Rune Master

Rune #2

by Amelia Wilson, J.A. Cummings

An ancient sword points the way to an ages-old conflict and eternal love.
Nika Graves was excited about the Viking exhibit at her museum. She wasn't counting on the star artifact, the Rune Sword, being stolen by a vampire. She certainly wasn't counting on falling for the Swedish SOG agent who had been assigned to protect it. With Erik Thorvald at her side and time running out, Nika has to take the Rune Sword back before the vampires - the Draugr - bring their king back to life. Her life is at risk, but when she finds out that Erik is keeping some secrets of his own, her heart just might end up being the biggest casualty of the fight.Viking vampires? Ancient Norse gods? That's more than Nika bargained for - but it's what she got. Now on the run with Erik, a sexy vampire turned Special Forces operative, she's up to her eyeballs in magic, danger and desire. The Rune Sword holds the key to awakening a long-dead vampire king. Can Nika and Erik keep him in his grave where he belongs? Rune Sword is a standalone of about 150 pages with a Happily Ever After ending and No cliffhanger. This book also contains several additional bonus stories to enjoy!

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Paranormal, Vampires

170 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2016

About the author

Amelia Wilson has dedicated her life to writing. She is a firm believer in the power of love to conquer all, and her works reflect this belief. Her paranormal romances are known for their love stories, action and suspense. She creates immersive worlds that are rich in detail and full of emotion. Writing has always been very close to her heart. When she is writing a novel, she travels into that world and attaches her emotions to the story. She expresses herself better in written words than she could ever do verbally. She believes in love, and that love can conquer all, which is the reason why she is a writer of romance. She wants all the people, who have been hurt in love, not lose hope as fate changes and soon enough you all will find your one true love. Her books are a great way to satisfy your craving for paranormal romance with action, love and suspense.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (8/27/2018)!💝

Blurb:
A new life and an old enemy are more than Nika Graves bargained for - but are they more than she can handle?

The Rune Sword has been secured and she's in love with Swedish Special Operator (and vampire) Erik Thorvald. When a reincarnated Norse god brings old enmities and dark secrets to the surface, it's not just her new life with Erik that's at risk. The fate of the entire world might hang in the balance.

Can Nika unite her present existence with ancient memories in time to save the day? Last time, they needed the Soul Stone. This time, it's going to take a Rune Master.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Nika. I love that she's a museum curator. I love seeing a strong heroine who is at heart a quiet academic rather than just a butt-kicking warrior. I love it even more that she's learning how to meld both of those aspects into one very powerful being. Erik had to work a little harder for my love in this book. There are a lot of things that haven't been explained to Nika that she needs to know in order to survive what's coming for them, and Erik's the one who hasn't been very forthcoming. I love how this series is progressing and eagerly look forward to seeing what's next.

[Annette Drewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another action-packed story. This second book in the series is just as engaging as the first one. Nika and Eric return and their adventures keep you on the edge of your seat. I finished this one in the early hours of the morning but thought I should wait to start book three.
I purchased the box set of this series and decided to leave a review for the single books as well.

[Heather Rizkallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Now that Nika and Erik can move on with their new lives, things start to look up for both of them. That is until Eriks new team tries to kill him and Nika is stalked by a crazy man

[Dorian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is in way sad that his team has died, frustrating that Erik have so many secrets for the woman he claims to have been searching for years but relief that their love keeps them together. Great book and interesting new characters in play, must read.

[Elizabeth Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-Packed Fun

Such a fun read! Ful of twists and turns and a shock or two...

Nika is learning about her powers and Erik is fighting to stay alive!

[Myra Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I have found a good book in this story. I found it hard to put it down until the end.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loki is in it, but not much. He's also the villain. So that affected my rating.

[Chanel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was offered an ARC of Amelia Wilson's newest title Rune Master (book two in her Rune Series) in exchange for an honest review. I had not read the first book in the series, Rune Sword, but was assured that the second book could be read as a standalone book. While I found this was absolutely true, I also found that I enjoyed the book well enough, and that there were enough references to the first story in the second, that I went back and read the first book, as well.

Rune Sword tells the story of museum curator Nika Graves who obtains a position in charge of a new Viking exhibit on loan from the Royal Museum of Stockholm. While the details regarding the identity of this Viking hero's burial tomb remain unknown, the priceless pieces are recognized as invaluable, and, as such, are heavily guarded. Because the exhibit is on loan, a group of special operatives have been sent by the Swedish government to further protect this newly-discovered Viking treasure. Not long after the exhibit's opening, the museum is robbed and one treasured item, the Rune Sword, is stolen. With the help of Erik Thorvald, the leader of the Swedish Special Operative Group, and his fellow soldiers, Nika must find and return the stolen sword if she hopes to protect not only her job, but also her life and the well-being of innocent citizens all over. In the meantime, she learns about a whole world of supernatural beings and ancient forces to which she was previously oblivious. While searching for the sword, she inevitably falls for the irresistibly attractive Erik, and finds herself more entangled with this supernatural world than she ever could have thought possible. Nika must do some soul-searching of her own if she wishes to hash out her feelings, navigate this new world of paranormal beings, and, most importantly, recover and return the Rune Sword to its rightful burial place.

Wilson's story plays on the backs of other recent pop culture re-tellings of ancient Norse mythology. In the vein of Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase series and of Marvel Comics recent silver-screen remake of the Thor comics (along with many other movie, television, musical, and literary allusions to these myths), Wilson puts her own spin on these well-known tales in an attempt to make Rune Sword fresh for her readers. While I'm not well-versed in the details regarding Norse mythology (and so cannot speak to how historically and religiously accurate the details in Wilson's story actually are), the details that I was unsure of were quickly learned through easy Google and Wikipedia searches which provided me a deeper understanding of the world of the Norse gods and seemed, at least at the surface level, to match up accurately.

The story is a very short read (I read it in a couple hours one night). It is told through a third-person omniscient narrator, but the focus alternates between Nika's and Erik's perspectives. Wilson weaves elements of Norse mythology in with vampire legends to create a world that is overly supernatural, but still seems to work in the context of the this series.

As with many of Amelia Wilson's previous titles that I've encountered, I found the story line compelling, but felt that there were many missed opportunities for deeper development. The story seems to happen too fast, and the climax leaves me wanting more. Wilson has a penchant for coming up with plots that draw a reader through to the end, but the stories often feel rushed to completion instead of elaborating on details, background stories, and action-packed "big-boss" style fights. The resolution always comes too soon for me in her works.

CAUTION: SLIGHT SPOILER: As with most romance titles I read, I find the pet names too mushy and the romantic build too shallow. I do, however, understand that, within the context of this story, the souls of Nika and Erik are meant to be together throughout time which, in itself, is a romantic concept that I find too far-fetched in most novels. Personally, I just find it unlikely that a woman in distress would pull a stranger into bed with her only to realize that he is her soul mate and then be ready to jump into his supernatural world and life with no hesitance. I know this sounds trite considering I am able to willingly suspend my disbelief for paranormal beings, but nonetheless I find myself internally eye-rolling at the overly-romantic scenes throughout.

While there are some parts of the story that I personally did not care for, and there were some moments that left me wanting more, these elements do not detract from the overall read of the story. I still suggest that anyone looking for a quick, mythology-based, romance-style light read pick this title up, along with the other titles in the Rune Series

[iamnotabookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I am reviewing today is Rune Master. This is the second book in the Rune Series. Amelia Wilson, the author, generously sent me again an ARC and I gladly reviewed it since I enjoyed the first book. Not that I would refuse if an author would ask me to review her book.

Rune Master picked up right where Rune Sword left off. I have included a link for the review of Rune Sword below. You may check it. This is a paranormal Viking romance story, specifically-vampires.

I liked this story because of the rare combination of vampire and Viking mythology. I have not come across this kind of story before so this really interested me. It gave a fresh spin on the whole vampire story. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, I thought that Twilight has ruined all vampire stories for me but thankfully, there are enough people with great imagination in the world to come up with various fascinating and awesome stories involving vampires that still pique my interest. This series is one of them.

The story explored more how the vampire and Viking story came together. It gave me more insight into the Norse mythology and the other Gods and deities. It is a sort-of a good introduction for me to some characters and aspects of the Viking culture. I learned new things here which is what every reader wants every time we read a new story.

This seemed like an HEA (happy ever after) story and it may seem that the series have ended but I would like to think and hope that there is still a next one. Nika Graves and Erik Thorvald did not have enough adventures and dangerous encounters with the evil vampires, tricksters, and rogue Norse Gods, yet. I think they still have a lot more experiences to go through together and their relationship too has to be tested more. I do admit, in this story, their relationship has gone through enough of their trust issues.

I give the book 4/5 rune stones. In this story, Nika's character has grown and I love how it was done and how the story evolved. Since I am not so familiar with the Norse mythology, I did not have any expectations set for this book except for it to surprise me. I did not have any pre-conceived idea of how I wanted the story to go but it did surprise me and I liked how the story unraveled. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the next chapters of Nika and Erik's live and love stories.

If I have to measure my worth by the value of those around me, I'm not much of a man, am I?
- Amelia Wilson, Rune Master -

Thank you again, Amelia Wilson for the ARC.

[Diana Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book while can be read as a standalone, starts iff right where Rune Sword ends, so Nika and Erik's relationship starts there and I believe you will get more enjoyment out of this book by reading them in order. This is not your Mom's or your Tween's Vampire story, Amelia Wilson has woven a unique Viking inspired series that needs to be read ( preferably in order Rune Sword, then Rune Master) to understand how good, adventerous, deadly, intriguing, and full of Norse history it is . If you like otherworldly, unusual , not the bite 'em and kill 'em type Vampire story, then this book is for you !! If you're looking for Twilight or Dracula, you won't find it here. What you will find is a well written, interesting take on Viking Vampires with a good shot of hot and sexy romance to boot !! 4⭐'s and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book as books 1 & 2 were well worth the time to read and the wait between books . I recieved a gifted copy and am voluntarily choosing to leave an honest and unbiased review.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erik was to return to Sweden with the Viking exhibition. Fortunately, Nika was offered a position with the Swedesboro Museum and so they could stay together. Just before they left the apartment that Nike had occupied, a playing card was found, which Erik explained was Loki ' s calling card. This with another stranger, who had been at the museum, examing the shipment, although no information about who authorized such a visit.
So, although the crew who had tried to resurrect the evil lord from the Viking exhibition, we're all killed, so we're Erik's brother's. Leaving him the only huntsman existing.
Both Erik and Nika are now targeted by Loki and his followers.
An exciting book, with much happening on different fronts. An excellent story.
I voluntarily submitted this review after reading an advanced copy of this book

[Debra Johnson]

Purch Amazon Aug. 27, 2018

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read and well written book. Characters have come along way and was good to see a woman becoming more than she is. Gripping and emotional in places, I would recommend this book.

[CindiB · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment by Amelia Wilson was book two in the series. It continues the journey of a man and a woman to battle evil as she finds out who she really is. He has difficulty being honest with her and fears losing her.
The storyline gathers momentum, but is riddled with grammatical errors and detachment from characters. The book ends before reaching 50% on the kinlde and includes numerous bonus short stories to fill up the rest.
I am not a fan of this tactic.
This book would have been better if it was presented as a complete story as opposed to being broken into installments, though this is truly a pattern for making money on the reader.
Falsely leading one to believe that they are purchasing a full volume instead of a broken story.
I am attracted to books about the paranormal and this one is intriguing with its inclusion of Viking history. I will be reading the remaining books in this series, however, I will not be recommending them to others unless the writing and editing improves as the story progresses.