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Viking Era #1
Season of the Sun
Zarabeth, with hair as red as an Irish sunset, is chosen by Magnus Haraldsson, a Viking on a trading visit to York, to be his wife. She is both stunned and fascinated by his bluntness, but is soon won over by this man who makes her laugh, brings her desire, and ultimately makes her trust him with her future and that of her little sister, Lotti. But her stepfather, Olav the Vain, has no intention of setting a bride price on Zarabeth.
Zarabeth does eventually return with Magnus to his farmstead in Norway, but as his slave, not as his wife. She wears the slave collar around her neck for all to see, but bears his distrust of her and her own pain deep within her.
It is the season of the sun in Norway, the clear midnight light of summer. It is a season of growth and flowering, of treachery and malice, of love and learning.
Zarabeth does eventually return with Magnus to his farmstead in Norway, but as his slave, not as his wife. She wears the slave collar around her neck for all to see, but bears his distrust of her and her own pain deep within her.
It is the season of the sun in Norway, the clear midnight light of summer. It is a season of growth and flowering, of treachery and malice, of love and learning.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
September 27, 2016
WARNING - this is not a G-rated review
First off, to everyone who gave this book 5 stars -- may I humbly suggest that you need THERAPY. I'm talking Sigmund Freud, Oedipus complex, slap from your mama therapy.
Second, this book is savage. I'm talking tear the skin off your back whippings, bust your lip bitch slaps, choke you till you pass out, MULTIPLE brutal pussy tearing rapes while you're balling and screaming NO, wearing a metal slave collar around your neck savage
Third, The endless barrage of verbal abuse and incessant threats of violence on a daily basis could only be endured by a heroine in this Gross mischaracterization of a romance novel. Any other woman would have killed herself 10 times over halfway through the book.
Fourth, for all you youngsters who read this book when you were like 13 and thought it was romantic I'm going to teach you a new word -- It's called Stockholm syndrome. Google/Skype/Instagram it -- whatever. Any person Who has been so brutalized and degraded by their captor, but then falls in love with them is suffering from this syndrome. Heads up, it's not a romantic, butterflies in your stomach kind of syndrome.
Read at your own peril.
First off, to everyone who gave this book 5 stars -- may I humbly suggest that you need THERAPY. I'm talking Sigmund Freud, Oedipus complex, slap from your mama therapy.
Second, this book is savage. I'm talking tear the skin off your back whippings, bust your lip bitch slaps, choke you till you pass out, MULTIPLE brutal pussy tearing rapes while you're balling and screaming NO, wearing a metal slave collar around your neck savage
Third, The endless barrage of verbal abuse and incessant threats of violence on a daily basis could only be endured by a heroine in this Gross mischaracterization of a romance novel. Any other woman would have killed herself 10 times over halfway through the book.
Fourth, for all you youngsters who read this book when you were like 13 and thought it was romantic I'm going to teach you a new word -- It's called Stockholm syndrome. Google/Skype/Instagram it -- whatever. Any person Who has been so brutalized and degraded by their captor, but then falls in love with them is suffering from this syndrome. Heads up, it's not a romantic, butterflies in your stomach kind of syndrome.
Read at your own peril.
February 10, 2017
Superb Tale of the Norsemen
A well-told Viking tale set in the Danelaw (Danish-ruled territory of England) and Norway in the late 9th century. Like others of Coulter’s, she doesn’t hold back when it comes to the violence of the times nor the cruelty inflicted on a worthy heroine by a bold alpha male who has his information wrong. I love that about her writing, but some who are looking for a softer story might not. If you can get past that (and I did), the story will hold your attention and I highly recommend it. Coulter’s portrayal of loss and grief were, in my opinion, nothing short of brilliant.
It tells the story of Magnus Haraldsson, a jarl from Norway and a merchant, who on a trip to York, spots the woman he wants for his wife, beautiful Irish Zarabeth (I pictured a young Maureen O’Hara). He introduces himself to her, basically telling her she will wed him. He’s direct about his accomplishments and knows when he kisses her she finds him attractive. Innocent Zarabeth will have the Viking if he’ll take her young deaf half sister, Lotti, which he will. But her evil stepfather, Olav the Vain, who wants her as his own wife, forces her to reject the Viking threatening to kill Lotti who he loathes. Zarabeth rejects the Viking and he sails away, bitter at her action. Olav weds her, but never beds her due to his poisoning by his son’s greedy wife. Zarabeth is framed for Olaf’s murder and at her trial, Magnus arrives to persuade the court to make Zarabeth his slave instead of killing her. Thus it is that Zarabeth sails for Norway with Magnus, but as his slave, not his wife.
Talk about the perils of Pauline! This heroine had her troubles in spades. Both she and the hero at times seemed a bit dense. Initially, she failed to trust Magnus to help her and he believed the lie she did not want him. But each has courage that is compelling. The whole time I was reading her misadventures, I kept thinking that this is one hero who is going to have to grovel big time in the end. And I was not disappointed. Neither will you be. Both Zarabeth and Magnus will suffer before they find happiness. I thought Coulter did a superb job in this well-researched tale of the Norsemen.
It’s exciting, fast-paced, detailed and well written. For Viking romance lovers, it is not one to be missed.
Coulter’s Viking Series:
SEASON OF THE SUN
LORD OF HAWKFELL ISLAND
LORD OF RAVEN’S PEAK
LORD OF FALCON RIDGE
A well-told Viking tale set in the Danelaw (Danish-ruled territory of England) and Norway in the late 9th century. Like others of Coulter’s, she doesn’t hold back when it comes to the violence of the times nor the cruelty inflicted on a worthy heroine by a bold alpha male who has his information wrong. I love that about her writing, but some who are looking for a softer story might not. If you can get past that (and I did), the story will hold your attention and I highly recommend it. Coulter’s portrayal of loss and grief were, in my opinion, nothing short of brilliant.
It tells the story of Magnus Haraldsson, a jarl from Norway and a merchant, who on a trip to York, spots the woman he wants for his wife, beautiful Irish Zarabeth (I pictured a young Maureen O’Hara). He introduces himself to her, basically telling her she will wed him. He’s direct about his accomplishments and knows when he kisses her she finds him attractive. Innocent Zarabeth will have the Viking if he’ll take her young deaf half sister, Lotti, which he will. But her evil stepfather, Olav the Vain, who wants her as his own wife, forces her to reject the Viking threatening to kill Lotti who he loathes. Zarabeth rejects the Viking and he sails away, bitter at her action. Olav weds her, but never beds her due to his poisoning by his son’s greedy wife. Zarabeth is framed for Olaf’s murder and at her trial, Magnus arrives to persuade the court to make Zarabeth his slave instead of killing her. Thus it is that Zarabeth sails for Norway with Magnus, but as his slave, not his wife.
Talk about the perils of Pauline! This heroine had her troubles in spades. Both she and the hero at times seemed a bit dense. Initially, she failed to trust Magnus to help her and he believed the lie she did not want him. But each has courage that is compelling. The whole time I was reading her misadventures, I kept thinking that this is one hero who is going to have to grovel big time in the end. And I was not disappointed. Neither will you be. Both Zarabeth and Magnus will suffer before they find happiness. I thought Coulter did a superb job in this well-researched tale of the Norsemen.
It’s exciting, fast-paced, detailed and well written. For Viking romance lovers, it is not one to be missed.
Coulter’s Viking Series:
SEASON OF THE SUN
LORD OF HAWKFELL ISLAND
LORD OF RAVEN’S PEAK
LORD OF FALCON RIDGE
November 11, 2016
If you believe that authors (consciously or subconsciously) get inspired from their private lives before putting pen to paper, then I wonder if Catherine Coulter had a big grudge against her sister-in-law. In Season of the Sun, an awkward, bizarre, Viking bodice-ripper best left on the shelf, we get not one but two insane, shrieking, harpies who spend their time torturing and plotting the demise of their sister-in-law, the heroine. Not that the villainy stops with those characters. There are plenty of revolting baddies in this saga, not the least of which is the dumb-as-a-post "hero" torn between his hateful revenge against the heroine based on a long list of imagined grievances, and his inexplicable lust for her. But I guess what disappointed me the most, besides the complete train wreck of a story, was the lack of even an iota of authenticity in the historical setting. Even extremely mediocre Viking books such as Tara's Song had at the very least a little bit of interesting historical fiction inserted into all the raping and pillaging.
June 18, 2025
4.5 stars rounded down because it would be too embarrassing to round up when a book contains a line of foreplay like “I will take you now.” (Pauses uncertainly. Maybe…? No, no, certainly not.) Welcome to Coulter Land, where the Vikings are tall, blond, and handsome, and hysterical women get sedated by a fist to the jaw.
Magnus Haraldsson spies Zarabeth on a trading stop in York. She has flaming red hair and green, green eyes and it takes him about two minutes to make up his mind to wed her.
“I don’t mean to frighten you, but when I make up my mind it is done. I bathe often, as is the custom in my country, and I don’t smell sour. Sniff me now if you will. I have all my teeth and I don’t carry fat on my belly. Men cannot fight to their best ability if they carry fat on their bodies. I never will. I don’t beat women.” He paused, frowning, then shrugged. “I do have a slave, Cyra, who much enjoys a belt on her thighs and buttocks, but I give it to her sparingly, for I do not wish to spoil her.”
It’s fortunate he’s good-looking, right? Zarabeth actually likes his spiel, but her gross stepfather has been saving her for himself and threatens to kill her young, deaf sister if she doesn’t reject Magnus. She thinks she can outwit her stepfather but she’s wrong, and her life goes from bad to worse until she’s facing a death sentence for murder, at which point Magnus saves her, not to make her his wife but to make her his slave, complete with an iron dog collar.
At Magnus’s homestead in Norway, Zarabeth’s existence is a personal affront to Ingunn, Magnus’s cruel and irrational sister, who vows to be rid of her. While Ingunn is insulting or whipping Zarabeth behind Magnus’s back, Magnus decides he’s waited long enough to “have” her, and informs her she will enjoy it. She resists, affording Magnus little satisfaction, until biology ultimately betrays her.
“It matters not,” she said, and shrugged. “I knew you would force me. I also knew that you could not really touch me, only my body. I expect that my body would react thus to any man’s touch.”
Which goads him into further atrocities. If the reader wasn’t aware of Magnus’s hopelessly deep, unwavering, unwilling obsession with Zarabeth, this would be unbearable. As it is, it’s infuriating and awful and probably much kinder and gentler than what really happened to women slaves during the late 800’s.
Tragedy strikes, followed by insult and injury. The villains didn’t steal the book, but they took over the last 20% or so and embellished the ending with touches of madness and mayhem.
As usual, somehow Catherine Coulter makes another brutal bodice-ripper (yes! A bodice was actually ripped!) entirely entertaining and quite a bit of fun in a self-inflicted painful kind of way, and I enjoyed the heck out of it and this buddy read with Izzah, who’s no stranger to self-inflicted literary pain.
Magnus Haraldsson spies Zarabeth on a trading stop in York. She has flaming red hair and green, green eyes and it takes him about two minutes to make up his mind to wed her.
“I don’t mean to frighten you, but when I make up my mind it is done. I bathe often, as is the custom in my country, and I don’t smell sour. Sniff me now if you will. I have all my teeth and I don’t carry fat on my belly. Men cannot fight to their best ability if they carry fat on their bodies. I never will. I don’t beat women.” He paused, frowning, then shrugged. “I do have a slave, Cyra, who much enjoys a belt on her thighs and buttocks, but I give it to her sparingly, for I do not wish to spoil her.”
It’s fortunate he’s good-looking, right? Zarabeth actually likes his spiel, but her gross stepfather has been saving her for himself and threatens to kill her young, deaf sister if she doesn’t reject Magnus. She thinks she can outwit her stepfather but she’s wrong, and her life goes from bad to worse until she’s facing a death sentence for murder, at which point Magnus saves her, not to make her his wife but to make her his slave, complete with an iron dog collar.
At Magnus’s homestead in Norway, Zarabeth’s existence is a personal affront to Ingunn, Magnus’s cruel and irrational sister, who vows to be rid of her. While Ingunn is insulting or whipping Zarabeth behind Magnus’s back, Magnus decides he’s waited long enough to “have” her, and informs her she will enjoy it. She resists, affording Magnus little satisfaction, until biology ultimately betrays her.
“It matters not,” she said, and shrugged. “I knew you would force me. I also knew that you could not really touch me, only my body. I expect that my body would react thus to any man’s touch.”
Which goads him into further atrocities. If the reader wasn’t aware of Magnus’s hopelessly deep, unwavering, unwilling obsession with Zarabeth, this would be unbearable. As it is, it’s infuriating and awful and probably much kinder and gentler than what really happened to women slaves during the late 800’s.
Tragedy strikes, followed by insult and injury. The villains didn’t steal the book, but they took over the last 20% or so and embellished the ending with touches of madness and mayhem.
As usual, somehow Catherine Coulter makes another brutal bodice-ripper (yes! A bodice was actually ripped!) entirely entertaining and quite a bit of fun in a self-inflicted painful kind of way, and I enjoyed the heck out of it and this buddy read with Izzah, who’s no stranger to self-inflicted literary pain.
January 2, 2022
Forgot how disgusting CC books can be 🤡
*me finishing it in one setting, feeling sick for the heroine and generally depressed but need to know how the hell it ends*
Ah, well. Lord of Hawkfell Island is still my fav! Book 3 is on my list.
We got most of the nasty tropes here, folks… Review to come!
*Full Review*
Season of the Sun is good but it also hasn't aged terribly well. A lot of GR reviewers have said this is a gloomy read and this assessment hits it on the nail. I felt sick for the heroine. She's not a doormat but she does suffer in silence and it's awful to read about it.
In bodice rippers that I have read when the heroine is put through the wringer, she's either fighting back or she suddenly transforms into a survivor. This is good. This feels empowering. This is exciting to read. However, I could not feel for our heroine because I just felt like she gives up. And I'm honestly not blaming her because who wouldn't in her situation?
But that's also not the point at all of why I want to read a bananas book or how I want to feel reading a bananas book.
The heroine needs to match the energy of a book that has incest, rape etc. or else it is gloomy af. CC definitely writes with that touch of Punishing The Heroine where she just can't seem to catch a break, and everything she says, does, heck, breathes on, can and will be used against her. I don't mind the Big Misunderstanding trope but this way of using this trope is one I am glad no longer lives on newer romances because 1) It's more frustrating than romance angst-inducing and 2) I have no respect for the dumb dumb hero.
Zarabeth is spied on by our viking hero, Magnus while he is on a trading mission. After stalking her for 2 days and making daydreams about her, he decides she is The One. She shall be his wife! After one of the most stilted come on's that nevertheless works on Zarabeth, Magnus and Zarabeth experience exactly 5 hours of relationship harmony before it all goes to hell in a handbasket for the next 350 pages.
Magnus wants to immediately marry Zarabeth, figuring he can kill two birds with one stone: finish trading and head home with a wife. This gives them a few days but Magnus did not plan for a villainous stepfather…
Zarabeth’s merchant stepfather has lascivious thoughts towards her and threatens taking away her younger sister, Lottie, if she goes through with marrying the viking. Stepfather has already taken Lottie to an undisclosed location so when he tells Zarabeth to reject Magnus’ proposal and make it believable she is rejecting him out of her own will, she does it, and Magnus becomes a born-again misogynist, believing the worst of Zarabeth (conniving, greedy woman etc.)
Although Zarabeth tries to reach Magnus to explain everything after she retrieves Lottie from a place that she has a hunch about, she is too late as Magnus has sailed back home.
Stepfather announces shortly thereafter that he will marry her. They marry but due to a mysterious sickness that he is afflicted with, he is found dead without the marriage ever being consummated and Zarabeth stands on trial for his murder.
At the end of the trial, she is considered guilty but Magnus is in town and offers to buy her as a slave from her stepbrother who is also her stepson, if you think about it. Also don’t think about it but he was also creepy with Zarabeth too. Magnus also believes that she is capable of murder because if she can reject a marriage proposal from some guy she just met, she must be capable of so much evil 😂😒
Off Zarabeth and Magnus go to his homestead but instead of husband and wife as they might have liked, now as master and slave with Big Misunderstanding between them.
My problem with the set-up is that Zarabeth knows where her stepfather is hiding Lottie. Not only that but when Zarabeth “breaks” things off with Magnus, he gives her an out telling her to tell him if she's being forced to say these things.
Why didn't Zarabeth tell Magnus that she was being coerced? Especially when she had a really good hunch where Lottie was being held? Even if Zarabeth’s stepfather was watching the proceedings, she could have alerted Magnus to this too.
I guess we wouldn't have a story but after that first betrayal, the whole story revolves around Magnus punishing Zarabeth for her perceived sins. Magnus puts a slave collar on her after some random dude hits on her. While she tells him the truth, he immediately thinks that he can’t “trust her”. This is, tbh, very aggravating to read.
At Magnus’ home, she is treated by harsh words and a messed up whipping by Magnus' sister, Ingunn.
I felt gross by a lot of the scenes. No rapes except by the hero and OMG this left a huge sour taste in my mouth: After a tragedy befalls Zarabeth and Magnus, they are both completely depressed but Magnus thinks to rape Zarabeth back to life. And then Zarabeth, at the end of the novel, even talks to Magnus about this, and is understanding, even thanking him in a way for trying to do something to get her back to the surface. smdh
This is what I mean that this can be a gloomy read because heroine has awful things happen to her but she is not angry about the injustice. Unless it’s about Lottie then she will become a rabid guard dog. I wanted her to WAKE UP and GET IT TOGETHER. Like, have some self respect and at least try to hatch an escape plot 🥵
And ugh Magnus. Another bozo alpha. Besides being too comfortable resorting to violence to silence Zarabeth’s hysterics, he never grovels. He never apologizes for believing in the worst in Zarabeth even when he knows better. When he finds out she is not a murderer, he simply bats his eyelash and carries forth. I can’t even remember now if they have an honest conversation at the end of the novel about why she was forced to reject his proposal in the first place.
Also - the heroine doesn't even give a shit, either?? She never takes him to task like, uhh do you remember when you thought I betrayed you and literally treated me like a slave?
This is a big double standard in romance novels- when the hero expects heroine to be perfect but also expects the heroine to give him so much rope. How Magnus reacts to being rejected is the first red flag. He didn’t know her yet expected so much from a stranger he barely spoke to. He took it so personally when she should change her mind yet when he found out good information about her (not a murderer), crickets.
Nope. I can't help but think of Stormfire where the hero was an absolute bastard to the heroine but awful things happened to him too. Now I'm not asking for tit for tat. But damn, not even a grovel? Not even an apology?
Side note about the villains: Orm and Ingunn are excellent villains. I particularly liked Ingunn. She's vile, but she was very compelling. I particularly liked how she ends things with Orm. Very haunting.
There was a lot that disturbed me in Season of the Sun. Reminder to self: CC is not messing around! She is, after all, the author of Devil's Embrace which made me feel so sick that I unconsciously made the decision to avoid books by her.
Having said all of this, I read it one sitting and I'm probably going to finish this viking series. I am a glutton for punishment.
*me finishing it in one setting, feeling sick for the heroine and generally depressed but need to know how the hell it ends*
Ah, well. Lord of Hawkfell Island is still my fav! Book 3 is on my list.
We got most of the nasty tropes here, folks… Review to come!
*Full Review*
Season of the Sun is good but it also hasn't aged terribly well. A lot of GR reviewers have said this is a gloomy read and this assessment hits it on the nail. I felt sick for the heroine. She's not a doormat but she does suffer in silence and it's awful to read about it.
In bodice rippers that I have read when the heroine is put through the wringer, she's either fighting back or she suddenly transforms into a survivor. This is good. This feels empowering. This is exciting to read. However, I could not feel for our heroine because I just felt like she gives up. And I'm honestly not blaming her because who wouldn't in her situation?
But that's also not the point at all of why I want to read a bananas book or how I want to feel reading a bananas book.
The heroine needs to match the energy of a book that has incest, rape etc. or else it is gloomy af. CC definitely writes with that touch of Punishing The Heroine where she just can't seem to catch a break, and everything she says, does, heck, breathes on, can and will be used against her. I don't mind the Big Misunderstanding trope but this way of using this trope is one I am glad no longer lives on newer romances because 1) It's more frustrating than romance angst-inducing and 2) I have no respect for the dumb dumb hero.
Zarabeth is spied on by our viking hero, Magnus while he is on a trading mission. After stalking her for 2 days and making daydreams about her, he decides she is The One. She shall be his wife! After one of the most stilted come on's that nevertheless works on Zarabeth, Magnus and Zarabeth experience exactly 5 hours of relationship harmony before it all goes to hell in a handbasket for the next 350 pages.
Magnus wants to immediately marry Zarabeth, figuring he can kill two birds with one stone: finish trading and head home with a wife. This gives them a few days but Magnus did not plan for a villainous stepfather…
Zarabeth’s merchant stepfather has lascivious thoughts towards her and threatens taking away her younger sister, Lottie, if she goes through with marrying the viking. Stepfather has already taken Lottie to an undisclosed location so when he tells Zarabeth to reject Magnus’ proposal and make it believable she is rejecting him out of her own will, she does it, and Magnus becomes a born-again misogynist, believing the worst of Zarabeth (conniving, greedy woman etc.)
Although Zarabeth tries to reach Magnus to explain everything after she retrieves Lottie from a place that she has a hunch about, she is too late as Magnus has sailed back home.
Stepfather announces shortly thereafter that he will marry her. They marry but due to a mysterious sickness that he is afflicted with, he is found dead without the marriage ever being consummated and Zarabeth stands on trial for his murder.
At the end of the trial, she is considered guilty but Magnus is in town and offers to buy her as a slave from her stepbrother who is also her stepson, if you think about it. Also don’t think about it but he was also creepy with Zarabeth too. Magnus also believes that she is capable of murder because if she can reject a marriage proposal from some guy she just met, she must be capable of so much evil 😂😒
Off Zarabeth and Magnus go to his homestead but instead of husband and wife as they might have liked, now as master and slave with Big Misunderstanding between them.
My problem with the set-up is that Zarabeth knows where her stepfather is hiding Lottie. Not only that but when Zarabeth “breaks” things off with Magnus, he gives her an out telling her to tell him if she's being forced to say these things.
Why didn't Zarabeth tell Magnus that she was being coerced? Especially when she had a really good hunch where Lottie was being held? Even if Zarabeth’s stepfather was watching the proceedings, she could have alerted Magnus to this too.
I guess we wouldn't have a story but after that first betrayal, the whole story revolves around Magnus punishing Zarabeth for her perceived sins. Magnus puts a slave collar on her after some random dude hits on her. While she tells him the truth, he immediately thinks that he can’t “trust her”. This is, tbh, very aggravating to read.
At Magnus’ home, she is treated by harsh words and a messed up whipping by Magnus' sister, Ingunn.
I felt gross by a lot of the scenes. No rapes except by the hero and OMG this left a huge sour taste in my mouth: After a tragedy befalls Zarabeth and Magnus, they are both completely depressed but Magnus thinks to rape Zarabeth back to life. And then Zarabeth, at the end of the novel, even talks to Magnus about this, and is understanding, even thanking him in a way for trying to do something to get her back to the surface. smdh
This is what I mean that this can be a gloomy read because heroine has awful things happen to her but she is not angry about the injustice. Unless it’s about Lottie then she will become a rabid guard dog. I wanted her to WAKE UP and GET IT TOGETHER. Like, have some self respect and at least try to hatch an escape plot 🥵
And ugh Magnus. Another bozo alpha. Besides being too comfortable resorting to violence to silence Zarabeth’s hysterics, he never grovels. He never apologizes for believing in the worst in Zarabeth even when he knows better. When he finds out she is not a murderer, he simply bats his eyelash and carries forth. I can’t even remember now if they have an honest conversation at the end of the novel about why she was forced to reject his proposal in the first place.
Also - the heroine doesn't even give a shit, either?? She never takes him to task like, uhh do you remember when you thought I betrayed you and literally treated me like a slave?
This is a big double standard in romance novels- when the hero expects heroine to be perfect but also expects the heroine to give him so much rope. How Magnus reacts to being rejected is the first red flag. He didn’t know her yet expected so much from a stranger he barely spoke to. He took it so personally when she should change her mind yet when he found out good information about her (not a murderer), crickets.
Nope. I can't help but think of Stormfire where the hero was an absolute bastard to the heroine but awful things happened to him too. Now I'm not asking for tit for tat. But damn, not even a grovel? Not even an apology?
Side note about the villains: Orm and Ingunn are excellent villains. I particularly liked Ingunn. She's vile, but she was very compelling. I particularly liked how she ends things with Orm. Very haunting.
There was a lot that disturbed me in Season of the Sun. Reminder to self: CC is not messing around! She is, after all, the author of Devil's Embrace which made me feel so sick that I unconsciously made the decision to avoid books by her.
Having said all of this, I read it one sitting and I'm probably going to finish this viking series. I am a glutton for punishment.
December 14, 2025
Season of the Punish the Heroine Because Life in 900s Sucked for Women~
My review is basically a giant trigger warning~
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ This is a full fledged hardcore bodice ripper. Bodices are metaphorically and literallyrapped ripped.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The hero is not redeemed. At least in my opinion. Their initial misunderstanding/side character manipulation isn't even addressed properly.
King: "Oh yeah, btw, heroine never did the thing that made you want to take your revenge against her in the first place."
Hero: "Huh"
Heroine: "..."
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The villains are truly brutal. In fact, I would say one of them is bordering on incestous and the other is mad just because the story needs them to be mad.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The ending is so anticlimactic. All of that suffering to have it all end with the MCs not even present.
🚨However,🚨 I just couldn't put it down. I was morbidly glued to the pages shaking with fear, anticipation, revulsion and despair.
It's one of those books you would never read again, but now that you've made it to the other side, you're kinda relieved you survived the experience. Kinda like an imaginary near death experience. It gives you a new outlook on books and makes you glad for the heroes that you do have~
As for the rating, I'm going to base it on the amount of emotions it evoked in me (that those emotions were 80% negative doesn't count) since I prefer for books to give me feelings instead of me apathetically going through the story.
4 noxious and malignant ★
╭┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈╮
Massive shoutout to my friend Gloria
who took this journey with me
when I was too much of a coward to walk it alone ♡
╰┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈ ୨୧ ┈ • ┈╯
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
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My review is basically a giant trigger warning~
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ This is a full fledged hardcore bodice ripper. Bodices are metaphorically and literally
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The hero is not redeemed. At least in my opinion. Their initial misunderstanding/side character manipulation isn't even addressed properly.
King: "Oh yeah, btw, heroine never did the thing that made you want to take your revenge against her in the first place."
Hero: "Huh"
Heroine: "..."
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The villains are truly brutal. In fact, I would say one of them is bordering on incestous and the other is mad just because the story needs them to be mad.
⋆ ˚☁️ ⁀➴ The ending is so anticlimactic. All of that suffering to have it all end with the MCs not even present.
🚨However,🚨 I just couldn't put it down. I was morbidly glued to the pages shaking with fear, anticipation, revulsion and despair.
It's one of those books you would never read again, but now that you've made it to the other side, you're kinda relieved you survived the experience. Kinda like an imaginary near death experience. It gives you a new outlook on books and makes you glad for the heroes that you do have~
As for the rating, I'm going to base it on the amount of emotions it evoked in me (that those emotions were 80% negative doesn't count) since I prefer for books to give me feelings instead of me apathetically going through the story.
4 noxious and malignant ★
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Massive shoutout to my friend Gloria
who took this journey with me
when I was too much of a coward to walk it alone ♡
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬
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October 3, 2014
What a ridiculous book.
This is the second Catherine Coulter book I've picked up and it is the only one of her books I actually managed to finish (just barely).
I honestly don't know how is it possible that this woman is a considered to be a successful romance author.
Her writing style gives me a whiplash. One minute the characters are talking or thinking about one thing, and then all of a sudden, without any warning or subtlety, they change the topic of their conversation/thoughts. The author doesn't ease into it, she just jumps in, and that happens a lot, and it's utterly, completely and definitive annoying.
The hero and the heroine are one dimensional through 2/3 of the book, and through 1/3 of the book they are just ridiculous. There's little depth in these characters.
The first time Magnus spoke to Zarabeth he sounded like a robot, I imagined him doing a robot impression:
He walked to her, determination in every step, sparing not a word to any of the others, and said, even as she was lowering her pail into the well, “My name is Magnus Haraldsson. I am a farmer merchant and I and my family live near Kaupang in Norway. I am not a poor man, nor am I cruel or vicious, and I wish to wed with you.”
and...
She shook her head, wanting to laugh at what she’d thought he had said. “Nay, surely I mistook your words. Forgive me, but I thought you said that . . . But no. What did you say to me, sir?”
Magnus said again, still patient, for he was enchanted with the laughter and sweetness of her voice, “I said I want to wed with you. My name is Magnus Haraldsson. Your name is difficult for me, but I will say it now and come to say it with ease soon enough—Zarabeth.
and...
She tilted her head to the side, still smiling. He was brazen, this Viking. She peered down the well. “My bucket is lost. What am I to do?”
Magnus looked down at her, fascinated by how that smile of hers lit and warmed her green eyes. “I’ll get your bucket for you. My name is Magnus—”
“I know,” Zarabeth said. “Magnus Haraldsson, and you are a farmer and a trader and you are not cruel or vicious and you want to wed with me.”
He frowned. She was forward, this woman with her foreign name and her laughing smile. She was mocking him, pretending to seriousness, and he didn’t like it. “Aye,” he said, his voice cool now. “I want to wed with you. Now I’ll retrieve your pail for you.”
See what I'm saying? This could have been a funny, sweet, and charming introduction, but to me it just sounded robotic. Julie Garwood could make something like this look funny and charming, but Catherine Coulter had no such luck.
As for Zarabeth....well she's indecisive, a bit naive, and definitely has her TSTL moments. I didn't find her annoying, but I just didn't get her. I couldn't feel for her or her plight.
She fears and hates her stepfather, she thinks he's disgusting, he forced her to refuse Magnus, and threatened her sister's life in order to make her agree to marry him (his stepdaughter!?), and there's a strong possibility that he killed her mother, but after a while, without any real reason (at least I didn't see any) she thinks of him as a nice guy?:
I will say the truth, sire. I did not kill Olav. I tended him faithfully during his illness. He was kind to me. You were there at our wedding and you saw that he was pleased.
He was kind to you?!
Honestly I don't get it.
I don't know if I should give this book a 2 stars or a 1 star rating.
Why, oh why doesn't goodreads web site have a 10 stars rating?
If I'm being honest, it did held my interest long enough for me to finish it, so it should be 1 and 1/2 stars.
This is the second Catherine Coulter book I've picked up and it is the only one of her books I actually managed to finish (just barely).
I honestly don't know how is it possible that this woman is a considered to be a successful romance author.
Her writing style gives me a whiplash. One minute the characters are talking or thinking about one thing, and then all of a sudden, without any warning or subtlety, they change the topic of their conversation/thoughts. The author doesn't ease into it, she just jumps in, and that happens a lot, and it's utterly, completely and definitive annoying.
The hero and the heroine are one dimensional through 2/3 of the book, and through 1/3 of the book they are just ridiculous. There's little depth in these characters.
The first time Magnus spoke to Zarabeth he sounded like a robot, I imagined him doing a robot impression:
He walked to her, determination in every step, sparing not a word to any of the others, and said, even as she was lowering her pail into the well, “My name is Magnus Haraldsson. I am a farmer merchant and I and my family live near Kaupang in Norway. I am not a poor man, nor am I cruel or vicious, and I wish to wed with you.”
and...
She shook her head, wanting to laugh at what she’d thought he had said. “Nay, surely I mistook your words. Forgive me, but I thought you said that . . . But no. What did you say to me, sir?”
Magnus said again, still patient, for he was enchanted with the laughter and sweetness of her voice, “I said I want to wed with you. My name is Magnus Haraldsson. Your name is difficult for me, but I will say it now and come to say it with ease soon enough—Zarabeth.
and...
She tilted her head to the side, still smiling. He was brazen, this Viking. She peered down the well. “My bucket is lost. What am I to do?”
Magnus looked down at her, fascinated by how that smile of hers lit and warmed her green eyes. “I’ll get your bucket for you. My name is Magnus—”
“I know,” Zarabeth said. “Magnus Haraldsson, and you are a farmer and a trader and you are not cruel or vicious and you want to wed with me.”
He frowned. She was forward, this woman with her foreign name and her laughing smile. She was mocking him, pretending to seriousness, and he didn’t like it. “Aye,” he said, his voice cool now. “I want to wed with you. Now I’ll retrieve your pail for you.”
See what I'm saying? This could have been a funny, sweet, and charming introduction, but to me it just sounded robotic. Julie Garwood could make something like this look funny and charming, but Catherine Coulter had no such luck.
As for Zarabeth....well she's indecisive, a bit naive, and definitely has her TSTL moments. I didn't find her annoying, but I just didn't get her. I couldn't feel for her or her plight.
She fears and hates her stepfather, she thinks he's disgusting, he forced her to refuse Magnus, and threatened her sister's life in order to make her agree to marry him (his stepdaughter!?), and there's a strong possibility that he killed her mother, but after a while, without any real reason (at least I didn't see any) she thinks of him as a nice guy?:
I will say the truth, sire. I did not kill Olav. I tended him faithfully during his illness. He was kind to me. You were there at our wedding and you saw that he was pleased.
He was kind to you?!
Honestly I don't get it.
I don't know if I should give this book a 2 stars or a 1 star rating.
Why, oh why doesn't goodreads web site have a 10 stars rating?
If I'm being honest, it did held my interest long enough for me to finish it, so it should be 1 and 1/2 stars.
September 30, 2021
I was glued to this book mainly due to the plotting device here and stayed up way too late to read it.
.
But our poor heroine! The author made her suffer so much she went borderline insane. Our hero suffered as well and it reminded me of those times when you fall in love and it’s as if your whole life turns upside down.
I am so on edge on how to rate this book. It was an intriguing book. The author is definitely original, “ballsy” and talented. Both MCs were fantastic well developed characters. I enjoyed the medieval Viking setting in England and Norway.
But the amount of cruel suffering in this book is not outweighed by the positive and there is too much rape.
I will read more of Catherine Coulter though.
.
But our poor heroine! The author made her suffer so much she went borderline insane. Our hero suffered as well and it reminded me of those times when you fall in love and it’s as if your whole life turns upside down.
I am so on edge on how to rate this book. It was an intriguing book. The author is definitely original, “ballsy” and talented. Both MCs were fantastic well developed characters. I enjoyed the medieval Viking setting in England and Norway.
But the amount of cruel suffering in this book is not outweighed by the positive and there is too much rape.
I will read more of Catherine Coulter though.
July 8, 2020
Good, but did make me cry a lot. The h treats the hr crampy for awhile. The other books in the series are better.
March 8, 2019
Lei si chiamava Zarabeth. Era la figliastra di Olav il vanitoso, un ricco mercante di pellicce di Jorvik, o York, come la chiamavano i residenti anglosassoni. Non era la donna più bella che lui avesse mai visto. La sua schiva, Cyra, era più seducente, più generosamente femminile nelle forme. A differenza della maggior parte degli uomini e delle donne della sua terra d’origine, ma in realtà anche di molti degli abitanti del Danelaw, quella ragazza non aveva capelli così biondi da apparire quasi bianchi nel sole di mezzogiorno.
No, i suoi capelli erano di un rosso fiammeggiante, un rosso intenso che diventava cupo come il sangue quando nessuna luce li rischiarava.
Credo che questo sia il terzo o quarto romanzo che leggo della Coulter e l'impressione che ne ho sempre è che sia un'autrice di storici stile anni '90 (quindi tomi piuttosto corposi, caratterizzati da buon e dettagliato approfondimento dell'epoca). Anche questo libro lo conferma.
E devo dire che, pur non essendo amante dei romanzi roboanti e soprattutto di quelli dedicati ai Vichinghi: ho pure lasciato la serie Vikings dopo tre puntate per sopravvenuta noia...), ho amato questo libro.
Credo che il suo più grande pregio sia la coerenza.
Quante volte mi sono venuti i nervi per personaggi calati a forza in epoche non loro, con atteggiamenti e dialoghi contraddittori. Potrei fare una lista molto lunga, in effetti, proprio di romanzi dove il vichingo di turno, cinque minuti dopo essere sceso con ascia e spada a depredare un villaggio, diventa il solito predone gentiluomo, premuroso e raffinato.
Ebbene, qui no.
E che caspita: Magnus è davvero un uomo del suo tempo (875 d.C.).
Ovvero un maschio abituato a imporsi con la forza e la violenza, che gestisce i destini delle donne di famiglia, che considera praticamente le donne come schiave, serve, concubine o madri dei suoi figli futuri.
Questo è, e quando vede Zarabeth, pensa soltanto a come "comprarsela" (pardon, pagare la dote e riscattarla) dal maschio che ne ha la gestione in quel momento, perchè vede in lei un corpo che lo eccita e che vuole piazzare nel proprio focolare domestico.
Le cose non vanno per il verso giusto, ma Magnus non cambia pelle, non si tramuta in un cucciolone. Semmai si incattivisce e punisce Zarabeth, anche se lei non è ha colpa ed una ragazza senza protezione e senza diritti.
Forse questo lo rende meno romantico delle classiche storie a cui siamo abituati, forse qui prevalgono le frustate e la violenza, e tanti soprusi (ma non solo da Magnus, bensì da tutta la società del tempo). E forse lo rende un romanzo piuttosto duro e crudele, però anche credibile.
Io l'ho trovato soprattutto ben scritto, ben articolato, con ricchezza di particolari e di ricostruzioni (che ti fanno dire, ehi, siamo proprio in quell'epoca).
Riusciti anche i personaggi di contorno: Indunn, Cyra, Igill, Lotti.
In conclusione: magari non il classico romanzo rosa, ma un signor romanzo.
No, i suoi capelli erano di un rosso fiammeggiante, un rosso intenso che diventava cupo come il sangue quando nessuna luce li rischiarava.
Credo che questo sia il terzo o quarto romanzo che leggo della Coulter e l'impressione che ne ho sempre è che sia un'autrice di storici stile anni '90 (quindi tomi piuttosto corposi, caratterizzati da buon e dettagliato approfondimento dell'epoca). Anche questo libro lo conferma.
E devo dire che, pur non essendo amante dei romanzi roboanti e soprattutto di quelli dedicati ai Vichinghi: ho pure lasciato la serie Vikings dopo tre puntate per sopravvenuta noia...), ho amato questo libro.
Credo che il suo più grande pregio sia la coerenza.
Quante volte mi sono venuti i nervi per personaggi calati a forza in epoche non loro, con atteggiamenti e dialoghi contraddittori. Potrei fare una lista molto lunga, in effetti, proprio di romanzi dove il vichingo di turno, cinque minuti dopo essere sceso con ascia e spada a depredare un villaggio, diventa il solito predone gentiluomo, premuroso e raffinato.
Ebbene, qui no.
E che caspita: Magnus è davvero un uomo del suo tempo (875 d.C.).
Ovvero un maschio abituato a imporsi con la forza e la violenza, che gestisce i destini delle donne di famiglia, che considera praticamente le donne come schiave, serve, concubine o madri dei suoi figli futuri.
Questo è, e quando vede Zarabeth, pensa soltanto a come "comprarsela" (pardon, pagare la dote e riscattarla) dal maschio che ne ha la gestione in quel momento, perchè vede in lei un corpo che lo eccita e che vuole piazzare nel proprio focolare domestico.
Le cose non vanno per il verso giusto, ma Magnus non cambia pelle, non si tramuta in un cucciolone. Semmai si incattivisce e punisce Zarabeth, anche se lei non è ha colpa ed una ragazza senza protezione e senza diritti.
Forse questo lo rende meno romantico delle classiche storie a cui siamo abituati, forse qui prevalgono le frustate e la violenza, e tanti soprusi (ma non solo da Magnus, bensì da tutta la società del tempo). E forse lo rende un romanzo piuttosto duro e crudele, però anche credibile.
Io l'ho trovato soprattutto ben scritto, ben articolato, con ricchezza di particolari e di ricostruzioni (che ti fanno dire, ehi, siamo proprio in quell'epoca).
Riusciti anche i personaggi di contorno: Indunn, Cyra, Igill, Lotti.
In conclusione: magari non il classico romanzo rosa, ma un signor romanzo.
August 19, 2025
《5 ☆》
Is this categorized as dark? Nope, actually. It’s a soft bodice ripper. It fits the standard amount of disturbing, disgustingly so, yet I couldn’t see myself stop reading. I found myself doing the classic ‘just 5 more mins’ then bam, it��s 4 am
The first day they meet, the guy is already obsessed with her red hair; next thing you know, he’s horny, smitten, and has marriage on his mind. Meanwhile, our innocent heroine is just trying to survive day by day, forced to deal with his whole “I shall not be rejected or else” attitude. But sigh… his tall, broad, blonde, blue-eyed self 🧿👄🧿 keeps staring at her so intensely that she slowly falls for his sweet(?) words.
Then she bruises his teeny-tiny fragile ego, and he turns into an ass. Oh, and let’s not forget: he claims his estate is the most beautiful, mesmerizing place ever, but in reality the people there are living in what basically feels like in gotham city. One wrong breath, you got the iron fist move: beaten up or beaten up for good cause . The next second would be someone or he’s saying the most audacious, jaw-dropping things imaginable.
But do I hate this book? Nay, I wave a pride flag for this one 🤞💥����
tags.
down bad viking (love his ass tbh), good plot, forced proximity, master x slave very tamed version, sisterhood 🤞
“Wed with you? But you hate me, you believe me a murderess, that I betrayed you.”
“Aye, we will be done quickly enough.”
“But why? No one wishes you to. I bring you nothing!”
“It didn’t matter before to me and it doesn’t matter now. You could be wearing only your hair and it wouldn’t matter to me. Will you exchange your pledge of faith with me?”
Is this categorized as dark? Nope, actually. It’s a soft bodice ripper. It fits the standard amount of disturbing, disgustingly so, yet I couldn’t see myself stop reading. I found myself doing the classic ‘just 5 more mins’ then bam, it��s 4 am
The first day they meet, the guy is already obsessed with her red hair; next thing you know, he’s horny, smitten, and has marriage on his mind. Meanwhile, our innocent heroine is just trying to survive day by day, forced to deal with his whole “I shall not be rejected or else” attitude. But sigh… his tall, broad, blonde, blue-eyed self 🧿👄🧿 keeps staring at her so intensely that she slowly falls for his sweet(?) words.
Then she bruises his teeny-tiny fragile ego, and he turns into an ass. Oh, and let’s not forget: he claims his estate is the most beautiful, mesmerizing place ever, but in reality the people there are living in what basically feels like in gotham city. One wrong breath, you got the iron fist move: beaten up or beaten up for good cause . The next second would be someone or he’s saying the most audacious, jaw-dropping things imaginable.
But do I hate this book? Nay, I wave a pride flag for this one 🤞💥����
tags.
down bad viking (love his ass tbh), good plot, forced proximity, master x slave very tamed version, sisterhood 🤞
February 28, 2020
2.5, mostly for the angst. :)
February 11, 2021
I know Vikings are all the rage now-- lots of fans of the cable series. If the series is anything like this book, I gotta go catch up.
Fascinating era-- this book includes some real historical figures of the Viking vs. Saxon time period but was mainly a HF entry with a TV mini-series feel.
As well-written as other Coulter books yet a little formulaic now that I've read some of her other series (plucky heroine, strong, silent hero, crazy villain, trusty friend, lecher old dude, jealous old flame-- you get the picture).
Will check out the next in the series.
Fascinating era-- this book includes some real historical figures of the Viking vs. Saxon time period but was mainly a HF entry with a TV mini-series feel.
As well-written as other Coulter books yet a little formulaic now that I've read some of her other series (plucky heroine, strong, silent hero, crazy villain, trusty friend, lecher old dude, jealous old flame-- you get the picture).
Will check out the next in the series.
February 3, 2022
She was crying when he held her close to him to sleep. “You are mine now,” he said over and over as he stroked his hands up and down her back.
September 5, 2021
I’m not sure about this book.
The plot is quite good. Typical bodice ripper where the h has to endure abuses by all characters in the book.
Her stepfather
Her stepbrother and his wife
The hero
The hero’s sister
The villain
She is: threatened, blackmailed, charged with her husbands death, imprisoned, sold as a slave, raped, beaten ( repeatedly) kidnapped, slut shamed, debased.
What is not convincing are some inconsistencies.
-some issue are not solved in the end: did her sf kill her mother?
Did she even tell the hero she was blackmailed by her sf to leave the H because he threatened to kill her sister?
It’s not explained.
The hero is not an alpha man but a bully, a sulking child who is angry because he can’t have what he wants (her).
He always refers to her betrayal when actually all she did was refuse to marry him.
His coping was to buy her as a slave, put a slave collar on her, demean her, debase her, repeatedly rape her.
And the man is not even so smart.
He didn’t even understand her lil sis was deaf.
The sex scenes were yucky, not sexy.
And I’m not a prude.
There’s also a science fiction part, where the hero after raping her, forces her to have an orgasm, to submit her.
That is really science fiction, when actually even when a woman is willing is not so easy she has orgasms. Imagine if she’s hurting and shocked, and obviously hating her rapist.
Not believable.
Then there is the prose.
Sometimes the characters feelings are not clearly explained. It’s like some kind of dialogue without any reference about what they are thinking.
A bit weird.
And sometimes their behaviors are incongruous.
For example: when the heroine runs away with her sister in a boat and her sister falls into the water and drowns, she’s angry with the H because she thinks he’s guilty. All the things he’s guilty of, this was not the one. She should have been angry because he treated her as dirt, because he raped her, debased her, put a collar on her as a dog, but no, she’s angry with him because she put her sister on a boat and she drowned. How crazy is that?
Some parts are good, the best is actually when she tries to run away with her sister. Mayhem happens afterwards. This was the only part really angsty.
The rest, even if it should have been angsty, fails to convince.
The plot is quite good. Typical bodice ripper where the h has to endure abuses by all characters in the book.
Her stepfather
Her stepbrother and his wife
The hero
The hero’s sister
The villain
She is: threatened, blackmailed, charged with her husbands death, imprisoned, sold as a slave, raped, beaten ( repeatedly) kidnapped, slut shamed, debased.
What is not convincing are some inconsistencies.
-some issue are not solved in the end: did her sf kill her mother?
Did she even tell the hero she was blackmailed by her sf to leave the H because he threatened to kill her sister?
It’s not explained.
The hero is not an alpha man but a bully, a sulking child who is angry because he can’t have what he wants (her).
He always refers to her betrayal when actually all she did was refuse to marry him.
His coping was to buy her as a slave, put a slave collar on her, demean her, debase her, repeatedly rape her.
And the man is not even so smart.
He didn’t even understand her lil sis was deaf.
The sex scenes were yucky, not sexy.
And I’m not a prude.
There’s also a science fiction part, where the hero after raping her, forces her to have an orgasm, to submit her.
That is really science fiction, when actually even when a woman is willing is not so easy she has orgasms. Imagine if she’s hurting and shocked, and obviously hating her rapist.
Not believable.
Then there is the prose.
Sometimes the characters feelings are not clearly explained. It’s like some kind of dialogue without any reference about what they are thinking.
A bit weird.
And sometimes their behaviors are incongruous.
For example: when the heroine runs away with her sister in a boat and her sister falls into the water and drowns, she’s angry with the H because she thinks he’s guilty. All the things he’s guilty of, this was not the one. She should have been angry because he treated her as dirt, because he raped her, debased her, put a collar on her as a dog, but no, she’s angry with him because she put her sister on a boat and she drowned. How crazy is that?
Some parts are good, the best is actually when she tries to run away with her sister. Mayhem happens afterwards. This was the only part really angsty.
The rest, even if it should have been angsty, fails to convince.
March 25, 2013
Zarabeth, lives in York with her step father and her step brother and younger sister. Zarabeth has yet to find a spouse, due to the fact that her step father chases most of her suitors away, until a warrior viking comes into town and starts courting her and wanting to marry her. At first Zarabeth is shocked at Magnus at his bluntness at wanting her for his wife and lover, but is intrigued and knows that she wants him as well, because he stirs up her senses like none other has ever done before. But when her step father finds out her true feelings for Magnus, he forces her to betray him threatening to hurt someone she cares for, so she does it, not knowing another way out. But then he comes back and takes her back to Norway as his slave, instead of his wife as he had once planned, however things never seem to go as planned. And Magnus despite her betrayal of him, can't deny the desire that she rises within him, more so than any other woman ever has. However things at home only get more hectic once he brings her to his home, and things between the two defnitely get heated, which could only end up in love.I truly enjoyed Season of the Sun, although I never know when I read Coulter's book if I am going to be able to really enjoy them and immerse myself into the stories, but with this one, I had it read it just a few hours. Crazy I know, but when I like a book, I truly immerse myself and before I know it, its at "The End" part and I look at the time, and its just crazy how fast I can read once I get into a story. I just love Viking romances and this is at the top of my list. Although I thought that throughout the story that there was some things missing from the book. I don't want to spoil the book too much so I wont however share any details, but I thought that there seemed to be a few things in the relationship between these two that I had issues with. However overall it was a great romance read, well written, with vivid characters and a intriguing plot, so defnitely if you like Viking Historical Romances you definitely don't want to miss out on this one or this series!!
January 4, 2015
Viking gets his feelings hurt and throws a hissy fit that doesn't let up. As crappy as Coulter's old-school rape-mances often were, they were tons more credible than her contemporary "thrillers." Those Vikings could be such big babies! Is it any wonder they couldn't stop pillaging?
May 21, 2019
I read this book years back and had written a review that I forgot to post until now. So here it is:
This book was sooo good!!! It had one of the most obsessed/crazed H's I've ever read about in a romance. Even tho the book's extremely un-pc (has rape by the H, no cheating tho -he only wants the h) and no matter how badly the H thought of the h, he never gave up on her and couldn't stop loving her against his better judgement. He can never stay away from her or it'll cause him extreme pain and he's so outrageously jealous of any male she talks to, even an old toothless crone (lol, he was really ashamed of himself atm). Basically, the main theme of this story is the H (falls HARD pretty much within the first page, but the writing just totally sucked me in that I bought it) making the h his slave after seemingly being rejected/humiliated by her (toying with him). His hurt/pain over her alleged betrayal made him want to seek revenge. Only, no matter how cruel he tries to be, his obsessive love for her clearly shows -the combination of cruelty/vulnerability was mixed amazingly well that it really took a toll on my emotions. He tries to act "tough," but the mere thought of her running away terrifies/petrifies him at every turn. Loved watching him panic every time he can't find her. When he woke up one morning and didn't see her next to him, he roared and jumped up to find her. At one point, when she really did try to escape on a boat, he went crazy and acted like an out of control beast, jumping into the water after her -he only acts so out of control around her, which makes him all the more endearing.
Boy oh boy, if anyone wants an absolutely besotted/insanely in love/jealous/possessive alpha H who would stop at nothing to be with the h and would absolutely not be able to go on without her (never giving up on her), look no further than this H.
Wow, this such an intense and quality romance (it was heart pounding from beginning to end) with a crazily in love H to boot. Oh, and he constantly says "you're mine" and also says it during intercourse, wanting to possess her completely. Look no further if you want to read about an extremely obsessive/jealous H who'd be in physical pain if he's apart from the h. Absolutely nothing can keep him from going after her, not even the belief that she's a liar/murderess. Yep, he's done for when it comes to her.
This book was sooo good!!! It had one of the most obsessed/crazed H's I've ever read about in a romance. Even tho the book's extremely un-pc (has rape by the H, no cheating tho -he only wants the h) and no matter how badly the H thought of the h, he never gave up on her and couldn't stop loving her against his better judgement. He can never stay away from her or it'll cause him extreme pain and he's so outrageously jealous of any male she talks to, even an old toothless crone (lol, he was really ashamed of himself atm). Basically, the main theme of this story is the H (falls HARD pretty much within the first page, but the writing just totally sucked me in that I bought it) making the h his slave after seemingly being rejected/humiliated by her (toying with him). His hurt/pain over her alleged betrayal made him want to seek revenge. Only, no matter how cruel he tries to be, his obsessive love for her clearly shows -the combination of cruelty/vulnerability was mixed amazingly well that it really took a toll on my emotions. He tries to act "tough," but the mere thought of her running away terrifies/petrifies him at every turn. Loved watching him panic every time he can't find her. When he woke up one morning and didn't see her next to him, he roared and jumped up to find her. At one point, when she really did try to escape on a boat, he went crazy and acted like an out of control beast, jumping into the water after her -he only acts so out of control around her, which makes him all the more endearing.
Boy oh boy, if anyone wants an absolutely besotted/insanely in love/jealous/possessive alpha H who would stop at nothing to be with the h and would absolutely not be able to go on without her (never giving up on her), look no further than this H.
Wow, this such an intense and quality romance (it was heart pounding from beginning to end) with a crazily in love H to boot. Oh, and he constantly says "you're mine" and also says it during intercourse, wanting to possess her completely. Look no further if you want to read about an extremely obsessive/jealous H who'd be in physical pain if he's apart from the h. Absolutely nothing can keep him from going after her, not even the belief that she's a liar/murderess. Yep, he's done for when it comes to her.
July 4, 2010
While I was torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars, I decided to give it three stars. This book is about Zarabeth, a woman who lives with her jealous stepfather and takes care of her little sister Lotti who was deafened as a child due to her father's cruelty. While going to fetch water one day at the center well of Coppergate, Zarabeth is approached by Viking Warrior, Magnus Haroldsson who says that he will wed with her and have her as his own regardless. Once her stepfather found out about this, he hides away Lotti and tells Zarabeth should she wish her little sister to live she will spurn the Viking and marry him. Zarabeth does this to save her little sister, making the Viking believe she betrayed him and used him. Once he fled, Zarabeth was left to her stepfather to marry with the blessing of the king. Soon after, he gets wretchedly sick by the hands of Toki, his son's jealous, snotty wife. Zarabeth gets blamed for poising and killing her husband for his riches and forced endure the king's audience to get her punishment. Magnus is there to further tarnish her and saves her from being executed, only to be bought by Magnus himself to serve as his slave.
While the overall story once ended was not bad, I found Magnus very uncompromising and arrogant and willing only to humiliate Zarabeth without even taking into account her own explanations. He brandishes her with a collar and repeatedly uses her body against her will. This is what upset me the most. The constant raping of the woman just because the man wills it. Should you be faint at heart, I would NOT recommend this book. If you get offended easily by repeated humiliation and raping, I would not recommend this book.
While the overall story once ended was not bad, I found Magnus very uncompromising and arrogant and willing only to humiliate Zarabeth without even taking into account her own explanations. He brandishes her with a collar and repeatedly uses her body against her will. This is what upset me the most. The constant raping of the woman just because the man wills it. Should you be faint at heart, I would NOT recommend this book. If you get offended easily by repeated humiliation and raping, I would not recommend this book.
April 12, 2015
i felt torn, my heart bled for zarabeth. she was treated so unfairly and unjustly. i dunno how she loved magnus after the abominable way he treated her. he raped, abused her and treated her like a pathetic dog! the book grabbed me from the first page and i felt it deserved a 4 star but it was entertaining in a horrible way. at times, i just wished zarabeth wud commit suicide. but dat never happens to heroines, so i knew i was hoping in vain. the end actually made up for it as magnus also knew pain when his son disappeared. he finally took zarabeth as his wife but she was by then an empty shell of herself and cud not respond to him in bed nor give him any comfort. i was overjoyed dat she did not give in to him, did not recover dat quickly from depression. she truly grieved and was absolutely depressed, as should be the case after all she had been through.
August 11, 2020
Magnus sees Zarabeth and thinks she’s beautiful. He decides he’s going to marry her and tells her so. Zarabeth is surprised at his arrogance but ultimately shares the attraction, so she agrees. The problem is that Zarabeth’s stepfather is creepy and bad. He wants Zarabeth for himself so he makes her send Magnus away by threatening her younger sibling. Magnus, furious at her perceived betrayal, goes back home and therefore misses Zarabeth returning to his ship to explain what happened. Months later, he returns to collect Zarabeth no longer as his bride but as a slave.
I want to preface the review by stating that if you do not like bodice-rippers, then this book is not for you. Just right off the bat. It involves non-consent, slavery, and because it’s a historical of course it contains sexism. If you understand that this is a fictional work, that it is romanticized by its nature, and if you are capable of reading and enjoying bodice-rippers — then feel free to stick around. There are so many other works for other readers, especially by more modern authors. But this book is not for that.
So! The first speed bump I encountered was the business with Zarabeth and her stepfather. Full disclosure: they marry. I didn’t like that and I almost stopped reading because it grossed me out too badly. However, I soldiered on and they (thankfully) did not actually have sexual contact.
I liked Zarabeth as a character. In some historicals, particularly with non-consent, the heroine might be mad about it but ultimately feels like it’s somewhat inevitable because that was just historically the norm. Which sucks. But I’m not too big on that. I liked that Zarabeth continued to fight and rail against Magnus. She doesn’t excuse him by thinking, “Well, he is after all a man...” And yet she doesn’t spend the entire novel trapped in her angst, either. It takes awhile but they do eventually get along.
Magnus was sort of all right. At first I thought his outrageous arrogance was outrageous but also a bit charming. When all of the misunderstandings happen with Zarabeth’s stepfather, that’s when things went downhill for me. Magnus knew that her stepfather hated Zarabeth’s little sister first hand, and he also knew that her stepfather was capable of threatening Zarabeth. Yet, when shit hits the fan, he apparently forgets all of this and remains pissed off because of his hurt pride. This and other circumstances make him seem a little dumb. There was a moment when Magnus marvels at how his seamen were able to immediately pick up on a girl’s deafness, whereas he did not. I felt like that scene basically described how Magnus was. He considers himself very smart and whatnot but he never used that famous logic when it came to anything remotely related to Zarabeth. He ignored evidence right in his face and insisted that Zarabeth was a faithless, heartless b-word.
The romance itself was quite a slow burn because of the fact that Magnus was so mad at Zarabeth that he bought her as a slave. However, they both retain some kind of romantic connection and that helps their relationship go forward even when everyone’s mad at everyone.
Overall I thought this book was all right for a bodice-ripper. Fans of Kathleen Woodiwiss would enjoy this. It actually reminds me of another novel of hers whose name I forget. I don’t know that I would necessarily keep this book on my shelf, but I may reread in the distant future.
I want to preface the review by stating that if you do not like bodice-rippers, then this book is not for you. Just right off the bat. It involves non-consent, slavery, and because it’s a historical of course it contains sexism. If you understand that this is a fictional work, that it is romanticized by its nature, and if you are capable of reading and enjoying bodice-rippers — then feel free to stick around. There are so many other works for other readers, especially by more modern authors. But this book is not for that.
So! The first speed bump I encountered was the business with Zarabeth and her stepfather. Full disclosure: they marry. I didn’t like that and I almost stopped reading because it grossed me out too badly. However, I soldiered on and they (thankfully) did not actually have sexual contact.
I liked Zarabeth as a character. In some historicals, particularly with non-consent, the heroine might be mad about it but ultimately feels like it’s somewhat inevitable because that was just historically the norm. Which sucks. But I’m not too big on that. I liked that Zarabeth continued to fight and rail against Magnus. She doesn’t excuse him by thinking, “Well, he is after all a man...” And yet she doesn’t spend the entire novel trapped in her angst, either. It takes awhile but they do eventually get along.
Magnus was sort of all right. At first I thought his outrageous arrogance was outrageous but also a bit charming. When all of the misunderstandings happen with Zarabeth’s stepfather, that’s when things went downhill for me. Magnus knew that her stepfather hated Zarabeth’s little sister first hand, and he also knew that her stepfather was capable of threatening Zarabeth. Yet, when shit hits the fan, he apparently forgets all of this and remains pissed off because of his hurt pride. This and other circumstances make him seem a little dumb. There was a moment when Magnus marvels at how his seamen were able to immediately pick up on a girl’s deafness, whereas he did not. I felt like that scene basically described how Magnus was. He considers himself very smart and whatnot but he never used that famous logic when it came to anything remotely related to Zarabeth. He ignored evidence right in his face and insisted that Zarabeth was a faithless, heartless b-word.
The romance itself was quite a slow burn because of the fact that Magnus was so mad at Zarabeth that he bought her as a slave. However, they both retain some kind of romantic connection and that helps their relationship go forward even when everyone’s mad at everyone.
Overall I thought this book was all right for a bodice-ripper. Fans of Kathleen Woodiwiss would enjoy this. It actually reminds me of another novel of hers whose name I forget. I don’t know that I would necessarily keep this book on my shelf, but I may reread in the distant future.
June 1, 2012
3 1/2 ★★★
Magnus (H) when spurned by the woman he had chosen for a wife he did what any good Viking would do.......he took her for his slave instead.
Zarabeth ( h) ,when she told her stepfather that a Viking wanted her for a wife he didn't react like she thought he would. Instead,wanting her for himself ,he threatened to have her little sister killed if she didn't turn the Viking down.
I think I may have rated this book higher if I had the time to just sit and read it in a few days instead of a few weeks.
Magnus (H) when spurned by the woman he had chosen for a wife he did what any good Viking would do.......he took her for his slave instead.
Zarabeth ( h) ,when she told her stepfather that a Viking wanted her for a wife he didn't react like she thought he would. Instead,wanting her for himself ,he threatened to have her little sister killed if she didn't turn the Viking down.
I think I may have rated this book higher if I had the time to just sit and read it in a few days instead of a few weeks.
February 20, 2018
I gave this thing 100 pages to stop being awful...no luck. Then I skimmed it in hopes it would get better...nope. I honestly do not understand why women write, let alone read, this kind of misogynistic tripe. Quite apart from the threatened rape from, like, every dude in the book and the competitive jealousies among all the women, you also have a hero who blames the heroine for his own faults. How is this sexy?!? Sigh. I own the other books in this series, and I just don't know if I have the internal fortitude to attempt to read any more of them....
June 10, 2020
My sister gave me some of my mom's old books and all I can say is that I now know there was a dark side to good ole Mom that I wasn't aware of. Going in I knew this series were "Bodice Rippers" and I've read other Catherine Coulter books that I love and reread regularly but finding out my Mom read these just feels weird.
May 28, 2010
What I remember most about this book was the besotted hero. He was so obsessive with the heroine, it was endearing. I mean the guy was psycho infatuated. He was a caveman, dragging her off to his cave by her long, red hair, and of course, cavemen don't understand what NO means....
It was all so entertaining...
It was all so entertaining...
May 17, 2023
Reread 2022
February 18, 2019
La stagione del sole, il libro di cui vi parlo oggi, è scritto da Catherine Coulter ed è il primo capitolo di una nuova serie che ci farà conoscere dei prodi vichinghi. L’attinenza storica lascia un po’ a desiderare e, purtroppo, non è questo il problema maggiore che lo riguarda.
Magnus è il proprietario di una grande fattoria, è vedovo con un figlio di otto anni, un amante procace, e ha una sorella che dirige per lui la proprietà quando si reca lontano per commerciare. Ed è proprio mentre è in viaggio con la sua nave, la Sea Wind, che l’uomo vede per la prima volta Zarabeth, la figliastra di un ricco mercante di pellicce. La capigliatura rossa così diversa dal solito e la sua leggiadria colpiscono Magnus, che seduta stante decide di volerla sposare a ogni costo. E dopo averla seguita per qualche giorno la raggiunge al pozzo e le fa una proposta di un romanticismo assoluto:
.
"Io sono un mercante e proprietario terriero. Sono venuto a York per i miei commerci, come faccio parecchie volte l’anno. Vi ho vista due giorni fa ed allora vi ho osservata. Ho deciso che voi siete adatta a diventare la mia sposa. Mi darete piacere, partorirete i miei figli, mi riscalderete il cuore, preparerete i miei pasti e cucirete le mie tuniche."
.
Dopodiché, le racconta quanto siano grandi le sue doti amatorie, e come la sua amante Cyra adori essere percossa con la cinghia sulle natiche. E, per finire, naturalmente le elenca quanto la sua vita diventerà interessante dopo quel giorno:
.
"Da questo momento in poi, ogni mia opinione conterà nella vostra vita. Ogni mio singolo atto vi riguarderà, perché voi mi apparterrete. Voi presterete attenzione alle mie parole, non dimenticatelo Zarabeth. Ora posso accompagnarvi alla vostra casa? A incontrare il vostro patrigno? Olav chiede un alto prezzo di riscatto matrimoniale?"
.
Zarabeth naturalmente non potrebbe sposarsi senza il consenso del patrigno, ma Magnus pensa che non vi sia nessun problema. Olav, del resto, è troppo vigliacco per negargli il permesso, ma non intende perdere quella figliastra che concupisce da anni, e costringe Zarabeth a fargli credere di non volerlo sposare e di averlo solo preso in giro. L’arma del ricatto è la piccola Lottie, la sorellina che ama la ragazza come una madre e che è stata resa semisorda dalle botte di Olav. Zarabeth si trova così costretta a sottostare al volere di quell’uomo meschino che, però, si rivelerà troppo malato per ottenere ciò che vuole, e morirà in breve tempo. Ma questo non la rende libera, viene accusata e condannata a morte per l’assassinio di Olav, e a “salvarla” sarà Magnus, che la acquista dal re come schiava. Nonostante creda sia un’assassina, la vuole ancora, ma intende anche vendicarsi: le metterà un collare e costringerà lei e la sorellina a essere prede dell’odio di sua sorella Ingunn, che renderà la loro vita un inferno. Almeno fino a quando Magnus sembrerà rinsavire, ma troppo tardi per fermare la vendetta che cova da tempo.
Il personaggio di Zarabeth sembra destinato ad avere una vita miserabile: costretta a vivere con Olav che sospetta abbia ucciso sua madre, venduta come schiava, obbligata a portare un collare, impossibilitata a rifiutare Magnus, che la prenderà senza il suo consenso. Ma non pago di questo, per non sentirsi un violentatore pretende anche che lei provi piacere, ed essendo un bravo amante ci riuscirà anche, umiliandola ancora di più. Conta poco che poi qualcosa lo faccia cambiare, che si renda conto di come stanno le cose. Zarabeth soffrirà moltissimo e nonostante abbia un carattere forte ci sarà un momento in cui sembra che non le importi più vivere.
Sono tanti i personaggi odiosi di questo libro, la più terribile è Ingunn, una donna meschina e traditrice che non esiterà di fronte a nulla pur di vendicarsi di Zarabeth e che solo alla fine sembra avere uno sprazzo di rimpianto. È un libro in cui accadono molte cose, ci sono tradimenti che non possono essere perdonati, c’è molta azione, un nemico reso folle dal desiderio di distruggere Magnus, ma per essere un romanzo d’amore, c’è ben poca tenerezza, se non nell’ultima parte.
Non è un romanzo scritto male, la Coulter mi piace quasi sempre, ma in alcuni punti ho odiato il protagonista almeno quanto sua sorella Ingunn. L’uomo più leale e coraggioso, che rifulge per l’onore dimostrato, è un bambino di otto anni, che si rivelerà un magnifico protettore in una tremenda situazione, e che sembra davvero non aver preso niente dal padre. Da un romanzo d’amore mi aspetto passione e tenerezza, e non una sequela di soprusi, e speriamo davvero che il prossimo libro della serie, mai tradotto, sia migliore di questo capitolo davvero deludente.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
Magnus è il proprietario di una grande fattoria, è vedovo con un figlio di otto anni, un amante procace, e ha una sorella che dirige per lui la proprietà quando si reca lontano per commerciare. Ed è proprio mentre è in viaggio con la sua nave, la Sea Wind, che l’uomo vede per la prima volta Zarabeth, la figliastra di un ricco mercante di pellicce. La capigliatura rossa così diversa dal solito e la sua leggiadria colpiscono Magnus, che seduta stante decide di volerla sposare a ogni costo. E dopo averla seguita per qualche giorno la raggiunge al pozzo e le fa una proposta di un romanticismo assoluto:
.
"Io sono un mercante e proprietario terriero. Sono venuto a York per i miei commerci, come faccio parecchie volte l’anno. Vi ho vista due giorni fa ed allora vi ho osservata. Ho deciso che voi siete adatta a diventare la mia sposa. Mi darete piacere, partorirete i miei figli, mi riscalderete il cuore, preparerete i miei pasti e cucirete le mie tuniche."
.
Dopodiché, le racconta quanto siano grandi le sue doti amatorie, e come la sua amante Cyra adori essere percossa con la cinghia sulle natiche. E, per finire, naturalmente le elenca quanto la sua vita diventerà interessante dopo quel giorno:
.
"Da questo momento in poi, ogni mia opinione conterà nella vostra vita. Ogni mio singolo atto vi riguarderà, perché voi mi apparterrete. Voi presterete attenzione alle mie parole, non dimenticatelo Zarabeth. Ora posso accompagnarvi alla vostra casa? A incontrare il vostro patrigno? Olav chiede un alto prezzo di riscatto matrimoniale?"
.
Zarabeth naturalmente non potrebbe sposarsi senza il consenso del patrigno, ma Magnus pensa che non vi sia nessun problema. Olav, del resto, è troppo vigliacco per negargli il permesso, ma non intende perdere quella figliastra che concupisce da anni, e costringe Zarabeth a fargli credere di non volerlo sposare e di averlo solo preso in giro. L’arma del ricatto è la piccola Lottie, la sorellina che ama la ragazza come una madre e che è stata resa semisorda dalle botte di Olav. Zarabeth si trova così costretta a sottostare al volere di quell’uomo meschino che, però, si rivelerà troppo malato per ottenere ciò che vuole, e morirà in breve tempo. Ma questo non la rende libera, viene accusata e condannata a morte per l’assassinio di Olav, e a “salvarla” sarà Magnus, che la acquista dal re come schiava. Nonostante creda sia un’assassina, la vuole ancora, ma intende anche vendicarsi: le metterà un collare e costringerà lei e la sorellina a essere prede dell’odio di sua sorella Ingunn, che renderà la loro vita un inferno. Almeno fino a quando Magnus sembrerà rinsavire, ma troppo tardi per fermare la vendetta che cova da tempo.
Il personaggio di Zarabeth sembra destinato ad avere una vita miserabile: costretta a vivere con Olav che sospetta abbia ucciso sua madre, venduta come schiava, obbligata a portare un collare, impossibilitata a rifiutare Magnus, che la prenderà senza il suo consenso. Ma non pago di questo, per non sentirsi un violentatore pretende anche che lei provi piacere, ed essendo un bravo amante ci riuscirà anche, umiliandola ancora di più. Conta poco che poi qualcosa lo faccia cambiare, che si renda conto di come stanno le cose. Zarabeth soffrirà moltissimo e nonostante abbia un carattere forte ci sarà un momento in cui sembra che non le importi più vivere.
Sono tanti i personaggi odiosi di questo libro, la più terribile è Ingunn, una donna meschina e traditrice che non esiterà di fronte a nulla pur di vendicarsi di Zarabeth e che solo alla fine sembra avere uno sprazzo di rimpianto. È un libro in cui accadono molte cose, ci sono tradimenti che non possono essere perdonati, c’è molta azione, un nemico reso folle dal desiderio di distruggere Magnus, ma per essere un romanzo d’amore, c’è ben poca tenerezza, se non nell’ultima parte.
Non è un romanzo scritto male, la Coulter mi piace quasi sempre, ma in alcuni punti ho odiato il protagonista almeno quanto sua sorella Ingunn. L’uomo più leale e coraggioso, che rifulge per l’onore dimostrato, è un bambino di otto anni, che si rivelerà un magnifico protettore in una tremenda situazione, e che sembra davvero non aver preso niente dal padre. Da un romanzo d’amore mi aspetto passione e tenerezza, e non una sequela di soprusi, e speriamo davvero che il prossimo libro della serie, mai tradotto, sia migliore di questo capitolo davvero deludente.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
July 4, 2021
3.5 ⭐
March 2, 2024
1.5 - 2
June 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨Viking MMC
✨Irish Maiden FMC
✨9th Century Norway
✨Viking Lifestyle
✨Pagan / Christian Differences
✨Virgin Maiden
✨Slavery of a White Woman
✨Slave Spice 🌶️
⚠️ Rape
✨Special Needs Child Representation
⚠️Harm To Children
✨Angry Sister in Laws 🔪
✨Brutality
✨Revenge
✨Descriptive Spice Scenes ‼️
✨Men fighting ⚔️
✨Pregnancy
✨HEA
VIVID REVIEW! I really liked this one. 🫣
Warning ‼️ this one should come with LOTS of trigger warnings. The first Coulter read for me and I quickly learned that this author does not hold back when it comes to the violence of this time period or the cruelty men could bestow on women during this era. If you enjoy softer romance, this author probably isn’t for you.
Is this a romance? Or just raw historical fiction? Little of both. This is the story of a Viking man deep inside his lust for his red haired slave - like a hungry wolf that wants to consume her or… strangle her.
The MMC is honestly a savage wild animal.
A viking, son of an Jarl, comes to a merchant village to make trades when a red haired, pale young Irish maiden catches his eye. Her skin as white as snow and hair like a flame. There is something wild and savage in this girl - as wild and savage as her Irish ancestors were. He immediately, forwardly, announces to her that he will be wedding her. He’s smitten with her.
Right from the start 😅 he tells her he won’t spank her a$$ unless she asks for it - like his slave mistress does. Brave man. 🤪
He only has to convince her stepfather, a man who is older and bigger than most in the village, of this marriage. Her stepfather smashed her mother’s head in long ago alongside her lover and has been carrying for the little Irish FMC maiden ever since. However he does not want her to wed this foreign viking or any other man because he’s so smitten himself and only thinks of taking her + bedding her for himself. 👀
The story unfolds and instead of this couple becoming husband and wife.. they become viking and slave. An interesting and unexpected turn of events.
Slavery is such a hot take! In today’s society where we hyper focus on African American slavery and Black Lives Matter.. I am so relieved to read accuracy and portrayal of world slavery. Because ✨slavery knew no bounds✨ (pun intended 😅) nor did it exist to one specific race. Not diminishing American history.. just widening the scope to world history. Slavery has been around since ancient Egypt. Every race / continent has known slavery at some point in time. Sadly. The Vikings were known for pillaging villages, murdering, raping, stealing what was not theirs and yes.. taking slaves home to tend to their farmsteads.. and for their own pleasures. I’m not saying anything negative towards American history or positive about slavery here, just that I will always be a history lover and respect an accurate historical lesson. I will never flow with the current of political + cultural waves. I only want to know the actual facts and be informative. The true history. Not just what modern hipsters deem appropriate. That being said.. this novel dives into white slavery. It’s brutal and harsh and doesn’t shy away from what white women in Norway experienced.
Vintage historical romances are NOT for everyone and probably need to come with a long list of trigger warnings for those bothered easily because so often there is much controversial events happening inside them.
This is also the first historical romance book I’ve read with special needs representation. I found the Season of the Sun historically accurate. Just like Ivar the Boneless in Viking history, (800ad) the FMC here could not put down her baby sister despite the little girl being a certain way. It was common in this time period for parents of special needs children to leave them abandoned in the woods and be done with them. Christianity, however, emphasized care for the "afflicted". Some children with disabilities were institutionalized in church-run hospitals but conditions were often poor, and survival rates were low. Pagans chose a swift death for the child or abandonment. They found it a kindness to the child not to live such a hard life.
In this book, you find the FMC, more like a mother to the little girl, could not turn her baby sister to death — and because of this — the men surrounding this FMC use the little child against her. Threatening to murder the child or finally be rid of her — just in hopes to bend the FMC into whatever they want of her — usually sex.
You might find all this disturbing but it was simply the way of the dark ages. Women had no rights other than to marry, please her husband, tend the house and to birth children.
So I found this whole plot intriguing because, again, I have never read anything like this before.
Often the child is called an “idiot” because she is a special needs child. Just warning you.
BUT for how brutal you might find the MMC, he shows kindness to the child and acts as her father. The child soon calls him papa. An admiring trait in such a harsh character.
⚠️ On other cringe moments, nothing makes my eye twitch more than stepfather romance tropes.. and that’s what we have here. A stepfather, who BTW bashed his wife (FMCs mother) head in.. who has raised this girl, who is not of his blood of course, up and now craves bedding her. 🤢 it feels WRONG to have a parent, who has raised a child, blood or no blood, lust after said child they’ve raised. I will never be for this trope no matter how popular it is. ⚠️
The spice scenes don’t hold back. Coulter doesn’t shy away from descriptive details of the MMC taking the FMC. So many of the sex scenes are the viking MMC raping the slave FMC. She fights against him in every step of the story despite being somewhat attracted to him. I think the couple in this enjoys fighting against one another. But if you enjoy closed door scenes, better brace yourself. If you like open door deep details, this is the book for you. For me, I enjoy descriptive writers. I find Coulter’s writing refreshing. This book was quite literally holding her down, riding her pussy brutally as her slave choker glistens in the candlelight and she screams for her life. 👀
The stretching brutal riding rape scenes continue throughout the entire read — even after he takes her as a bride until the end and she finally gentles to him.
This all sounds like a bunch of negative.. and judge me if you want.. but I actually really enjoyed this read despite all the wildness of it. I thoroughly love and respect authors who don’t shy away from the realities of the time period, the wild details and who REPSECT historical accuracy.
I’m so 🙄 annoyed by today’s society to rewrite history to be softer.. as if that completely changes the reality of what those living in that time period lived.
So maybe this is a read for history lovers and those with thick skins?
I had a friend on bookstagram say this novel doesn’t sound that much different than dark romances published today — and that’s the truth.
Another thing about this book, this FMC has no luck with other women. No friendships. Girls here are not looking out for other girls.. back then apparently.. because the FMC only knows viciousness from the women surrounding her. Her brother’s wife hated her and plotted against her - getting her into a mess that ultimately resulted in the FMC becoming a slave despite being born more higher . Then her master/lover/MMCs viking sister becomes very hateful and cruel to her the entire time she’s a slave in Norway. Female jealousy is a thick plot in this one. The MMC refers to his home as a battlefield between the women. Female jealousy is one of the main plots amongst the already cruelty they undergo from the men.
The FMC only knows cruelty throughout this read.
But will say, as we the reader drawl closer to the end of this book.. the relationship between man and slave grows. He started the book fascinated by her, lustfully so, and as he keeps her as a slave, despite frustration and annoyance at her disobedience.. he comes to form a deep attachment to her and her little sister.
Stockholm Syndrome?? Or forced proximity??
When he seeks help from his mother on getting his sister a husband.. someone to control her temper tantrums.. his dear mother calls him out on his love for his slave. Mothers know best in this situation. Because his sister is losing her mind at this slave taking her role as woman of his homestead - not in a sexual way - he’s unmarried and she’s unmarried - and while he does his manly duties - his sister has found herself running his home in the way only the woman of the house can while she has no husband. Girl just needs a man and her own home. MMCs sister spends most of the book plotting to kill his little lover slave.
As the closure comes, MMC gets frustrated that his slave is being treated like a slave and I found that a little bit of a reach since he is adamant that FMC is simply a slave. But I know for the situation of being in denial about his feelings.. it goes along with the plot. I’m just over here like either you want a slave or a wife.. pick one.
Overall thoughts, it’s definitely gritty writing but not as horrible as some reviewers here make it out to be. I’m not sure I’d say this is a romance. This is the tale of a woman in the 9th century that just falls victim to being a woman in this era. Men are cruel. Women are cruel. The world is cruel. Her journey is long and hard. The book is her journey.
In the end, the FMC settles to the life in Norway and learns how to survive and thrive as a viking wife.
I enjoyed it but I’m also a history girlie. I think I’ve said this in a historical review before that so often we romanticize the viking era, especially as women, because they are masculine warriors, but, historically, reality is that they were brutal, this era was harsh and full of darkness. —much different than the comfort of today’s society. I feel Season of the Sun is a portrayal on what the world looked like for a woman in the DaneLaw era.
ALSO thank God for the names in this one being relatively of the time period too. Not to be a snob.. but I always roll my eyes when bodice rippers have names like Brittany or Sarah or Jessica — or men named Zach or Tyler. Like be for real. Magnus and Bjorn and Ragnar are more accurate.
Really liked this one. 💫
✨Viking MMC
✨Irish Maiden FMC
✨9th Century Norway
✨Viking Lifestyle
✨Pagan / Christian Differences
✨Virgin Maiden
✨Slavery of a White Woman
✨Slave Spice 🌶️
⚠️ Rape
✨Special Needs Child Representation
⚠️Harm To Children
✨Angry Sister in Laws 🔪
✨Brutality
✨Revenge
✨Descriptive Spice Scenes ‼️
✨Men fighting ⚔️
✨Pregnancy
✨HEA
VIVID REVIEW! I really liked this one. 🫣
Warning ‼️ this one should come with LOTS of trigger warnings. The first Coulter read for me and I quickly learned that this author does not hold back when it comes to the violence of this time period or the cruelty men could bestow on women during this era. If you enjoy softer romance, this author probably isn’t for you.
Is this a romance? Or just raw historical fiction? Little of both. This is the story of a Viking man deep inside his lust for his red haired slave - like a hungry wolf that wants to consume her or… strangle her.
The MMC is honestly a savage wild animal.
A viking, son of an Jarl, comes to a merchant village to make trades when a red haired, pale young Irish maiden catches his eye. Her skin as white as snow and hair like a flame. There is something wild and savage in this girl - as wild and savage as her Irish ancestors were. He immediately, forwardly, announces to her that he will be wedding her. He’s smitten with her.
Right from the start 😅 he tells her he won’t spank her a$$ unless she asks for it - like his slave mistress does. Brave man. 🤪
He only has to convince her stepfather, a man who is older and bigger than most in the village, of this marriage. Her stepfather smashed her mother’s head in long ago alongside her lover and has been carrying for the little Irish FMC maiden ever since. However he does not want her to wed this foreign viking or any other man because he’s so smitten himself and only thinks of taking her + bedding her for himself. 👀
The story unfolds and instead of this couple becoming husband and wife.. they become viking and slave. An interesting and unexpected turn of events.
Slavery is such a hot take! In today’s society where we hyper focus on African American slavery and Black Lives Matter.. I am so relieved to read accuracy and portrayal of world slavery. Because ✨slavery knew no bounds✨ (pun intended 😅) nor did it exist to one specific race. Not diminishing American history.. just widening the scope to world history. Slavery has been around since ancient Egypt. Every race / continent has known slavery at some point in time. Sadly. The Vikings were known for pillaging villages, murdering, raping, stealing what was not theirs and yes.. taking slaves home to tend to their farmsteads.. and for their own pleasures. I’m not saying anything negative towards American history or positive about slavery here, just that I will always be a history lover and respect an accurate historical lesson. I will never flow with the current of political + cultural waves. I only want to know the actual facts and be informative. The true history. Not just what modern hipsters deem appropriate. That being said.. this novel dives into white slavery. It’s brutal and harsh and doesn’t shy away from what white women in Norway experienced.
Vintage historical romances are NOT for everyone and probably need to come with a long list of trigger warnings for those bothered easily because so often there is much controversial events happening inside them.
This is also the first historical romance book I’ve read with special needs representation. I found the Season of the Sun historically accurate. Just like Ivar the Boneless in Viking history, (800ad) the FMC here could not put down her baby sister despite the little girl being a certain way. It was common in this time period for parents of special needs children to leave them abandoned in the woods and be done with them. Christianity, however, emphasized care for the "afflicted". Some children with disabilities were institutionalized in church-run hospitals but conditions were often poor, and survival rates were low. Pagans chose a swift death for the child or abandonment. They found it a kindness to the child not to live such a hard life.
In this book, you find the FMC, more like a mother to the little girl, could not turn her baby sister to death — and because of this — the men surrounding this FMC use the little child against her. Threatening to murder the child or finally be rid of her — just in hopes to bend the FMC into whatever they want of her — usually sex.
You might find all this disturbing but it was simply the way of the dark ages. Women had no rights other than to marry, please her husband, tend the house and to birth children.
So I found this whole plot intriguing because, again, I have never read anything like this before.
Often the child is called an “idiot” because she is a special needs child. Just warning you.
BUT for how brutal you might find the MMC, he shows kindness to the child and acts as her father. The child soon calls him papa. An admiring trait in such a harsh character.
⚠️ On other cringe moments, nothing makes my eye twitch more than stepfather romance tropes.. and that’s what we have here. A stepfather, who BTW bashed his wife (FMCs mother) head in.. who has raised this girl, who is not of his blood of course, up and now craves bedding her. 🤢 it feels WRONG to have a parent, who has raised a child, blood or no blood, lust after said child they’ve raised. I will never be for this trope no matter how popular it is. ⚠️
The spice scenes don’t hold back. Coulter doesn’t shy away from descriptive details of the MMC taking the FMC. So many of the sex scenes are the viking MMC raping the slave FMC. She fights against him in every step of the story despite being somewhat attracted to him. I think the couple in this enjoys fighting against one another. But if you enjoy closed door scenes, better brace yourself. If you like open door deep details, this is the book for you. For me, I enjoy descriptive writers. I find Coulter’s writing refreshing. This book was quite literally holding her down, riding her pussy brutally as her slave choker glistens in the candlelight and she screams for her life. 👀
The stretching brutal riding rape scenes continue throughout the entire read — even after he takes her as a bride until the end and she finally gentles to him.
This all sounds like a bunch of negative.. and judge me if you want.. but I actually really enjoyed this read despite all the wildness of it. I thoroughly love and respect authors who don’t shy away from the realities of the time period, the wild details and who REPSECT historical accuracy.
I’m so 🙄 annoyed by today’s society to rewrite history to be softer.. as if that completely changes the reality of what those living in that time period lived.
So maybe this is a read for history lovers and those with thick skins?
I had a friend on bookstagram say this novel doesn’t sound that much different than dark romances published today — and that’s the truth.
Another thing about this book, this FMC has no luck with other women. No friendships. Girls here are not looking out for other girls.. back then apparently.. because the FMC only knows viciousness from the women surrounding her. Her brother’s wife hated her and plotted against her - getting her into a mess that ultimately resulted in the FMC becoming a slave despite being born more higher . Then her master/lover/MMCs viking sister becomes very hateful and cruel to her the entire time she’s a slave in Norway. Female jealousy is a thick plot in this one. The MMC refers to his home as a battlefield between the women. Female jealousy is one of the main plots amongst the already cruelty they undergo from the men.
The FMC only knows cruelty throughout this read.
But will say, as we the reader drawl closer to the end of this book.. the relationship between man and slave grows. He started the book fascinated by her, lustfully so, and as he keeps her as a slave, despite frustration and annoyance at her disobedience.. he comes to form a deep attachment to her and her little sister.
Stockholm Syndrome?? Or forced proximity??
When he seeks help from his mother on getting his sister a husband.. someone to control her temper tantrums.. his dear mother calls him out on his love for his slave. Mothers know best in this situation. Because his sister is losing her mind at this slave taking her role as woman of his homestead - not in a sexual way - he’s unmarried and she’s unmarried - and while he does his manly duties - his sister has found herself running his home in the way only the woman of the house can while she has no husband. Girl just needs a man and her own home. MMCs sister spends most of the book plotting to kill his little lover slave.
As the closure comes, MMC gets frustrated that his slave is being treated like a slave and I found that a little bit of a reach since he is adamant that FMC is simply a slave. But I know for the situation of being in denial about his feelings.. it goes along with the plot. I’m just over here like either you want a slave or a wife.. pick one.
Overall thoughts, it’s definitely gritty writing but not as horrible as some reviewers here make it out to be. I’m not sure I’d say this is a romance. This is the tale of a woman in the 9th century that just falls victim to being a woman in this era. Men are cruel. Women are cruel. The world is cruel. Her journey is long and hard. The book is her journey.
In the end, the FMC settles to the life in Norway and learns how to survive and thrive as a viking wife.
I enjoyed it but I’m also a history girlie. I think I’ve said this in a historical review before that so often we romanticize the viking era, especially as women, because they are masculine warriors, but, historically, reality is that they were brutal, this era was harsh and full of darkness. —much different than the comfort of today’s society. I feel Season of the Sun is a portrayal on what the world looked like for a woman in the DaneLaw era.
ALSO thank God for the names in this one being relatively of the time period too. Not to be a snob.. but I always roll my eyes when bodice rippers have names like Brittany or Sarah or Jessica — or men named Zach or Tyler. Like be for real. Magnus and Bjorn and Ragnar are more accurate.
Really liked this one. 💫
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