Viking Fire – historical romance with a touch of magic
by Andrea R. Cooper
In 856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and
blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century.
Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.
Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an
arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit.
With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she
endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find
its way around her stubborn heart?
Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a
younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would
grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along
with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s
feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage
worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?
With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against
the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their
differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their
heels.
Excerpt:
“I renounce Father for this.” Kaireen threw the elderberry gown.
“Shame on you and your children for speaking such.” Her handmaid,
Elva, gathered the damask and then dusted off the rushes. “It’s a wonder
one of the clim has not scolded you from your hearth for such talk.”
“No, curse Father for a fool.” She plopped on her bed and a goose
feather floated away. With a huff, she leaned against the oak headboard.
Red curtains puffed like a robin’s chest around oak poles supporting
her wooden canopy.
Her bare feet brushed against the stone floor.
“You know your da arranged a marriage within a season.” Elva smirked.
Kaireen shook her head. “To another land holder,” and waved a hand in
disgust, “not t-this heathen. Twice they raided our land in the last
month alone. Now father wants me as wife to one of them?” She clenched
her fists. “No, I will not marry this Viking.”
Elva smiled, reminding Kaireen of the rumors of her handmaid’s uncanny foresight.
Whispers of Elva making strange things happen and often blamed as the cause of
Kaireen’s stubborn refusal to behave as a laird’s daughter should.
“You’ve not seen him yet.” Elva wiggled her brows.
“So?” Kaireen shrugged. “I would like to never see him.”
“Well then, would you not like to know if you have a handsome husband
or not?” She waited for her response, but Kaireen scowled. Elva
chuckled. “I would rather get a good look at him now than the morning
after.”
Kaireen’s ears heated. “I am not marrying.” She shook her head for
emphasis. “So there will be no morning, nor night, nor wedding.”
“If he is handsome, I may fight you for him.” Elva smiled, deepening the wrinkles around her eyes.
“Welcome to him either way.” Kaireen laughed.
Viking Fire Amazon: http://goo.gl/71VAsf
Viking Fire B & N: http://goo.gl/EvBxwf
Viking Fire iTunes: http://goo.gl/fQuKBd
Sounds like a great read, Andrea. Good luck with it.
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