly interesting is that love in this story isn’t singular or straightforward. It’s tied to healing, to identity, and to the choices each character makes as they try to move forward. That gives it a depth that feels earned rather than expected.

The mythological elements, including Avalon, are woven in with a light touch. They never overwhelm the story, but instead deepen it, offering moments of reflection, healing, and quiet transformation. Avalon in particular feels less like a grand magical setting and more like a fragile sanctuary — a place that offers restoration, but cannot remain untouched by the world beyond it.

By the end, the story hasn’t neatly resolved — and that feels entirely intentional. Instead, it shifts. What began as a story about a girl trying to endure her circumstances starts to open into something larger, where survival alone is no longer enough, and action will eventually be required.

It’s this balance — between fairytale and realism, intimacy and scale, vulnerability and quiet strength — that makes The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven stand out. It doesn’t rush its characters or simplify their journeys. Instead, it lets them feel, lose, adapt, and continue — and in doing so, creates a story that lingers long after the final page.

Praise

“A sensational, well-crafted, fantasy fiction novel, with a perfect blend of magic, mysticism, romance, tragedy, drama, and suspense.”  Finalist Award from Reader’s Choice Book Awards

“I loved the world-building, the drama…fantasy settings from actual places like France, Ireland, and Britain.”  Jennifer Ibiam, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

“An incredible tale of love, courage, sacrifice, and the everlasting fight between good and evil.”  Pikasho Deka, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards

“Her world building skills are masterful. Her rich storytelling and blending of genres will delight readers and fans of paranormal, historical, and romance alike.”  Author Avis Adams

“A wildly romantic adventure, filled with the stuff of legends.”  Author Helen Johannes

“A new rival for Marion Zimmer Bradley’s crown.”  SandDancer Publications

“The world-building is second to none.”  N.N. Light’s Book Heaven

“Her wording is precise, lyrical, and beautiful, and character depictions are vivid and enthralling.”  Author Barbara Bettis

“An example of historical romance at its best.” Coffee Pot Book Club 5-star Editorial Review

“This beautiful fantasy novel captured my full attention from start to finish. Jennifer Ivy Walker infuses espionage, betrayal, love, magic, and danger throughout the story. The end left me yearning to read the sequel.”  Stephanie Chapman for Readers’ Favorite Book 

Reviews

This novel is available on Amazon.
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Jennifer Ivy Walker

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

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Audiobookclub - Listen of the month - Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

 

By Hilary Mantel 

Narrated by Simon Slater 

England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor.

Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.

From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage.

This book doesn’t settle into a single shape, and it certainly doesn’t ask to be made easy. It begins in something close to darkness — a boy beaten in a courtyard, the sharp edge of survival already pressing in — and from there it unfolds into a world of power that feels both immense and suffocatingly close. What might seem, at a distance, like a familiar story of kings and courts becomes something far more intricate, where danger is rarely loud and almost never leaves the room.

What struck me most was how immediate everything feels, despite the historical distance. The novel lingers not on grand declarations but on the smallest shifts: the weight of a pause in conversation, the meaning behind a courteous phrase, the quiet recalibration of a relationship that has just tilted out of balance. Thomas Cromwell’s world is built on these subtleties, and the tension lives there — in what is implied, withheld, or only half understood. You’re not simply following political events; you’re inside the mind that navigates them, feeling each calculation as it forms.

The intimacy of that perspective is what gives the book its force. Power here isn’t abstract or distant — it’s personal, negotiated moment by moment across tables, in private chambers, through memory and instinct. Loyalty, affection, ambition, grief — they all move together, often indistinguishable from one another. Cromwell himself emerges not as a fixed figure but as something constantly shifting: pragmatic, observant, unexpectedly tender, and always aware of the cost of misreading a room.

There’s also a quiet sensuality to the way Mantel writes — not overt, but present in texture and attention. The physical world matters: the feel of fabric, the closeness of bodies in confined spaces, the charged atmosphere of proximity to power. Desire and influence blur into one another, particularly in the orbit of figures like Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, where attraction, ambition, and control are inseparable. It’s never decorative; it deepens the sense that everything — even intimacy — is part of a larger negotiation.

What makes this even more compelling is how it reframes a story that feels overfamiliar. The Tudors are so often rendered in bold strokes — dramatic, declarative, almost mythic — but here the legend is stripped back. Instead of spectacle, we get interiority. Instead of certainty, ambiguity. The narrative doesn’t present history as something fixed; it shows it being made, moment by moment, through choices that rarely feel entirely secure or entirely right.

The tone moves with remarkable fluidity. It can be wry, almost dry in its humour, and then suddenly sharpen into something tense or quietly devastating. Moments of reflection sit alongside an ever-present sense of risk. Even in scenes of apparent stability, there’s an undercurrent — the awareness that everything rests on shifting ground.

By the end, nothing feels concluded so much as set in motion. The book doesn’t aim for resolution; it builds momentum. You’re left with the sense that what you’ve witnessed is only one phase in a much larger, more dangerous arc — that the careful structures Cromwell has built may yet be tested in ways that will demand even greater cost.

Elegant, precise, and deeply immersive, Wolf Hall is one of those rare historical novels that doesn’t just revisit the past — it reanimates it. It transforms a well-known story into something intimate, unstable, and unexpectedly human. And it lingers, not because of its scale, but because of how closely it lets you feel the machinery of power turning.

This novel is available to purchase on Amazon

Book Review - 5 STARS - Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II by Ian Hunter

Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II 

By Ian Hunter

Publication Date: 22nd April 2021

Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH

Print Length: 277 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is discovering that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.

Jessie’s life has become a series of terrible challenges. Now she must lead her friends in the hopeless task Grandfather set them: hunt down and destroy the Time Stones. But her leadership has already failed. Tip has left them and Abe has simply disappeared, while she and Kes are trapped in the heart of an ancient empire in turmoil.

Thrust into a fractured, threatened Mexica nobility, Jessie is immersed in a way of life, fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, yet powerless before the approaching Conquistadors and the impending clash of cultures.

Even as the fabulous city of Tenochtitlan descends into savage violence, Jessie’s determination to succeed is undiminished. But with world history taking a new, bloody direction before her, she is finally forced to decide which is more important: continuing the task or simply surviving.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Only when it was too late did he grasp the truth about the stone. The danger had never truly belonged to the object itself—it lived within the people who held it.

Jessie, Kes, Tiponi, and Abe understand this better than anyone. The mysterious stones that bind their fates together are capable of miracles, yet they also carry devastating consequences. Torn from their own eras and thrown into a world that feels both ancient and unfamiliar, the four young travellers must finish the mission given to them by their mentor: locate the Time Stones and destroy them before their power causes even greater harm. But finding them—and surviving long enough to try—will be far more difficult than they imagined.

The conclusion of Quillan Creek and the Little War (Time Stones, Book 1) felt so definitive that I wondered how Ian Hunter would continue the story in the sequel. The first book ends on such a dramatic note that it seems as though the heroes may not have survived. Yet with artifacts that bend time itself, death is rarely the end. In Quetzalcoatl (Time Stones Book II), Hunter resumes the journey of Jessie, Kes, Tiponi, and Abe as they struggle to survive in a new historical era. Separated from one another, their immediate goal is simple: stay alive long enough to reunite. Only together can they begin to understand why the stones brought them to this moment in history.

The novel opens in an unexpected way, introducing a merchant who possesses a mysterious stone he believes to be cursed. Though he doesn’t fully understand its nature, he keeps it hidden and untouched. His thoughts drift often to his son, who has sailed to the New World in search of opportunity. At first this storyline feels disconnected from the main narrative, but by the end its significance becomes clear. Hunter threads together several plotlines, gradually weaving them into a larger story filled with mythology, history, and magic.

One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is its historical setting. Hunter recreates the world of the Aztecs with impressive attention to detail, encouraging readers to question simplistic ideas of what defines a “civilised” society. While the Aztecs are often remembered for their ritual sacrifices, the novel also highlights their structured society, culture, and beliefs. The depiction of Cortés’ siege of Tenochtitlan is particularly vivid, conveying the brutality and upheaval of the era with striking realism. The setting is so richly drawn that it is easy to feel, like the characters themselves, as though you have stepped into another time.

At the heart of the story is the bond between the four protagonists. Their friendship provides strength in a world that constantly threatens to overwhelm them. Jessie and Kes share an especially strong connection, one that goes beyond simple camaraderie. Beneath their loyalty lies a growing romantic tension, which sometimes brings with it moments of jealousy and emotional conflict. These complications add depth to the relationships, reminding readers that even heroes are vulnerable to human flaws. Hunter’s characters feel authentic precisely because they are imperfect.

None of the four friends set out to become heroes, and nothing about them suggests traditional heroism. Yet circumstance forces them into extraordinary situations where courage becomes unavoidable. Each of them witnesses events that could easily break a person’s spirit, but together they manage to endure. Their determination—and their loyalty to one another—becomes their greatest strength.

Jessie remains one of the novel’s most compelling characters. Often unsure of herself and struggling to navigate unfamiliar customs, she nevertheless rises to the challenges she faces. Her stone grants her the ability to understand the language of those around her, but that alone does not earn her acceptance among the Aztecs. Everything changes when she intervenes to prevent the sacrifice of someone she cares about, using the stone’s power in a moment of desperation. From that point forward, some begin to believe she is a messenger of the god Quetzalcoatl—while others wonder if she might be something even more extraordinary. Forced to rely on the Aztecs’ mercy, Jessie must also confront the larger mystery of why the stones brought her and her friends here at all. Her courage, loyalty, and resilience make her a protagonist readers can easily support.

Kes is another standout character. His experiences in this unfamiliar world are often harsh, and at times he suffers terribly at the hands of the Aztecs. Without Jessie’s help—and the strange magic of the stones—his fate might have been far darker. Despite everything he endures, Kes remains thoughtful and determined, always trying to understand the greater purpose behind their journey.

Compared to the first book, Tiponi and Abe play somewhat smaller roles here, as the narrative focuses more closely on Jessie and Kes. This choice works well, allowing their story and relationship to develop in greater depth, which will likely appeal to readers who became invested in them in the first installment.

Quetzalcoatl (Time Stones Book II) is an absorbing blend of historical fiction, adventure, and fantasy. Ian Hunter combines careful historical research with imaginative storytelling, creating a vivid narrative filled with danger, mystery, and emotion. The result is a novel that is difficult to put down—an ambitious and engaging continuation of the Time Stones series.

This novel is available to purchase on Amazon & #KindleUnlimited

Ian Hunter

Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.

School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.

During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.

In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.

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Book Review - 5 STARS - Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure by Cliff Lovette

Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure 
By Cliff Lovette

Publication Date: March 1, 2026

Publisher: Bim Bom Books

Print Length: 478 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction / Romantic Adventure / Political Intrigue

Soviet circus performers arrived in America hoping to build cultural bridges. Instead, they became unwitting pawns in a Cold War game of international intrigue.

When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 in America as the Soviet Union disintegrated, its elite performers expected to build cultural bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a perilous journey through Cold War America.

Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family’s wishes, while forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.

As the Ringmaster reminds us, “The best Soviet stories are like vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart’s desire.” This genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate us.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From the first pages it’s clear this isn’t a typical circus story or a straightforward historical drama. It throws you into 1990 at a moment when the world itself is wobbling, and follows a travelling Soviet circus as it collides head-on with America, capitalism, politics and temptation. The result is chaotic, funny, uncomfortable and strangely moving all at once.

What makes the book stand out is its voice. The Ringmaster steps in and out of the narrative, commenting, interrupting, confessing and occasionally scolding, so you never quite know where the line between storyteller and story lies. At times it feels like you’re watching events from the wings with him; at others you’re dragged right into the spotlight. It’s theatrical, self-aware and genuinely unlike anything I have ever read.

The characters are messy and complicated. They’re artists, dreamers and survivors caught between systems that all want something from them. Moments of wonder in the ring sit right beside fear backstage: immigration scares, political pressure, criminal investors, missing animals, empty seats. Through it all runs the stubborn belief that whatever happens, the show must go on.

I wasn’t sure at first what to expect from the musical references and the QR codes scattered through the story, but I ended up really liking that feature. Being able to scan and instantly hear the songs that inspired certain scenes made parts of the book feel almost cinematic, like stepping briefly out of the page and into the soundtrack of the moment.

The tone shifts boldly from satire to tenderness to outright shock, especially in the final chapters, where private desires and public consequences collide with brutal force. Nothing is neatly resolved. Instead, the ending hangs in the air like a performer at the top of the big top, leaving you suspended and slightly breathless.

Inspired by real events but openly fictionalised for satire, it reads like a distorted mirror held up to history. You finish with the sense that you’ve witnessed the beginning of something volatile rather than the end of something complete, and there is unmistakable room left for the second book to catch you when you fall.

This novel is available on Amazon.

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What Makes This Novel Different

Circus Bim Bom offers an innovative multimedia reading experience. The novel includes 45+ YouTube links to period music, historical speeches, and cultural moments embedded throughout—readers can listen to the actual songs characters dance to as they waltz, and watch Reagan's Brandenburg Gate speech as it's referenced in the text.

The companion website (www.bimbombookclub.com) extends the story beyond the page:

• Character Avatars: 25+ talking video introductions where characters speak directly to readers

• Re-Imagined Circus Posters

• Book Club Experience: Interactive forums, live chat, and community discussions

• Historians Room (under construction): A space for Cold War history buffs to fact-check the novel, explore primary sources, and debate historical accuracy

Cliff Lovette

Father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with London curled at his feet. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is the first book in his debut duology, followed by Circus Bim Bom: The Great Escape.

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Love Lost in Time by Cathie Dunn

 

Love Lost in Time

By Cathie Dunn

Publication Date: 28th November 2018 (ebook)

Publisher: Ocelot Press

Print Length: 274 Pages

Genre: Duel Time-Line / Historical Mystery / Romance

A reluctant daughter. A dutiful wife. A mystery of the ages.

Languedoc, France, 2018

Historian Madeleine Winters would rather research her next project than rehash the strained relationship she had with her late mother. However, to claim her inheritance, she reluctantly agrees to stay the one year required in her late mother’s French home and begins renovations. But when she’s haunted by a female voice inside the house and tremors emanating from beneath her kitchen floorboards, she’s shocked to discover ancient human bones.

The Mediterranean coast, AD 777

Seventeen-year-old Nanthild is wise enough to know her place. Hiding her Pagan wisdom and dutifully accepting her political marriage, she’s surprised when she falls for her Christian husband, the Count of Carcassonne. But she struggles to keep her forbidden religious beliefs and her healing skills secret while her spouse goes off to fight in a terrible, bloody war.

As Maddie settles into her rustic village life, she becomes obsessed with unraveling the mysterious history buried in her new home. And when Nanthild is caught in the snare of an envious man, she’s terrified she’ll never embrace her beloved again.

Can two women torn apart by centuries help each other finally find peace?

Love Lost in Time is a vivid standalone historical fiction novel for fans of epoch-spanning enigmas. If you like dark mysteries, romantic connections, and hints of the paranormal, then you’ll adore Cathie Dunn’s tale of redemption and self-discovery. 

Praise

"From the richness of Charlemagne's court and the regret of a daughter, as she stands over her mother's grave, to the realisation of an enemy and a skeleton under the kitchen floor, Love Lost in Time: A Tale of Love, Death and Redemption by Cathie Dunn is the unforgettable story that traverses two very different times."

The Coffee Pot Book Club, 5* Editorial Review

"The narrative is ripe with emotions as two independent women are pulled in unexpected directions... Both landscapes are beautifully penned for readers to easily get lost in. Additionally, the storylines are engaging, and each helped bring a satisfying conclusion to the other. An enjoyable tale about love, sacrifice, and self-discovery."

Historical Novel Society

"The historical details are beautiful, and a book which could easily feel oppressively sad is cleverly lightened with the use of romance and a satisfying ending. Well written and easy to read, the historical side may be a little more compelling, but the contemporary details add a layer that cannot be ignored!" 

In'DTale Magazine

"In Love Lost in Time, Ms Dunn creates a fascinating balance between a tragic love story set in the Visigoth empire of the eighth century, and a very modern historian on a quest to find her own personal history in picturesque Languedoc...

Thoroughly researched and beautifully told, both stories complement each other in narrative power and colourful scene-setting; and in the dual narrative the main characters are compelling - each a product of destiny and following their fate, regardless of the cost.

Fans of Kate Mosse will relish this book..."

Discovering Diamonds Reviews

Excerpt

The feast of Easter, AD 777

Carisiacum, Neustria, Kingdom of the Franks 

Shaking off her thoughts, her gaze drifted to her father, a close adviser to the king. Although older than Charles by a score years, Milo, count of Vaulun could hold his own, looking resplendent in a fine silk tunic, a simple, yet beautifully carved leather belt, and his aristocratic face with a slightly long nose and dark-blue eyes. 

Bursting with pride, Hilda regarded her father, now talking at ease with a young man of a darker hue, clearly of Visigoth heritage with his black hair falling over strong shoulders, bright eyes, and a moustache reaching to his chin. There was something uncivilised about him. Shivers ran down her spine when he laughed at something her father said and patted him on the back. They raised their cups and took deep draughts of wine. Her father’s complexion reddened as the spirit took effect. She smiled.

“Lady…”

Rolling her eyes in mock annoyance, Hilda jumped out of the maid’s way again. This time, the girl carried a tray bearing two large bowls and several loaves of freshly baked bread which she deposited in front of King Charles and other strategic places on the grand table, before she rushed back past Hilda with an apologetic smile.

“Nanthild! Daughter!” Father’s voice reached her. He waved her over. Disappointment hit her briefly, as she had enjoyed watching the preparations from the side. Hilda did not crave the attention other girls here present cherished.

As she crossed the room to join him, the eyes of the young man by her father’s side never left her. It unnerved her a little – she was unused to male attention – and her heart beat a solid drum in her ears. 

“My dear daughter, come,” her father said affectionately, his eyes full of joy, as he bid her sit on a stool beside him. Turning to the young man who was on Hilda’s other side, he added, “I will be lost without her. She has been looking after me well since my wife, her mother, passed away.” 

A frown shrouded his features briefly at the memory, and she wanted to reach out to him, but refrained. Eight years earlier, her mother had died giving birth to her only brother – who himself had only survived for a sennight. Both Hilda and her father had felt their loss strongly, and the count had thrown himself even more into diplomacy and warfare for the king.

“I’m sorry to hear,” the young man responded solemnly, his voice a low hum. “We have seen so much death and sadness, too, including the loss of my parents last summer.”

Nodding, Hilda kept staring at the table, uncertain how to react.

“Here, let me…” The stranger filled a goblet with wine and handed it to her. 

She looked at him from under her lashes. “I thank you, lord.” She raised it and took a small sip. The pungent scent of berries and grapes blurred her senses, and the full taste of even the one sip made her head spin. 

“’Tis strong, this wine they brought up from Septimania.” Her father laughed. “But you will get used to it, daughter.”

She carefully placed the goblet onto the table, trying not to reveal her trembling hand, and pulled her brows together, before risking a glance at him. What did he mean? Father was overly cheerful, his demeanour jovial. She saw contentment in his features as he gazed at her. And relief. 

Her heart froze. Had he not said earlier he ‘would be lost’ without her? 

This novel is available on Amazon
Read with #KindleUnlimited

Cathie Dunn

Cathie is an Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, dual-timeline, mystery, and romance. She loves to infuse her stories with a strong sense of place and time, combined with a dark secret or mystery – and a touch of romance. Often, you can find her deep down the rabbit hole of historical research…

In addition, she is also a historical fiction book promoter with The Coffee Pot Book Club, a novel-writing tutor, and a keen reviewer on her blog, Ruins & Reading.

 

After having lived in Scotland for almost two decades, Cathie is now enjoying the sunshine in the south of France with her husband, and her rescued pets, Ellie Dog & Charlie Cat. 

She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Richard III Society, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

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Book Review - 5 STARS - Wolf of the Nordic Seas (Valiant Vikings Book 2) by Jennifer Ivy Walker

Wolf of the Nordic Seas
 (Valiant Vikings Book 2) 
By Jennifer Ivy Walker

Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications

Print Length: 357 Pages

Genre: Historical Romance / Norse Mythology / Fantasy

Named after the Norse God of the Sea, Njörd grew up sailing, swimming, and fishing the fjords of Norway. Endowed with extraordinary senses, speed, and strength, he became known as Wolf of the Nordic Seas, leading lucrative Viking raids from the Baltic shores to the Black and Caspian Seas. When a Viking völva foretells his future through a seidr vision, Njörd learns that his fate and his mate—the siren with the sea goddess eyes—lie on the alabaster coast of Normandy in the distant Land of the White Chalk Cliffs.

Elfi Thorfinnsdóttir is a skilled shieldmaiden who seeks vengeance against the ruthless Frankish count who killed her brother and abducted her father in an attempt to seize her clifftop castle. But rather that submit to the count’s relentless demand for her hand in marriage, Elfi allies with Richard the Fearless—the Viking Duke of Normandy— and the Danish Jarl of Ribe known as the Wolf of the Nordic Seas.

As Elfi and Njörd discover startling secrets about their respective pasts, they find that the three Norns have entwined the threads of their fates not just as political allies, but as mates destined to fulfill a divine prophecy.

Wolf of the Nordic Seas— book 2 of the Valiant Vikings series set in tenth century Normandy— is a sizzling, scintillating blend of historical fiction, Norse mythology, paranormal fantasy, and steamy Viking romance!

I went into Wolf of the Nordic Seas expecting adventure and romance, but what I didn’t expect was how intense it would feel. This is a story that runs hot from the start—emotionally, physically, and mythically—and it doesn’t shy away from that intensity.

From their first meeting, the pull between Njörd and Elfi is undeniable. There’s no polite distance or cautious circling here; the attraction hits fast and hard, like something elemental rather than chosen. It feels instinctive, almost inevitable, and that immediacy gives the romance a raw edge that suits both the setting and the characters.

Njörd carries himself like a man used to command and conquest, but the passion he feels for Elfi unsettles him in ways battle never could. With Elfi, desire isn’t just physical—it’s disruptive. She challenges his sense of control, forcing him to confront emotions and instincts he can’t dominate or outrun. That tension gives their connection real heat.

Elfi, meanwhile, burns with her own fierce energy. Her longing isn’t passive or reactive; it’s bound up in her need for agency, for being seen and chosen without being owned. The passion between them becomes another form of resistance, something that belongs to her as much as it does to him.

What makes the romance work is that it’s woven tightly into the larger story of fate and myth.  Prophecies, and supernatural forces loom over every encounter, making even their most intimate moments feel charged with consequence. Love here isn’t safe or soft—it’s dangerous, consuming, and worth the risk.

By the end, Wolf of the Nordic Seas feels unapologetically intense. It’s a fantasy romance that embraces desire as power, passion as transformation, and love as something fierce enough to stand against destiny itself. For readers who want their Viking fantasy bold, sensual, and emotionally immersive, this one doesn’t hold back.

Oh, and did I mention the elves? There are elves, and shapeshifters and mermaids. This really is a must-read book!

Praise

“This thrilling tale promises to sweep readers off their feet and take them on an unforgettable journey into the heart of Viking lore.” Five Stars

Yarde Book Promotions

“…Walker's textured history and atmosphere, whether it is a sacred grove or ethereal caves, create a world that feels both mystical and real, pulling readers into another unforgettable journey. Very highly recommended.”

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Jennifer Ivy Walker

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

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