Honor Bound, Gabrielle Evans, Siren Publishing
Jarl Radulfr is a warrior, the chieftain of his people. It is his duty to protect and fight for them. But duty comes at a price. Radulfr has no one to call his own. When his clan is attacked, he accepts a bride in a peace-pledge to avoid war with a neighboring clan. He doesn't know until he arrives that the bride he has come to claim is a man.
His betrothed is not what he expected, but Radulfr has sworn upon his honor to accept the peace-pledge. It doesn't hurt that Ein is pretty damn cute. Radulfr decides to accept things as they are and begins to take Ein home. But there are those that don't want them to reach home—gods, mercenaries, and the man who started the war in the first place. Radulfr and Ein will have to use all of their wits, and the growing bond between them, to keep themselves alive because gifts from the gods come at a price.
Vikings, and Gods and Berserkers…OH MY!!!
HONOR BOUND is the first book in Ms. Glenn's new Viking Lore series, and she works her magic on Vikings just like she does on cowboys. There is a lot of world building and she states in the beginning that she took a lot of poetic license with the mythology but it made for a unique, exciting story.
Radulfr is the Jarl, or leader of his clan and he is seeking restitution for an unprovoked attack against his clan. He wants the life of the man that led the attack, however Fafnir is the only son of the clan leader and Jarl Dagr begs for mercy and offers his only other child in a peace-pledge betrothal. After some negotiations, Radulfr agrees to the betrothal. Radulfr is surprised when he goes to claim his "bride" to find out he is a man.
Ein's mother was married to Jarl Dagr when she has an affair and Ein is the result of that affair. Sent away at birth, Ein is surprised to find he has been promised in a peace-pledge to another man as his bride. Having secrets of his own, Ein is worried about leaving the only home he has ever known, but upon meeting Radulfr he is pleased to find that he is a man of honor, not to mention drop dead gorgeous.
Both men agree to accept the peace-pledge and honor the betrothal, but just because they do doesn't mean that everyone else will be as accepting. And when the Gods get involved…all bets are off!
What a great start to a new series. The world building while slow at the start is needed to establish a foundation for the tale that she is creating. The Norse vocabulary that is sprinkled intermittently throughout however is frustrating.
Radulfr is the perfect Alpha male, he is strong and protective and isn't afraid to show his mate how much he loves him. Ein, while not as physically strong as Radulfr, is just as protective. I thought I was going to be bothered by the fact that the consummation has to be witnessed by six other people but the way that it is written didn't detract from the connection between the lovers.
There is so much happening in this book that you find yourself flying through the pages and then WHAM! Can you say cliffhanger? Curse you Ms. Glenn for not having the second book written so I can find out what happens next.
If you are looking for a new and creative twist to the legends that we grew up with Honor Bound is that book.
I give Honor Bound 4 chocolate dipped strawberries.
This review originally posted at The Romance Review:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=2898
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