A woman can never be underestimated…

Synopsis

Tempted by the Warrior

But she’ll never wed

Brynhild had once been close to Erik – until he’d betrayed her, and she’d hoped never to see him again. Now the fiercely independent shieldmaiden needs Erik’s skills to rescue her sister. Striking a truce with the tough, isolated loner they reach a mutually beneficial deal: in return, she’ll help him in his quest to find a wife – by teaching him how to please a woman in bed…!

My review

Once, when they were younger, Brynhild and Erik had been close, even friends. That was until Erik betrayed her…
Now Brynhild is a fierce, independent shieldmaiden, adamant she will never marry. And if she never had to put eyes on Erik again, it would be the best.
However, not only are they now bonded by the wedding of their siblings, but when Brynhild’s youngest sister has been abducted, Erik offers his help.
With their temporarily truce, they are on a mission to rescue Helga. But with spending so much time together and on their own, they realize that feelings of dislike can turn into something total different… But with each having their own goals in mind, can a common ground be found? Or will their paths never cross again? 

Reading a book from this author always makes me happy. Yes, there are plenty written stories that are alike, and the finale isn’t one of the biggest surprises. But why cannot we just enjoy these books without feeling guilty about admitting how much we like them? 

Brynhild is a woman who intrigued me. We know from the first part in this series what a shieldmaiden is, and how strong they are.
And Brynhild, as being the oldest sibling, has always put her family first, and even put her own wishes and desires aside to provide the best for her family. 

She is strong, independent and fierce, but no matter how hard she tries, we see her vulnerability. I liked her for not wanting to do what everyone else is doing. She doesn’t want to get married like everyone else and she even doesn’t know if she wants t have children. So why should she have to change herself for a man?
I liked her fierce spirit, even her stubbornness in doing what she wants to do. But I also liked her for her love for her family.
Her family isn’t the ‘standard’ family unit, but she loves them all dearly. And even if she doesn’t share their views, she sees and understands that each woman has her own path to follow.
She would go to the end of the world for her sisters, and she Is actually nearly doing that for her youngest sister Helga. 

We know that Brynhild and Erik have known each other a long time, but we don’t know what happened between them. And reading how she felt that Erik betrayed her, saddened me. But I also understood why Erik did what he did back then. Even if Brynhild got hurt by the only person beside her family she truly cared about.
But let’s be honest, Erik hasn’t had the easiest life either…
And my heart went out to him for everything he had to endure in the past. But it also warmed my heart to see how things are starting to get better for him. 

Both Brynhild and Erik stand their grounds, even in fights. They have a strength that can be seen miles ahead. They aren’t the kind of people I want to have against me. I prefer them having on my side in a fight!  

I have to say, I found it a little bit funny how in this book, the woman is the experienced one in *that* aspect and the man the inexperienced one. It shows us that not all women are ladies in distress!
I found it also sweet how Brynhild is teaching Erik how to please a woman. Sweet in the sense that I had a feeling of ‘aaaaw’ reading how Erik does his best but also finds himself at loss during those lessons. 

I enjoyed reading how these two characters evolved from enemies to more. But also their actual character made an evolution. Initially they were so bound to the vision of how their lives should look like, but slowly they started to see that not everything is just black or white.
It was great to see how both Brynhild and Erik realize that falling in love with someone doesn’t mean to give up your own persona, but to accept each other just the way you are.  

And on a last note, the ending of this story, somehow a tiny cliff-hanger in my opinion, left me wishing the third book was already out there!