The Surf of Time

Called by a Viking #2

by Mariah Stone

A grieving Viking. A time traveling yoga teacher. Can they release their guilt and open their hearts to love?

Los Angeles, 2019. Cathy is struggling to find the strength to be on her own. With her fiancé trapped in an irreversible coma, she surfs on his favorite beach unable to muster the conviction to turn off his life support. Suddenly flung centuries back in time, she’s horrified to land in the middle of a Viking war. But her heart nearly stops when she discovers a Norseman who looks exactly like her boyfriend.

Wessex, England, 878 AD. Tortured by the death of his wife, Viking Andor Thornsson punishes himself by fighting countless battles. But when a gorgeous woman appears from nowhere and pulls him to safety during a losing skirmish, he fears extreme blood loss caused a hallucination. Behind deadly Anglo Saxon enemy lines, he reluctantly agrees to lead her to his stronghold under one condition: he’s not responsible for her fate.

But Andor can’t help falling for the curvy blonde even though she claims she must return to the future. And as they face bandits and hidden dangers together, Cathy wonders whether she’s attracted to the warrior himself or the stark reminder of what awaits back home.

Torn by painful memories and agonizing loss, can Cathy and Andor heal their broken hearts and make a timeless connection?

The Surf of Time is the fourth standalone book in the steamy Called by a Viking time travel romance series. If you like tormented alpha men, brave heroines, and second chance love stories, then you’ll adore Mariah Stone’s heart-pounding Nordic adventure.

Buy The Surf of Time to enjoy a wave of passion across worlds today!

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Time Travel Romance, Paranormal

Unknown Binding

About the author

When time travel romance writer Mariah Stone isn't busy writing strong modern women falling back through time into the arms of hot Vikings, Highlanders, and pirates, she chases after her toddler and spends romantic nights on North Sea with her husband. Mariah speaks six languages, loves Outlander, sushi and Thai food, and runs a local writer's group. Subscribe to Mariah's newsletter for a free time travel book today!

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this for free for review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

"But Cathy had no choice. She would do anything to get back to Brad- even go on a medieval road trip with an angry Viking."

Stone gives us a new entry to her "Called by a Viking" series that's more of a journey romance than her previous works. Her characters, Cathy and Andor, are traveling from a monastery to a nearby city. While traveling, they encounter different obstacles. They also learn more about the other, including Andor trying yoga and Cathy learning how to wield a sword.

Cathy is a bigger girl, and this fact is constantly reiterated. It was nice to see a bigger character be celebrated for being her size. Andor even says "I do not know the Los Angeles world. But let me show you how perfect you are in this world."

This leads to a huge problem for me: Cathy was engaged to Brad in her present. Despite this, she still allows herself to develop feelings for Andor and even sleep with him. More than once. That's cheating, and that's not okay with me. It made my opinion of Cathy lower.

The overall feel of this book is different than Stone's previous books, and we don't get a lot of secondary character interactions. Cathy's family and friends seemed to be mean just to make Cathy seem nice, but again we didn't get much interaction between them. This book didn't work for me because of these reasons, but there were still parts I enjoyed, and these things might not bother you.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/5/2020)! 🎁

[Carole Burant · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has come to a point now where Mariah Stone's books are an automatic read for me! This author's historical time travel romance stories are some of the best out there and this one was no exception. There was so much emotion throughout the story and you just can't help wanting to take both main characters into your arms and give them a heartfelt hug.

This is a story that involves letting go, having more confidence in yourself, forgiving yourself, learning to stand up for yourself, choosing to love instead of hate, etc. Cathy is from the future, Andor is from the past and when time travel brings them together, both learn life lessons that will bring them towards their HEA. A truly brilliant story that gripped my attention from start to end.

I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! I read this book as soon as I downloaded it. Cathy's fiancé was on life support after an accident. Brad's parent's and family, after a year, were ready to let him go. Not Cathy. They gave her two weeks. When Cathy left, she went to the beach where they surfed and his accident occurred. As she was on her surfboard, she noticed the older lady next to her on her board. After talking, the lady gave her a spindle and said someone else, Andor, needed her to save his life. The twists and turns in this book is great. The author wrote a well developed story and the characters are great. To know the ending, you must read this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marie Brown (Marie's Tempting Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for a rainy day or two! This book was stupendous and interesting and so exciting. I loved the characters and how fantastically the story came together as well as the top notch romance and swoon! A must read!

[B.E.Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this type of book so I wish it wasn't so hard to find good books like this. Thank goodness I found this author. I love this entire series, and this book was no exception. I couldn't put it down from beginning to end. I just loved this book, its the perfect escape read.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, easy story to read. Where can I find a norn with a golden spindle please? 😊

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

I borrowed this from Kindle Unlimited for…lord knows why. Given how unlucky I’ve been with KU titles of late, particularly those which are time travel, I should have known better. Alas. The plot of a time traveling yoga teacher was too much for me to resist and, well, I should have left sleeping dogs in savasana.

[Ruby Duvall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this story just seemed...abbreviated. I felt like there should've been another layer, somehow. And the last 15-20% or so was the MCs wrapping up their old hurts, which is...fine, but it really undermined any tension.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 stars
This time travel romance is packed with action, angst, steamy passion and soul crushing regrets to overcome. Both modern Kathy and Andor, her melancholy Viking raider, have overwhelming sadness and regrets attached to their previous partners. The story of how they aid each other and develop an ever deeper relationship as they make their way through hostile territory in medieval Britain is great stuff The sad backstories for Kathy's surfer boyfriend Brad and Andor's wife Svana were really touching and fully explained Kathy's and Andor's reluctance to commit themselves to someone new. The last few chapters did a fantastic job wrapping up all of their stories in a happy and hopeful way.

While it leant the story some originality, I could not get interested in the parts of the story dwelling on yoga. For me, the story would have been better and tighter with less of it (and more realistic, though I realize that time travel is not exactly a grounded in reality trope!)

Still, I love this era in history and the romance was well-written with characters I really cared about. This was not the favorite of the books I have read by Mariah Stone, but she spins a good yarn!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy’s fiancé Brad is in the hospital on life-support and she is unable to come to terms with his condition, in pain after having a disagreement with Brads parents Cathy leaves the hospital to catch some waves at there favourite beach . While out in the water she encounters a Norn Who has a golden spindle Cathy is told by the Norn but she cannot help Brad but there is another man waiting in another time zone that needs her help. Cathy takes the spindle and is transported to another time landing in the middle of a Viking battle where Andrus who looks like Bradis wounded and battling his own pain and self guilt over not being there defended his village where his wife ,parents and villagers were murdered during a Viking raid .Cathy rescues him and while he is recovering they journey together to York . This journey has many ups and downs with both of them being very stubborn, full of self-doubt and pain neither of them able to forgive themselves and move on with life. This leads to an event full journey of self discovery ,torn emotions and finding inner strength and self forgiveness . This is another gripping and interest holding time travel book from Mariah Stone I would highly recommend this book and the rest of her series.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos for another fabulous read. The type of book you can’t put down but you don’t want it to end. I will let other people tell you the story I like to tell you the emotion it brings forth. This book is filled with emotion. Lip rings about the humanistic need for a person to punish themselves. It shows how guilt can affect everyone. It affects both of our characters. And the way the result of it is realistic. Anger is the first thing I felt. Anger that they could not see past the guilt. Our female character is like many of us so ingrained with the poor self image. Been there done that. Our male character denies his self-worth. So we have sadness. Sadness that we can see more in the characters and they see them selves. Sensuality yes it is a feeling. Romantic sexual sensuality. When they finally “get it done“ you are ready just to cheer and drool. Very well developed sexual scenes. Very hot sexual scenes. Loved every minute of it.
You will not want to miss this book

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A great read from beginning to end. Another book in her Viking time travel series. Cathy who is grieving her fiancé who is on life support is sent back to Viking time. She lands in the middle of a battle between the Vikings and the saxons. Due to her surprise appearance the Vikings are beat. It is here she sees Andors who resembles her fiancé, he is hurt so she drags him to a cave to help him. Andors himself is battling his own grief due to his wife’s death which he feels he could have prevented. As both spend time together travelling and healing they form a bond and fall in love. But This is not without its ups and downs. Cathy goes back to her time to say goodbye to her fiancé and find peace for herself. Se realizes her heart is now with Andors, she gets a chance to go back to him, he too realizes he is in love . When they meet again they start their life together. I enjoyed the book and look forward to more reads from Mariah Stone.

[Tara Heilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story of healing, forgiveness and love. Add in time travel, a Viking and a bit of magic....nailed it! There was a lot of heartache in this, but Andor and Cathy both needed to feel it before they could heal. The intensity of their relationship is what will keep you turning the pages. A well written tale tat will intrigue all readers.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annette Drewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful addition to this time travel series. Well-developed storyline which grips you from the beginning and takes you on a wonderful journey of self-forgiveness. You will definitely need your tissues for this one. I loved the slow growth of attraction between Andor and Cathy. They both have pasts which affect their current situation and guilt seems to be at the forefront of their travels. I really enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.

[Angel Mcduffie · Rating 5 out of 5]

MARIAH STONE HAS DONE IT AGAIN. SURF OF TIME IS THE FOURTH BOOK IN HER CALLED BY A VIKING SERIES INVOLVING TIME TRAVEL. IN THIS BOOK THE FEMALE TRAVELS FROM 2019 AD BACK TO 878.AD. TO FIND OUT HER STORY GRAB YOU COPY OF THE SURF OF TIME.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kimberly Borup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not my usual genre, I did enjoy it. Lots of conflict, character growth, and happily-ever-after romance. Too much language and too many bedroom scenes for my taste. That is why I gave it a 4 star rating.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SuzyHD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining

A very well written and interesting Time Travel Romance. Cathy from the future is sent back in time to save Andor. Throughout their adventurous travels they start falling in love. The main characters are believable which allows the story to flow. Highly recommend this series.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book non stop from start to finish, except when I had to walk my dog. This book is not quite like the others in this series as it’s very sad in spots for both the main characters who have a lot to deal with. But fear not, there is a happy ending.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a little gem of a series. Very good stories and great characters with every single one. I hope Mariah Stone carries on with these as it's a winner!!!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Post-reading note: Mariah Stone is relaunching this series with new names, covers and book descriptions. She stated this in Booksprout. This book is "Viking's Claim", which WAS named "The Surf of Time". It's also going to be book five, not book one. BUT these seem to be all standalone! Just wanted to make this note mostly for future me when the books come out (which will be within the next few weeks *happy dancing*!), so that I can add these reviews to those books on GR!**

I'm sorry that these are out of order, I reached my weekly limit on Booksprout and I didn't realize the order was different from the books on GR. My apologizes!

Anyways, again another win for me from Stone! I felt like I was transported into the past. It didn't feel cheesy or unreal.

I loved how the fmc was a bigger girl, she was described as curve and tall. I LOVED that. What did fall short for me and the ONLY thing that fell short was that the fmc was a bit annoying. I see from her past and how she was treated and how that could cause her to be annoying. But it was a bit frustrating at times.

BUT the mmc did a good job at showing her that she was this amazing, strong, beautiful women. When he wasn't dealing with his own demons. I really liked him, even though he was kind of a ass at times.

Stone did a great job with this story line. I felt like both life issues each character was having wasn't far fetched at all. Even though this was a work of fiction. It made it feel more real, even though it's a time traveler romance.

Overall I loved this book and I'm already into the next one. Thank you Booksprout and Mariah Stone for this copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Cait M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cathy from 2019 gets sent back in time to viking days to help Andor work through his guilt over his part in events leading to his wife's death. A complicating factor is that Andor is the spitting image of Cathy's fiancee Brad who has been in a coma for the last year. Cathy is still holding on to hope that Brad will wake up, despite Brad's parents insistence that they be allowed to have the life support turned off.

This is a story about letting go of guilt, of expectations, and realizing the value of what you have right now.

All in all the story was an ok read for the time-travel genre, though not a stellar example. I thought that Andor spoke with too many modern idioms and that Cathy seemed to acclimate to Viking times way too easily.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. gave up at 39%

I love time travel stories, but I couldn't finish this one. It was just too over the top. A surfer girl from 2019, vegan no less, is thrown back in time to 800-whatever into the middle of a battle between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, wearing a hot pink wetsuit.

Perhaps I threw in the towel too soon. Maybe it was going to get interesting later. But the Viking, Andor, which my mind kept translating as and/or, spoke better modern English than my grandkids. Anyway, I don't have time to wait for the Viking to transform into a nice guy, which is where the story was headed.

[Sharon Osburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best

To me Cathy was an obnoxious heroine and Andor I liked. I just couldn't feel the plot of this book, her past was was lacking conviction. I couldn't feel her broken heart but could feel Andor's anguish and torment that he struggled with. Cathy's character I found to be most irritating. Average story at best & not even the time travel played out any intrigue. The other 3 were so much better and I'm ready to read the last in this series and hopefully Mariah Stone finds her way to bring the best one yet.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best So Far! I'm fairly new to Mariah Stone's work, but as I've now finished book 4, i have to brag about how I
pleased I am to have found her! This was one of the best stories I have read in a while, filled with enough twists and turns in the story to keep you on your toes, with enough historical details that have you Googling for even more, and with a pace that isn't rushed or has you feeling left short. And, best of all, the English teacher in me didn't find a single typo. This is just short of Valhalla!

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the whole surfing and life support aspects to this book were new for me, I found that I loved the adventure! There were many troupes in this book (enemies-to-lovers, stubborn main character, you're stuck with me, I don't love you/care but really I do, strong female lead, etc) that made this book a little more well rounded than the last one. This had the struggle that I was looking for as well as obstacles along the way that made it a full filling journey. I loved how strong and badass Cathy was and how this book had fantasy vibes even though it's a historical time travel romance.

[⚜️ Lacey ⚜️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF @ 48%. It’s not a bad book, I Just don’t like the heroine. It’s like she lacks a sense of self-preservation. She’s unwilling to do some things that would make her life in a different time period a whole lot easier. After she ventures out alone, already having escaped harm from robbers, she sees firelight in the woods and goes toward it instead of away from it. She wants to teach him yoga. Also, every time I saw the name Andor I kept seeing And/or, which was very distracting.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional yet fun read

I hadn’t read an historical in a while and had forgotten how encompassing a well written period story could be. Whisked away as a big boned California girl, who I could empathize with, I was right there with Cathy as she tried to encourage Andor to live again. Loved going on this adventure.

[Lorraine Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel love 💘 story

Cathy is from 2019 and Andor loved in 877 AD. Cathy has a fiance who has been in a coma for almost a year. Andor has lost his wife to an attack on their home and village.
Cathy and And or have an opportunity for a chance at a second love.
Will they get that?
Will she go back to the future or stay in the past?

Find out for yourself.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The surf of time

I think this is the first time travel book I’ve read where the person doing the time traveling actually did it twice. I think this book is more about having to make the really hard decisions in life, learning to live not only with yourself but with the decisions you’ve had to make in the past. These two did just that so that they could have a good future