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Lightning Strikes #1
The Viking In My Bed
Book one in the Lightning Strikes Series
Wise-talking college student Bailey Moore saves his romantic side for the historical romances he’s secretly addicted to—until he wakes up crushed under six foot plus of sexy, aroused ancient Viking.
Bailey Moore is a cynical, wise-talking college student who saves his mushy, romantic side for the historical romances he's addicted to-until he wakes up crushed under six feet three inches of aroused Viking warrior.
At first he takes Freyr Grímsson as a glorious odd ball obsessed with Medieval role playing-down to his rough hewn sword, but Frey insists Bailey is his guide in this new world and when Bailey is attacked by a mysterious creature, he's convinced that he and Frey have to wage a battle to drive evil forces off campus. But when his Viking conquers him in bed, Bailey is afraid Frey will also lay claim to his secret, vulnerable heart.
Wise-talking college student Bailey Moore saves his romantic side for the historical romances he’s secretly addicted to—until he wakes up crushed under six foot plus of sexy, aroused ancient Viking.
Bailey Moore is a cynical, wise-talking college student who saves his mushy, romantic side for the historical romances he's addicted to-until he wakes up crushed under six feet three inches of aroused Viking warrior.
At first he takes Freyr Grímsson as a glorious odd ball obsessed with Medieval role playing-down to his rough hewn sword, but Frey insists Bailey is his guide in this new world and when Bailey is attacked by a mysterious creature, he's convinced that he and Frey have to wage a battle to drive evil forces off campus. But when his Viking conquers him in bed, Bailey is afraid Frey will also lay claim to his secret, vulnerable heart.
104 pages, ebook
First published April 2, 2012
6 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Jan Irving
51 books199 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
romance author
Jan Irving has worked in all kinds of creative fields, from painting silk to making porcelain ceramics, to interior design, but writing was always her passion.
She feels you can’t fully understand characters until you follow their journey through a story world. Many kinds of worlds interest her, fantasy, historical, science fiction and suspense—but all have one thing in common, people finding a way to live together—in the most emotional and erotic fashion possible, of course!
Visit Jan's blog at http://jan-revealed.livejournal.com.
romance author
Jan Irving has worked in all kinds of creative fields, from painting silk to making porcelain ceramics, to interior design, but writing was always her passion.
She feels you can’t fully understand characters until you follow their journey through a story world. Many kinds of worlds interest her, fantasy, historical, science fiction and suspense—but all have one thing in common, people finding a way to live together—in the most emotional and erotic fashion possible, of course!
Visit Jan's blog at http://jan-revealed.livejournal.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 8, 2013
Jan Irving Has Forsaken Me
This, my friends, is a sad day because on this day I have finished a Jan Irving book and at the end I said "I didn't...I didn't like this book" and then I fell to my knees and wailed the wail of a thousand yowling cats. Yeah, it wasn't pretty.
Where I wonder if these people know what molestation is.
The book started off in classic Jan Irving style with a WTF moment. Bailey, a college student, awakens to find himself blanketed by a large blond viking of a man. And that man, oh, he's not just any man. He's the man who's awakening Bailey by licking and sucking on his armpit. Yummy, yummy sweat in his tummy!!
Yes, yes, I gagged a little too. We were already wading through some unsexy territory, however, I soldiered forward to find that Bailey thinks his friends have pranked him for his birthday by gifting him with a large naked man who liked to role play.
STOP: Since when does someone wake up while being sexually molested when they're supposed to be in a locked house alone and think to themselves "Oh, this must be a party trick!"? Stranger F'ing DANGER!! Rape maybe?! Did Bailey not watch after-school specials on the television?
Where I wonder if someone can really be that stupid.
In any case Bailey is all "Dude, game over, whoever you are."
And the viking says...wait...let me quote directly from the text.
"I am Freyr Grimmson," he said in a language I didn't understand.
Really Bailey? If you don't speak the language or even know what language it is then how do you know what he said? How do you even know his name was a name at all? Freyr Grimmson could mean dog shit for all you know...but again I'm soldiering on.
It so happens that Bailey's best friend Candy then drops by and in the midst of the situation where there is a strange naked man who neither of them knows, Candy decides that no self-respecting viking should go around with unconditioned hair. So, she remedies that but cutting and conditioning Frey's hair and "Mayhap do you want a purple streak, Frey?"
So, there they are giving Frey a cut and style, making him coffee, deciding he must be a viking because he has split ends or some crap like that. Meanwhile I'm calling them idiots and trying to figure out a way to reach into my Kindle and smack the stupid out of them.
Dear Candy and Bailey,
You two don't deserve to breathe fictitious air. I'm just sayin'.
Sincerely,
Laddie
Where I wonder if vikings everywhere will be insulted.
Frey...what can I say about Frey? Frey is a Guardian who, ummm, guards against the eeeeevil eeevil things that live in other dimensions. Every once in a while he gets called forth by a guide so that he can fight. Between the times when he fights Frey sleeps in a kind of limbo land. I won't tell you how but Bailey is Frey's guide and, in addition to laying down his life for Bailey, Frey plans to make Bailey be his woman. Yes,that is actually what Frey says. Yup.
Frey says some other stuff too but I swear the man was two steps away from speaking only in one and two syllable words. One and two syllable words that he apparently bellowed. He was always bellowing. It was like "Frey Smash! GRRR!! Frey make Bailey his WOMAN! GRRRR!!! Frey name is FREY not CONAN!! GRRRR!! Bring Frey Coffee!! GRRR!"
Apparently, Frey was from Norway and if I was from Norway and read this book I would be a bit miffed. Just a bit.
Where I wonder if a plot that makes sense is a thing of the past.
Jan Irving's plots are usually just kind of a filler between the raunchy sex scenes. This time though I think she actually tried to have a real plot. It didn't work. No, it didn't work at all. Here's the reason why; this book was short. It was too short for all of the sex plus a plot that she tried to make intricate or...something. Guardians, guides, possessed and bitter history professors, mystical drawings, creatures from other dimensions, a hawk with a really f'ed up form of bird flu. It was too much and I just gave up caring about it.
Where I tell you again how disappointed I am.
I was REALLY looking forward to this book. I love Irving's crazy imagination and I usually have a lot of fun reading her books. Not so this time. This time I just wanted it to be over and done with.
While I'm not giving up on Irving, I can't recommend this book. I'm going to pretend like my disappointment never happened and wait to see what she comes up with next. Please, please, please let it be cowboys.
This, my friends, is a sad day because on this day I have finished a Jan Irving book and at the end I said "I didn't...I didn't like this book" and then I fell to my knees and wailed the wail of a thousand yowling cats. Yeah, it wasn't pretty.
Where I wonder if these people know what molestation is.
The book started off in classic Jan Irving style with a WTF moment. Bailey, a college student, awakens to find himself blanketed by a large blond viking of a man. And that man, oh, he's not just any man. He's the man who's awakening Bailey by licking and sucking on his armpit. Yummy, yummy sweat in his tummy!!
Yes, yes, I gagged a little too. We were already wading through some unsexy territory, however, I soldiered forward to find that Bailey thinks his friends have pranked him for his birthday by gifting him with a large naked man who liked to role play.
STOP: Since when does someone wake up while being sexually molested when they're supposed to be in a locked house alone and think to themselves "Oh, this must be a party trick!"? Stranger F'ing DANGER!! Rape maybe?! Did Bailey not watch after-school specials on the television?
Where I wonder if someone can really be that stupid.
In any case Bailey is all "Dude, game over, whoever you are."
And the viking says...wait...let me quote directly from the text.
"I am Freyr Grimmson," he said in a language I didn't understand.
Really Bailey? If you don't speak the language or even know what language it is then how do you know what he said? How do you even know his name was a name at all? Freyr Grimmson could mean dog shit for all you know...but again I'm soldiering on.
It so happens that Bailey's best friend Candy then drops by and in the midst of the situation where there is a strange naked man who neither of them knows, Candy decides that no self-respecting viking should go around with unconditioned hair. So, she remedies that but cutting and conditioning Frey's hair and "Mayhap do you want a purple streak, Frey?"
So, there they are giving Frey a cut and style, making him coffee, deciding he must be a viking because he has split ends or some crap like that. Meanwhile I'm calling them idiots and trying to figure out a way to reach into my Kindle and smack the stupid out of them.
Dear Candy and Bailey,
You two don't deserve to breathe fictitious air. I'm just sayin'.
Sincerely,
Laddie
Where I wonder if vikings everywhere will be insulted.
Frey...what can I say about Frey? Frey is a Guardian who, ummm, guards against the eeeeevil eeevil things that live in other dimensions. Every once in a while he gets called forth by a guide so that he can fight. Between the times when he fights Frey sleeps in a kind of limbo land. I won't tell you how but Bailey is Frey's guide and, in addition to laying down his life for Bailey, Frey plans to make Bailey be his woman. Yes,that is actually what Frey says. Yup.
Frey says some other stuff too but I swear the man was two steps away from speaking only in one and two syllable words. One and two syllable words that he apparently bellowed. He was always bellowing. It was like "Frey Smash! GRRR!! Frey make Bailey his WOMAN! GRRRR!!! Frey name is FREY not CONAN!! GRRRR!! Bring Frey Coffee!! GRRR!"
Apparently, Frey was from Norway and if I was from Norway and read this book I would be a bit miffed. Just a bit.
Where I wonder if a plot that makes sense is a thing of the past.
Jan Irving's plots are usually just kind of a filler between the raunchy sex scenes. This time though I think she actually tried to have a real plot. It didn't work. No, it didn't work at all. Here's the reason why; this book was short. It was too short for all of the sex plus a plot that she tried to make intricate or...something. Guardians, guides, possessed and bitter history professors, mystical drawings, creatures from other dimensions, a hawk with a really f'ed up form of bird flu. It was too much and I just gave up caring about it.
Where I tell you again how disappointed I am.
I was REALLY looking forward to this book. I love Irving's crazy imagination and I usually have a lot of fun reading her books. Not so this time. This time I just wanted it to be over and done with.
While I'm not giving up on Irving, I can't recommend this book. I'm going to pretend like my disappointment never happened and wait to see what she comes up with next. Please, please, please let it be cowboys.
August 30, 2014
1.5 stars
I just wanted some Viking smut. Is that too much to ask?
Apparently so, because this was more voodoo magic and gateways and shadow creatures coupled with frat boy humour. Too much ridiculous plot, not enough rough Viking sex. The steam was almost nonexistent, and what little was included was vague and boring. Unacceptable.
Stupid book was stupid.
I just wanted some Viking smut. Is that too much to ask?
Apparently so, because this was more voodoo magic and gateways and shadow creatures coupled with frat boy humour. Too much ridiculous plot, not enough rough Viking sex. The steam was almost nonexistent, and what little was included was vague and boring. Unacceptable.
Stupid book was stupid.
May 12, 2012
This review was written for BDSM Book Reviews.
College student Bailey wakes up with a heavy weight on his shoulders, quite literally. There’s a viking in his bed, who seems to know every little secret spot on Bailey’s body that will make him shiver with lust. He assumes the naked Norseman is some kind of prank by his roommates. The blond bronzed god is out of his league. But the viking, Frey, insists he is there for Bailey. Frey is the Guardian and Bailey is the Guide.
It all sounds like part of the joke to Bailey, and fearing the powerful emotions Frey brings out in him, he flees to his classes. As the day wears on, strange things start to happen, which make Bailey believe that, however impossible it may seem, Frey really is a warrior from the past, or another dimension, sent to protect and help him. The two must work together to banish the demons that have been let into Bailey’s world.
Okay, it sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? And it is, to some extent, but “The Viking in My Bed” knows it’s fantasy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Somewhat in spite of myself, I found I was enjoying this book more than I expected. The story is quite readable – once you’ve suspended disbelief – and rather well constructed. The characters know they’re in a highly improbable if not impossible situation, and there are even occasional allusions to horror movie clichés.
The sexual tension between Bailey and Frey is what sets this apart from an ordinary bit of fluff. Although it seems he has confined his love life to brief encounters, Bailey is a romantic at heart, who really wants a knight in shining armor to come sweet him off his feet. He avoids getting too attached to anyone for fear of getting his heart broken. Frey is an old-fashioned viking warrior, accustomed to taking what he wants, and he wants Bailey.
The kink in The Viking in My Bed is rather mild. Bailey and Frey get into a sort of D/s relationship. There’s only the tiniest bit of BDSM depicted, although Bailey’s mind occasionally wanders into imagining himself as Frey’s sex slave. Frey woos Bailey with pleasure rather than taking him by force. He wants to own Bailey, and for the most part that’s what Bailey wants too, but he resists falling for the viking because he thinks Frey will have to go away once their quest is fulfilled and he doesn’t want to face the heartbreak of that.
On the whole, this is a rather enjoyable read. The characters are engaging, if not well developed. You won’t get emotionally involved with them, but you’ll have a good time reading their story. I was tempted to give the story four stars, but the characters are just not multi-dimensional enough.
College student Bailey wakes up with a heavy weight on his shoulders, quite literally. There’s a viking in his bed, who seems to know every little secret spot on Bailey’s body that will make him shiver with lust. He assumes the naked Norseman is some kind of prank by his roommates. The blond bronzed god is out of his league. But the viking, Frey, insists he is there for Bailey. Frey is the Guardian and Bailey is the Guide.
It all sounds like part of the joke to Bailey, and fearing the powerful emotions Frey brings out in him, he flees to his classes. As the day wears on, strange things start to happen, which make Bailey believe that, however impossible it may seem, Frey really is a warrior from the past, or another dimension, sent to protect and help him. The two must work together to banish the demons that have been let into Bailey’s world.
Okay, it sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? And it is, to some extent, but “The Viking in My Bed” knows it’s fantasy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Somewhat in spite of myself, I found I was enjoying this book more than I expected. The story is quite readable – once you’ve suspended disbelief – and rather well constructed. The characters know they’re in a highly improbable if not impossible situation, and there are even occasional allusions to horror movie clichés.
The sexual tension between Bailey and Frey is what sets this apart from an ordinary bit of fluff. Although it seems he has confined his love life to brief encounters, Bailey is a romantic at heart, who really wants a knight in shining armor to come sweet him off his feet. He avoids getting too attached to anyone for fear of getting his heart broken. Frey is an old-fashioned viking warrior, accustomed to taking what he wants, and he wants Bailey.
The kink in The Viking in My Bed is rather mild. Bailey and Frey get into a sort of D/s relationship. There’s only the tiniest bit of BDSM depicted, although Bailey’s mind occasionally wanders into imagining himself as Frey’s sex slave. Frey woos Bailey with pleasure rather than taking him by force. He wants to own Bailey, and for the most part that’s what Bailey wants too, but he resists falling for the viking because he thinks Frey will have to go away once their quest is fulfilled and he doesn’t want to face the heartbreak of that.
On the whole, this is a rather enjoyable read. The characters are engaging, if not well developed. You won’t get emotionally involved with them, but you’ll have a good time reading their story. I was tempted to give the story four stars, but the characters are just not multi-dimensional enough.
January 10, 2016
The title is the biggest hint about what a fun book this is. Jan Irving adds her very own brand of humor and imagination to a tried and tested type of story, and voilà, you’ve got a book that will make you laugh while trying to recover from the very hot between-the-bedfurs activity that is liberally sprinkled throughout the pages. Not to forget the slightly mystical angle and some very evil, disgusting monsters that seem to come straight from the underworld.
Bailey is a college student who is looking for “the one” and has given up after one too many disappointments. Turning into a bit of a slut instead, he cannot believe his luck when Freyr comes along. Bailey is not willing to believe this is going to last for fear of being disappointed yet again; self-fulfilling disaster prophesies seem to be one of his characteristics. He is funny and loyal, if a bit on the ditzy side, and struggles with life in general and this mystery he cannot understand in particular.
Freyr (who sadly gets renamed Frey – because that is supposedly easier) has been through similar “assignments” before. He has led a harsh life but, in typical macho-soldier character, he marches on, does his duty, and reaps the rewards – such as they are. It would be easy to see him only as the caricature he is made out to be, but when you look under the surface and listen to what he says, you will find an honest, honorable human being who is very lonely and just waiting for “the one” he can make happy forever – even if he never dares to hope to be lucky enough to find him.
There are a lot of Viking books out there (granted, not so many in the m/m genre), just think Sandra Hill. Some of them are more “serious” (insofar as time travel and magic can be serious), some of them veer toward humorous. ‘The Viking in My Bed’ is definitely on the humorous end of the spectrum - all the references to various other fantasy books, strange behaviors (both sexual and otherwise) included. If you are up for a light, entertaining and funny read, if Vikings and mystical happenings are your thing, and if you like your bedroom scenes written with more than a little humor, you will probably like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Bailey is a college student who is looking for “the one” and has given up after one too many disappointments. Turning into a bit of a slut instead, he cannot believe his luck when Freyr comes along. Bailey is not willing to believe this is going to last for fear of being disappointed yet again; self-fulfilling disaster prophesies seem to be one of his characteristics. He is funny and loyal, if a bit on the ditzy side, and struggles with life in general and this mystery he cannot understand in particular.
Freyr (who sadly gets renamed Frey – because that is supposedly easier) has been through similar “assignments” before. He has led a harsh life but, in typical macho-soldier character, he marches on, does his duty, and reaps the rewards – such as they are. It would be easy to see him only as the caricature he is made out to be, but when you look under the surface and listen to what he says, you will find an honest, honorable human being who is very lonely and just waiting for “the one” he can make happy forever – even if he never dares to hope to be lucky enough to find him.
There are a lot of Viking books out there (granted, not so many in the m/m genre), just think Sandra Hill. Some of them are more “serious” (insofar as time travel and magic can be serious), some of them veer toward humorous. ‘The Viking in My Bed’ is definitely on the humorous end of the spectrum - all the references to various other fantasy books, strange behaviors (both sexual and otherwise) included. If you are up for a light, entertaining and funny read, if Vikings and mystical happenings are your thing, and if you like your bedroom scenes written with more than a little humor, you will probably like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
April 13, 2012
Heh. I liked it. I am going to read that alien book too.
February 14, 2018
Lol ... 2.5 rounded to 3. I read this purely for the "wtf?" factor o the synopsis haha. If you firmly suspend your disbelief, this is actually fairly cute. Jan is very talented at giving you very poignant peeks of emotional depth and romance when its not terribly expected, which is part of her stories' charm.
April 18, 2012
I *LOVED* this! SO funny, sexy and cute. Total homage to romance fans and it was just a delight. I loved Sandra Hill's Viking novels and this was a great gay version. I would *love* to see more of these MC's together and Frey learns more about the modern world :)
July 2, 2012
Hands down, this was really, really funny. I laughed a lot through this and had some of the best quotable lines.
August 15, 2017
There were several things that made me cringe. Not only the armpit licking...
I liked that there was some sort of attempt of a plot. Unfortunately the plot was not well executed.
I don't mind my fluff having bad plots, or even nonexistent plots, but when the badly executed plot intervenes with said fluff I get a bit disappointed. In this story the plot holes and logical leaps were glaring so much I had a hard time even remembering there were a bit of fluff in there too.
I guess there are plenty of people that can soldier through and ignore those things, but I couldn't, and I'm sorry because I normally like mindless fluff.
I liked that there was some sort of attempt of a plot. Unfortunately the plot was not well executed.
I don't mind my fluff having bad plots, or even nonexistent plots, but when the badly executed plot intervenes with said fluff I get a bit disappointed. In this story the plot holes and logical leaps were glaring so much I had a hard time even remembering there were a bit of fluff in there too.
I guess there are plenty of people that can soldier through and ignore those things, but I couldn't, and I'm sorry because I normally like mindless fluff.
January 29, 2013
2.5 Stars
Let me just start by saying how very disappointed I am from this book. Reading the title “The Viking In My Bed” and the blurb I truly got excited and couldn’t wait till I got it on my hands. But you know what they say: Don’t get your expectations too high…
So let’s see. Bailey is a college student, he studies… God knows, that has to do with graphics? Yes! His professor (she’s also a big bad demon wannabe) gives him some old Celtic graphs to study and while Bailey’s playing with them he creates a summoning portal!!! But he doesn’t know it so the next morning he wakes up with big, horny Viking licking his… arm! Telling him that he want to make him his… woman!!! Here is where my stomach churns but hey I kept reading. Bailey, although shocked, takes it in the stride believing it must be a joke from his friends due to his birthday. And while Freyr (the Viking) apparently knows no other way of communication beside roaring and bellowing that Baily is “the guide” and he is “the guardian” and big bad things are coming after them (no reason on why all that is happening is given btw), BFF Candy shows up to calm things down by… grooming Freyr, conditioning and cropping his hair. Got excited so far? So they get convinced that Freyr’s the real thing by his nasty scars. Now except Freyr there are other creatures coming after them from the void… The guardian fights and keeps the guide safe. Baily learns that his professor manipulated him into creating the portal so she could be possessed by the Whisperer and then control his powers. Uhmm yes something like that! So ultimately what guardian/guide need to do, is go get the graphic, reopen the portal, send demons/guardian back and all clear. And here is my best part so far. All this happen during one day time. Freyr of course makes Bailey his woman and conquers him by… spanking him!! Oh, and Bailey falls for Freyr cause Freyr made him look him in the eyes while they were lovemaking!!!The D/s scenes that we were being warned about, yeah!! I think this part of the book was what made me want to cry the most. So after falling in love with Freyr, Bailey has no intention of letting him go. He and his friends make up a plan and armed with molotovs they go after the professor… Well, the end, it is after all a love story!!!
All in all, I was expecting an adventure and didn’t got one. I was expecting some hot sexual scenes and didn’t get any. I was expecting some love story and what I got instead was some cheesy star-crossed lovers’ cliché. In one word I found the book lacking! I won’t even bother recommending this for laughs and giggles or as a parody. It’s a no, no and a hell no from me.
Let me just start by saying how very disappointed I am from this book. Reading the title “The Viking In My Bed” and the blurb I truly got excited and couldn’t wait till I got it on my hands. But you know what they say: Don’t get your expectations too high…
So let’s see. Bailey is a college student, he studies… God knows, that has to do with graphics? Yes! His professor (she’s also a big bad demon wannabe) gives him some old Celtic graphs to study and while Bailey’s playing with them he creates a summoning portal!!! But he doesn’t know it so the next morning he wakes up with big, horny Viking licking his… arm! Telling him that he want to make him his… woman!!! Here is where my stomach churns but hey I kept reading. Bailey, although shocked, takes it in the stride believing it must be a joke from his friends due to his birthday. And while Freyr (the Viking) apparently knows no other way of communication beside roaring and bellowing that Baily is “the guide” and he is “the guardian” and big bad things are coming after them (no reason on why all that is happening is given btw), BFF Candy shows up to calm things down by… grooming Freyr, conditioning and cropping his hair. Got excited so far? So they get convinced that Freyr’s the real thing by his nasty scars. Now except Freyr there are other creatures coming after them from the void… The guardian fights and keeps the guide safe. Baily learns that his professor manipulated him into creating the portal so she could be possessed by the Whisperer and then control his powers. Uhmm yes something like that! So ultimately what guardian/guide need to do, is go get the graphic, reopen the portal, send demons/guardian back and all clear. And here is my best part so far. All this happen during one day time. Freyr of course makes Bailey his woman and conquers him by… spanking him!! Oh, and Bailey falls for Freyr cause Freyr made him look him in the eyes while they were lovemaking!!!The D/s scenes that we were being warned about, yeah!! I think this part of the book was what made me want to cry the most. So after falling in love with Freyr, Bailey has no intention of letting him go. He and his friends make up a plan and armed with molotovs they go after the professor… Well, the end, it is after all a love story!!!
All in all, I was expecting an adventure and didn’t got one. I was expecting some hot sexual scenes and didn’t get any. I was expecting some love story and what I got instead was some cheesy star-crossed lovers’ cliché. In one word I found the book lacking! I won’t even bother recommending this for laughs and giggles or as a parody. It’s a no, no and a hell no from me.
January 20, 2013
This book had the potential to be awesome but we didn’t get there. Instead, we land in the realm of pretty good. There were some very funny parts to it and Bailey, when he isn’t around the giant, loud Frey, is sarcastic and entertaining. He loses that a bit around the Viking. Bailey loves romance novels and he obviously sees himself as the swooning heroine. At least he better, since that’s the role Frey is assigning him to.
Candy, as Bailey’s best friend, is great until she is relegated into the “girls cant help” mode and gets to stay inside a protective circle. The girl is fierce, I wanted her to kick some Whisperer booty! Bailey has some great friends, from Candy to Jared to Miles, and they added to the story as solid secondary characters.
I have to say, and it is completely ridiculous of me to care, that the frequent references to Bailey being “taken as a woman” or Frey making “him a woman in my bed” were getting very irritating. I got it, Frey was a Viking, a guardian and from another time, but Bailey isn’t a woman. Once it was more a bit more of a submissive stance on Bailey’s part (with him enjoying the whole conquer me thing) I just tried to ignore “you are ready to be taken as a woman”.
Bailey is a cynic who really wants to be woo’d and taken. In Frey, he gets what he needs, though we have to be told several times when Frey is just taking Bailey or rutting on him with no regard to Bailey's pleasure that Bailey likes it. I was a little quizzical about how Frey understood so much of the current time period, but he does mention things being “whispered” while he rested so that was a good explanation. Bailey views Frey as the perfect Johanna Lindsey hero and that’s probably a good description. The book is light and funny, the mystery a little bit thrown into the background and the characters worth reading.
Candy, as Bailey’s best friend, is great until she is relegated into the “girls cant help” mode and gets to stay inside a protective circle. The girl is fierce, I wanted her to kick some Whisperer booty! Bailey has some great friends, from Candy to Jared to Miles, and they added to the story as solid secondary characters.
I have to say, and it is completely ridiculous of me to care, that the frequent references to Bailey being “taken as a woman” or Frey making “him a woman in my bed” were getting very irritating. I got it, Frey was a Viking, a guardian and from another time, but Bailey isn’t a woman. Once it was more a bit more of a submissive stance on Bailey’s part (with him enjoying the whole conquer me thing) I just tried to ignore “you are ready to be taken as a woman”.
Bailey is a cynic who really wants to be woo’d and taken. In Frey, he gets what he needs, though we have to be told several times when Frey is just taking Bailey or rutting on him with no regard to Bailey's pleasure that Bailey likes it. I was a little quizzical about how Frey understood so much of the current time period, but he does mention things being “whispered” while he rested so that was a good explanation. Bailey views Frey as the perfect Johanna Lindsey hero and that’s probably a good description. The book is light and funny, the mystery a little bit thrown into the background and the characters worth reading.
December 16, 2012
I picked this book up looking for some fun, quirky, alpha-male, Viking warrior high jinks, and that's exactly what I got.
Bailey accidentally got himself caught up in a mystical opening of a gate between worlds, letting some eye-socket oozing, creepy evil dog things loose on his campus. His professor gets possessed, and his friends pull together Buffy-style to defend the good in the universe and save the day.
Bailey doesn't take anything too seriously, until he starts falling for Frey, his Viking guardian, whom he accidentally summons from another realm or something like that. Honestly, the details aren't important, and this isn't meant to be a book with some in-depth, involved, muy-serious plot. It's meant to be fun and quirky and sexy and a little emotional, and it delivers.
My only quibble involved some abrupt transitions. One second Bailey and his hot Viking guardian are fooling around, the next, he's greeting his friends as they arrive to help out. The transitions could have used some finessing, and the writing could have been a bit more active. But for a quick read, it was super fun.
I love the titles of the other books in this series (The Alien in my Kitchen, The Seal in my Attic), and will definitely be reading on. Because Jan Irving's writing is fun. Fun, fun, fun.
Bailey accidentally got himself caught up in a mystical opening of a gate between worlds, letting some eye-socket oozing, creepy evil dog things loose on his campus. His professor gets possessed, and his friends pull together Buffy-style to defend the good in the universe and save the day.
Bailey doesn't take anything too seriously, until he starts falling for Frey, his Viking guardian, whom he accidentally summons from another realm or something like that. Honestly, the details aren't important, and this isn't meant to be a book with some in-depth, involved, muy-serious plot. It's meant to be fun and quirky and sexy and a little emotional, and it delivers.
My only quibble involved some abrupt transitions. One second Bailey and his hot Viking guardian are fooling around, the next, he's greeting his friends as they arrive to help out. The transitions could have used some finessing, and the writing could have been a bit more active. But for a quick read, it was super fun.
I love the titles of the other books in this series (The Alien in my Kitchen, The Seal in my Attic), and will definitely be reading on. Because Jan Irving's writing is fun. Fun, fun, fun.
May 19, 2013
2012 Review:
Sweet, funny, and a little sad. And silly. Going by what I’ve read by this author otherwise, this was definitely some of her better work.
It still felt a little… disconnected. No, that’s not the word. Hm.
It just feels like it should have been longer, with more development. Everything happened so fast and usually big, epic love just takes more than a day. Then again, this is pure fantasy anyway. (If you try to take anything seriously you’ll be disgusted.)
I enjoyed all the references to romance books, even if the type of hero the narrator went for is among my least favourite. Frey still managed to pull it off, just barely, without being a complete jerk. Nice side characters as well.
Yeah, all in all I liked it.
I am a trifle confused about the fact that this is supposed to be the first in a series. It really doesn’t have that feel to it, although I suppose Bailey would work fairly well as a continuous narrator, if it’s that sort of series, and there are still stories to explore with these guys.
Huh. Just noticed that the preview afterwards is for what seems to be the next volume, and no, Bailey’s not in it. We apparently get a new first person narrator of the same ilk. Eh. And we get aliens. And more sad stuff, I guess. Huh.
Sweet, funny, and a little sad. And silly. Going by what I’ve read by this author otherwise, this was definitely some of her better work.
It still felt a little… disconnected. No, that’s not the word. Hm.
It just feels like it should have been longer, with more development. Everything happened so fast and usually big, epic love just takes more than a day. Then again, this is pure fantasy anyway. (If you try to take anything seriously you’ll be disgusted.)
I enjoyed all the references to romance books, even if the type of hero the narrator went for is among my least favourite. Frey still managed to pull it off, just barely, without being a complete jerk. Nice side characters as well.
Yeah, all in all I liked it.
I am a trifle confused about the fact that this is supposed to be the first in a series. It really doesn’t have that feel to it, although I suppose Bailey would work fairly well as a continuous narrator, if it’s that sort of series, and there are still stories to explore with these guys.
Huh. Just noticed that the preview afterwards is for what seems to be the next volume, and no, Bailey’s not in it. We apparently get a new first person narrator of the same ilk. Eh. And we get aliens. And more sad stuff, I guess. Huh.
October 16, 2013
Kind of disappointing. Frey was supposed to be this big bad Viking but instead he came across like a much smaller person... a two-year-old, maybe? He was all Little Words, Big Voice. Or possibly Tarzan, but I don't remember Tarzan ever seeming so...pouty. I could totally picture Frey stomping his big bad foot, sticking his lip out and shouting "Mine. My Bailey. Mine." And he was totally channeling my little cousins when Bailey teasingly called him Conan. "Freyr! Not Conan!" stomp stomp, pouty lip, big tears, much irritation. Yeah, just like my cousins. I've read books where the communication is sort of like this, because of language differences or genetically mutating apocalypse-inducing viruses, and it didn't irritate me there. Maybe because they were usually growling instead of shouting and bellowing? *ponders*
Oh well, I already bought all three of the books so I guess I'll make myself read the others, hopefully I will be happier with them. *sigh*
Oh well, I already bought all three of the books so I guess I'll make myself read the others, hopefully I will be happier with them. *sigh*
July 12, 2012
Cute and fluffy, if also totally derivative.
Bailey wakes up with a naked Viking in his bed that he 'accidentally' called through some kind of rune. His friend Candy always seems to be reading J.R. Ward books, which is a nod in the wrong direction since this book feels like a m/m re-make of Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon to me.
I'm not saying it's a rip - it just feels like it's been done before, and if you've read Fantasy Lover, the whole 'who are you, you hot naked anachronist?' feels kind of familiar.
It is cute and fluffy and the uber-attractive leads have lots and lots of Jan Irving sex, so if that's your thing, you should really enjoy this one. Just don't read it right after reading something written by Bailey Bradford which is what I did. I kept getting weirdly squicked out thinking about the 'real' author Bailey having sex with the fictional Norseman Freyer.
Bailey wakes up with a naked Viking in his bed that he 'accidentally' called through some kind of rune. His friend Candy always seems to be reading J.R. Ward books, which is a nod in the wrong direction since this book feels like a m/m re-make of Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon to me.
I'm not saying it's a rip - it just feels like it's been done before, and if you've read Fantasy Lover, the whole 'who are you, you hot naked anachronist?' feels kind of familiar.
It is cute and fluffy and the uber-attractive leads have lots and lots of Jan Irving sex, so if that's your thing, you should really enjoy this one. Just don't read it right after reading something written by Bailey Bradford which is what I did. I kept getting weirdly squicked out thinking about the 'real' author Bailey having sex with the fictional Norseman Freyer.
April 4, 2012
I give this 3 and half stars actually. Its silly, really silly. But if you're up for fun, light and a bit ridiculous then this is a story for you.
Its been a long time since I've read a Johanna Lindsey novel or regency for that matter. Loved the former, had very little patience with the latter. This
brought back memories of why I enjoyed those stories of He-men and their sparky women. Although of course, this is a sparky man and his He-man.
Its been a long time since I've read a Johanna Lindsey novel or regency for that matter. Loved the former, had very little patience with the latter. This
brought back memories of why I enjoyed those stories of He-men and their sparky women. Although of course, this is a sparky man and his He-man.
May 26, 2012
The Viking in my Bed is well written;however, it ends abruptly. I find this to be true of most of Irvings works. Just as I think the story is really starting, she ends them. It's almost like Irving has a magic number of words, lines or pages and then the story must end... quickly. I would like to give her stories a 4 rating, but this need for abrupt endings her only warrants a 3. Sorry Jan, the epilogue helps, but another 50 to 80 pages would help to flesh out the story & the ending.
August 3, 2015
This book is exactly what it sounds like. Boy wakes up one morning to a large, blond, very sexy viking in his bed, licking him awake. It’s ridiculous and it’s delightful. There’s a big bad and some magic stuff, but I didn’t let it distract me from the sex. ;)
There need to be more time traveling Viking romance novels.
There need to be more time traveling Viking romance novels.
September 20, 2012
I enjoyed this story. I loved the way she captured the "big lug" aspects of the Viking. For me that was very effective. There were very strange transitions in the storyline that were a little confusing. I wish this book would have been 100 pages long. I was enjoying it.
July 24, 2016
2.5 Stars
May 10, 2012
it was a nice read but I oddly couldn't connect myself to the couple.
April 5, 2012
3.5 stars
April 4, 2012
3.5 stars. This was a total guilty pleasure to read. :)
April 15, 2012
Well this was just kinda fun! Silly, sweet, sexy, and a fun read that kept me up later than I meant to be last night. I enjoy this author, always looking forward to what she thinks up next.
April 20, 2012
I liked it ok. Didn't love it. But I will still read the alien one. There was enough funny, sexy, cuteness in it to keep me reading...... Maybe it's the armpit bit ;-P
April 23, 2012
A silly, sweet bit-o-fluff. Not sure I will continue to read the series but this was an enjoyable, quick story.
December 9, 2012
Funny, but lacking in the hot sex department. :)
January 12, 2013
Silly, fluffy, but damn, I enjoyed this story. It's a really fun read.
Read
September 23, 2014read as part of anthology
April 26, 2015
Time travel book- from past to now. Some parts left a bit sketchy. Love fiends and a way with a lot of help from friends.
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