Book review: Eirik: A Time Travel Romance (Mists of Albion Book 1) by Joanna Bell

Gripping story ... Four and a half stars.

I usually avoid Time Travel romances - Diana Gabaldon has set the bar too high - but this one was a real surprise. The writing style grabs you from the first page, and the story is great.

The heroine, Paige, is one of the book's highlights for me. The story is told entirely from her point of view but I never got tired of being in her head. We don't get to know the hero, Eirik, as well as we do Paige, but he's definitely a great hero: strong, powerful, and ruthless when necessary, but with a deep, kind and chivalrous side.

I loved the setting too. The author brings 9th Century Anglo-Saxon Britain to life brilliantly. The Kingdom of the East Angles and the Viking raids are realistically drawn with just enough description to make the setting seem authentic without going into too much historical detail. Paige's 'portal' between the two worlds - a tree on her father's property - works too. It's simple, but unlike some other time travel romances, I could believe it could exist.

I thought Paige's back-story was beautifully drawn, the loss of her mother, and her father's depression, followed by visits to psychologists. You really want this girl to find happiness!

The only thing that didn't work for me in the book (which is why I've given it 4.5 instead of 5 stars) - was the use of language. In 9th Century Britain, the Angles would have been speaking Old English, and the Vikings, a form of Norse. However, our heroine slips from 2017 North America to the 9th Century without any language difficulties. Maybe I missed it, but she just thinks her new Angle friends speak a little differently to her. Plus, Eirik would not likely have spoken the local tongue either - there would have been two new languages to learn! Outlander works because Claire only goes back a couple of centuries to Jacobean Scotland, where the same language (apart from the local Scottish Gaelic) is used. It's quite a big detail not to get right! If the portal equips travelers with some Tardis-like language device, the reader needs to know that!

However, the story is so strong, the plot so exciting, the writing so vivid, and the characters (even the minor ones) so richly drawn that I will just overlook that issue ...

I highly recommend this novel, and look forward to more in this series.

Buy a copy on Amazon.com

THE DEEPENING NIGHT - available now on Amazon

After months of hard work, THE DEEPENING NIGHT is now available for purchase - both in Kindle and paperback format! 

THE DEEPENING NIGHT is a gritty, historical romance adventure set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon Britannia - a time when only the strong survived. 

It was an era made for romance!

Read on to find out more

Spring, 630 A.D...

Annan of the Wuffingas is now King of the East Angles; following the kingdom's humiliating defeat to Mercia six months earlier.

He is attempting to make a new start for himself, and his people, when he receives an order from Penda of Mercia - the king he has sworn to 'bend the knee' to.

He must marry Penda's sister - the recently widowed, Saewara of Tamworth.
Saewara, free of one bullying husband, only to be promised to another, is filled with despair at the news.

Both Annan and Saewara are embittered by the sacrifice they must make for their kingdoms: Annan had been planning to wed another, a maid now promised to his brother; while Saewara, numbed by life, had planned to become a nun.

Wyrd, fate, has other plans for Annan and Saewara.

What begins as a forced marriage, develops into a slow-burning passion between Annan and Saewara; two proud individuals, who must come to terms with more than an unwanted marriage. THE DEEPENING NIGHT is a tale of adventure, love and courage that will change, not just their lives, but the course of history.

Read an excerpt from THE DEEPENING NIGHT:

Saewara blinked back tears and forced herself to raise her chin and walk with what little dignity she still possessed onto the dance floor. Fortunately, Annan did not look her way. His hand was warm and strong in hers. She did not want to admit it, but his warmth suffused her hand and forearm, and gave her strength. Her fingers tingled from contact with him; a sensation she had never felt when taking her late husband's hand. 

He had spoken to her harshly but there had been no roughness in the way he had pulled her to her feet. Despite all that had happened, Saewara felt a strange kinship with her betrothed. They were both humiliated by her brother's continuing delight in making sport of them in front of his ealdormen and thegns. 

There would be no respite until they left the Great Tower of Tamworth.

Saewara took her place, opposite Annan at the end of the row of dancers and fixed her gaze upon the center of his chest - easier than raising her chin to look him in the eye as he towered above her. 

The bone whistle and lyre, which had halted while Penda pressured them to dance, resumed their tune with renewed vigor. The watching feasters cheered and whistled. Ribald comments rose above the cheering and Saewara's cheeks burned even hotter at some of the filth her brother's men shouted out at them.

How I loathe this place, she thought, grinding her teeth in fury. She might have been going to a new home, one where she would be reviled, but the knowledge that she would only have to spend one more night under her brother's roof gave her a grim satisfaction.

The dancers exploded into movement, and Saewara had no more time to think on her humiliation, for suddenly, Annan had taken both her hands and was pulling her toward him.

Saewara's stomach dipped; an odd, dizzying sensation. 

I should not have drunk so much mead.

It had been years since she had danced. Egfrid had hated dancing, and once the obligatory courtship rituals had been taken care of, he had never taken part in dancing on feast days, or even at Beltaine or Yule. It had been just as well, since he had been a poor dancer, and his brutality that started soon after they were wed, made her loath to touch him.

A strange thrill went through Saewara when Annan's hand rested on her waist for an instant. Then, he twirled her away from him. Saewara's heart pounded against her ribs. The heat of his hand had reached her skin, even through the thick fabric of her tunic. 

Remembering the steps she had been taught as a girl, she dipped and curtsied before her partner, before circling coquettishly around him. 

The hall roared around her, but Saewara ignored them all, concentrating on the dance. She stepped back toward Annan, and he took hold of both her hands. Together, they ran down the archway of raised arms to the end, before raising their own arms together, while the next couple began their dance. 

Breathing heavily, Saewara finally raised her gaze to her betrothed's face. His gaze snared hers and for a few moments, under the privacy of their raised arms, they stared at each other.

Saewara stood, transfixed. A wave of need consumed her; a hunger that took her breath away. She had never experienced a sensation like it before in her twenty-five winters - the intensity of it frightened her. 

Intrigued and want to read more?

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Can you really set a romance in Anglo-Saxon England?

There aren't a lot of historical romances set in Anglo-Saxon England available. Viking and Medieval, yes - but not Anglo-Saxon. 

The Anglo-Saxon period covers from approximately 400 A.D. (with the departure of the Romans), until 1066 (with the arrival of the Normans). 1066 marks the beginning of the what we now call the 'Middle Ages'.

However, the Anglo-Saxon era can be divided between the post and pre-Viking periods. The 'North Men' began attacking the east coast of Britannia, on 793 A.D - when they destroyed the abbey of Lindisfarne on the North-east coast. This marked the beginning of the 'Viking Age' - that led up to the Norman conquest.

Now, there are plenty of Viking romances available. A quick search on Amazon will bring up a wealth of titles for anyone who loves reading historical romance set in this period. There are lots of steamy tales about blond Viking warriors abducting maidens, taking them home as slaves and then falling in love with them. Many romance readers can't get enough of these stories.

So why aren't there plenty of Anglo-Saxon romances available as well? 

Does this period not lend itself to love-stories as well as the Viking era?

I believe it does.

Anglo-Saxon Britannia is a period shrouded in a lot of mystery. It is not very well documented historically, as much of records of this period were destroyed during the Viking raids. Much of what we have learned about this era has come from epic poems, such as Beowulf. Writing in this period requires a touch of fantasy, a love for writing about raw emotions and big themes - with a touch of violence and bloodshed. These were gritty times, after all!

I write my historical romances exclusively in this era - 7th century Anglo-Saxon Britannia - and I love setting my romance adventures in this period. In fact, I'm always looking for books to read, set in this era!

My current series is set during the 7th century - during the last years of the dominance of the Kingdom of the East Angles before the rise of Mercia as a dominant power. My first book in the series, Dark Under the Cover of Night, was inspired by, and based around, the last year in the life of King Raedwald - the king thought to be buried in the famous Sutton Hoo longship in Suffolk. This novel's love story centers around Raedwald's daughter and her forbidden love for the son of her father's arch-enemy.

Dark Under the Cover of Night, in turn, inspired the following two books in the Kingdom of the East Angles series (which can all be read as stand-alone novels). The second novel, Nightfall till Daybreak, is centered around the reign of King Sigeberht (Raedwald's stepson), who comes back to Britannia to claim the throne from a usurper, after many years exile in Gaul. Here, the love story is between Sigeberht's most trusted retainer, and one of the king's slaves.

The third book (due to be released on Amazon in the next couple of days!) is The Deepening Night. This novel's love story is centered around King Annan of the East Angles (who takes the throne after Sigeberht is killed). Annan has been forced to 'bend the knee' to Mercia - and must marry the sister of a man he loathes in order to ensure peace for his people.

There are an endless supply of ideas for stories in the Anglo-Saxon period. 

It was a brutal time, in many ways; a time when men were warriors and women had to be very strong to survive. It was a time when Christianity was beginning to make in-roads into the local culture, conflicting with pagan beliefs, and bringing with it new ideas and influences. It was a time of powerful emotions: love, honor and vengeance.

If you love this period as much as I do - and enjoy reading character-driven, adventure romance set in a time when only the strong survived - why not give my novels a try? I love to hear from my readers, so please let me know what you think!

CLICK ON THE COVERS BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE!

      

Out on Amazon in the next two days!