Golden Surrender

Viking #1

by Heather Graham

Two bold warriors, two proud lands, united by passion—and revenge . . . 

Prince Olaf of Norway —Lord of the Wolves, the golden Viking warrior who came in his dragon ship to forge a great kingdom in the Emerald Isle.

Princess Erin —Daughter of the Irish High King, the ebony-haired beauty who swore bitter vengeance on the legendary Norseman who had brought death and destruction to her beloved homeland.

Yet, in the great Norse and Irish alliance against the invading Danes, it was her own father who gave her in marriage to her most hated enemy. Bewitched by Olaf's massive strength, seduced by his power, still Erin vowed that neither the wrath of his sword nor the fire of his kiss would sway the allegiance of her proud and passionate heart.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Medieval, Historical Fiction, Medieval Romance, Enemies To Lovers

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Tatiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I have nobody to blame but myself for reading this drivel. I wanted to rekindle my teenage love for Viking bodice-rippers and "Golden Surrender" seemed like an excellent book to fit the requirements. Too bad at some point I wanted to throw this book across the room or even worse - burn it.

Let me make it clear, my expectations for such literature are not very high, I know how this kind of stories are done: hero and heroine hate each from the get-go, for one reason or another they are forced to get married, swiftly they fall in love mainly via lots of flirting, fighting and foreplay, a virgin heroine's maidenhead is ravished (in a most glorious and satisfying manner, naturally), followed by numerous instances of passionate copulating, then some misunderstanding occurs that draws our love birds apart, but everything culminates in HEA after the difficulties are resolved and a child is born. What I do not expect from historical bodice-rippers, however, is for heroine to be madly in love with her husband after she is physically assaulted by him and the main character does just that in "Golden Surrender." But let me start from the beginning.

Olaf of Norway is a golden-haired Viking Lord whose ambition is to conquer Ireland and to become its wise and noble ruler. Erin is a beautiful, proud and strong green-eyed Irish princess who, after witnessing Olaf's army ravage an Irish village, cause the deaths of her aunt and uncle and viciously rape her friend, vows to kill the Norwegian Lord. To her horror, about 100 pages into the story, Erin's father pledges her hand in marriage to Olaf, her mortal enemy. The Irish princess is drugged to get through the wedding ceremony and finally comes back to her senses in their bedroom. Erin plans to kill her new husband with a pair of scissors, but is stopped by Olaf, who punishes her not by savagely taking her virginal body (as Erin fears), but by tying her hands to the bed at night. The bride is full of fear and hate for her new husband, but it doesn't stop her from admiring his body and quivering from desire for it as he dangles his family jewels in front of her face while tying her up. And that manly smell! Erin can hardly control her passion after getting a whiff of his scent, a sight of his chest hair and being repeatedly called a bitch!

As the time goes by, Erin is getting used to her role as a Viking Lord's wife, her husband comes to like her, but doesn't attempt to earn her love, rather, he taunts her by making her scrub his back or massage his body, always remembering to give her a good view of his... shaft. Of course, Erin is very close to the ecstasy at the sight of it. The things start to finally move along when one fateful morning, during an argument, Olaf slaps Erin's face for mentioning his dead lover's name. Erin is furious, but not for too long, this very night their marriage is finally consummated, as Olaf is so darn irresistible and has such a great skill with working bath soap and massage oil (page 200). The union is passionate and satisfactory to both, but Erin ends the night by crying and giving her husband a cold shoulder. But fear not, next morning things are different. The Irish princess finds herself almost in love with her enemy/spouse. She is now a toe-sucking vixen as well. Oh, what a difference can one night of Viking loving can make!

Their marital bliss is very short-lived however. The same day Olaf is called upon to protect his lands and is forced to leave his wife alone for almost 3 months. THE misunderstanding occurs when Olaf is on the way from the campaign. Not to go into much detail, Erin is accused of attempting to kill her husband, when in fact her intention is to protect him. Olaf doesn't care to hear her explanations and punishes her immediately by putting shackles on her and dragging her behind his horse. And this is where "Golden Surrender" takes a nose dive IMO. Erin is not only seriously hurt, she is pregnant, as well as innocent of the crime. But Olaf doesn't care, he is never apologetic, and Erin, in spite of her vow never to forget this assault, quivers in desire for her husband the next morning.

I say, give me a break! I sure don't expect a masterpiece reading a book named "Golden Surrender," but is it too much to ask for characters in a bodice-ripper to be marginally likable and make sense? Erin in this book is weak and almost a doormat, she never shows any strength of character, and even more, she seems to have a borderline personality disorder, she hates Olaf one minute and loves him the next. (The only other character I've encountered who acts in the same way is Nora from a widely popular YA novel "Hush, Hush.") And Olaf, well, he is good with massage oil, but otherwise is a jerk.

I personally prefer my historical bodice-rippers with a little more sense, chemistry between the hero and heroine and some humor. "Golden Surrender" is just a sad, dull story which relies heavily on forced (is that the right term?) seduction.

[Dora Koutsoukou]

A new record for me!!!!! 😱😱😱

Last year I dnf a story from the contents.
This year, from the prologue! 🤦🏻‍♀️

The prologue has an important role in a story. It‘s the first impression of the tone or information about events that will unravel.
A hook as to catch the reader’s attention. Right?

Sooooooo, after reading the last sentence of the prologue I was terrified of the copy or dialogues I would encounter in this historical romance story... 😱

“Relax, Princess,” he murmured, massaging her. “I would not think of demanding any service of you I wouldn’t gladly give in return.” His hands moved lower and she gasped. “Perhaps my thorn can be gentled to a rose...”

Dnf @ 1%

[edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare these days to find true enemies to lovers romance. Y'know, the kind built not on stolen glances and dumb pointless banter, but on raw, cold hatred, war, blood, and surrender. A lot of romances rarely touches the level of brutality and injustice actual hate brings. But older works give you all the pain and suffering you wish for.

Our Viking hero, Olaf (yes his name is Olaf) and the Irish heroine, Erin, first meet in the woods, and it's pure chaos. Heather Graham does not dance around the violence or contempt. They fight tooth and nail, she kicks his open wound, he backhands her, they tumble across the forest floor like feral animals. Erin whacks him across the face with a tree branch and escapes, only to find herself married to him shortly after. Drugged and forced into the marriage for political alliance.

Their relationship doesn't magically soften after the wedding. They despise each other. Erin threatens to kill Olaf herself. She arms herself with scissors for protection. Olaf, takes this as an attempted murder.

Then comes the wedding night gift.

His voice cracked like a deep whip over her shoulder and his fingers dug into her hair. “May all the gods be damned, woman but you are a fool.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she was wrenched to her feet by her hair. The pain was so excruciating that she longed to plead for mercy, but she could not. She gasped and swallowed, and struck out blindly for his face. He caught her arm and twisted it behind her back and the cry that she tried to suppress escaped her. Once more she felt herself pushed back to the bed, and she fell across it. “One more thing, Irish bitch,” he warned, the blue of his eyes glittering in the darkness, “and you will find yourself learning that Vikings are not averse to beating their wives— even on their wedding nights.”

Yes. That's the tone. I won’t spoil all the “romantic” dialogue for you, but trust me, it's Shakespearean levels... Who doesn't find rage, grief and toxic obsession romantic? (this is irony)

Olaf, by the way, is still in love with his dead ex lover, and when Erin dares to call her a mistress, she gets slapped again 😅. At one point, after a major misunderstanding, Olaf ties Erin to his horse and forces her to walk in front of his people as punishment. 😅 Historical accuracy? Perhaps. Romance? Depends on how broken your taste is.

But bodice ripper readers know what they're in for. We come for the madness, the savagery, all of the wartime nonsense, and yes, the "romance" too.

This book delivers exactly that. I didn't go “aww,” “eek,” or “oh” for the romance, but the sheer drama and scorching intensity kept me hooked and entertained. 🤷‍♀️

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read: 2011-2020
ReRead: 4/18/22

My favorite HG Viking book!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Olaf the White, a Prince of Norway, has set sail to Ireland with his Viking clansmen. Olaf isn’t in this new land to pillage and raid in typical Viking fashion, he is there to build a home and establish a new legacy of leadership in the country. He intends to battle for control of Dublin, but that is where it will end for him. He isn’t a power-hungry man, nor does he want to spend the rest of his life in war.

Although Olaf is not interested in taking spoils of battle in the form of women and property, some of his warriors choose to stick with this old custom. The first Irish village they reach upon landing on Ireland’s shore, is the home of several relatives of the Irish High King. His youngest daughter, Erin, is there visiting and manages to escape, but she witnesses the death of her aunt and uncle, and the rape of her friend before getting away. From this moment on, Erin’s sole goal in life is to kill Olaf the White to avenge the death of her family.

Years later, Princess Erin has not lost her craving for revenge. But it isn’t only the Vikings who are threatening her world. The Danes have also arrived in Ireland, and they are enemies of both the Irish and the Vikings. In the bloodiest battle of his life, Olaf loses his lover, a large portion of his army, and almost his own life. On the verge of death, he makes his way to the edge of a river and passes out. It is Erin who discovers his body. He is so covered in dirt and blood that she doesn’t recognize him at first. She knows only that he is a Viking and she intends to take him to her father as a prisoner. They are both warriors, but Erin wouldn’t have stood a chance if Olaf had been at full strength. They both manage to gain the upper hand at different points of the day, but eventually they part ways without a winner. And now Erin isn’t the only one who wants revenge – Olaf swears to pay her back for her ruthless attack on him during his weakest moment.

Eventually, the Irish and the Vikings decide to form an alliance in order to defeat their common enemy – the Danes. As High King, it is up to Erin’s father to finalize this treaty. He does it in the form of giving Erin’s hand in marriage to the Viking King – Olaf the White. Since Olaf never knew his attacker’s name, he had no idea he had agreed to marry the woman he’d love to punish severely. Erin, on the other hand, finds out who she is supposed to marry and adamantly refuses. She certainly doesn’t suspect that her own sister (a nun) would drug her in order to get her to the altar, but sure enough….. When the drugs wear off, she is married to her worst enemy and being prepared to consummate their marriage.

Is it crazy to think that these two enemies might find forgiveness, acceptance, and love in each other’s arms? Even if they can find some measure of peace with each other, finding peace in Ireland might prove to be the more difficult task.

Review: What a page-turner! After the first few chapters, there wasn’t another mild moment in this book until the epilogue. The constant intensity was exhausting! I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a time when death waited around every corner and entire generations had no knowledge of a life without war. Whether they were fighting for their lives, land, vengeance, hate or love, it was all done with unrestrained passion. This is exactly how I like my books. I will forget dozens of other ho-hum books I read this year, but this one will stick with me like a tattoo.

The best part?? Although this book is a work of fiction, it is based on real events, real wars and real people, both Viking and Irish, from the 9th century. Olaf the White was indeed a Viking Sea-King who became King of Dublin in 853. He really did marry the daughter of Aed Finnlaith, although he may have been married to someone else first. Basing this book on the life of a real Viking King was brilliant. It truly blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

Something else I appreciated was the absence of an infidelity-misunderstanding plotline. I know that might sound strange, but I get really tired of reading that same old song and dance in so many romance novels. In this book, there were several threads of betrayal, both real and misunderstood, including one major event that was predicted earlier in the book by the Druid Mergwin. But there was nothing generic about how these storylines played out. Without question, Olaf and Erin had their moments of jealousy, but the author never fell back on the overly-used and totally predictable love triangle. I’d like to send her a thank you note for that. I’d also like to give her a high-five for writing some of the best bedroom scenes I’ve ever read.

One last note… when a historical romance is set as far back as the Middle Ages, there is a very good chance that it will include some controversial content. A few examples might be: 13 yr old girls married to men more than twice their age, women forced or sold into marriage, men exercising their rights in the marriage bed absent willingness or consent from their wives, torture, abuse, war rape, slavery, etc. Obviously, these concepts in modern times are considered heinous crimes. But whether we like it or not, they were acceptable practices in various cultures throughout world history until tapering off in the last century. So…..why do I bring this up? Because if you are likely to judge the behavior of 9th century book characters based on our 21st century standards of law and human rights, then you might want to skip this book. In order to enjoy a novel like this one, you have to be able to put it into the context of acceptable behavior in that time period. I loved this book, but I don’t want to sugar-coat the fact that it does include several of the examples I listed above.

I can’t come up with anything negative to say about it. I’d highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and/or historical romance. Due to the occasional Druid magic performed by Mergwin, and the constant references to Norse Gods, this book might appeal to fans of Fantasy also. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[Raffaella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful love story between a dog and his bitch.
No, I’m not joking.
She calls him Norwegian dog and he calls her Irish bitch for almost the whole book.
And not in a nice way.
Well the book was really good, a very well written story of a Viking conqueror who marries the daughter of an Irish king.
He wants the land but knows the only way to have peace is to make alliance with the Irish people.
Those two are a pair.
He’s obviously not a gentleman, but she’s no lady.
She hates him because she lost her relatives because of him and when she meets him, injured and weak, she hurts him, humiliates him and treats him very badly.
She has to be drugged to marry him.
He tries to speak to her and asks her to be sensible and to accept the marriage for their people’s sake.
She’s always complaining and opposing him.
Eventually even if he was really nasty sometimes, she was worse.
When he thinks she betrayed him he drags her shackled to his horse, and it is not the best moment.
But what she did was a very stupid thing and she deserved a beating for risking her child’s life.
She acted without thinking and knowing she was pregnant. I was angrier than the hero.
Four stars because there are some things I didn’t like:
- the hero is still in love with his late mistress, and so remains until the end of the book. Was it necessary to the story?
- they hate- really hate- each other until the end of the book, and that was tiresome.
- the episode of her betrayal wasn’t solved until the end. The hero believes she’s guilty until the last pages. It could have been dealt better.
- the part where she’s a mysterious and powerful warrior is not believable.
I liked very much:
-he doesn’t rape her.
-he’s faithful even when he hates her.
I could accept some rude treatment because it’s believable in that age and time. Of course not my ideal hero, one who slaps, drags, ties a woman, but he’s a rude warrior, not a gentleman. And sometimes I would have slapped the heroine even harder…
A very good book, lost some sleep last night to finish it.

[Lady Whitbrooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re read. This is an excellent book I just do not care that the author was always bringing to the forefront the H’s deep love for another women. But an excellent book!


Oh my this was an incredible book. Very well written.
I am giving it five stars for those merits but I have just a couple minor complaints. I didn’t like it the the hero was so in love with someone else, yeah I am old school traditional ha ha also the antagonism between the hero and heroine went on to long. I mean I get it it feed the story ect but a little goes a long way for me.
But overall it was a breathtaking read full of Warriors, love and definitely a HEA. Plot 8(1-10) steaminess 7(1-10)

[Melluvsbooks]

DNF @ 11% - he already had a soulmate - we get a passionate love scene between them then watch him mourn her when she’s killed in battle. He’ll love her forever, he says. 😑

Then he meets the h.

Awesome.

And when I went review diving I find out that instead of the ripped bodices I was looking for, the H is an abusive prick… hitting her across the face when she dares speak his Lost Love’s name. Another time there is a misunderstanding, so he drags the pregnant h behind his horse as a punishment and never grovels.

Yay.

At least he doesn’t rape her, I guess, but I’d much prefer some forced seduction instead of that mess.


Womp womp

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince · Rating 1 out of 5]

MINI REVIEW:

I know Golden Surrender is touted as one of the classic Viking bodice rippers, but I just could not get into this one. I absolutely hated the hero; for starters, he was arrogant beyond belief, but not in an appealing way.

Now maybe it's my memory failing, or the book has been revised, but when I read it (or tried to read this book years back before DNFing it), the beginning is what turned me off completely. Olaf is a Viking out in a wintery storm and meets another Viking--a woman. They circle each other, gauging the other's strengths, the weapons that they hold, until Olaf laughs and throws his weapons down and the two realize that they are two of a kind: a wolf and his mate, meant for each other.

Later, Olaf's wife dies, and he mourns for her greatly. In romance, that is my #1 pet peeve, and only the rarest of authors have been able to make me overlook that trope. I always felt Erin was compared to Olaf's ex, and always came up short. Erin wasn't that great a heroine either, a bit flighty, and one of those super-stubborn heroines to boot.

If anyone who read this book way-back, can confirm if the beginning was like I remembered, I'd greatly appreciate it, because the Kindle sample I read started with Olaf about to raid the shores of Ireland. Goodness knows I've been wrong before, and it's driving me crazy if I'm misremembering the beginning, or of that part is later on in the book.

Anyway, it was a DNF 0 star read for me, not because the hero was too mean to the heroine, but because I couldn't get over how much Olaf loved his first wife in comparison to Erin.

[Regan Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling 1st in a Great Viking Trilogy!

This is the first in Graham's Viking trilogy (GOLDEN SURRENDER, THE VIKING'S WOMAN and LORD OF THE WOLVES). Set in 9th century Ireland (Eire), England and the north coast of France, these are the stories of Prince Olaf of Norway, the first Lord of the Wolves, his bride, Princess Erin, daughter of the Irish High King, the Ard-Righ of Tara, and their descendants.

I'll warn you, the men are strong willed, arrogant and domineering--Vikings, even if the last two are half Irish. Who wants a gentleman Viking? Their loves are independent, stubborn and courageous women who can fight with the best of the men and have no intention of being dominated by a Viking. But then wolves and the cubs of wolves mate for life, or so says the druid who is advisor to the Irish king's family. Each of the marriages is arranged over the objection of the female who fights the husband who has laid claim to both her lands and to her.

This first story of Olaf and Erin in GOLDEN SURRENDER is a good one and tells us much of what the Norsemen contributed to Ireland's history. For in conquering they also gave to the land and gave of themselves. Olaf came in his dragon ship to build a kingdom and to stay. He welcomes the Irish king's truce sealed by his daughter's hand, even if he has no desire for the Irish wench. Erin, who has met the Wolf before and hates him, feels betrayed by the father she loves. Though the marriage begins on very bad terms, love does change things in the end.

Graham's writing is, as always, very well done with superbly woven in historical details--and with a love story that befits the cultures of the hero and heroine. The sexual tension is high and the love between Olaf and Erin believable.

I highly recommend this trilogy. For you Irish romance lovers, it's a story of the early days in a great country.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this book and it could have easily been a 5 star read. The story line was really good but I just got tired of the H&h not telling each other how they felt about each other. This lead to many of misunderstandings throughout this read. Other than that, I LOVED both of the H&h's characters. The heat level for me was a 3, sensual but nothing too descriptive. At curtain spots my emotions were grabbed and I cried, other times I got mad and wanted to hit someone, LOL. There was also some action scenes that kept me glued to the pages. The ending was very good but NO epilogue.
I was wanting a Viking read and that is exactly what I got. There was quite a bit of violence so if that bother you, this would not be a read for you.

[Mystique · Rating 5 out of 5]

my very first romance novel. Thank you, Ms. Graham for making me fall in love with romance...

[Susan (the other Susan) · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I think? Well, he drags his pregnant wife behind his horse, in shackles, to punish her for a Big Misunderstanding, and she wuvs him anyways, because, hey, Viking sex. What SHOULD I thnk?

[La Chica Cardigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le doy 3/5 ⭐

Primer libro que leo de esta autora y la verdad me gusto mucho esta lectura. No sé si podría superar a otros libros de romántica histórica pero me ha dejado más que satisfecha con la historia.
Los personajes principales (Olaf y Erin) están , para mi , muy bien construidos. Erin como personaje femenino en todo momento mantiene su voluntad siempre en alto. No deja que nada haga cambiar sus ideas. Olaf como personaje masculino esta bien pero creo que me hubiera gustado mucho más que mostrar un poco más de cariño con Erin.
Algo que cambiaria de el libro es la manera tan rápida en la que Erin termina rendida a Olaf. Eso fue lo único que no me gustó. En lo demás como ya escribí me gustó.

[Cassandra Dexter Colby · Rating 2 out of 5]

La reseña en el blog http://alacamaconunlibro.blogspot.com...

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very hard book for me to rate. First of all, Heather Graham/Shannon Drake writes some of my favorite vampire and historical romance novels. So, I had to give this book three stars. I took into account that this book is Heather Graham/Shannon Drake’s first historical romance book she wrote. This is a Viking romance book, so you know going into it that it is a harsh war-torn life the h/h are leading. Given that, in this book the h/h (Olaf and Erin) HATE each other for at least half the book! That is all fine to me, I don’t mind a little Pride & Prejudice beginning. However, I HATE it when the guy mistreats the girl! Uggghh! It makes me cringe! Now, he is not as harsh as he could have been, but still, it was hard to see Erin slapped, even though I didn’t connect to her at all. Olaf was harsh, mean, sometimes cruel, but also pretty just and fair for his time. But, most of the time he just didn’t think too clearly when it came to women, which was upsetting, but at the same time not surprising when this book was published in 1985 when romance books were written very differently. I will be continuing to read this series at a later date, but I don’t think I could stomach reading it back to back. The next book, I believe, will be about Eric, one of Olaf’s brothers.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a complete roller coaster of misery. I hated Olaf all the way up until the very end. Even then I just barely liked him. I continued reading because I needed to see some happiness for Erin or at least some sort of win for her. This is one of the few books that made me feel such anger as I read, but I suppose with all art, the intention is to provoke an emotion, to which this author certainly did. But because it was a negative emotion that was delivered I could not give this one 5 stars. I did think it was pretty well written and the characters had depth. I also felt as cruel as Olaf was to Erin, the author was only staying true to the character as he would act during those times. Probably even giving him more compassion than what would have truly been in 886 AD. I also have seen other reviews stating this was Ms. Graham's 1st historical romance, and compared to others I have read, I feel this one is pretty good for a 1st.

I will certainly look into her other works.

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó, pero menos que otros libros de esta serie. Odio cuando la trama de una novela se basa únicamente en malentendidos. De todos modos es entretenido y tiene la gracia de conocer la historia de los padres de los protagonistas de las siguientes entregas, que leí antes que ésta.

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did skim quite a bit. The story was good though at times it got bogged down with filler and fluff. I just wanted more of the MC’s. Also there was too much about the H’s first love/mistress who was killed In battle. The story is very well written. This is the story of Viking Prince Olaf who becomes a King in Ireland and Princess Erin. I think it’s around 900 AD. The Vikings- Norwegian
And Danes are constantly raiding Ireland. Eventually the king Of Ireland agrees to a MOC between his youngest Erin and King Olaf. First is Erin hates Olaf because he raided her Uncles domain and caused her aunt to commit suicide. She also witnessed the Rape of a friend. She escaped and vowed revenge. The mcs are at odds for most of the book. Finally they get their hea.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erin Mac Aed, daughter of the Irish king. Erin, is the one of the few of her siblings that has remained unmarried. Erin is also a favorite of her father, who has spoiled her throughout the years. Erin has learned how to fight with swords and the like from her brothers, whom she loves dearly. When the Lord of Wolves invades Ireland, she encounters him and her hatred for the man deepens, for all those on her side that have been killed, a couple that were dear to her and she blames Olaf for it. Now a year later, her father demands that she marry Olaf of Norway, so they can have a powerful alliance against the Danes. However Erin hates having to join with her enemy, but the passion the Olaf ingnites in Erin weakens her resolve and steals into her heart.Golden Surrender is the first installment in the Viking Saga written by Heather Graham. I have read only historicals from this author, and I love them, and Golden Surrender is my favorite so far from her books that she has written. I have read Golden Surrender before but it has been a while, and since I saw this on the library shelf, I decided to pick it up since I was in the mood for this type of story. Its a powerfully written love story, back in the medieval age around 900 A.D. I find that there aren't that many books that are written in this era, and so I love to read every one that I can get my hands on, because I find it so fascinating, especially the Viking people. Throughout this story, we learn what kind of people they were, even though they could very well be barbarians, they had a passion for life and for their beliefs.There was only one problem I had with the story, was Erin, her character, it just seemed to me that she was too strong, and had so much hatred within her and treated Olaf pretty horribly, but as the story progressed I loved seeing the change within her. Both of these characters are stubborn, loyal and strong personalities, so they definitely clash especially at the beginning of the story. But as the love between them depends, so does this passionate love story. Golden Surrender is on my list of favorite romances, and one well worth reading for any romance lover.

[Emerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've stayed up all night to read this book and what a fine tale it was. This is my favorite type of historical romance tale. Kings and Knights, their queens, and their ladies. What I really enjoyed most about this tale, was the fact both hero and heroine were in fact real life historical figures that Ms. Graham used.

The setting of the story is in Dublin, Ireland during the Viking Invasion of Ireland. Olaf the White, the Norwegian Wolf did in fact go a-viking and became King of Dublin and he ruled for fifty years. He also married The High King of Tara's real life daughter, A princess of Erie.

This is what their love story might have been like and the coming together of two great cultures that formed what we know of the Emerald Isle and her myths and legends. If you like historical romance, with knights and chivalry, then this is a must read. Very well done. I couldn't stop reading. I also read her American Woman series and her civil war series that came out of the same family. Ms. Graham's first books were in the historic romance genre and she did them very well and all of them are a fantastic read.

I read the second book in this series along time ago. I never got to read the entire series together which I'm going to do right now.

[Love love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by this author and I really enjoyed it.

Erin (h) has hated the Vikings ever since she saw the Vikings attack her aunts home, and her aunt commit suicide so that she wouldn't be rapped. Erin knew it was the Viking call The Wolf that was the cause of all of this and he had become her hated enemy.

Olaf (H) had known he belonged in Ireland and he means to make his mark, to conquer her and her people.

After being badly wounded, Olaf had the unpleasant task of meeting Erin for the first time. She couldn't believe she had her hated enemy right in the palm of her hands, and she's going to make him pay. However things don't really go according to plan. And now, a year later she learns that her father has given her hand in marriage no to other than that same Viking.

I loved the idea of this story however I HATE "women warriors" in books, and I really dont want my h to be one. I might have marked it higher if it didn't have this theme in it. =/

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, this book is the best of the Viking series. Strong characters, good emotional content--the author does a good job of making you feel things along with the heroine. Definitely alpha male hero vs feisty heroine in the age-old battle of the sexes. What lost one star is in stories like this, when the hero commands, demands, and pretty much pushes the heroine around, I rarely find it entirely satisfying unless she wins at least one of their conflicts. I want to feel they are evenly matched, and if he always wins, they aren't. Plus, by the end of the story, I want to see growth in both characters and in the relationship, and I think the always-gotta-win klind of guy is not mature. At some point it would be good if he would try to see things from her pov, and maybe just once let her have her way. I have trouble thinking he truly loves her if he never tries to please her.

[Tee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't flow right. Seeing how much the hero grieved for and adored his first love/loss right out of the gate! Story ruined. I didn't get the heroine, Erin, at all.

[Jessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love problematic romance novels like this and I refuse to be ashamed (...though I'm still hiding it from my newsfeed because I don't need judgment on a Friday).

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Och...Severania 😃. Zboznujem pribehy o Vikingoch. Aj ked to bola romanca, pribeh bol zaujimavy. Autorka ma uzasny rozpravacsky talent. Kniha ma chytila od prvej stránky, aj ked do 5* jej nieco malo chybalo. Urcite som pri tejto jednej neskoncila 😉.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great viking story

[gottalottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a true enemies to lovers, this surprised with how much history and plot it had in it, I also liked the way OW we’re treated, not typical of the 90s

[Anto · Rating 4 out of 5]

#RetoRita2 #RitaGraham
Anteriormente había leído una historia también medieval de la autora (como Shannon Drake), que no me gustó para nada. Así que fue una linda sorpresa haberme enganchado tanto con este libro.

Será porque venía de una abstinencia de historias de Vikingos? Será porque está increíblemente bien documentada y ambientada? Será porque los personajes están basados en personas reales? Quién sabe?

Lo cierto es que me encontré disfrutando este libro de principio a fin. Una protagonista cabezadura como Erin, que no se deja amedrantar por nada (ni siquiera una mirada intimidante y seductora del enorme vikingo al cual la casan) es deliciosa de leer. Me encontré en todo momento sintiendo la misma sensación de desafío constante que la atraviesa a ella en casi todas las situaciones a las que se enfrenta. En realidad toda la lucha de voluntades y el incesante tira y afloja entre ambos protagonistas es admirable y atrapante, junto con el hermoso paisaje de la Irlanda medieval que la autora retrata a la perfección y los personajes secundarios que hacen aún más llevadera la historia.

Eso sí, a pesar de que en mi mente le había dado 5 estrellas gracias a las escenas de masajes con aceites aromáticos, tengo que bajarle media por todas las veces que Erin se pone a temblar (cada dos páginas, como para que se den una idea), y por la extensa cantidad de veces que los ojos de Olaf cambian de tono de azul.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Your stereotypical romance novel. The heroine is more beautiful than her sisters, and in fact her appearance is described as "ultimate perfection." She is spoiled and is her father's favorite and is better at sword fighting than her brothers. She hates the hero. Sorry I can't read anymore than this. There is nothing that recommends this book; the story, the hero or heroine, nothing. I found this book in my collection and decided to give it a try. I bet I've had it for at least 10 years, no kidding. I have no idea how it got into my collection but it's going in my "Get Rid Of" pile. I can't believe I held on to this book for so long, what a waste of space.

I can't recommend this book but if you REALLY like historical romance novels and must read it... better you than me.