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The Varangian
Rowan has been reunited with Dreki and struggles to navigate her role as his thrall when a complication arises that forces her to question her feelings for him and set her sights on a different future than she and her growing seer powers could have ever imagined.
Dreki is asked again to put duty before his heart and help the Earl protect their people as the threat of Christianity casts its shadow on Geiranger and everyone he knows and loves. He must make alliances to keep his village safe, but in doing so he will lose Rowan when he has only just gotten her back.
When the choice between passion and obligation is set before them, the consequences of their decisions will alter the fate of Rowan and Dreki in ways they could not have prepared for. Follow them as they embark on journeys across oceans and into new and unknown lands in the conclusion of their Viking Saga, The Varangian.
Dreki is asked again to put duty before his heart and help the Earl protect their people as the threat of Christianity casts its shadow on Geiranger and everyone he knows and loves. He must make alliances to keep his village safe, but in doing so he will lose Rowan when he has only just gotten her back.
When the choice between passion and obligation is set before them, the consequences of their decisions will alter the fate of Rowan and Dreki in ways they could not have prepared for. Follow them as they embark on journeys across oceans and into new and unknown lands in the conclusion of their Viking Saga, The Varangian.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 6, 2025
Writing my review for the full saga here:
Pros:
historical immersion - the battle scenes are not long and complex, which is where these Viking stories typically hash out most of the historical details, (the weapons, the armor, the locations, the fighting style, the grit, etc). In Myers’ case, the daily lives of the characters from beginning to end felt realistic for the time. It wasn’t an easy life and you felt this (for better, mostly for worse) while reading. Highlights: the process to make textiles, the simple foods and herb teas they ate, the realistic interactions between thralls and masters (not usually enjoyable), the countries visited. Oh! And addressing the needs of a woman’s menstrual cycle - thank you.
HEA ending ( thank the gods, bc there was just so many heart wrenching situations in between)
Cons:
so many awesome character threads were touched upon that could have been delved into further (the ancient seer, more on Milo, the power of Dreki’s mom, the rest of Rowan’s old family, Sunniva ???) Felt like teasers that could have been explored further to give the books greater depth. Kind of a surface exploration, fast paced, which is good, but had the potential for more.
The fidelity didn’t feel fully believable, esp with all the time passing.
It’s a moody book, like be prepared to feel depressed bc it is depressing till the Epilogue basically lol that’s what made it feel so accurate (read first pro above), but also just not a lighthearted read. I wanted to get thru it quickly bc it was so dour and I felt my mood drop with it. Good writing does that! But be prepared to want to find some family and sun afterwards lol
Part three felt super rushed in the editing process (not the story content tho)- lots of typos and typos of names which can be super confusing for some (for me just annoying like how did you not catch this when the name was written in the last sentence?? And a random page break with HERE as tho that’s an internal note to pick up review/writing lol also weird line break sizing that didn’t seem significant. Someone can invite me to edit next time ;) )
The chapters were kind of annoying just being numbered and without titles. Felt odd to even have the chapters listed. At times sections were headlined Rowan vs Dreki and other times just switched from Rowan to Dreki without the headline, seemed like an error since it wasn’t consistent.
Saga- only two stories?? I was thankful for this bc I don’t always want to read hugely long series where I’m waiting on the next book to be published (which is what I’m doing right now and why I picked this up), but “Saga” felt misleading… altho I know it just means story in Norse (but most ppl think of Saga as something epic). I had to check several places to be sure this was book 2/2.
I don’t love this cover, the guy’s face staring at me from the spine on my bookshelf is just too creepy. Had to turn it around lol should have been like the first where you see landscape on the spine.
Overall, read it.
I’ve always toyed with the idea of writing a book someday and have been exploring names and places in my brain for years, but have only put one scene to paper in that time. So this was a nice read from someone with a similar mindset (wanted to write a book that she wanted to read but that didn’t exist) and what it’s like to take all of those ideas and actually put it to paper. I bet it’s really really really really really really hard. Great job.
Pros:
historical immersion - the battle scenes are not long and complex, which is where these Viking stories typically hash out most of the historical details, (the weapons, the armor, the locations, the fighting style, the grit, etc). In Myers’ case, the daily lives of the characters from beginning to end felt realistic for the time. It wasn’t an easy life and you felt this (for better, mostly for worse) while reading. Highlights: the process to make textiles, the simple foods and herb teas they ate, the realistic interactions between thralls and masters (not usually enjoyable), the countries visited. Oh! And addressing the needs of a woman’s menstrual cycle - thank you.
HEA ending ( thank the gods, bc there was just so many heart wrenching situations in between)
Cons:
so many awesome character threads were touched upon that could have been delved into further (the ancient seer, more on Milo, the power of Dreki’s mom, the rest of Rowan’s old family, Sunniva ???) Felt like teasers that could have been explored further to give the books greater depth. Kind of a surface exploration, fast paced, which is good, but had the potential for more.
The fidelity didn’t feel fully believable, esp with all the time passing.
It’s a moody book, like be prepared to feel depressed bc it is depressing till the Epilogue basically lol that’s what made it feel so accurate (read first pro above), but also just not a lighthearted read. I wanted to get thru it quickly bc it was so dour and I felt my mood drop with it. Good writing does that! But be prepared to want to find some family and sun afterwards lol
Part three felt super rushed in the editing process (not the story content tho)- lots of typos and typos of names which can be super confusing for some (for me just annoying like how did you not catch this when the name was written in the last sentence?? And a random page break with HERE as tho that’s an internal note to pick up review/writing lol also weird line break sizing that didn’t seem significant. Someone can invite me to edit next time ;) )
The chapters were kind of annoying just being numbered and without titles. Felt odd to even have the chapters listed. At times sections were headlined Rowan vs Dreki and other times just switched from Rowan to Dreki without the headline, seemed like an error since it wasn’t consistent.
Saga- only two stories?? I was thankful for this bc I don’t always want to read hugely long series where I’m waiting on the next book to be published (which is what I’m doing right now and why I picked this up), but “Saga” felt misleading… altho I know it just means story in Norse (but most ppl think of Saga as something epic). I had to check several places to be sure this was book 2/2.
I don’t love this cover, the guy’s face staring at me from the spine on my bookshelf is just too creepy. Had to turn it around lol should have been like the first where you see landscape on the spine.
Overall, read it.
I’ve always toyed with the idea of writing a book someday and have been exploring names and places in my brain for years, but have only put one scene to paper in that time. So this was a nice read from someone with a similar mindset (wanted to write a book that she wanted to read but that didn’t exist) and what it’s like to take all of those ideas and actually put it to paper. I bet it’s really really really really really really hard. Great job.
February 25, 2024
Satisfying conclusion to Dreki and Rowan’s story. While the tale was compelling, it was also a bit frustrating at times. Still feeling a bit let down by Dreki. He was away from Rowan for 4 years. He was presumed dead but was actually being held as a slave in Constantinople. He turns into a highly valued guard and warrior for the co-emperor, Basil. He never once asks for his freedom. He just goes into battle after battle, knowing he left his pregnant wife alone in his homeland where she had been unsafe since he took her as a slave from her home in England. Basil is the one who, unprompted releases Dreki from service. “It is yours,” Basil said. “My parting gift to you, may it aid you in your long journey ahead.” “Journey?” Dreki asked. “Your wife, your child. Surely they are worth searching for.” It was like Dreki hadn’t even thought of finding her. He seemed oddly resigned to live as a Vangarian. Even his Russian counterpart escaped without their masters consent. And it felt like Dreki was always a nano-second away from succumbing to Sunni’s advances. That just rubbed me the wrong way.
Part of me was hoping Rowan had found a romantic love in Connall. He was a much better man.
Part of me was hoping Rowan had found a romantic love in Connall. He was a much better man.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2026
I loved this series so much! I loved the characters, the authentic Viking historical details, battles, and lifestyle. I loved the romance between Dreki and Rowan and the fact that their love endured despite nearly insurmountable obstacles.
But the grammatical errors and inconsistency of verb tenses, wrong words used at the wrong time--these things threw me out of the story and really impeded not only my enjoyment of the novel but also the comprehension of what was happening. For example, in one segment, there is a sudden shift from the past tense-- which had been used continuously for both novels--to an unexpected use of the present tense. I finally realized it was just a grammatical error in writing with inconsistent tenses, but it really threw me off.
Despite the errors in grammar and vocabulary, I still loved the heart of the story and do recommend it to lovers of Viking historical romance.
But the grammatical errors and inconsistency of verb tenses, wrong words used at the wrong time--these things threw me out of the story and really impeded not only my enjoyment of the novel but also the comprehension of what was happening. For example, in one segment, there is a sudden shift from the past tense-- which had been used continuously for both novels--to an unexpected use of the present tense. I finally realized it was just a grammatical error in writing with inconsistent tenses, but it really threw me off.
Despite the errors in grammar and vocabulary, I still loved the heart of the story and do recommend it to lovers of Viking historical romance.
October 8, 2024
Really enjoyed the first half. The second half was just so-so. I was rooting for Connall and was left disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2025
Emotional read
September 7, 2026
I really enjoyed the series. 4 1/2 stars. I liked the story and the pace kept my interest.
February 4, 2025
All right! A readable book!
This series should have thousands of reviews. Some of the best KU work I’ve read recently.
This series should have thousands of reviews. Some of the best KU work I’ve read recently.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews