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Vikings #3
The Viking's Captive Princess
‘No one touches my woman. She bears my mark. I claim her.’
Dangerous warrior Ivar Gunnarson is a man of deeds, not words.
With little time for the ideals of love, Ivar seizes what he wants – and Princess Thyre will not become the exception to his rule! Mysterious and enchanting, Thyre rouses Ivar’s desire the moment he lays eyes on her.
With Viking factions engaged in a bloody feud, Thyre is yet another captive this hardened warrior conquers – but to be king of Thyre’s heart will entail a battle he has never engaged in before…
Dangerous warrior Ivar Gunnarson is a man of deeds, not words.
With little time for the ideals of love, Ivar seizes what he wants – and Princess Thyre will not become the exception to his rule! Mysterious and enchanting, Thyre rouses Ivar’s desire the moment he lays eyes on her.
With Viking factions engaged in a bloody feud, Thyre is yet another captive this hardened warrior conquers – but to be king of Thyre’s heart will entail a battle he has never engaged in before…
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
5 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Styles
127 books198 followersBorn and raised near San Francisco Califorinia, Michelle Styles currently lives a few miles south of Hadrian's Wall with her husband, three children and menagerie of pets. An avid reader, she became hooked on historical romance when she discovered Georgette Heyer, Anya Seton and Victoria Holt in her school's library. Michelle enjoys writing stories in a wide range of time periods including Roman, Viking, Regency and early Victorian. Her website can be found at www.michellestyles.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 19, 2010
A compelling and efficient historical romance. Kudos to Michelle Styles for picking a time period and location not normally covered by the genre.
I particularly liked the characterisation of Thyre here, as she feels like a fully three dimensional heroine with an existence off the page. She's easy to understand and relate to for the modern reader, and yet she never feels out of place in the era.
Plenty of sexual tension, brooding Viking warriors, seafaring, sword fights and heartfelt conversation (the latter another strength) keep this book moving along nicely.
I particularly liked the characterisation of Thyre here, as she feels like a fully three dimensional heroine with an existence off the page. She's easy to understand and relate to for the modern reader, and yet she never feels out of place in the era.
Plenty of sexual tension, brooding Viking warriors, seafaring, sword fights and heartfelt conversation (the latter another strength) keep this book moving along nicely.
June 8, 2019
Une histoire dont la mise en route est un peu difficile, mais qui finit par trouver son rythme.
Il est dommage que le final soit un peu vite expédié. Mais ça se laisse lire.
Il est dommage que le final soit un peu vite expédié. Mais ça se laisse lire.
February 21, 2011
I did not know, before buying, that this is part of a series. I've dropped into the middle of a series before and, while not pleasant, the authors often make allowances for the gaps in back story. And I, as the reader, don't have the same emotional connection to characters from previous stories, but I can still enjoy the current tale.
At first, I thought that my problems with understanding what was going on was due to my not having read the previous books. But further on, I realized that no, this story is just barely strung together. There was no sense of setting whatsoever. You knew if they were outside, inside, or on a boat. And that was about it, really. It could have been set in a void, for all the lack of setting details.
What first bugged me, ironically, was the constant over-telling. The heroine seemed to reiterate everything and point out the obvious in her thoughts. And then, something would occur that did not gel with anything in the story and no explanation was given. It was so jarring that I kept checking to see if I had inadvertently skipped a page. An example of this is that the hero just appears out of nowhere to save the day. He was supposed to be on a ship, but then just appears and no one seems surprised or confused about that, other than me, the one holding the book. Throughout, the characters consistently dropped non sequiturs, which kept throwing me out of the story.
I couldn't stand the heroine. She came off as an arrogant idiot. She was built up to be a smart, capable woman, but her actions just proved her to be full of herself and her own worth, and showed her to be pretty stupid. For instance, it is continually stated that only her mother's pleadings and willingness to be banished kept the king from killing the heroine at birth. But for some reason, the heroine insists that this same king, who she believes is a coward and a thief, will listen to her demands for him to honor a treaty. She then is shocked that she faces death at his hands.
As for the romance, it made no sense at all. With all the non sequiturs, I kept thinking the two of them were talking to other people. I've read signals-crossed story lines, but this was just badly done. Again, their actions did not match up with anything they said or felt or thought.
This story was a mess. I'm pretty annoyed I spent the last of my gift card on it. But that's what I get for being suckered by a pretty cover and being desperate for something to read in the middle of the night.
At first, I thought that my problems with understanding what was going on was due to my not having read the previous books. But further on, I realized that no, this story is just barely strung together. There was no sense of setting whatsoever. You knew if they were outside, inside, or on a boat. And that was about it, really. It could have been set in a void, for all the lack of setting details.
What first bugged me, ironically, was the constant over-telling. The heroine seemed to reiterate everything and point out the obvious in her thoughts. And then, something would occur that did not gel with anything in the story and no explanation was given. It was so jarring that I kept checking to see if I had inadvertently skipped a page. An example of this is that the hero just appears out of nowhere to save the day. He was supposed to be on a ship, but then just appears and no one seems surprised or confused about that, other than me, the one holding the book. Throughout, the characters consistently dropped non sequiturs, which kept throwing me out of the story.
I couldn't stand the heroine. She came off as an arrogant idiot. She was built up to be a smart, capable woman, but her actions just proved her to be full of herself and her own worth, and showed her to be pretty stupid. For instance, it is continually stated that only her mother's pleadings and willingness to be banished kept the king from killing the heroine at birth. But for some reason, the heroine insists that this same king, who she believes is a coward and a thief, will listen to her demands for him to honor a treaty. She then is shocked that she faces death at his hands.
As for the romance, it made no sense at all. With all the non sequiturs, I kept thinking the two of them were talking to other people. I've read signals-crossed story lines, but this was just badly done. Again, their actions did not match up with anything they said or felt or thought.
This story was a mess. I'm pretty annoyed I spent the last of my gift card on it. But that's what I get for being suckered by a pretty cover and being desperate for something to read in the middle of the night.
August 3, 2011
Won this book as a first read in December 2010.
It just came and looks really interesting. Perhaps I'll start it soon. After the BOMs!
-----
Okay, now that I have read the book I have to say that it is exactly what it set out to be. There is a quote on the back that reads "No one touches my woman. She bears my mark. I claim her." and really that is what this book is about. Super macho man conquring helpless captive princess who doesn't want to give into her desires but then figures out that that is the best way. Completely unyielding man; completely yielding woman.
Books like this just irritate me, which is probably why I loathed this one so much. For those of you out there who adore a story like this, though, then definitely pick up this book. It's full of oozing male muscles and soft womanly curves. Makes me feel sick.
On top of that, the princess, Thyre, was completely predictable as a character (well, Ivar was too, but with him you just expect it) and she didn't grow (unless you count moving from maiden to non-virgin) as a character at all. She had that "fierce warrior" side to her during the daytime, but at night, in Ivar's arms, she was all pliant and "I'm not sure, what do I do" and just totally irritating. Perhaps the author wants to be this type of person, which is why she felt it was so necessary to have such a cliché duality.
Anyway, I disliked the book. Whoever wants my copy can find it on bookmooch.com until it's gone.
It just came and looks really interesting. Perhaps I'll start it soon. After the BOMs!
-----
Okay, now that I have read the book I have to say that it is exactly what it set out to be. There is a quote on the back that reads "No one touches my woman. She bears my mark. I claim her." and really that is what this book is about. Super macho man conquring helpless captive princess who doesn't want to give into her desires but then figures out that that is the best way. Completely unyielding man; completely yielding woman.
Books like this just irritate me, which is probably why I loathed this one so much. For those of you out there who adore a story like this, though, then definitely pick up this book. It's full of oozing male muscles and soft womanly curves. Makes me feel sick.
On top of that, the princess, Thyre, was completely predictable as a character (well, Ivar was too, but with him you just expect it) and she didn't grow (unless you count moving from maiden to non-virgin) as a character at all. She had that "fierce warrior" side to her during the daytime, but at night, in Ivar's arms, she was all pliant and "I'm not sure, what do I do" and just totally irritating. Perhaps the author wants to be this type of person, which is why she felt it was so necessary to have such a cliché duality.
Anyway, I disliked the book. Whoever wants my copy can find it on bookmooch.com until it's gone.
December 18, 2010
First Read Winner ! So cool !!!.... Anyway ok so this was a really interesting story for me. Historical books are either hit or miss. This one was a hit for me. But The reason I gave it three stars was because there were soooo many times when I wanted to smack Ivar. I mean I think that it has to do with the way women are treated in that era. But dang it all Thyre was awesome! Loved her! I loved that the female character was so strong and didn't listen to what was being directed to her to do. She followed her heart and did what she thought was right even when things went wrong more than once. Overall this was a sweet story from long ago and would pass it onto my friends to read.
January 28, 2015
A pesar de no ser de mis favoritos, se deja leer. Había puesto muchas expectativas en esta lectura pues adoro a los vikingos tanto como a los highlanders, pero esta vez la autora no Supo aprovecharlo. La historia comienza lenta (para ser un libro corto), llegando a el culmen interesante. A partir de ahí el libro se desinfla resolviendo el libro con una sola página. Por supuesto recurre a las salidas fáciles.
Lo que más me gustó, la temática.
Lo que menos me gustó, ademas de las salidas fáciles, la protagonista femenina, me resultó desquiciante, convirtiendo a un jaarl vikingo en un mindundi, y no por amor.
Lo que más me gustó, la temática.
Lo que menos me gustó, ademas de las salidas fáciles, la protagonista femenina, me resultó desquiciante, convirtiendo a un jaarl vikingo en un mindundi, y no por amor.
January 28, 2010
I have a not-so-secret obsession with Harlequin novels, and also with anything Viking. Strong men warriors, yum! This book wasn't the greatest, but it kept me interested and settled my Harlequin romance crave that I'd been feeling for quite awhile. I would reccomend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance novels. :)
January 22, 2016
Mi sono annoiata tantissimo...
Di solito i guerrieri vichinghi mi ispirano... Ivar proprio no
Peccato
Di solito i guerrieri vichinghi mi ispirano... Ivar proprio no
Peccato
November 27, 2024
What I loved about this book is that it just felt intensely real to me. There’s a practical sense of honor and duty and bindings that come from steps people take. Actions have consequences in this book. And I love seeing how that played out. Some of it feels very strange, as there are concepts of honor that don’t quite jibe with our definition of it today. But I love how Styles stays steeped in the period, even to the point of giving you a really nice bibliography in the back of this book.
I loved how both the heroine Thyre and the hero Ivar make choices that in the moment seem good but that have unintended results. Both of them have to keep shifting because the firm ground that they think they’re standing on turns out to be sand. And both continue to adapt and grow and yet say true to themselves. They’re both really strong, vital characters, and their relationship made great sense to me.
So if you are a fan of Viking romance and are wondering where the heck to find it, seek out Styles’ books!
I loved how both the heroine Thyre and the hero Ivar make choices that in the moment seem good but that have unintended results. Both of them have to keep shifting because the firm ground that they think they’re standing on turns out to be sand. And both continue to adapt and grow and yet say true to themselves. They’re both really strong, vital characters, and their relationship made great sense to me.
So if you are a fan of Viking romance and are wondering where the heck to find it, seek out Styles’ books!
March 20, 2019
ennuyeux et insipide.
February 17, 2025
Vikingos <3
April 15, 2018
I found this book to be positively silly.
A woman acting with no sense at all while using a modern moral codex, is chasing an equally clueless man who must have been born part saint.
The story jumps all over the place, and if she runs off to save the day one more time I think i'm going to scream...
A woman acting with no sense at all while using a modern moral codex, is chasing an equally clueless man who must have been born part saint.
The story jumps all over the place, and if she runs off to save the day one more time I think i'm going to scream...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2016
2.5 actually.
I had a review all mentally penned, then I, after finishing the book, read the author's notes at the end. You know that feeling you get when you keep reading anachronisms and location issues? The one where you immediately classify the book as a "wallpaper" historical, and the author as "lazy"? How about when you discover that the author deliberately dumbed down things?
Yeah. She didn't think we were smart enough to figure out location so she used countries that didn't exist yet, called garments by their english translations (and probably also words that didn't exist yet, or clothing that didn't exist in anglo-saxon). So I'm mad. Mad because I dislike being treated like an imbecile.
And I didn't like the h, the H, or the h's half sister. The h's stepfather made me think of an old man whose mind is slipping into his second childhood, the h was an arrogant, self-righteous know-it-all who didn't like playing second fiddle to anyone, the H was her equivalent though with the added bonus of being mistrustful (both were willfully stupid at times too), and the half sister was shallow, self-absorbed, and spoiled. Apparently the father had never worn the braes in his household, and when their mother died, he let his 8 year old stepdaughter take over the management of the estate. Right. And raising of the younger sister as well. So the younger sister has never been made to do anything, and the only times papa ever notices her lack of cooperation is whenever guests arrive, like the H, who, btw, wondered what sort of message papa was sending him when papa suggested younger daughter needed a husband and that older girl was betrothed (Oh I dunno - don't dally with my daughters perhaps?).
The highlight might have been when the h managed a meeting with her real father who was v. disturbed to discover she was the H's concubine (mom was a princess, dad was a king, yeah; can see how that would be a problem).
I had a review all mentally penned, then I, after finishing the book, read the author's notes at the end. You know that feeling you get when you keep reading anachronisms and location issues? The one where you immediately classify the book as a "wallpaper" historical, and the author as "lazy"? How about when you discover that the author deliberately dumbed down things?
Yeah. She didn't think we were smart enough to figure out location so she used countries that didn't exist yet, called garments by their english translations (and probably also words that didn't exist yet, or clothing that didn't exist in anglo-saxon). So I'm mad. Mad because I dislike being treated like an imbecile.
And I didn't like the h, the H, or the h's half sister. The h's stepfather made me think of an old man whose mind is slipping into his second childhood, the h was an arrogant, self-righteous know-it-all who didn't like playing second fiddle to anyone, the H was her equivalent though with the added bonus of being mistrustful (both were willfully stupid at times too), and the half sister was shallow, self-absorbed, and spoiled. Apparently the father had never worn the braes in his household, and when their mother died, he let his 8 year old stepdaughter take over the management of the estate. Right. And raising of the younger sister as well. So the younger sister has never been made to do anything, and the only times papa ever notices her lack of cooperation is whenever guests arrive, like the H, who, btw, wondered what sort of message papa was sending him when papa suggested younger daughter needed a husband and that older girl was betrothed (Oh I dunno - don't dally with my daughters perhaps?).
The highlight might have been when the h managed a meeting with her real father who was v. disturbed to discover she was the H's concubine (mom was a princess, dad was a king, yeah; can see how that would be a problem).
February 19, 2017
Pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed this book. I felt the action to romance balance was great and found I enjoyed the characters struggles and accomplishments a lot. I also found the time setting unique and really interesting.
April 3, 2013
Well, more like 3 and 1/2 stars..
The story was sweet and very nice.. but more than once I felt like I was just waiting for something to happen.. I liked the beginning more than end.. even though it was a happily-ever-after.. still I felt it lacked intensity maybe.. not that it lacked such intense moments because there were a few well-played intense moments.. but still, in between those.. it felt like it stretched at times and hurried at others. But all in all, an enjoyable read foe those who'd want to try Viking romance :)
And apparently this is part of a series.. which wasn't indicated when I grabbed this book.. it didn't say there were other ones before, but I found out that there are more and now.. I'm looking forward to reading them :)
The story was sweet and very nice.. but more than once I felt like I was just waiting for something to happen.. I liked the beginning more than end.. even though it was a happily-ever-after.. still I felt it lacked intensity maybe.. not that it lacked such intense moments because there were a few well-played intense moments.. but still, in between those.. it felt like it stretched at times and hurried at others. But all in all, an enjoyable read foe those who'd want to try Viking romance :)
And apparently this is part of a series.. which wasn't indicated when I grabbed this book.. it didn't say there were other ones before, but I found out that there are more and now.. I'm looking forward to reading them :)
December 30, 2011
Sadly, not even close to entertaining. I didn't expect anything but a cheesy romance and had actually hoped for such. What I got was a rather drool love story that left you wondering just when the main characters actually decided they loved each other.
Constant misunderstandings and prejudices get in the way of what could be a lovely romance and that happens to be on both Thyre and Ivar's parts.
Not worth the read.
Constant misunderstandings and prejudices get in the way of what could be a lovely romance and that happens to be on both Thyre and Ivar's parts.
Not worth the read.
January 20, 2014
I wish I could give this book a 2 1/2 star rating, but oh well... I liked the plot of the story but the author could not make it sing. The romance was continually plagued with misconceptions and prejudice unless they were enjoying the love making. This had more potential then the author could do it justice. That being said, it was refreshing to read a historical romance that wasn't in Victorian England.
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January 9, 2010#3 of 3, linked to Taken by the Viking and Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife
Ummm, two words...
LOVED IT!
I sincerely hope to see more Viking stories from Michelle in the future. She captures the time and character of the time beautifully. It is like being there and her characters are strong and driven. I would recommmend this series to anyone who asked.
Ummm, two words...
LOVED IT!
I sincerely hope to see more Viking stories from Michelle in the future. She captures the time and character of the time beautifully. It is like being there and her characters are strong and driven. I would recommmend this series to anyone who asked.
February 15, 2016
No me ha gustado mucho, la verdad. La protagonista me ponía enferma; no me parece tan valiente, ni decidida ni, por supuesto, inteligente. Todo le sale bien un poco por suerte y porque si no no seria la protagonista.
Aun así está bien aportarle un poco de viking stuff a mi mundo jaja
Aun así está bien aportarle un poco de viking stuff a mi mundo jaja
March 11, 2011
Weird time set so I had to read it... It was very interesting.
April 6, 2011
Loved this book, but why in every book do the characters always only tell each other they love one another at the end of the book! It gets annoying.
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September 20, 2011I due protagonisti mi sono piaciuti (lei perché è coraggiosa e lui perché è onesto e leale), ma l'epoca violenta e selvaggia in cui vivono non è il tipo di ambientazione che preferisco...
January 15, 2013
Bastante bien aunque muuy olvidable :P
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews