For the sake of your people, but what about your own sake?

Synopsis

Feel the heat as two enemies are forced to wed in this spicy Viking romance! 

He’s won the throne… 

But she’s his royal prize! 

Victorious in his quest for revenge, Viking Njal takes the Saxon crown—and their princess! But while he’s wedding Cwen in the name of peace, he cannot deny the way she entices him. Even if it’s clear she’s holding something back… 

Princess Cwen has long accepted being used for her kingdom’s gain, but taking the enemy’s hand is the most outrageous request yet! Still, the rugged warrior ignites a fire inside her… Cwen just can’t let Njal storm her carefully constructed walls. Because she’s harboring a secret that could rock the foundations of their marriage!

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

My review

When Cwen sees how Viking are attacking her home, and take the crown, all that she hopes is that peace can be found. Seeing her father giving up his throne may have been the best, as his paranoia made him take some disputable decisions. But Cwen never expected that in order to let her people have their peace would mean to give up her own freedom. Because the leader of the Viking, Njal, sees a marriage with the Princess as a sign of peace. Even if Cwen is used to give up her own happiness for the kingdom, is marrying a Viking not a bridge too far? However, Njal ignites something in her, something she has never felt before. Cwen has been building walls to protect herself and those around her, and she cannot risk ruining everything for those sparks, right?

There are plenty of stories, also in this genre, about enemies forced into marriage, and then suddenly, totally “unexpected” sparks start to fly around. But does that mean that each story is the same? that there is totally no kind of surprise while reading it? Absolutely not. And even if it were, is there something wrong with enjoying these kind of stories? Stories are written to take you away from your reality, and if any kind of story succeeds in doing it, it doesn’t matter at all, does it?

Danes and Saxons, rivalry at its best. So what when a Viking is seeking revenge together with his brother against the man that took everything from them?

I have to say that Njal isn’t the typical Viking. Yes, he is on a vindictive mission, which involves killing each of his enemies. But he was raised as a farmer, surrounded by love and peace. His upbringing couldn’t be more different than Vikings in other stories.

So obviously a real tragedy had to take place for him to turn into the man he is now. And it saddened me to read his background, how he is still carrying around the burden and the guilt of what happened then. Yet there is still plenty left of the Njal that once was, even if he hardened throughout the years.

Because let’s be honest, not everyone would spare his enemy’s life. And yes, while it would be easy to “blame” it on Cwen’s interference, I also truly believe that Njal himself wouldn’t go that far. There is kindness in him, compassion, even forgiveness.

And there is something he feels when he lays his eyes on Cwen. Something that he hasn’t been feeling for a long time, and doesn’t want to feel. And that made me absolutely curious for more!

If there is a character that I even felt more sorry for than how I felt for Njal, it for sure was Cwen. She is the perfect example of a person who gave up her own happiness for the sake of her parents, and the people.

In a way she got lucky during her first marriage, as she had a great understanding with her late husband, and he was in fact her best friend, despite there was no love – love involved. But despite her gotten lucky, was it fair on her, to give up her own hopes and dreams, for the sake of others?

Not only that, but she is also carrying a secret around, a secret she is keeping for once again, the sake of others, to protect others… And just when her time should be coming, it all comes in jeopardy…

Of course there is an initial attraction, especially in Njal’s case. But the story goes deeper than that. Because we see that despite their many differences, Njal and Cwen connect somehow. They connect even without them realizing, even if there are still secrets and a few lies told between them. But the beauty in this book, is that despite the secrets and the lies, there is still an important layer of trust between them.

And that unexpected trust was just sweet to read. Putting your trust in someone is not easy, as trust can always be easily broken.

In this book we see that even enemies can find common ground, come to an understanding. That even a forced marriage can turn into something good, where both parties can learn from each other. That enemies can turn into allies, enemies can make you believe in love again. And that love can conquer it all. If only you dare…