When you have to join forces with the man you hate…

Synopsis

Her tempting enemy is a chink in her armour!

Viking shield maiden, Svea Ivarsson, would far rather face Saxon warriors than be on the run with the fiercely captivating Lord Ashford Stanton, protector to the Saxon King. Reaching Ash’s family castle, Svea must swap her chainmail for life as a Lady. She can wield a sword like an expert, but no training has prepared her for craving the touch of her greatest enemy…

My review

Seeing her brother Brand getting married to Anne, makes Svea very happy woman. But she knows that such a future is not in store for her. Despite being a woman, she is as a fierce fighter as any of the other Vikings of her clan. And she surely won’t let any man get close to her!
Last thing she expected was to join forces with Saxon warrior and her own enemy Lord Ashford Stanton to save her friends and the King.
But being on the run together and have a shared purpose, makes Svea realize that sometimes the most unexpected feelings can surface…

There has not been a character that I both admired and pities as much as I did with Svea.
From the previous book in the series, we as a reader already knew what happened to her as a child. And those terrible, disgusting events made her the woman / warrior she is today.
For her past, I pitied her. But for her force and strength now, I truly admired her!
And I understood also her resolution to not let any man come close, and keep her feminine features well hidden. Even if I found it utterly sad that she found herself forced to act that way…
And when her moment of revenge was finally there, she was stopped by Ashton. So obviously Ashton is not her best friend!

And while I understand why Svea would want her revenge for her own peace, I could also understand where Ashton was coming from.
Ashton, who has his own demons to face, but has a sense of duty that he won’t give up easily. And when the unthinkable happens, he doesn’t hesitate to do what expected.
Even in the previous book, I had a weak spot for Ashton. But knowing now about his past, and seeing the real Ashton, with his own doubts and fears, made me like him even more!

In this story it’s clear that often we have a certain thought about a person. But unless we know the whole story and the real person, we cannot judge them.
Just like Svea shouldn’t just assume that Ashton had an easy life because of his parents or blame him for not having her revenge.
And the same goes for Ashton… He shouldn’t have interfered in Svea’s revenge because he doesn’t know what Svea went through.
The both of them don’t know the real reasons behind their behaviour. But obviously, spending so many time together, the real characters emerge.

I was happy to see Svea allowing feelings she never felt before, and see that not every man is evil. Of course, if all would be so easily, having feelings and that’s it, I would be very disappointed in this author!
The demons that haunt our main characters aren’t chased away that quickly. And feelings people have for so long, don’t just disappear overnight.

But what I loved the most in this tale, was the realization that both Svea and Ashton had. Because yes, they are Danes vs. Saxons, with many differences. But they also have similarities. And we shouldn’t focus on the differences but on what bond us.
And seeing how love can crush all the walls built around our hearts, no matter how high they are, was wonderful. Love not only for those around us, but most important the love for ourselves… And with the right person by our side, the past doesn’t matter anymore, only the future.