MAIDENSONG

Author: Diana Groe ISBN: 0843957107 5/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: Viking - Scandanavia

When Rika sang the Norse legends, her beautiful voice captivated all who listened. But after a raid on her homeland, she found herself the captive—a slave to the powerful Bjorn the Black. He was the one man who could destroy her life, yet the only man she could truly trust. The only man who had ever ignited the passion in her soul…and introduced her to the pleasures of the body. But Bjorn was duty-bound to bring her to wed another. And thus they begin a perilous journey to a foreign land, a voyage that will test their courage in countless ways and challenge the strength of the love that is their destiny.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I enjoyed Diana Groe's debut novel MAIDENSONG. Miss Groe takes us on a romantic adventure during the time of the Vikings. She does a wonderful job of intertwining Viking legend and lore with an intense romance between the hero and heroine.

I loved the romance between Rika and Bjorn. I especially liked how it took time for their relationship to mature before they consummated it. Rika had to trust Bjorn, and in turn Bjorn had to gain Rika's trust if he was going to have her love him. There is a lot of hurt and mistrust on Rika's behalf, especially since Bjorn was seen hovering over her adopted father's dead body. Bjorn isn't quite so innocent since his people know him as Bjorn the Black, but he had to convince Rika that it wasn't he who killed her adopted father.

At first there is a lot of hate toward Bjorn, but after saving Rika's brother's life, she realized he is not as black hearted as she thought he was. A fragile bond was forged between them. It wasn't long after that incident, that Bjorn's brother, Gunner, in a fit of jealousy, blackmailed Rika into marrying a rich ruler, and in turn makes Bjorn escort her to her betrothed. During the journey their love blossoms, but unfortunately it isn't an easy happy ending for them.

I would recommend reading Diana Groe's MAIDENSONG. There is a lot of drama and romance throughout the story. It captured my attention and kept me reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Julie Kornhuasl