Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Very good enemies to lovers book. The story grabbed my attention from the first pages. Anne is the daughter of a Saxon king and has been kept a virtual prisoner in her home. She dreams of marrying for love and is horrified when her father bargains her hand for soldiers from a neighboring lord. The night before her wedding, she is walking alone on the castle walls when she is kidnapped by Brand the Barbarian.
Brand has sworn revenge against Anne's betrothed, Lord Crowe, and has spent years preparing for it. Learning of Crowe's betrothal gave him the perfect weapon. Kidnap Anne and wait for Crowe to attempt a rescue.
I was glued to the pages from start to finish. Anne is no pampered princess and stands up to Brand from the get-go. She only cooperates when he threatens the lives of her people. Brand has a fearsome reputation and uses it to get his way, but he is surprisingly protective of her. I loved their interactions on the journey from her home to his. Each quickly realizes that they have misjudged the other, and the more they get to know each other, the more they are drawn to each other.
However, Brand has put a lock on his heart. He has suffered so many losses that he refuses to allow himself to care for someone else, preferring to protect himself. Anne doesn't take long to get under his skin and find her way into his heart, but he resists the feeling. Brand also has deep-seated insecurities that make him feel he is no good for her.
Anne doesn't take long to see the good man behind the fearsome reputation. Brand stirs feelings in her that she's never felt before, and she isn't sure what to do about them at first. She soon feels more at home with him than she ever did at her own home. But she's a Saxon princess, and he's a Dane, so there's no way her father will allow her to marry him.
There are some terrific scenes of Brand and Anne together. The push and pull of their first meeting changes as they get to know each other. I enjoyed their exchanges of ideas and seeing their growing respect for each other. But when Lord Crowe shows up, Anne learns that not everything is as it seems. The fight between Brand and Crowe went pretty much as I expected, but other things were revealed in the aftermath. Brand's apparent betrayal breaks Anne's heart and makes her angry. Meanwhile, Brand must come to grips with his feelings for Anne and what it means for his people.
I loved seeing how Brand and Anne dealt with the fallout of Anne's kidnapping. Brand must face the unexpected results of his actions and what they mean for himself and his people. I wanted to shake him for his lack of belief in himself, but I also understood and appreciated his response to Anne's father, the king. Anne also has fears to face, and I enjoyed seeing her take her fate in hand and go after what she wanted. The ending was fantastic, and the epilogue was a stellar wrap-up.
I enjoyed the setting of the Dane/Northmen versus Saxon relationship. I especially liked seeing that not all Vikings were the raging barbarians that some portray. I liked seeing the everyday life of Brand's people and learning the background of how they came there. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the land's beauty and its importance to both sides. There were some internal conflicts on both sides, and I liked seeing how they were handled. Both "bad apples" got what was coming to them.
My favorite secondary character was Brand's sister, Svea. I ached for everything she'd been through and loved seeing her resilience. I can't wait to read her story and see her get a happy ever after for herself.
Brand has sworn revenge against Anne's betrothed, Lord Crowe, and has spent years preparing for it. Learning of Crowe's betrothal gave him the perfect weapon. Kidnap Anne and wait for Crowe to attempt a rescue.
I was glued to the pages from start to finish. Anne is no pampered princess and stands up to Brand from the get-go. She only cooperates when he threatens the lives of her people. Brand has a fearsome reputation and uses it to get his way, but he is surprisingly protective of her. I loved their interactions on the journey from her home to his. Each quickly realizes that they have misjudged the other, and the more they get to know each other, the more they are drawn to each other.
However, Brand has put a lock on his heart. He has suffered so many losses that he refuses to allow himself to care for someone else, preferring to protect himself. Anne doesn't take long to get under his skin and find her way into his heart, but he resists the feeling. Brand also has deep-seated insecurities that make him feel he is no good for her.
Anne doesn't take long to see the good man behind the fearsome reputation. Brand stirs feelings in her that she's never felt before, and she isn't sure what to do about them at first. She soon feels more at home with him than she ever did at her own home. But she's a Saxon princess, and he's a Dane, so there's no way her father will allow her to marry him.
There are some terrific scenes of Brand and Anne together. The push and pull of their first meeting changes as they get to know each other. I enjoyed their exchanges of ideas and seeing their growing respect for each other. But when Lord Crowe shows up, Anne learns that not everything is as it seems. The fight between Brand and Crowe went pretty much as I expected, but other things were revealed in the aftermath. Brand's apparent betrayal breaks Anne's heart and makes her angry. Meanwhile, Brand must come to grips with his feelings for Anne and what it means for his people.
I loved seeing how Brand and Anne dealt with the fallout of Anne's kidnapping. Brand must face the unexpected results of his actions and what they mean for himself and his people. I wanted to shake him for his lack of belief in himself, but I also understood and appreciated his response to Anne's father, the king. Anne also has fears to face, and I enjoyed seeing her take her fate in hand and go after what she wanted. The ending was fantastic, and the epilogue was a stellar wrap-up.
I enjoyed the setting of the Dane/Northmen versus Saxon relationship. I especially liked seeing that not all Vikings were the raging barbarians that some portray. I liked seeing the everyday life of Brand's people and learning the background of how they came there. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the land's beauty and its importance to both sides. There were some internal conflicts on both sides, and I liked seeing how they were handled. Both "bad apples" got what was coming to them.
My favorite secondary character was Brand's sister, Svea. I ached for everything she'd been through and loved seeing her resilience. I can't wait to read her story and see her get a happy ever after for herself.
