The Viking's Princess Bride

by Sarah Rodi

Feel the heat as two enemies are forced to wed in this spicy Viking romance!

He’s won the throne…

But she’s his royal prize!

Victorious in his quest for revenge, Viking Njal takes the Saxon crown—and their princess! But while he’s wedding Cwen in the name of peace, he cannot deny the way she entices him. Even if it’s clear she’s holding something back…

Princess Cwen has long accepted being used for her kingdom’s gain, but taking the enemy’s hand is the most outrageous request yet! Still, the rugged warrior ignites a fire inside her… Cwen just can't let Njal storm her carefully constructed walls. Because she’s harboring a secret that could rock the foundations of their marriage!

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

Genres: Historical Romance

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 21, 2025

Reviews

[RomanceByTheBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always excited when Sarah reaches out to me about reading her up-and-coming books. I am a huge fan of her writing and always know I am in for a good time when I read one of her stories. The Viking’s Princess Bride is such a fabulous, addictive read. I read it in one sitting. It was how I spent my Friday night, and I am not sad about it. This book starts with a bang or a battle between two warring peoples. There is no better way to hook your readers in than to have your two MCs meet on the battlefield that is going to decide the fate of the Saxon kingdom. The stakes are so high right from the first page. This is a true enemies to lovers love story. Cwen and Njal are bitter enemies, and their people have been warring for many years, and it’s been a brutal bloody war. Njal is a Dane who has just beaten the Saxon king, a man who has murdered his family, but all he can think about is this brave, beautiful princess he encounters on the battlefield. All I could think about was how Sarah was going to bring these two people together. Cwen distrusts/hates Njal for invading her home, and Njal distrusts Cwen because she is the daughter of the man who has brought so much pain and destruction into his life. On top of all that, Njal and Cwen have to figure out how to bring peace to two groups of people who have been taught to hate each other. As I said, the stakes are so high in this book. It makes for such an addictive read.

The overall story is interesting and entertaining, and I loved every moment of it. Sarah is the master at perfectly pacing her books, so you get this wonderful ebb and flow of quieter moments and fast-paced action moments. It makes for a great reading experience. This story has it all: battles, drama, romance, secrets and betrayal. I enjoyed all the characters. Cwen and Njal are wonderful MCs, and it was great to see them try to figure out what the heck is going on between them. And what I mean is they know there is this attraction/chemistry bubbling between them, but they don’t understand why or how they could have such feelings for a person who is supposed to be their enemy. Besides that lusty attraction, both characters deal with some emotional baggage and harbour secrets. This creates some tension and friction that both characters have to work through before they can finally admit that they love each other. This is a spicy romance, and Sarah builds up that lusty tension beautifully in this book. There are a lot of will they won’t moments that will have you screaming. Just do it already…LOL. I enjoyed the chemistry between Cwen and Njal, and things move fast-ish between them, which is to be expected because this is a short-category romance, and that is just how it works in these types of books. It makes for a great, quick, and dirty read.

The Viking’s Princess Bride is an epic enemies-to-lovers romance that I will read again and again.

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[Tracy Emro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Driven by vengeance, Njal Salversson laid siege to Jorvik, the royal seat of the Saxon King Aelfweard, hoping that defeating the king who ordered the slaughter of his family would finally give him peace. He and his men have been fighting for the past two years and now that the king has been defeated, Njal wants to put the past behind him and find a way for the Danes and Saxon to live together in harmony. The first step to achieve that goal is to marry King Aelfweard’s widowed daughter, Princess Cwen. Marriage was not originally part of his plan, but when he met her on the battlefield, she captivated him like no woman ever had. But Njal has been burned before and trust is hard for him to give, especially when he is sure Cwen is hiding something, and his family loyalty is called into question. Can he find true love and peace with his enemy’s daughter or is he setting himself up for more heartache?

Princess Cwen is used to being a pawn for her father, so a second political marriage doesn’t come as s a surprise to her, but her reaction to Njal is unlike anything she as ever experienced. He makes her want things that are impossible. But lying to Njal doesn’t sit well with Cwen and when she finally lets herself admit what she is feeling is love, it makes lying even harder. But her secrets are not her own and could have ramifications that hurt the people she loves. Can she trust Njal with the truth and will he forgive her deception or will the betrayals in his past keep him from accepting her explanations?

This was a wonderful story set in the Early Medieval era of Anglo-Saxon England. I loved Cwen and Njal, they are both amazing characters, who are willing to forsake their own happiness for the sake of their loved ones. This story has a lot going on including love at first sight, enemies-to-lovers, longing, betrayal, secrets, a heaping dose of angst, family loyalty, heartache, lies, forgiveness, a bit of spice and finally a HEA that seemed almost impossible and even includes a very sweet epilogue. I do wish the story had moved a bit faster, but overall, it was a very good read and one I would happily recommend to fans of Medieval romance.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Rodi’s The Viking’s Princess Bride is a beguiling, passionate and enthralling historical romance that will sweep readers away.

Cwen might be a princess, but she has long resigned herself to the fact that she’s a merely a pawn to be used for the benefit of the kingdom. Cwen has heard many an outrageous request, but even she is flabbergasted by the fact that she is now excepted to wed a rugged warrior! Viking Njal has not only taken the Viking crown, but is now expecting to marry her! Still, there are worse fates than being wed to a man whose mere glance ignites something deep within her she has never experienced before…

Njal is jubilant in his victory having fulfilled his quest for revenge. His marriage to Cwen is meant to be one of convenience yet he cannot deny that he is intrigued by his bride. Drawn to her beauty and intelligence, Njal is unable to stop himself from wanting to get closer to his wife – even though he cannot shake off this feeling that Cwen is not being entirely honest with him and that she is keeping a secret from him.

Regardless of how much she tries to resist, Cwen can feel the walls she had built around herself crumbling. But having lost her heart to her husband, dare she run the risk of letting him in and revealing something she’s kept hidden for so long? Or will she end up letting this unexpected chance at happiness slip through her fingers?

Sarah Rodi’s fiery historical romance is an enthralling and emotional tale of dangerous secrets, forbidden attraction and steamy passion that transported me to a world rich in intrigue, desire and emotional intensity. The Viking’s Princess Bride is a captivating romantic read with a resourceful, nuanced and intelligent heroine and a gorgeous hero who is honorable, charismatic and impossible not to swoon over.

Sarah Rodi’s books just keep getting better and better and she has written another must-read historical romance with her latest, The Viking’s Princess Bride.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tiziana Langone · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the sake of your people, but what about your own sake?

When Cwen sees how Viking are attacking her home, and take the crown, all that she hopes is that peace can be found. Seeing her father giving up his throne may have been the best, as his paranoia made him take some disputable decisions. But Cwen never expected that in order to let her people have their peace would mean to give up her own freedom. Because the leader of the Viking, Njal, sees a marriage with the Princess as a sign of peace. Even if Cwen is used to give up her own happiness for the kingdom, is marrying a Viking not a bridge too far? However, Njal ignites something in her, something she has never felt before. Cwen has been building walls to protect herself and those around her, and she cannot risk ruining everything for those sparks, right?

There are plenty of stories, also in this genre, about enemies forced into marriage, and then suddenly, totally “unexpected” sparks start to fly around. But does that mean that each story is the same? that there is totally no kind of surprise while reading it? Absolutely not. And even if it were, is there something wrong with enjoying these kind of stories? Stories are written to take you away from your reality, and if any kind of story succeeds in doing it, it doesn’t matter at all, does it?

Danes and Saxons, rivalry at its best. So what when a Viking is seeking revenge together with his brother against the man that took everything from them?

I have to say that Njal isn’t the typical Viking. Yes, he is on a vindictive mission, which involves killing each of his enemies. But he was raised as a farmer, surrounded by love and peace. His upbringing couldn’t be more different than Vikings in other stories.

So obviously a real tragedy had to take place for him to turn into the man he is now. And it saddened me to read his background, how he is still carrying around the burden and the guilt of what happened then. Yet there is still plenty left of the Njal that once was, even if he hardened throughout the years.

Because let’s be honest, not everyone would spare his enemy’s life. And yes, while it would be easy to “blame” it on Cwen’s interference, I also truly believe that Njal himself wouldn’t go that far. There is kindness in him, compassion, even forgiveness.

And there is something he feels when he lays his eyes on Cwen. Something that he hasn’t been feeling for a long time, and doesn’t want to feel. And that made me absolutely curious for more!

If there is a character that I even felt more sorry for than how I felt for Njal, it for sure was Cwen. She is the perfect example of a person who gave up her own happiness for the sake of her parents, and the people.

In a way she got lucky during her first marriage, as she had a great understanding with her late husband, and he was in fact her best friend, despite there was no love – love involved. But despite her gotten lucky, was it fair on her, to give up her own hopes and dreams, for the sake of others?

Not only that, but she is also carrying a secret around, a secret she is keeping for once again, the sake of others, to protect others… And just when her time should be coming, it all comes in jeopardy…

Of course there is an initial attraction, especially in Njal’s case. But the story goes deeper than that. Because we see that despite their many differences, Njal and Cwen connect somehow. They connect even without them realizing, even if there are still secrets and a few lies told between them. But the beauty in this book, is that despite the secrets and the lies, there is still an important layer of trust between them.
And that unexpected trust was just sweet to read. Putting your trust in someone is not easy, as trust can always be easily broken.

In this book we see that even enemies can find common ground, come to an understanding. That even a forced marriage can turn into something good, where both parties can learn from each other. That enemies can turn into allies, enemies can make you believe in love again. And that love can conquer it all. If only you dare…

[Sabilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marriage of convenience? A Viking warrior? Enemies turned lovers trope? You bet, I’m in!

A Viking warrior hero has always had a place in my heart. With his fierce rugged appearance but has endless patient and kindest heart, Njal captured my heart with him from the moment he appeared amidst the war between the Norsemen and Saxons.

I was rather baffled as the first few chapters dramatically revealed the war between Njal as a Dane and Cwen, as a Saxon. Cwen, a princess carrying a sword, is actually fighting on the battlefield! From the very first time Njal catches the sight of Cwen, He can’t get her out of his mind. Love at first sight in the middle of war, how fascinating.

I think Njal is the kindest and most considerate warrior. Despite his desire for revenge, he doesn’t want to completely tear down the Saxon. He just wants peace, and he proposes the marriage as a solution to stop the vicious cycle of revenge and war. Meanwhile, Cwen, despite her beauty and stubbornness, she bears greatest burden of secret. Their whirlwind marriage is full of mistrust, miscommunication, unease and a closely guarded secret that always hover over their burning desire, but Njal’s true hunger kept their relation burning slowly and steamy. I enjoyed reading it as the secret uncovered slowly. Being a new king, Njal is continuously inflicted with dilemmas yet his kind-hearted character is truly remarkable.

To me, it is a powerful tale of festering vengeance with intense sexual tension that completely ends with a satisfying epilogue.