This is one of those books that's tricky to review. It's an older bodice-ripper Viking story with sections that have certainly not aged well. But it's also a well-written, compelling story with mostly interesting characters.
Magnus is a Viking farmer and trader who spots Irish Zarabeth on a trip to York and decides to wed her (can I just say I hate the name Zarabeth, which is not Irish at all). There are complications because of her evil stepfather and some ick stuff going on, but later Magus is able to acquire her as a slave instead. He also gets her adorable deaf half-sister, Lotti.
I've been burning through Ms. Coulter's back catalog of historical romances, and she has a formula that works for her. The heroes are generally alpha males stuck in their beliefs that the male is the superior gender, while the females usually prove them wrong after much trial and tribulation. However, she makes the way that each couple gets there very different and she also writes well with good historical details, so I've mostly enjoyed the books. This one is not one of the best (I give it 3 1/2 stars) because the story veers off too much at times, but if you don't mind the old bodice-ripper books, this author is one of the best writers of them. ( )

Uhhhhh..... this made no sense. I seriously did not understand the heroine at all. Not romantic, just sad. ( )

I gave this thing 100 pages to stop being awful...no luck. Then I skimmed it in hopes it would get better...nope. I honestly do not understand why women write, let alone read, this kind of misogynistic tripe. Quite apart from the threatened rape from, like, every dude in the book and the competitive jealousies among all the women, you also have a hero who blames the heroine for his own faults. How is this sexy?!? Sigh. I own the other books in this series, and I just don't know if I have the internal fortitude to attempt to read any more of them.... ( )

Uhhhhh..... this made no sense. I seriously did not understand the heroine at all. Not romantic, just sad. ( )

This book disappointed me, well researched until Zarabeth was using potatoes. And now that I write it, all the viking names appeared to be well researched, but there is no Z in Irish and she is established as Irish. Her mother remarries a trader from York (not Yorvik, no, York), and the story features rape as seduction. Basically a few chapters in I was annoyed with the characters and wanted to watch some episodes of Vikings to wash the disappointment out.

Zarabeth is in York parenting her sister, Lotti, who is deaf, because her mother is dead, Olav the Vain was her mother's husband and he lusts after her.using Lotti as a tool to keep her in check. When she meets Magnus, a viking, who offers her a way out, but Olav blocks her joy, when Olav dies under mysterious circumstances Magnus takes his revenge on her rejection by taking her as his slave.

Because he wants her, none of her objections work for him, not even her tears. His needs triumph. His sister behaves like a complete bitch several times over. Some actual talking to each other might have gone a long way, I'm not sure that it would be a healthy long-term relationship.

And doesn't it have the ugliest cover ever, this was published in 2000.

Honestly it left a bad taste. ( )