Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior

Shieldmaiden Sisters #3

by Lucy Morris

Coming soon! Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior by Lucy Morris will be available Jan 24, 2023.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Medieval, Viking Romance, Historical, Category Romance

Hardcover

First published January 24, 2023

About the author

Lucy Morris has always been obsessed with myths and legends. Her books blend sweeping romance with vivid worldbuilding to whisk you away to another time and place filled with adventure. Expect passion, drama, and vibrant characters.

Lucy lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves Terry's chocolate oranges and Irn-Bru. In her spare time, she likes to explore castles with her family, or drink bubbly with her friends.

A member of the UK Romantic Novelists' Association. In 2020 she was delighted to accept a two-book deal with Harlequin after submitting her story to the Warriors Wanted submission blitz for Viking, Medieval, and Highlander romances.

She hasn't looked back since.

Writing for Harlequin Historical is a dream come true for her and she hopes you enjoy her books!

Reviews

[Julie - One Book More · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so pleased to have had the chance to read an advanced copy of Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior by Lucy Morris. I’ve loved The Shieldmaiden Sisters series, and I’m sad to see it end. That being said, Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is a brilliant conclusion to the trilogy. It’s exciting and entertaining, and I adored the love story and the amazing epilogue!

We were introduced to Helga and Rhys in the previous books in the trilogy. Helga is the youngest of the shieldmaiden sisters, and she is the only one who is not a warrior. Rhys is the villain who kidnaps Helga in book two. I adored their enemies-to-lovers romance and feel like any time there’s a character named Rhys, I immediately fall in love with him. And when he’s brooding and mysterious with a lot of layers, I swoon. So, I swooned a lot as I read this book. lol

Rhys sees his own hypocrisy and learns from it. I love how much he grows and changes over the course of the story. He listens to and respects Helga, and he makes her feel heard and respected. I think he supports her in ways she is not used to. Helga (love her!!!) also changes throughout her journey. She understands her family a little better, and she becomes more self-aware and assured. I love seeing her confidence grow, as her relationship with Rhys deepens.

The story has action and suspense, and an overarching threat that has been lurking since book one is finally addressed. I liked seeing how many of the characters from the previous books had a part in helping Helga, her sisters, and their partners. It’s exciting and intense and very entertaining.

This is such a fantastic historical romance series! The female protagonists are strong and fierce, their partners are dynamic and complex, and the romances are positively swoon-tastic. And the epilogue! It was everything I could ever hope for in a HEA, and seeing how all of the characters’ lives have grown, changed, and come together while offering glimpses of their happy futures warmed my heart. And Valda’s crewmates are so sweet and comical. I just love them! This is by far one of my favorite all-time epilogues!

Special thanks to Harlequin Historical and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

[SuperWendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good wrap up to an enjoyable trilogy. The author has been building up to this book with the previous two entries so I'm not entirely sure how well this one "stands alone" but as the final book in a trilogy telling an overarching story of a marriage alliance gone south it's pretty great.

A healer heroine who feels she's been a disappointment to her shieldmaiden mother and sisters, meets her destiny in the form of the Welsh prince hero, who kidnaps her because her brother-in-law did him dirty (plus his beloved sister is missing and feared dead - it's a rich, complicated stew). Of course he only knows part of the story, most of which he has wrong - but he's so blinded by rage it's not until he spirits the heroine away that he realizes what he thinks he knows - well, he doesn't.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided an arc e-copy by the publisher Harlequin Historical and the author
Lucy Morris So I can give a honest review thank you do much for sending me a copy.

I love reading Lucy Morris storytelling she makes the characters come to life. I enjoyed read Brynhild and Erik story Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior was a 4 star read

Happy Reading
Lisa 📚

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite story from Lucy Morris
5 stars

This is the third and final book in Lucy Morris’s Shieldmaiden Sisters Trilogy this time focussing on youngest sister, Helga. This book takes place at the same time as the second book in the series (Tempted by Her Outcast Viking) and despite character crossover, you don’t need to have read either of the other books to understand and enjoy this story.

I could not wait to get my hands on this book. After Helga was kidnapped in the last book and subsequently refused to be rescued, I was positively giddy. It was the perfect set-up for the sunshine / grumpy medieval Viking (sorry, Norse) romance of my dreams.

Despite being from a proud Shieldmaiden (a female warrior) family, Helga isn’t like her sisters. She’s smaller, more delicate, sweet and a healer rather than a fighter. She is pure sunshine and it was impossibly hard not to like her - not that I ever didn’t want to like her. Her likability only increased as we realise that Helga has doubts - about her abilities, her worth and her place in the world. But whether she realises it or not, Helga has a strength and fierceness about her that made her the perfect heroine.

If Helga is the perfect heroine, then Rhys is her unquestionably her perfect match. Known as the Black Dragon, he lives up to his name - a grumpy, angry man who’s feared for his cold and ruthless nature. He is completely flummoxed by Helga - confused by her sunshiny attitude, her belief in him and his goodness, and by his overwhelming attraction to her. It’s hilarious to watch the poor man be cast under her spell and with it find himself being more kind, open and, dare I say, sweet.

It’s no surprise that these two have a great connection from the start. The only thing better for me than enemies to lovers is when one half of our couple wants to hate the other but they just can’t seem to do it. It takes a while, and a little teasing, but when we get there, it’s everything I could have hoped for. Sexy, hot and sa-tis-fying! And if you’ve ever had thoughts of good times upon regal thrones - you’re in for a royal treat!

I’m sure I’ve said it before but one of the things I like best about Lucy Morris’s stories is that she manages to transport me into the world of her tales but does so in a way where you don’t even realise the world is being built around you. I was there. I felt the highs and the lows. The fear and the love. Ms Morris truly has a way with words that I’m always in awe of.

While we do get crossover characters from the previous books in the series, there are new supporting characters, too. Efa and Harald deserve a special mention as an unlikely pairing. And it was nice to see some humour in the story, too. I laughed out loud on a couple of occasions which was a nice touch to mix things up.

For those that have read the previous books in the series, this was the perfect story to round out the trilogy. We get happily ever afters for all three sisters and all is well with the world. And if you’re new to the series, or Lucy Morris in general, you get a delicious romance of two people from opposite worlds who are fated to be together but still have a fun and twisting, dangerous journey to get there. Definitely my favourite story from Lucy Morris yet. 5 stars.

[Elodie’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️‍🩹 Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior ⚔️
Shieldmaiden Sisters Book 3
✒️ Lucy Morris
https://m.facebook.com/LucyMorrisAuthor/
Release Date 01/19/2023-01/24/2023
Publisher Harlequin Historical/Mills&Boon Historical
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4HT68WC?...
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YHS5ZJW?...

𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯

Kidnapped by the warrior
Tempted by the man…
Captured by the infamous Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince intent on revenge against her family, Viking healer, Helga, must keep her wits about her if she’s to be freed. Easier said than done when she desires him rather than fears him! Helga senses there’s good inside Rhys and feels compelled to reach his heart. First she must make him see there’s more to her than just his enemy…

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

Will he trust her enough to accept more her than her love …
Helga is the youngest of the shieldmaiden sisters, the only one who did not embrace the warriors way. Yet she is not weak, she has her own strength and fight with her own weapons, confidence and empathy, plus a little something more.
Why instead of cursing fate or crumbling scared, she stands her ground when kidnapped by an enemy who thinks to use her a pawn.
Rhys is a man of many contradictions, he is bend of rescuing his abducted aunt and missing sister, yet he traded his sister and steal a young woman to make himself heard. He refuses to harm women but send his own blood to a somewhat unsure fate.
His trust issues make him a man who runs ragged as he struggles to delegate when he has people around him who would be willing to help him.
If only he is willing to listen to them.

With Helga’s influence, he will learn a different way, but it is not without conflict as he tends to reject everything before seeing the right of some of these things. Both fall quickly for the other, it is in some way fate for Helga but she sees also there is a good man behind the misguided fellow and her kind and caring soul soothes his wounds, particularly those running deep.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher and Rachel’s Random Ressources, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

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[Lisa C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story about Rhys, the Black Dragon of Gwynedd and Helga Porundóttir. Rhys has many responsibilities as leader of his family and he takes them all seriously. So seriously, he denies himself any pleasure. Helga is a healer, unlike the rest of the women in her family who are Shieldmaidens, and she feels they are ashamed of her. Loved these characters and how they teach each other how to be strong and vulnerable. Part of the Shieldmaiden Sisters series, but can be read as a standalone. Epilogue ties the series up nicely.

[Meg loves to read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viking romance at its best!

4.5 stars
A beautiful and exciting Viking romance! This is number three in its series but each book follows a different sister and can be read in any order. I enjoyed them all!

[Anita (Hearts and Whodunits) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captured by the infamous Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince intent on revenge against her family, Viking healer Helga must keep her wits about her if she’s to be freed. Easier said than done when she desires him rather than fears him! Helga senses there’s good inside Rhys and feels compelled to reach his heart. But first, she must convince him that she's not the enemy.
Even though this romance is the 3rd in the series it can be read as a standalone. I loved the main characters and how they found they had a lot in common despite being from different religions. There was a lot of action, and you could feel the romance between the main characters. My thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for the honor of reading this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite ones by Lucy Morris yet!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic conclusion to the series. This book mostly takes place at the same time as the previous book (Tempted by Her Outcast Viking) but from the viewpoints of Helga and Rhys.

Helga is the youngest of the three sisters and the only one who is not a warrior. She has always felt like she is a disappointment and a burden to her family. Her talents lie in other directions - healing, organizing, and understanding human nature. All of those qualities become vital in this book.

Rhys is a Welsh noble whose sister was supposed to marry Halfdan (The Viking She Would Have Married) to cement an alliance with Halfdan's father, Ulf. The marriage fell through when Halfdan married Valda, and Rhys's sister eloped with her bodyguard. Rhys only knows that she has disappeared and blames Ulf and his family. He kidnaps Helga to force Ulf to return his sister. He thinks Helga is the weakest of the sisters and gets quite a surprise.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Helga and Rhys. Many years earlier, Helga had a dream of a black dragon with blue eyes carrying her away and believed it was a sign of her marriage. Rhys is known as the Black Dragon in his homeland of Wales. When Helga first sees him, she is immediately drawn to him, though her initial fascination takes a bit of a hit when he kidnaps her. Rhys is attracted to Helga, but she is the enemy and his hostage, so she is off-limits.

The journey back to Rhys's lands was an exciting trip. Though she is a hostage, Helga is treated well, and it isn't long before her feelings for Rhys return and begins to grow. As she learns of his reasons for taking her, Helga's empathy leads to her desire to help him. Rhys is weighed down by his responsibilities to his people and his land. He was raised to put them first, before his desires and happiness. As a result, Rhys protects his heart by keeping everyone at a distance. I loved watching Helga get under his skin and stir up the emotions he's kept locked away.

I enjoyed the effects the journey had on Helga and Rhys. Helga is open about her feelings of inadequacy around her family. As he gets to know her, Rhys can't understand their attitude and becomes angry on her behalf. I love how he learned to listen to her insights and ideas and showed her the respect she deserved. His treatment of her boosted her self-esteem. I loved seeing her confidence grow. Rhys is intense and focused to the point of tunnel vision on his sister's rescue and his issues with Ulf. I loved seeing Helga's success at breaking through some of that intensity and getting him to look at the bigger picture.

I liked seeing Helga settle in as a "guest" in Rhys's home. It doesn't take her long to feel as though she belongs there. Rhys feels the same way but fights his feelings because of the events of his past. Helga's love and empathy for him enable her to finally get him to open up to her. I loved how she showed him that he deserves love and happiness, too. However, Rhys still has some major trust issues, and as the book reaches its climax, he has choices to make. Brynhild and Erik's arrival with news of his sister and his reaction to it put his newly committed relationship with Helga at risk. A heartbreaking scene between Helga and Rhys exposes his fears and drives Helga to call him out on his hypocrisy. The ending is intense as Helga takes a desperate chance to save the man she loves, and Rhys realizes his mistakes almost too late. I was glued to the pages as I read the intense battle scene. The post-battle scenes were terrific as Rhys faced Helga and her family. It was an eye-opening experience for him, and I laughed out loud at some of his encounters.

The epilogue was wonderful. I loved seeing how the couples from each book have progressed with their relationships. Each is consistent with their personalities but shows how they have grown and changed. I adored Rhys's surprise for Helga, showing the depth of his love and understanding of who she is.

#netgalley

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: this book contains sexual violence and abortion

This books in this serious are supposed to be capable of being read independently, but I think a lot is missing if they're not read in order.

Of the three books in this series, this is the one I enjoyed the most. The FMC Helga was an interesting main character. Strong mentally, if not physically.

That said, I thought Helga was too accommodating of her captor. An insta-stockholm syndrome that developed within a day or two. Like, I understand she had no affinity for the bad guy, Ulf. But to aid your kidnapper, who pulled you into a conflict you had nothing to do with, and develop the hots for him, after a two or three days together... I get the guy was "handsome" and they had a "love at first sight" moment in the market, but at the end of the day, a threatening kidnapper is a threatening kidnapper, regardless of looks, and it should take a lot more than a day in a boat together to get past that and decide his cause it righteous/just etc.

And the MMC, Rhys, I honestly couldn't warm to. He's stressed, self-sacrificing, desperate, doing as much as he can with his limited resources, etc. His intentions might be good. But he felt stuck, repeating the same mistakes. His own internal back-and-forth feelings about Helga, in addition to his treatment of her (and then throwing in the history with his sister, from book 2), made it hard to believe that he cared about her. Certainly not the way as much as her family cared about her. Not in the way he cared about his responsibilities as a leader.

Getting married a little more than a week after meeting because "they loved each other" just didn't ring true. For political strategy, yes. But for love, or even lust, on either side, especially his? Not convinced.

Because of Helga's prophetic dreams and intuition, from the dragon to the pennyroyal, the plot had a feeling of inevitability to it. Like the reader is just supposed to accept their relationship, despite the issues, because Helga had a dream. Helga keeps giving him chances despite saying she won't, and without him apologizing, changing, or otherwise asking for those second chances...as if she alone is forcing this relationship to be realized against better judgement, all because she dreamed something.

Also, what's with swimming in frigid water again? I've been in mountain waterfall pools in the tropics, and they're (literally) gasping cold. A mountain waterfall pool in Wales in the autumn? Not a place for a bath or makeout sesh.

And how convenient for Helga's story arc that she does her riding trick on Rhys's horse and kills the baddie everyone's been hating for 3 books, with zero previous battle experience. Uh-huh.

The book touches on sexual violence toward captive women, and it's handling it mixed. Kudos to the book for not shying away from women seeking abortions after rape and there being no one-size-fits-all answer.

But having the aunt start to warm, even in the slightest, to a romance with anyone a week after being freed from months of captivity and rape? Yeah, no. For that man to be from the same enemy ethnic group that held her hostage? Really yeah, no. For that man to have been formerly in the same position (settlement leader), as her rapist? "But we have no allegiance to the bad guys. We were just pillaging 'cause he promised us some land to farm." Not reassuring. "We didn't kill or rape anyone"...as if that's proof someone's a good man, instead of being a bar so low you couldn't even trip on it. That subplot was gratuitous and unnecessary.

Overall, this was my favorite book of the series, but I can't see myself reading it again soon, unless it's to see if I was missing something about Rhys.

I feel like this series needs a fourth book: the story of Rhys sister and his best friend. Especially the friend. Good angst potential in the months of her betrothal to Halfdan. Good suspense potential recounting the chase/hunt/confrontation of book 2. Do they ever reconcile with Rhys? Does Rhys listen to his aunt and finally grow, with respect to his sister? Do they really stay farmers despite having zero experience, money, etc.? She's not a shieldmaiden, but the premise is definitely well set-up.

[Tracy Emro · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This story runs parallel to the previous book “Tempted by Her Outcast Viking” and is the story of the youngest sister, Helga. Helga is not like her older sisters, she is not a warrior, although she knows how to fight, she is a gentle soul, who tends to the hearth while her sisters and mother wage war, she is a healer and has dreams and visions of the future. And it seems as if those prophetic dreams are starting to come true when after a year of misery, her sister Valda marries Halfdan, her first love, and the family's fortunes begin to change. But Valda’s marriage also led to Halfdan’s father Jarl Ulf to disown him, when he failed to marry Alswn of Gwynedd. Now Alswn, along with her guard Hywel are missing, and her brother, Rhys, the Dragon of Gwynedd is out for blood. He is convinced that Helga’s family is connected to Jarl Ulf and therefore bears some responsibility, so he abducts Helga. He informs her sister Brynhild that he will hold Helga hostage until his sister is returned to him at his fortress in Wales.

Helga is shocked to realize that the dragon that has haunted her dreams since she was a child, is actually Rhys, the man she believes is her fated mate. But she soon begins to question that fate when Rhys makes it clear that he hates Vikings and doesn’t believe her when she tells him that Ulf is not her family and won’t care that Rhys took her. Rhys is sure she is lying – Vikings killed his parents and of late Ulf has been raiding and pillaging his land, going as far as to take his Aunt hostage – Ulf made it clear that he planned to conquer Rhys and take his lands, hence the marriage agreement between his sister and Ulf’s son. But now that Halfdan married Valda and his sister has vanished, Rhys knows it is only a matter of time before Ulf wages war on him. A war he knows he cannot win since his king refuses to send men to help him. His only hope is that Ulf values Helga’s life enough to back down. However, it isn’t long before Rhys realizes he was wrong about Helga and isn’t sure he will be able to let her go, even if his sister is returned. But with Ulf’s army at his front door and her family’s army at his back door – Rhys will have to decide if he is willing to trust the woman he has come to love with not only his heart and his life but with the fate of his entire clan.

This is a must-read if you have been following the series – Helga is an amazing heroine, despite her own feelings of inadequacy; she is courageous, bold, gracious, and helpful. Rhys is a bit harder to like, he also struggles with inadequacy, but is reluctant to accept help and refuses to let anyone know him, including his own family. This story has a lot happening and is much more emotional than I was expecting. The book has abductions, misunderstandings, a very slow-burn romance, battle scenes, steamyish love scenes, cameos from previous characters as well as a host of new secondary characters, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. It needs to be pointed out that this story does contain some triggers such as rape and physical abuse, but they are all off-page and there are at least two graphic death scenes that might be disturbing to readers sensitive to violence. I thought the author handled these scenes very well and didn’t dwell on them. This is the third and final book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would suggest reading the entire series in order for the best reader experience. Overall, I thought this book was the perfect ending to a wonderful series and I am happy to recommend not only this title but the entire series.

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

[RomanceByTheBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is the final installment in the Shieldmaiden Sister series and trust me, readers, it does not disappoint.

I’ve been waiting not so patiently for Helga’s story. I felt that instant connection with her when I met her back in the first book in the series. So, I was super excited to read a book centred around her. Now, before you go diving into this book, you will need to read the previous two books in the series. Everything is connected, and the story builds off each book, and you will have a hard time keeping up with what is happening if you don’t have all that background information. Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior takes place during the same period of time that Tempted by Her Outcast Viking (the second book of the series) occurs. For those who need a quick refresher of what happened during the second book, Helga is kidnapped by Lord Rhys, who will only return Helga to her family when his sister is returned to him. Brynhild and Erik set out to find Rhy’s sister, only to discover that she has fallen in love with her protector and no longer wants to return home. Things were even more complicated when Ulf and his army set out to wage war on Lord Rhys and his people. In this book, we see what happens to Helga when Rhys kidnaps her.

This is my favourite book in the series. It was the perfect epic and romantic conclusion to an unputdownable book series. Lucy did an excellent job at bringing together all the previous stories and characters and building us up for this final conflict. The story and pacing of this book are similar to the first book in the series. It’s fast-paced and filled with lots of battles. I really could not put it down. Lucy is a fantastic storyteller. I am always amazed at all the thoughts and details she puts into her stories, characters, and the historical world she has created. It makes reading her books such an enjoyable experience. I loved the direction she took Helga’s story in. It had everything I wanted: romance, battles, forced proximity, and breathtaking settings. It was just woven together so beautifully.

Helga’s romance with Rhys was everything I could have ever wanted. These two have this perfect destiny/enemies-to-lovers romance going on. I soaked up every exchange, glance, conversation, and moment these two had together. Their dialogue was smart and compelling. I needed to keep reading because I wanted to see how their relationship would progress. Helga is a different heroine than her two sisters. She isn’t a warrior by nature; her strength doesn’t come from her ability to wield a sword or gain victory on the battlefield. Instead, her strength is quiet and steady. She is the healer in the group and has this wonderful ability to see the good in others. Despite what others may think, she is clever, and I loved that Rhys saw who she was right from the moment he met her.

Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is a stunning conclusion to a romance series that I would read again and again.

Thank you, Harlequin Historical and Rachel Random Resources for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

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[Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior
Author: Lucy Morris
Series: Shieldmaiden Sisters, Book 3
Publisher: Harlequin
Print Length:282
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
Blog Rating: 5 Saltire Flags

Jorvik AD 913

In this third book and series finale of the Shieldmaiden Sisters, it centers on Helga the youngest sister. She feels she is less than her older sisters since she is not a Shilemaiden like Valda and Brynhild. Helga also feels they are ashamed of her since she isn't a warrior like them. Furthemore, both Shieldmaidens have found their lifemates, something neither wanted. Helga is a healer who comprehends and understands the human condition that some enemies called her a witch! She also has a positive outlook on marriage and can’t wait to fall in love, unlike her two older sisters who thought marriage was a prison and being a wife was a type of slavery.

The hero in this story starts off as a villain, like Helga we meet Rhys, a Welsh Prince, the leader of Black Dragon of Gwynedd in previous books of this series. Rhys wants revenge against Jarl Ulf who has mistreated his people and lands horribly, but he has been misinformed thinking Ulf would care about what happens to Helga or her sisters! Plus Rhys had made an alliance for his sister Alswn to marry Ulf’s son Halfdan, but he did not honor his fathers wishes! As he married Helga’s sister Valda, the woman he had always loved! The problem is his Welsh sister is missing, the reason for this abduction where he abducts Helga in book two Tempted by Her Outcast Viking.

Rhys picked Helga due to her not being a Shieldmaiden though he did think she was beautiful but he was a kind abductor not wanting her physically harmed in any way. As this abductor to lover story,though this is not the Stockholm Syndrome as Rhys really listens to Helga and respects her which soon turns to love. Yet what will happen when her strong Shiledmaiden sisters find out? They will want to tear him apart! Will he discover his missing sister? So many obstacles to overcome. Do these star-crossed lovers even have a chance? Read and find out!

Bravo to Lucy Morris who pens a phenomenal breathtaking series finale to her extraordinary Shieldmaiden series that I absolutely and unequivocally loved. Let me tell you this Welsh Prince had me drooling he will definitely have readers swooning! I wait to see what this author releases next! Another fast-paced, action-packed, romantic adventure that historical readers will definitely love. This can be read as a stand alone book or in series order. Both Viking fans historical romance readers will love this book.

Shieldmaiden Sisters Series

Book 1: The Viking She Would Have Married
Book 2: Tempted by Her Outcast Viking
Book 3: Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the Harlequin publishers and through Netgalley. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Lucy Morris blends passion, danger and intrigue in her latest irresistible historical romance: Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior.

Viking healer Helga has been captured by Lord Rhys, a Welsh prince with a vendetta against her family. Fully aware that Rhys has vengeance on his mind, Helga knows that he will show her no mercy, so she must keep her wits about her and try to appeal to his better nature if she wants to be freed. With her entire future in jeopardy, Helga needs to remain focused on attaining her freedom from Rhys. She cannot afford distractions of any kind – so she is flabbergasted when she finds herself drawn to him. Far from fearing him, Helga is consumed by her desire for her captor. Can Helga convince Rhys to see past his hatred for her family and give their burgeoning relationship a chance? Or will he continue to see her as an enemy who must be destroyed at all costs?

The moment Rhys has been waiting for for so long is finally here. He has managed to capture Helga and he plans to exact his revenge against her family. However, the more time he spends with Helga, the more he finds himself attracted to her. Despite his better judgement and his hatred for her family, Rhys begins to hope for a future with the Viking healer. Will he manage to put the past to rest and embrace this chance at happiness with Helga? Can the two of them build a life together? Or are they destined to remain bitter enemies until their very last breath?

Lucy Morris excels at writing emotional, atmospheric and captivating historical romances that sweep readers back in time and she has outdone herself yet again with Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior. An enemies-to-lovers romance rich in tension, pathos and sensuality, this brilliantly paced and beautifully evocative tale enthralls readers with a strong and spirited heroine and a charismatic and brooding hero it is impossible not to fall in love with.

An outstanding historical romance from a writer who keeps getting better with every book she writes, Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is another must-read by Lucy Morris.

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

[Julie Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is the end of Lucy Morris’ excellent Shieldmaiden Sisters series, which I have thoroughly enjoyed and am sorry to see end. However, what an ending this has been. The youngest sister, Helga, has been kidnapped by the brooding Rhys, who is spiriting her away to his stronghold in Wales and her warrior sisters and their partners need to swing into action to save her. Because Helga, the youngest and gentlest of the sisters, can’t possibly save herself, can she?

You don’t need to have read the previous two books in the series to enjoy this one, it works perfectly well as a standalone novel, but there are several threads that come together in this final book which make it more enjoyable if you have read the previous two and, as they are both fantastic novels as well, I would recommend you do read them first to get the maximum enjoyment from this novel.

I love Helga as a character, because she is so different from her elder sisters, but she really finds her feet in this book and discovers strengths she never knew she had. It was interesting to see Helga blossom through Rhys’ eyes, as he has the same preconceptions about her that the reader has at the start of the book and is swiftly disabused of them as we are. It is easy to see why his love for her develops, because ours follows the same path. And who doesn’t love and enemies-to-lovers romance?

The book is full of action and adventure and excitement and is a really fitting end to the trilogy, neatly winding everything together and leaving the reader with a satisfactory conclusion to the trials and tribulations of this family. At a time when we would assume women have very little power and autonomy, I have really loved reading the stories of women who are strong and independent and know what they want. I would never have said that Viking romances were one of my go-to genres, but this author’s books have changed that. Her writing is entertaining and engaging, full of intrigue and passion and great characterisation. Although I am sad that this wonderful series has ended, I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.

[Sabilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo ... Bravo ... Lucy Morris! This last instalment for Shieldmaiden Sisters has captivated me all along and I hadn’t been able to move on!

As I had read the prior series I thought that I was rather familiar with Helga, the unique sister whom possesses healing skill yet I was wrong. Lucy Morris brought a very strong, too kind, remarkable, wise, and friendly shieldmaiden. She is everything I wanted in a heroine!

I knew from the beginning that I would love Helga and Rhys’s story. Rhys presumes that Helga is the weakest among her sisters but when he kidnaps her, he doesn’t expect that she will fight with fierce resistance. Succeeded in kidnapping her, Rhys takes her as his hostage in return for his missing sister. Rhys is a typical prince who carries onerous burden, the burden to protect his Welsh terrain from the Norse, especially the infuriating Ulf (Argh, this old man had made me mad from the first book) who wants to attack his land and people. On their journey, despite being a hostage, Helga is kindly treated and she isn’t afraid of Rhys, she even has an audacity to tease him over and over even though he is her enemy.

By Odin! I couldn’t stop myself from turning the pages over and over and letting me be taken into their journey. I loved its rich detailed historical settings and superstitions. They kept me glued until the end. I felt like I was under Lucy Morris’s spell especially the tender scene when Helga accidentally knocked her toe and Rhys is so warmly and increasingly concerned of her. It’s smartly framed especially the strategy used to attack Ulf. I was so fascinated by the Shieldmaidens. The epilogue! Loved it so much! For me, this is truly a compelling Viking story. This book might be a standalone but I would recommend reading the prior series as they are as captivating as this. Thank you, Lucy Morris, for this ARC which I voluntary reviewed.

[LJ (ljwritesandreviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is the final instalment of the Shieldmaiden sisters series and while it can be read as a standalone, you probably get more out of the story to read the others too.

What a lovely end to the series this was! I got all the fuzzy feelings after reading the final chapter.
Like the previous book I read, Tempted by her outcast Viking, this novel was full of romance, action and a couple of steamy scenes in there for good measure.

Helga was a wonderful character. She has always been seen as the weaker one of her sisters. Not only is she the youngest, her talents lie with healing and was always the one to stay behind and look after the injured while her family goes into battle. As the story went along, it was so nice to see her realise as that she was much stronger than she thought.

It took me longer to warm up to Rhys, what with the fact that he kidnapped Helga and refused point blank to listen to reason on most occasions through the book. It's not until I found out his full story did I soften to him.

What I love about these books is the fact that yes, it is first and foremost about romance, but there's also some action and adventure to add extra excitement to the story.

If you're looking for action, adventure and all the awws, then I'd highly recommend Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior!

[Tracy Emro · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This story runs parallel to the previous book “Tempted by Her Outcast Viking” and is the story of the youngest sister, Helga. Helga is not like her older sisters, she is not a warrior, although she knows how to fight, she is a gentle soul, who tends to the hearth while her sisters and mother wage war, she is a healer and has dreams and visions of the future. And it seems as if those prophetic dreams are starting to come true when after a year of misery, her sister Valda marries Halfdan, her first love, and the family's fortunes begin to change. But Valda’s marriage also led to Halfdan’s father Jarl Ulf to disown him, when he failed to marry Alswn of Gwynedd. Now Alswn, along with her guard Hywel are missing, and her brother, Rhys, the Dragon of Gwynedd is out for blood. He is convinced that Helga’s family is connected to Jarl Ulf and therefore bears some responsibility, so he abducts Helga. He informs her sister Brynhild that he will hold Helga hostage until his sister is returned to him at his fortress in Wales.

Helga is shocked to realize that the dragon that has haunted her dreams since she was a child, is actually Rhys, the man she believes is her fated mate. But she soon begins to question that fate when Rhys makes it clear that he hates Vikings and doesn’t believe her when she tells him that Ulf is not her family and won’t care that Rhys took her. Rhys is sure she is lying – Vikings killed his parents and of late Ulf has been raiding and pillaging his land, going as far as to take his Aunt hostage – Ulf made it clear that he planned to conquer Rhys and take his lands, hence the marriage agreement between his sister and Ulf’s son. But now that Halfdan married Valda and his sister has vanished, Rhys knows it is only a matter of time before Ulf wages war on him. A war he knows he cannot win since his king refuses to send men to help him. His only hope is that Ulf values Helga’s life enough to back down. However, it isn’t long before Rhys realizes he was wrong about Helga and isn’t sure he will be able to let her go, even if his sister is returned. But with Ulf’s army at his front door and her family’s army at his back door – Rhys will have to decide if he is willing to trust the woman he has come to love with not only his heart and his life but with the fate of his entire clan.

This is a must-read if you have been following the series – Helga is an amazing heroine, despite her own feelings of inadequacy; she is courageous, bold, gracious, and helpful. Rhys is a bit harder to like, he also struggles with inadequacy, but is reluctant to accept help and refuses to let anyone know him, including his own family. This story has a lot happening and is much more emotional than I was expecting. The book has abductions, misunderstandings, a very slow-burn romance, battle scenes, steamyish love scenes, cameos from previous characters as well as a host of new secondary characters, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. It needs to be pointed out that this story does contain some triggers such as rape and physical abuse, but they are all off-page and there are at least two graphic death scenes that might be disturbing to readers sensitive to violence. I thought the author handled these scenes very well and didn’t dwell on them. This is the third and final book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would suggest reading the entire series in order for the best reader experience. Overall, I thought this book was the perfect ending to a wonderful series and I am happy to recommend not only this title but the entire series.

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

[Tracy Emro · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up.

This story runs parallel to the previous book “Tempted by Her Outcast Viking” and is the story of the youngest sister, Helga. Helga is not like her older sisters, she is not a warrior, although she knows how to fight, she is a gentle soul, who tends to the hearth while her sisters and mother wage war, she is a healer and has dreams and visions of the future. And it seems as if those prophetic dreams are starting to come true when after a year of misery, her sister Valda marries Halfdan, her first love, and the family's fortunes begin to change. But Valda’s marriage also led to Halfdan’s father Jarl Ulf to disown him, when he failed to marry Alswn of Gwynedd. Now Alswn, along with her guard Hywel are missing, and her brother, Rhys, the Dragon of Gwynedd is out for blood. He is convinced that Helga’s family is connected to Jarl Ulf and therefore bears some responsibility, so he abducts Helga. He informs her sister Brynhild that he will hold Helga hostage until his sister is returned to him at his fortress in Wales.

Helga is shocked to realize that the dragon that has haunted her dreams since she was a child, is actually Rhys, the man she believes is her fated mate. But she soon begins to question that fate when Rhys makes it clear that he hates Vikings and doesn’t believe her when she tells him that Ulf is not her family and won’t care that Rhys took her. Rhys is sure she is lying – Vikings killed his parents and of late Ulf has been raiding and pillaging his land, going as far as to take his Aunt hostage – Ulf made it clear that he planned to conquer Rhys and take his lands, hence the marriage agreement between his sister and Ulf’s son. But now that Halfdan married Valda and his sister has vanished, Rhys knows it is only a matter of time before Ulf wages war on him. A war he knows he cannot win since his king refuses to send men to help him. His only hope is that Ulf values Helga’s life enough to back down. However, it isn’t long before Rhys realizes he was wrong about Helga and isn’t sure he will be able to let her go, even if his sister is returned. But with Ulf’s army at his front door and her family’s army at his back door – Rhys will have to decide if he is willing to trust the woman he has come to love with not only his heart and his life but with the fate of his entire clan.

This is a must-read if you have been following the series – Helga is an amazing heroine, despite her own feelings of inadequacy; she is courageous, bold, gracious, and helpful. Rhys is a bit harder to like, he also struggles with inadequacy, but is reluctant to accept help and refuses to let anyone know him, including his own family. This story has a lot happening and is much more emotional than I was expecting. The book has abductions, misunderstandings, a very slow-burn romance, battle scenes, steamyish love scenes, cameos from previous characters as well as a host of new secondary characters, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. It needs to be pointed out that this story does contain some triggers such as rape and physical abuse, but they are all off-page and there are at least two graphic death scenes that might be disturbing to readers sensitive to violence. I thought the author handled these scenes very well and didn’t dwell on them. This is the third and final book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would suggest reading the entire series in order for the best reader experience. Overall, I thought this book was the perfect ending to a wonderful series and I am happy to recommend not only this title but the entire series.

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

[Gloria Pastorino · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the previous book I knew I needed to read this one. I was so captivated by the hero when he made a brief appearance! And I was not disappointed, because he’s really as intriguing as he seemed. I love a brooding hero, especially when coupled with a sunny, kind and feisty heroine! Grumpy-sunshine is one of my favorite trope. And poor Rhys has every reason to be grumpy! He is lonely, crushed by responsibilities, surrounded by enemies and can’t trust anyone. I loved how Helga was able to worm her way into his life and bring joy to his days. She’s a strong woman, much stronger than her mother and sister who are warriors on the battlefield, because she fights with her kindness and her art of healing and her mind (and her crossbow as well!)
Lucy Morris is a great writer, and I enjoyed the accurate descriptions and historical bits as much as the emotional characterization of her characters. I’ll definitely follow her much more closely from now on!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beguiling Her Enemy Warrior is the third book in the Shieldmaiden trilogy and tells the story of Helga and Rhys. In the trilogy, Helga is shown to be least shieldmaiden or warrior like and when Rhys first sees her, he decides that she'd make the perfect hostage for him. What he doesn't find out till later is that while Helga doesn't look like a warrior physically, she has the mind of one and her strengths aren't to be underestimated.

I really enjoyed the conclusion of this series. I thought both Helga and Rhys were great characters and complemented each other really well. The story is brilliantly written by Lucy Morris with rich descriptions of both the era and the setting. It was lovely to see all the characters we've met along the way at the end and I thought it was all wrapped up beautifully.

[Andrea (Hammock and Read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two ends with a cliffhanger of what is about to happen with family/war/kidnapping and what happened with Helga once she was taken. So you go in with a lot of questions but Rhys will grow on you and Helga will just make you want to time travel and make her your BFF. This one was packed with action, wonderful side characters, landscapes, and then more action. Helga and Rhys have chemistry from their very rocky start, who learn to trust each other. We get some great steam in this fact paced enemies to loves!!

I just loved this series so much! The landscapes came to life and made me want to visit Wales so much. I can’t wait to see more of Lucy and hope we get a lot more Viking Romances out of her!!

[Nicola Malloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much Lucy Morris, Mills and Boon and Rachel’s random resources for gifting me a digital copy of ‘Beguiling her enemy warrior’ in exchange for an honest review. This is the third stand alone book in the Shieldmaiden sister’s trilogy, having read the previous two books I jumped at the opportunity to read book 3. I have loved each of the books and think this may be my favourite; Helga always had me intrigued with her sense of magic and sense of things to happen drew me in from the start of the trilogy and the complexity of Rhys and his need to protect his people and hatred for Vikings was always going to be a good read. A true enemy to loves with a 10th century twist, I loved this series.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read any of the other books in this series, but it wasn't necessary to understand and enjoy this book. The romance and chemistry between the two characters unfolds in a natural and believable way, and the author handles the hostage/kidnapper relationship very well. In these kinds of books it's easy for the romance to feel more like Stockholm syndrome, but the author made it obvious that Helga was a captive only in the very loosest sense of the word. My only issue was Rhys' possessiveness, which raised some red flags, but by the end of the book it seemed like he had changed enough that it didn't bother me as much as it might have.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Good Trilogy of the Sisters!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Reading all 3 was great and I just want more lol. Helga was a kick ass woman in her own right. She had the best kill!! I loved it. Rhys seemed like a jerk at first but he wasn’t at all. I so loved all the characters and storylines. I’m so happy with the ending as well. From Poruun, Sihtric, Tostig, Brynhild, Erik, Valda, Halfdan, Helga and Rhys each character was written so well. On to my next story. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💜💜💜💜💜😊😊😊😊😊

[Julianne W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this series, and highly recommend reading all 3 books in succession order. The heroines are fantastic- extremely strong women who find heroes ready to follow their lead and lavish them with the devotion they deserve. The narratives are all really tightly woven, as to be expected in category romance, but it’s incredible the depth of character, romance, plus intriguing plot and historic detail Lucy Morris can pick in under 300 pages each. I am now a total Morris devotee and need to read all her other books!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this whole Viking series by Lucy Morris.

I always am a fan of dual POV in a book and getting to know what both Helga and Lord Rhys are thinking about each other and the different perspectives on the situations/ challenges they are going into really flushes this story out. The world building is there from the other stories in this series, and while it isn't a must to read them, I feel you will enjoy this story a lot more by reading the whole series in order.

[Laura Nelson (Tangents and Tissues) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a widely accepted fact that I have a slight *pinches fingers* tendency (read: understatement) to become attached to certain book characters and their series. None more so than the adventures and struggles of Helga and her sisters.

It’s felt like I’ve been balancing on a knife edge awaiting the release of Helga’s story. The pain of her kidnap viscerally echoed in Brynhild’s book, and I was all for a bit of time travel to join the rescue. *snorts* Firstly, discussion on time travel aside, I would’ve been as much use as a chocolate teapot, and secondly, as if Helga needed anyone’s help to rescue her…

Helga may have chosen a different path to that of her sisters, but her strength and resilience are a force of nature when needed. Her inner fire burns and her heart will slay any dragon that crosses her path. Even that of a certain Black Dragon.

Not gonna lie *shrugs* I wasn’t a fan of Lord BD aka Rhys to begin with. He might be easy on the eye but that will only get you so far *snorts*. Ermagawd, did this man have layers or what?!

Despite the circumstances, Helga challenges Rhys at every turn. And he needs it; to see beyond his blinkered thinking and beliefs. This little Norse Sprite is about to rock his world!

Helga’s story was an emotional rollercoaster for me. It’ll come as no surprise that the author broke me again! Not only with Efa’s story but also with a sweet moment between Helga and her mother, Porunn. Rivers of tears *shakes head*.

I also have another confession… I was so wrapped up in the suspense and tension of the climatic ending that when a certain something happens I screamed out loud to “Hold the effing wall!” To which I was reminded by The Mommy that I was ‘only reading a book’. The cheek!

A fitting end to an outstanding trilogy. Here’s to waterfalls and HEAs!

[Shanice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the previous two books in the series, this one didn't hold my attention quite as much. Although described as being weaker than her warrior sisters and having self doubts because of that, Helga still came across as a little too perfect and sunshiny for me. And I would have liked Rhys to grovel just a bit more before the end.