Status Updates From The Viking's Runaway Concub...

My braincells are never coming back from this

These characters have more tabs open in my mind than me and I can't keep track of them

STAB HIM AGAIN

At least we'd get a more interesting monologue then

This book is full of those btw

Good writing may not be able to save this ship from sinking

This has taken a very pleasant turn 😏😭

Yeesh this is a lot of detailed master/slave BdSM erotica for a Harlequin. 👀😵‍💫🥴

“You are not a traitor because you were taken, Eithne,” he told her, his voice a dark pulse, like thunder. “This is your lot. I am your fate.”

A legit criticism is some of the bdsm kinks this couple is doing comes across as rather modern for the period. Like the shibari rope harness.

I think I've realized I don't like bdsm in books that's representative of healthy, responsible relationships. *yawn. What I like is the power exchange dynamics. To explore power exchange in fiction, there simply can't be full consent. When there's full consent the exploration of power dynamics won't be as extreme, compelling, or interesting.

I'm taking this off my erotica-bdsm shelf. I'm glancing at reviews and there are already critical reviews saying this book doesn't have full consent and the couple doesn't follow RACK *rolls eyes*

Then another review complaining about Stockholm syndrome. These are classic negative reviews authors get when the marketing is off. This book should be marketed to the dark romance crowd, not bdsm crowd.

He brushed his thumbs beneath her eyes, looking for wetness, yet found none.

Still, there was a darkness in her gaze he didn’t like. A heaviness about her where before there had been only their particular joy.

He wanted more of it.

And he wanted so much of it that it could never turn heavy again, no matter what ghosts might rise.

This is well-written but I'm almost at 50% and wondering what the plot is going to be. Or if there is even going to be plot, or just sex in a tent for the rest of the book?

I'm trying so hard to like this book

With this couple I like the power exchange dynamic. Power exchange in general is interesting to me, even outside of bdsm. I'm just not into the bdsmey stuff rn like calling the H "master', caning, spanking, etc

The writing is great but this is going into a bdsm punishment scene with spanking and I'm so not into this rn

I like how the author is including religious guilt in the fmc's inner thoughts. My pet peeve is when authors writing in a historical setting pretend religion didn't impact the character's lives whatsoever.

“I hoped that if I was damaged, I would not be sold. That no one would want me when there were so many other girls whole and healthy.”

Ulfric almost laughed at that. At her innocence in imagining that any man might reject a woman’s beauty because it were silent. There were many who would consider that a boon better than gold.

I just got to the part where the MMC found the MFC and the book is picking up some. The writing is truly great. I'm going to try to stick this out despite not feeling the S/M right now.

The writing is beautiful, but I'm not feeling the sadomasochism right now. I have nothing against it, but books with BDSM, D/s themes aren't doing anything for me lately. I think I've grown out of them. When I first started reading them they felt new/exciting/taboo/dangerous and now I'm not feeling engaged by them at all. I wish I could make myself more into this, but it's not happening.

When what it was, in truth, was an ache deep inside, a longing, that she’d come to think akin to the weakness some men had for their ale.

He had made her a drunkard. In her dreams, she still drank deep.

She would kill him for that, had she only the opportunity. With his own blade or die trying.

Right off the bat the prose is lovely, I can tell this author has a degree in creative writing (I think? Maybe it's English?) The cover is a tragedy. I'm putting this on my 'author goes to cover jail' shelf but this isn't self-published. It's Harlequin that should be jailed.