Tears of the Wolf

Wrath and Weeping #1

by Elisabeth Wheatley

After the murder of her child, Brynn of the Istovari wants nothing more than to escape the shackles of her birthright. As a sorceress and the last of a once-great bloodline, many still seek to use her for their own schemes. Brynn will do anything for the chance at freedom, even if it means marrying an upstart warrior from the far north.

Cenric needs a wife—but not just any wife—a sorceress. Having recently reclaimed his inheritance after a youth spent across the sea, a sorceress will bring security and legitimacy in his estranged homeland.

A marriage gives both Brynn and Cenric what they want—for now.

In the far northern reaches lies a land ruled by pride and strict codes of honor. As Brynn and Cenric struggle to navigate the aftermath of their hasty union, they soon realize that rival factions within the kingdom are on the verge of war once again.

Alone, they will be destroyed by the coming storm. Together, they might stand a chance.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Fiction, Historical, Magic

354 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2024

About the author

Elisabeth Wheatley is a fantasy author because warrior princess wasn’t an option. She loves tea and asking questions.

Reviews

[Southern Lady Reads]

I entered online for an ARC of this and absolutely wasn't expecting to get a copy in the mail...

I think I'm an Elisabeth Wheatley stan now, though! This was a fantastic marriage of convenience Nordic-themed fantasy romance. I was NOT expecting to enjoy this as much as I did or to zip through it as fast as I did?

If you liked A Fate Inked in Blood series - you're going to love this one!
- Slow burn - Open door romance! (Only one scene and not overwhelming!)


**Thank you to Elisabeth Wheatley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Follow me on Instagram for honest reviews, bookish freebies & giveaways! 🦋 || Check out the new Southern Lady Reads YouTube channel!!

[Bee]

First, it has been a WHILE since I've encountered a book couple that made me actually kick my feet and audibly go "Oowwwhhh!" ala a live studio audience when the characters kiss. I love Brynn and Cenric, both as individuals, and together. On their own, they are whole and interesting people with their own web of relationships with other characters. Together? I swoon. I simply swoon.

Second, I really like the world that Elisabeth Wheatley has built for us here. Viking-inspired? Love it. It kinda gives me Winterfell or Stark vibes from the ASOIAF series, if that makes sense? Northern people who are warriors at heart but have strong and loyal bonds? ALSO DOGS. DEAR SWEET DOGS.

Third, the book was well-paced. I feel there was enough time for me to get to know the characters through their actions, not just being told "Oh, so-and-so is so powerful and and cool and smart, trust me." The book actually SHOWS our characters being powerful and clever. (Most of the time, there were a few moments I did facepalm at something Cenric said and he knew it too.)

This was a great start to the series. Nicely done!

[Jessica Forbes]

I tore this one up in a night. Absolutely loved it. Brynn and Cedric were awesome, and I might legit be in love with Snapper. Selene can rot, though.

Looking forward to the sequel!

[Emma Swan]

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Summary:
Fast-paced, overall enjoyable, but needs some polish. This book has a ton of potential and great elements, but I ended up giving 3.5 stars bc while there’s some fantastic frameworks, I think this book could benefit from really good editing (esp with dialogue, showing ideas rather than telling, and character building).

This is a Fantasy Romance. There is one VERY long and explicit scene. I skimmed one paragraph and then skipped the rest entirely (what I could see was very graphic- no light romance here!) and I don’t feel like I missed major story elements.

Highlights/Pros:
*World building. Author did a fantastic job combining very well researched elements of Viking/Anglo-Saxon history and fantasy to make an environment that piqued my interest and leaves lots of room for further development.
*Telepathic dogs. I expected this to be clunky but it was mostly natural and believable in the built world. Loved this idea.
*Character elements. Each character had a clear back story and motivations for their actions (with the exception of a way too fast moving romance-see below). Female character focuses on helping those around her and being loyal and faithful to her family and people- refreshing in today’s times.
*Pace of the book, overall story content, and length of the book were great. I was left content with what I had read but wanting more of the story.

Cons:
*Romance between main characters was way too fast, especially given Brynn’s PTSD.
*Dialogue is a bit unpolished/clunky in some areas; verbiage is not consistent. Characters sometimes slip in to a very casual/modern way of talking, but the rest of the book and other dialogue have a richer, more complex sentence style (which I prefer and think matches the high fantasy genre better).
*Many elements/character feelings are unnecessarily written out/explained. In many of these situations, what is being said has already been shown in the story (or should be).
*I don’t generally read romance genre so I’m not sure
what is standard, but the lovemaking scene seemed very long in comparison with descriptions and experiences in other scenes.

[Hannah Royall]

This may sound silly for a fantasy review, but what I love most about Elisabeth's characters are that they're so believable. Very (very) often in fantasy romance, the characters and their relationships seem like caricatures of personality tropes instead of real believable people. The characters in Tears of the Wolf are nuanced in a way that makes them seem like they could have been real people with real motivations. The historical elements are very well researched, the story was sweet, and I absolutely cannot wait to read more of Brynn and Cenric's story.

[Rebecca]

this book gives me some hope that the romance genre is not just a bunch of instalust/instalove stories disguised as romance.

[Jacqui]

Alas, a supportive, insta-love arranged marriage full of healthy communication doesn't really make for a particularly interesting romantic plot

[iremucka]

Kurdun Gözyaşları 🥹 🥹 🥹

Redditten beni gaza getirdiler yine bitmemiş seriye başladım ama pişman değilim, 2 kitap Ekimde çıkıyormuş 🙂‍↔️ Yani bi fantastik yazsam karakter ilişkilerinin aynen böyle olmasını isterdim o kadar mükemmel ki, ne bir eksik ne bir fazla zevkten eriye eriye okudum, bazı yerleri başa aldım tekrar okudum ayyyyy çok güzel..

Kitap daha ilk cümlesiyle zaten belli etti. Elimden bırakamadım; bırakmak istemedim. Çok akıcıydı.
**
Evlilik, bir kadından kurtulmanın en hızlı ikinci yoluydu ve kral Brynn'den kurtulmak için oldukça hevesliydi. 😭
**
Zorlu bir Viking ortamında geçen romantasy diyelim buna, hem fantastik hem romantik 🌟
Bir büyücü olan Byrnne (23) başına gelen trajediden kaçmak için evlenmek zorunda, Cenric (30?) ' in de büyücü bir eşe ihtiyacı var. Tam marriage of convenience yapıyorlar ve olaylar gelişir.

En başta her ikisinin de ilişkiye temkinli yaklaşması ve sonrasında ikimiz dünyaya karşı olayı aşırı hoşuma gidiyor. Çift bakış açısı ve olaylar akıyor.. Fantastik kadın karakterlerin aşırı sassy olduğu ve öğrenme sürecinin anlatıldığı zibilyon tane kitap okuduktan sonra bu şekilde olayların psikolojisine inen bu hikaye 😍
Bir tadımlık da aşağıya gelsin:
"Öldürmekten nefret ediyorum. Nefret ediyorum." Brynn, elinde tuttuğu diz çökmüş yağmacıya baktı. "Ama bu konuda iyiyim." 😞

Yazar seriyi 7 kitap yapacakmış isterse 17 yapsın böyle yazsın okurum. 🫠🫠🫠 Ve köpekler?! Ah en harika şekilde dahil edilmişlerdi. Bir köpek iç sesi ancak bu kadar doğru yansıtılabilir (okuyan anlar).
Byrnn’ in acısını onunla yaşadım, onunla üzüldüm ve anlayışına (insight) hayran kaldım. buna benzer bir okuma deneyimini en son The Blade Itself de yaşamıştım (ona da 5 🌟 buarada).

Kitabın özeti: Kuzey hatırlar.

[TJ]

4.5/5.0

This book has so much going for it that I honestly can’t decide to round up to a five star or leave it at four. Just because it’s a first in the series, I’ll leave it where it is and give it room to grow.

The book is listed as a fantasy, but it is really a historical love story (I hate to say romance in this context because of the fluffy stuff stigma that is so prevalent in Historical romances nowadays) set in what would be Viking times, with all the superstitions, thralls, raiding and warriors reminiscent of that era - with a touch of magic (the main female character is a sorceress). That magic qualifies it as a fantasy but plays only a small secondary role. Man, though, the romance storyline is perfection! Honestly the chef’s kiss of all romance!

It opens as Brynn (FMC) is only two months out from losing her one-year-old son in a most horrific way. She is deeply grieving not only that devastation, but also from the horrible way her husband has treated her and thrown both her and her son away time after time. After leaving him, she has petitioned the king for a divorce. Because of her Royal bloodline, however, the king can’t allow her to threaten his reign, so he gives her to a newly appointed alderman in a small, unassuming area situated in the most northern regions of his kingdom.

And that is where the story begins. The author so wisely allows us to feel Brynn’s grief, along with Cedric’s (MMC) hesitance in taking a newly divorced, grieving yet powerful sorceress to wife. The relationship needs the time to grow and both the characters and readers are given that time. It is absolutely heart-touching to watch as Brynn and Cenric slowly learn the heart and soul of each other, then grow into a love so deep, it changes both their lives. Honestly, this is probably the most realistic yet beautiful love story I have read in a very long time.

The fantasy aspect is where it dips ever so slightly. We could have seen and understood the whole sorceress theme a bit better. Still, Brynn’s mother Selene and her cohorts were despicable evil foes and display both the bad and good their brand of magic can accomplish. And, one of the things I loved best? The book didn’t end in a huge cliffhanger!! HALLELUJAH, Praise be and let us sing!!!!!!! This is the perfect example of how a storyline can be resolved while still making the reader absolutely ache to jump into the next book. The author doesn’t need to twist our arm and throw us off the mountain in order for us to want more. She has written characters so dear, a world so intriguing, possibilities so interesting and a storyline so addicting that we can’t WAIT to read more!

[K.L. Hester]

To say I devoured this book is an understatement. This is my first Elisabeth Wheatley book and I cannot wait to dive in to her backlist of books while I await the next installment in her Wrath and Weeping series!
Also, as a mother who has lost children, I went into this book with hesitation because of Brynn dealing with the murder of her infant son. However, Brynn’s pain and grief over the loss of her son was handled beautifully and resonated with me on so many levels. And the way Cenric helps her heal?! *Chefs kiss* Child loss is a hard topic to approach respectfully and Elisabeth Wheatley does an amazing job of showing a grieving mother trying to heal in a world that often doesn’t know how to accept and handle the emotions that come along with it. Not only does Brynn kick ass, but she is a symbol of hope that life doesn’t have to be dark in the midst of grief. And if you also have experienced the pain of childloss, I hope you have a Cenric in your life who will sit in your pain with you and fight for your happiness.

[Jos]

Revenge was for those with power and patience. Brynn had long ago recognized she did not have enough of either.

Tears of the Wolf es el primer libro en la serie Wrath & Weeping de la autora Elisabeth Wheatley. Inspirado enormemente en los anglosajones y los vikingos, se sitúa en el mismo universo de su serie Daindreth's Assassin pero 430 años en el pasado. La autora ha dicho que ninguna de las series spoilea la otra y que puede leerse cualquiera de las dos antes.

Nuestra protagonista es Brynn, una joven princesa de 23 años, sobrina del rey actual quien le ha pedido a su tío que le garantice el divorcio de su actual esposo, Paega, cuya negligencia y abandono provocó el homicidio de su bebé de 1 año. Brynn no es una mujer cualquiera, es una hechicera y es veterana de guerra, luchó a lado de su hermana mayor, Aelfwynn la Valiente, en una guerra civil en el bando de su tío, el rey actual. Aelfwynn lamentablemente murió en batalla y desde entonces Brynn necesitaba de un matrimonio para estar protegida políticamente, al ser la hija del rey pasado, sobrina del rey actual y hermana de una heroína de guerra.

La madre de Brynn aprovecha esto y la obliga a casarse con Paega, un viudo 40 años mayor que ella quien perdió a sus 5 hijos en la guerra. A Paega no le importaba ser amable con Brynn, se veía obligado por la influencia de la madre de Brynn, él sólo esperaba que eventualmente llegara su muerte para reencontrarse con su primera esposa y sus hijos, y se desquitaba con Brynn.

Es por eso que cuando Brynn le pide ayuda a su tío el rey para divorciarse, él inmediatamente arregla un segundo matrimonio arreglado para ella. En esta ocasión es con Cenric, es el nuevo gobernante (por así decirlo) de una región al norte del reino en el que no hay ninguna hechicera y necesitan a una desesperadamente, por lo que el día de su divorcio, es el día de su matrimonio con Cenric.

“Every decision we make is one between safety and freedom, in one way or another.” Brynn blinked quickly. “I traded the latter for the former far too quickly last time. In the end, it was for nothing.”

Cenric es un personaje especial, se podría decir que es el arquetipo de personaje que vivió toda su vida en tierras lejanas y reclamó su derecho sobre sus tierras en la adultez y en este libro nos toca ver el qué ocurre después. Asimismo, Cenric tiene una afinidad con una diosa la cual le permite comunicarse telepáticamente con una raza de perros, y desde el inicio conocemos a Snapper, el fiel perro de Cenric que lo acompaña a todas partes e inmediatamente quiere hacerse amigo de Brynn.

En mi opinión personal, es un libro muy bueno. Elisabeth logra compaginar la fantasía y la historia de romance entre nuestros personajes con un worldbuilding muy bien construido e informado. El sistema de magia no es muy complicado y siento que su obra retrata bastante bien el tema de la pérdida. Brynn es alguien que ha sufrido mucho a su corta edad, y empaticé mucho con ella ya que ambas tenemos la misma edad, no podía imaginarme lo que era estar en sus zapatos, que cada persona que ella amaba terminara muerta.

Alone. She was alone. It was just for the night, perhaps, but it felt deeper than that. Her father was gone, her sister was gone, Aunt Ulstrid was gone, and so was Osbeorn.

Me gustó mucho que finalmente tuviera a alguien que la valorara en Cenric, y aunque fuese un matrimonio arreglado, ambos buscaban hacer funcionar su relación y se trataban con respeto mutuo, y a pesar de ello, Brynn no se permitía depender emocionalmente de Cenric. Su mundo no rodeaba alrededor de él ni viceversa, algo que tristemente no he visto en muchas otras novelas similares.

Si les gustan las novelas de fantasía con una fuerte carga romántica y que están inspiradas en épocas históricas reales, deben leer Tears of the Wolf, aunque es el primero de la serie, la autora ha confirmado que el segundo sale en Octubre y el final no es un cliffhanger, por lo que deja abierta la puerta para más pero da un cierre a varios de los conflictos planteados en esta primera parte.

Tomen en cuenta las advertencias de contenido:
• Violencia gráfica
• Gore
• Sangre
• Muerte de infantes
• Muerte de animales
• Sexo explícito
• Menciones de guerra
• Menciones de violencia sexual
• Menciones de aborto espontáneo

Por cierto, me gustó tanto este libro que le hice una playlist (aún en proceso), si quieren leerla aquí está el link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/11L...

Pre-reseña:

Qué gran libro

Estoy muy cansada para hacer una reseña hoy pero mañana subo mis reseñas de Pétalos de Papel y de Tears of the Wolf

[ophélia]

While Tears of the Wolf by Elizabeth Wheatley presents an intriguing premise with potential for emotional depth, I felt that its execution fell flat due to repetitive prose, heavy-handed exposition, and a lack of narrative subtlety.

From the outset, the story relies on telling rather than showing, leaving little room for us to engage with the characters beyond what is explicitly stated. There was almost nothing of substance for me, the reader, to sit with for a moment, to mull over and digest.

Our protagonist, Brynn, an Istovari sorceress, is described repeatedly as “beautiful,” yet beyond very vague mentions of having a “pleasing face” and "full, plump lips", there is no depth to her physical description or, more importantly, her personality. Over the first four chapters, her grief is emphasized to the point of monotony—rather than allowing her sorrow to unfold naturally in the plot, the narrative simply reiterates that she is "sad", she is a "grieving woman", expressing these same sentiments over and over, until her characterization feels one-dimensional. Cenric of Ombra, the Viking deuteragonist, is very taken by her, but it's hard to imagine why. Brynn is not a particularly compelling character.

Cenric himself suffers from the same uninspired introduction. His physical description is sparse, as I've found to be true with everyone, and his one defining trait—his status as an alderman—is hammered home so frequently that it loses its significance entirely. We are reminded by Wheatley, a dozen times per chapter, that he holds this very important position of power, but we never truly see what makes him tick, what drives him, or what vulnerabilities lie beneath his political role. And, most importantly, we never learn how his social responsibilities shape who he is as a person, because, it seems to me, Wheatley herself does not know. Conveniently, he doesn’t seem to have a great many responsibilities to his people beyond the arrangement of marriage. Cenric really only marries Brynn because the plot demands that he must.

His character seemed more at times like a set-piece than a fully fleshed-out person, and his interactions with Brynn often felt mechanical. Much like the underwhelming introduction of Brynn as the niece of the King, I’m not convinced that Cenric’s status as an alderman truly means anything in the sociopolitical scope of Wheatley’s fictional Nordic world. The strength and reach of Cenric’s influence is neither shown in the plot nor expressed through character interactions, and I found myself doubting his credibility as a powerful Viking lord.

By their very first encounter, Wheatley attempts to establish emotional friction between her two main characters. In an unconvincing display of sensual tension, Cenric and Brynn are described as staring each other down, looking at one another, and absent of any feeling, instinct, or process of thought, Cenric somehow arrives to the conclusion that the Istovari sorceress must be the most dangerous woman he has ever met. But this assertion feels disingenuous. Brynn is only dangerous because Wheatley says she is.

Discourse is dull and lacks nuance, with dialogue often serving as a direct vehicle for exposition rather than revealing character dynamics in an organic way. The world and its conflicts are laid out plainly rather than woven into the narrative, making the pacing feel sluggish and the emotional beats unearned. There is little mystery or subtext—Wheatley leaves nothing to interpretation, or to the imagination, explaining every thought and emotion rather than allowing the reader to infer or experience them alongside the characters.

Even the setting itself feels underdeveloped. There is a distinct lack of sensory details and interaction with the environment that makes the world feel hollow, as if the characters exist in a void rather than a living, breathing space — with secondary characters often appearing out of nowhere, for no good reason, merely for the sake of advancing the plot. Wheatley sacrifices vivid sensory detail in favor of exposition, hindering us from forming a deeper connection with the culture of an old Norse world. This is particularly disappointing given the story’s potential for atmospheric tension and immersive world-building.

That being said, there are glimpses of an interesting story buried beneath the exposition. The premise suggests emotional stakes that could be deeply compelling if executed with more restraint. If the prose were less repetitive, the dialogue more natural, and the narrative more trusting of its readers, Tears of the Wolf could have evolved into a far more engaging and immersive read.

[Jessica]

I don’t wish to be unkind because I really have enjoyed most of Wheatley’s content on social media. But I’m afraid this falls flat. There is so much telling instead of showing.

Brynn and Cenric are in love by the end but why? What has caused them to fall in love? Cenric is proud but we only know that because Brynn *tells* us. We see nothing shown that he is a proud man. What are his shortcomings? What are hers? The characters are extremely basic and not fully developed.

The intimacy/spicy scene had me just saying “no.” A lot. “I’m so proud of you.” “Good girl.” Gave me such an ick.

Brynn is a powerful sorceress but she’s also not?

Ka is the magic system but it’s not described in any way and we are told what it is but not shown.

Telepathic dogs seems…convenient. It just felt unnecessary.

I’m finding that self-published and self-editing authors are doing disservice to themselves by doing so. This feel very first draft, I’m sorry to say. I wanted to love it and there is potential!

[M Gregs]

What in the tradwife fanfiction was this book

[Elena Linville-Abdo]

Stars: 5 out of 5

Okay, I loved this. Wolfed it down in two sittings (pun intended). I understand the hype now. As a general rule, I don't read romance because I find it boring, but this was anything but!

Longer review to come and all that.

[Katyana]

I enjoyed this first book in a new romantasy series, and am looking forward to the next one.

The setup is basically the medieval Saxon kingdom, and the book generally tries to stay pretty true to that period, but with a fantasy twist - there are sorceresses in this world. This also brings the core flaw to the series, imo, but I'll get to that below.

Brynn and Cenric have agreed to the arranged marriage the king wants them to make, and the book opens with that. Brynn is the daughter of the previous king (current king's brother), and so is somewhat of a threat to the throne given that current king is sickly and only has a toddler son. Happily, the current king does seem to be decent - he wants Brynn to be happy, given how much grief she's had in her life so far. He is granting her petition for divorce (the marriage was not one he arranged, so he didn't put her in the shitty situation, her mother did), and has approved her request to marry the far northern lord who had requested a sorceress wife. Brynn wants that position because she wants out of politics, out of sorceress machinations, and away from the wreck her life has become. Her sister was murdered in the succession war when her father died, she was married off to an old asshole (40 years older than her) by her political shark sorceress mother, and he treated her with disgust for the 6 years of her marriage. But she did her duty, had a son...and he was murdered at 1 year old by raiders. She is done. The world has given her nothing but heartbreak, and she wants to retreat to a simpler country life, being a sorceress in a place where she can help people and be far, far from court.

Cenric thinks this may all be too good to be true - a powerful sorceress, the king's daughter, wants to marry him? But he'll take it. He's also young, and a new-ish lord (just reclaimed his family lands 2 years ago), and is looking for a sorceress to help defend it against raiders (being in the far north, they're the most frequent target) and generally just help make his people's lives better (healing, etc). He's a little wary at first, but quickly sees that Brynn is not a trap, she's broken - a devastated woman who is looking to retreat into a quiet life. He respects that, respects her, and treats her with utter kindness. Their relationship is lovely, and the high point of the book.

Parts of it can be tough - Brynn is in the darkest depths of grief (I believe her son was murdered just 2 months before the book starts). But she's not an asshole about it, just hurting. Her first husband, who was an absolute piece of shit, became that way because his first wife and sons died in the war, and he was basically waiting to die. He was cold, expressed unhappiness at Brynn trying to (and failing, as he told her repeatedly) step into his wife's place. He spent their wedding night at his family's grave, rather than with Brynn. Having seen that, having lived through how destructive that is, Brynn knows she doesn't want to become that. So she is grieving, but trying to live. Getting out of the posh, southern part of the realm is part of that.

Alright, so the core flaw of the book. For me, it is that the series is trying to cling to the structure of the Saxon time, while neglecting how having motherfucking sorceresses would have changed that society. Women are still bartered as property, in this heavily patriarchal society - they seem to have the same super limited rights that women did in that time period of actual history. I have a really hard time imagining that sorceresses would have allowed that. Granted, not all women are sorceresses, but most of the main women in this series are, and they just accept that they're under the dictates of those men above them. What? Why? Brynn is a little bit of a poor case example - her mother was frankly her primary abuser, so her self-image was really distorted. But I have a hard time imagining a world where a shitty old man "lord" abuses his sorceress wife and she doesn't blast him with a fireball. To this end, I kind of sympathize with the folks that I assume are going to be the bad guys of this series: the sorceress sisterhood. Brynn's mother Selene is an absolute piece of shit, and there's no forgiving what she's done to both her daughters. But I wonder how much of that was her being off the rails? We're told that the ... I think they were called the Council of Mothers - the women in charge of the sorceress society - are trying to get Brynn on the throne as Queen. Before that, they were trying to get Brynn's sister on the throne as Queen (she was a badass warrior in the war, so impressing people that they started whispering why not have a queen rather than this sickly king) ... but Aethwynn thought they were garbage, rebelled, and so they (or at least Selene - it isn't clear how much the other Mothers were involved, given that Aethwynn was working with the Mothers to get Selene removed from the council) set up her murder in the war. So while I'm not 100% sure because a lot of details are foggy, I am tentatively leaning towards being Team-Sorceress-But-Not-Selene-Cuz-Fuck-That-Bitch.

Mostly, though, I'm excited for the next book. Brynn and Cenric seem to have taken a giant stride forward in their relationship. And Brynn has shaken off the decades of abuse that has made her smaller, and embraced her own power in a really badass way. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

[Lisa]

I pretty much read this in one go—the writing style is very digestible, which is definitely a plus. I liked the story progression and the premise of the book. The ending felt a little scattered, but that was fine.

The characters, though… I liked her, but she comes across a bit too perfect. She has a lot of trauma, but it doesn’t feel explored in a real, grounded way—more like a movie-style quick fix. She’s young, beautiful, intelligent, empathetic, accomplished, well-spoken (that part I really liked), and hard-working. That’s a lot, and she only cracks once—and even then, her husband handles it poorly, and she ends up apologizing.

And him… he’s such a mediocre man. Good-looking, sure, but so prideful that he nearly starts a war in his own household. Sometimes he’s considerate, but often he’s not. His “compromises” only ever come at no real cost to himself.

Yes, I know this is set in another time, when women stayed home, etc. But I don’t want a “good man for those times” paired with this near-perfect heroine—I want someone who feels like her equal. And he was not.

Another thing I didn’t like: she doesn’t form any connections outside of the marriage. She moves to his land, he shows her the cemetery, and suddenly she’s like, yes, this is my forever home. It felt unearned and shallow.

[Mim]

Cool.. cool cool... I thought of giving four stars but the more I think about it.. 🤔
This leans more on romance (and maybe slice of life viking style 😆) than fantasy elements.
Overall the story is great but nothing really happens. I did not feel chemistry between MCs or it was just too insta love. I did like it we didn't have a cliffhanger ending although the mom could have been good villain in future books (?).

I really liked the book but to comparing it to my other four stars.. it just doesn't reach there. But I will read the next one definitely.

[Jamie]

Editing this review after the author announced she was retroactively removing all the spice scenes from this book. I can no longer recommend it.

[Eli Hinze]

I've read every book of Wheatley's, and I have done so from the early, early days when the Argetallam saga was still coming out. I've loved everything she's written.

But this takes it to the next level. The character dynamics are mature and nuanced, the world-building has that grounding in what I can tell are real-world facts and anthropology (Vikings, anyone?) while having their own unique spins that make it fresh. (I can't get over the aurochs!) The treachery and politics are fantastic, too. I also liked how, even though Brynn and Cenric are both fairly good communicators who both want happiness and a good marriage, there's still tension between them and their own things they need to work through. It's a dynamic I haven't seen before, and I really enjoyed that.

This is the fastest I've read anything in a while. Usually I read before I go to bed, but I was sneaking pages in throughout the day until I tore through it.

[Brittany Reno]

🖤⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❤️
🌀Best book I’ve read so far this year!🌀
Wasn’t familiar with this author. Saw it had all 5⭐️ reviews on Hoopla and took a chance. And so glad I did. Such a good book.

[Elisabeth Scanlon]

I wanted to love this, I really did. I adore Elisabeth Wheatley, I think she's a treasure and her videos make me happy every time I come across one... But this book just fell flat.

My biggest thing is that I will maintain this just isn't the right category. Yes, there are small fantasy elementer, but to me, they're tiny and just don't justify calling this a fantasy book. This is just a romance book - and unfortunately, when it comes to romance, this just felt cliche and overdone. One hunky, walking green flag of a male protagonist, and one insecure female protagonist, who has no idea what love is and doesn't trust anyone. We can all see what happens from here.

The writing itself felt very immature and somehow very formal. It didn't really find the flow I was hoping for, and I found myself spacing out while reading and having to go back over sentences I ended up skimming.

I can tell Elisabeth did a ton of reading on the old Norse society, and this part is done so well. Very, very believable - and I was hoping that maybe this would play in, the old Norse mythology stories come to life, but they didn't. I don't even know that I really understand where the title of the book comes from.

So, unfortunately, this one will not be a re-read from me, and I don't know that I'll read the next one. But I will follow Elisabeth on all social media's, because she's amazing.

[Julia]

3.5 ⭐️ Pretty much, it’s a historical romance with political intrigue and a hint of magic. The MMC is an unbelievable green flag of a broody Viking, while the FMC is naive but strong. And the bonded dogs who talk like children are just so adorable!

[Pallavi]

NO you do NOT get to shit on my reader choices
and
NO, you should NOT be able to retroactively change the smut level on an already published and purchased book.

[Bell]

I found out about Elisabeth Wheatley (and her books) by way of YouTube shorts. It took a while, but her shorts convinced me I should give her books a try. I think I now need to read all her other books because this was such a great time! She writes realistic, relatable characters and her worldbuilding intertwines well with storybeats and character relationships (something I can't say about every fantasy romance-type book I've read). Overall a great read and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

[Tanja (knjižni maček)]

Dolg, vendar skorajda neopazen worldbuilding, ki je imel dober namen in se odlično iztekel. Krasna gradnja osebnosti, razmerij med ljudmi in nepričakovan razvoj glavne junakinje.

[Sheia]

3.89

Yes, I do give ratings like these because my mind gets stuck and won’t let me get to a whole number. Anyway, I finished another book—an achievement these days, trust me. And what would you know, I enjoyed it too!

Genre: Historical paranormal romance (light on paranormal)
✅ smart FL x caring ML
✅ second marriage (FL)
🆗 world building
✅ royalty
✅ jerk ex
✅ village life

The FL is dealing with STUFF. But she is smart and aware enough to think through her grief and know what she needs to do to preserve her sanity. The ML is an alderman of the North.

He is written as an understanding man. Frankly, I thought he was a touch immature for the life he was supposed to have lived. Not with the FL, but as his role as an alderman and basically the village king of his land.

Still and all, the plot was interesting. It pierced the surface enough to keep me engaged. Though I do think it could have gone deeper, or make the meat on the bone thicker (for lack of better phrasing). There were a lot of threads that were left loose which needed to be tied tighter. Like the thread with the uncle…

In conclusion, I won’t say I had an absolute gem of an experience, however, it was an enjoyable ride.

⬇️⬇️ trigger and spoiler warning ⬇️⬇️
Loss of a child from first marriage, and a disgusting mother.

[Aimee]

A pretty decent historical fantasy romance book. It needed a little bit of editing, but it is one of the better self-published books I've read. Love me some dangerous women! I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.

[Janna]

I really liked this one. You can see how much effort the author put into the historical accuracy and details—for the world-building and characters.
Also, I really liked that, unlike in the Daindreth's Assassin series, Brynn is a trained sorceress and knows how to use her magic (I didn't finish the series yet; Amira will have a lot of progress, I'm sure). The difficulties between Brynn and Cedric felt realistic, in regard to their culture differences and the fact that they didn't know each other until the wedding. I liked that both of them made mistakes, talked about them, discussed when they had different opinions, and tried to change their habits for the other person. It didn't feel like one character was already perfect and the other had to adjust.
In addition, in comparison to her older series, the author's writing style improved again a lot.

Greetings from Germany 💛

[Kortni]

3.5⭐️

I entered an online opportunity to receive and ARC of this and absolutely lost my shit when a copy actually showed up in my mailbox! 😭😭😭

I flew through this! This book made me feel so many emotions!

Sadness- For Brynn and Osbeorn… and for Nettles.

Smitten- Actually “awwwwwing” at Brynn and Cenric’s first kiss. Watching their love blossom. The vulnerability and rawness of their love.

Rage- Selene can choke on a huge bag of dicks… Honestly so can Paega.

Happiness- The dyrehunds. Period. “Friend?” “Snapper good boy!”

Sidenotes: I loved Edric and Gaitha… their banter made me chuckle.

I definitely recommend this Nordic fantasy romance to anyone and everyone. You won’t be disappointed!

***Thank you Elisabeth Wheatley for the advanced reader copy! I received this book for free but these are my own thoughts and opinions! -Kortni 🖤