Duty vs. desire…
Which will win?
Princess and healer Theadora doesn't flinch at the sight
of armed soldiers. Yet when another uprising threatens to disturb
Constantinople's peace, and Varangian guard Erik bursts into her sanitorium,
she's stunned by her body's immediate reaction to the rugged Viking…
After the tragic loss of his family, Erik vowed to never
love again. So he refuses to let his inconvenient attraction to Thea distract
him from his duty: escorting her to marry the king of Macedonia.
If Thea doesn't wed, her people will suffer, so can the
star-crossed lovers fight their feelings, as well as their enemies?
A very enjoyable romance set in a rarely explored era and
location. The story takes place in 10th-century Byzantium during one of its
many periods of political unrest. The main characters are Erik, one of the
Emperor's Varangian guards, who buries the grief of losing his family in his
work, and Princess Theadora, the Emperor's niece, a skilled healer.
Erik and Theadora meet when he brings an injured young
boy to her for healing. The attraction between them is immediate, but Erik's
past makes him resistant to risking his heart again. Theadora is wary of men after
multiple attempts to manipulate her. Matters become complicated when a
rebellion erupts, and Theadora must rely on Erik to get her to safety.
The book's pace picks up as Erik and Theadora face the
dangerous journey from Constantinople to Macedonia. In the quieter moments,
they have the opportunity to get to know each other. The attraction between
them grows, along with the realization that there is no chance of a future
together. I liked Theadora's empathy for Erik's losses and the effect it had on
him. I also liked Erik's respect for Theadora's abilities and her position. Though
he is considered a nobleman in his own country, here, Erik is seen as a
barbarian. Meanwhile, Theadora is promised to the king of Macedonia. Their
journey provides its own obstacles, from fire to bandit attacks to an attempted
kidnapping. The conclusion is intense with a nail-biter confrontation, leaving Theadora
and Erik with questions about their future. I loved Erik's clever solution to
their romance and the epilogue that followed.
I enjoyed the look at life in the Byzantine Empire. We
get a glimpse into the politics as the Emperor faces a rebellion, and we see
how he fights back, both physically and politically. There is a little bit
about the differences between the Christian Byzantines and the polytheistic Norsemen
of the Varangian guard. There are glimpses of daily life, both royal and
commoner. I look forward to reading more from this author.
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