Review: An amazing short story - fantastic prequel to The Warrior Maids of Rivenloch Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2013
From the very first paragraph of this book I was caught in a spell.  There are few historical romance authors that can paint a scene with as vividly as Glynnis Campbell.Having already read and thoroughly enjoyed her Warrior Maids of Rivenloch series, I was excited to see this new release of the story of how it all began.  I downloaded it within minutes of it hitting Amazon and didn't put it down until I'd devoured every glorious word.Washed ashore after his longboat was destroyed in a storm, Brandr appeared to be dead when Avril and her young daughter found him near their coastal home.  When Avril realized that the crumpled heap of a man was a Viking, she was terrified because she had once been brutally raped by a Viking Berzerker who stormed her castle, killed her father, and left a path of destruction through her life.  What to do with the man?  Afraid to leave him lest he come after once he had recovered, Avril knocked him over the head with a piece of driftwood and dragged her back to her small cottage where she chained him up like a dog until she could figure out what to do.Yes, she is no helpless damsel in distress.But as she begins to learn more about the massive Northman, she wonders if he is really as evil as she thinks.  Maybe there is more to him than just violence, death, and destruction.  It doesn't help that her young daughter keeps calling him "Da."  What happens next is beautifully written, with just the perfect mix of romance and steam.  Absolutely wonderful.