Brothers of the Wild North Sea
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating4.5
This is the FoxTales edition of the book previously published by Samhain Publishing. Other than the cover art and description, the book is the same.Hundreds of years ago, on a wild sea coast, two bold-hearted men met in combat and love...This is the story of Caius, a Christian monk struggling to reconcile his sensual nature with his newfound faith, and of Fenrir, a ferocious Viking raider abandoned by his comrades and left for dead. When Caius takes pity on the wounded man, his brethren are horrified: what kind of wolf has Cai brought into the fold?But only when Cai and Fen join forces can the monastery of Fara be saved from the raiders from the east. And Fara holds a secret worth guarding, a legendary amulet with the power to bind even the might of the Vikings. Fen, his heart divided between old loyalties and a new love, must make a decision which could shatter his own heart and Cai's into the bargain.Will there ever be peace and a future for these brothers of the wild North Sea?
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This was published in 2013 and although I apparently bought the ebook before the company that originally published it went out of business, I just now listened to the audiobook. It's a long book, and I left it in my TBR pile because it intimidated me. I loved it, though, and wish I'd read it sooner.
The audiobook narrator, Hamish Long, is especially good. He did unique voices for all the characters, and the voice he performed for Caius really kept in my mind that Caius was very young, only about 25. Because he takes on a lot of responsibility over the course of the story, his age was easy for me to forget.
The book has many of the elements I expect from Harper Fox, such as religion and spirituality, a strong sense of place, unexplained supernatural events, mysterious old people, a truly swoony romance, and emotional sex scenes. I really like the way she writes all of those things. I was also impressed at how relatable these ancient people were to a modern reader, without seeming like modern people. This is a hard balance to strike in historical fiction but I think she did it perfectly.
Book Review: Brothers of the Wild North Sea by Harper Fox
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
This series had historical and paranormal elements that made it really enjoyable. The unlikely and different pairing of a monk and a Viking really stood out for me. Both characters had so much depth and complexity that you could feel for them. I cried for them, which is a sign I was emotionally invested. I do enjoy an enemies-to-lovers story, and Fen and Kai got an ending that they both deserved. Overall, this book was a great read, earning a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
