Danegeld – Cailin’s Review
Danegeld by Susan Squires
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoy Viking historical romances and plain old Viking historical books because I like the untamed brutality of that period of history. Danegeld perches on the edge of not being a romance because it’s not paced like your typical romance. It’s much more realistic. This isn’t a book where the heroine or hero can’t seem to make up their mind without any real reason to keep them from declaring their love. This pair goes through a hell over and over again. The book is not for the faint of heart. It includes two rapes and lots of brutal fighting. It’s definitely a book a guy could like if they like fiction. The commitment between the hero and heroine is much more satisfying because it hasn’t been reached easily and requires both to change to achieve it. In other words, it’s not built on sex. Although you do get sex in this book.
I also liked the playoff between witchcraft and Christianity in the mind of the heroine. The supernatural is portrayed as real in this book, and it is never positively stated from whence Britta gets her abilities except that using them for evil exacts a terrible price. The changes that Britta and Karn go through are a reflection of the changes being wrought in the society they live in.
I’d definitely reread this book.