A Jarl and a servant can never be together, can they?

Synopsis

She can be his lover

…but never his wife!

Forced into servitude, Wren is quietly miserable…until Jarl Knud arrives at her settlement, seeking an alliance through marriage. Despite their initial sizzling attraction Wren despises everything the Jarl represents—and he needs a high-status bride to save his people, not a servant like her. As Wren uncovers the man beneath the fierce Viking chief she’s tempted to claim one forbidden night of passion…but will it ever be enough?

My review

Wren hasn’t know anything else than being a servant to Earl Ingrid. From a young age she grew up together with Ingrid. But Wren never forgot her place, as she was and always be merely a servant. And that makes her life rather miserable and all she dreams about is to gain her freedom one day, somehow.
When Earl Ingrid makes an alliance through marriage with Jarl Knud, Wren knows that things will change for sure, but she doesn’t know how exactly.
Because their first meeting is not in front of Earl Ingrid, yet at night, when Wren is taking a bath in the waters.
And Jarl Knud finds himself captivated by Wren… But Jarl Knud is only looking at marriage as a way to strengthen his forces, as he already let his people down once and won’t allow any enemy to cause them hurt again.
So no matter what they feel, or start to feel, thing can never evolve to something more and deeper… 

I don’t know why, by Viking romances always get somehow. I think it’s safe to say that we all have that Alpha – male figure in our minds when we think about Vikings, a man that will protect with his every might. And that as a reader we are ready to swoon all over him. 

Having read several of such stories, I was ready to enjoy this story from an author I know and that never disappointed me.
However…
This book got to me even more than I thought! 

First of all, there is Wren. Wren, who despite her situation, is a bright young woman. She cares about Earl Ingrid, yet she dreams of her freedom. Wren is the kind of character is a silent, even hidden character at the start, but will show immense growth.
Wren knows that her situation isn’t the best one, but she knows how to behave to have the best possible life with Earl Ingrid. 

Knud may not have made the best of first impressions, but not only his behaviour but also his set of mind made all up for his initial slip of the tongue.
I was not surprised of him not wanting to get married out of love, as having read many many stories where the male protagonist shares the same thoughts.
But when his past is revealed, and the pain he had endured, made my heart go out to him.
Yet that doesn’t take away the vision of Viking I had in my mind of him!  

I loved reading how Wren and Knud, despite their many differences are feeling drawn towards each other. And it saddened me that they both realize that nothing could ever come from it, as Wren is a servant, and Knud a Jarl, searching for an alliance by marriage (not out of love). 

Yet no matter their differences, they evolve in each other’s company. We see Wren becoming bolder by the minute, expanding her dreams and realizing how blank and dull her life has been until now. And we see in Knud a Jarl very protective of his people, admitting his failures and his fears, and slowly learning to open up, even if it is towards ‘nothing more’ than a servant. 

Even if towards the end it felt a tiny bit too rushed, I liked it how the author managed to tie all the loose ends, in some ways unexpected and in some expected.
I was surprised by Earl Ingrid’s behaviour and antics, yet I was surprised by the revelation of Wren’s parentage. 

There were many bits in this story that made the characters wiser and open – minded. I truly admired Knud’s vision concerning servants, with the help of his and our good friend. 

This story shows that love doesn’t follow a strict pattern. No matter what state of power you have, it’s not up to you to decide who you fall in love with. And even if you decide to not love again, that is not up to you.
Because everyone deserve to love and to be loved, and with love also come great power and it makes you grow as a person too!