Fires of Winter

Rating:
Summary: Never a Boring Moment
Review: This was the first book I have read by Lindsey as well as the first Viking story I have ever read. I had to get used to the brutality of the times, but that didn't really bug me because things WERE brutal back then. Vikings might be proud, strong, and icy, but when they fall, they fall hard!! Garrick and Brenna were a great couple. They both talked big, but in the end, the couldn't resist eachother. The one thing about books like this is no matter how much a couple may fight, in the end you know things will turn out happy. The most touching scene was Garrick and Selig when he was first born and how Garrick tried to give him his breath. My heart just melted! How could a man that did that to his new born son be all that bad? Overall, you will not be bored with this book and it will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy.


Rating:
Summary: THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK!!!!
Review: THIS WAS THE FIRST ROMANCE BOOK I'VE EVER READ. I REALLY LOVE THE BOOK! I LOOKED FOR A LONG TIME TO FIND THE BOOK. FINALY MY HUSBUND FOUND THE BOOK FOR ME AND GAVE IT TO ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY! IT WAS THE BEST PRESANT I COULD ASK FOR!! I LOOK FORWARD TO READING MORE BOOK FORM JOHANNA LINDSEY.

Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: This was the most horrible romance novel that I have read in a while. There is nothing romantic about this novel which is filled with rape scenes and NOT love scenes. The heroine Brenna is annoying and totally unlikable with her over inflated pride and childish tempertantrums. The hero's character (Garrick) tries to be the strong sexy male lead, but why bother when there's not a loving, courageous heroine?????????? I give it one star because it set the stage for the sequel HEARTS AFLAME which was a lot better.

Rating:
Summary: Fires of love . . .
Review: Trained in the art of war, Brenna Carmarham vowed to never take a husband until her father made a deal with the hated Vikings in hopes of saving her home. Not long after the deal is made, her much-loved father dies, but reluctantly Brenna decides to honor her father's vow anyway and awaits her intended with trepidation. On the day of her father's funeral, the Vikings finally come, but not with a bride-groom as expected. Instead, the Vikings raid Brenna's home, kill most of her family and take her prisoner, making her the slave of the man she'd once thought to marry.

Having been spurned by a money-hungry woman, Garrick Haardrad has vowed to never love again. While he's away on a trading venture his father makes a false deal with the hated Celts to join Garrick with a Celtic lord's daughter. However, the marriage-pact is just a smoke-screen to allow the Vikings to raid the Celtic village and take revenge on the Celts for long-ago wrongdoing. And now, the woman who might have been his wife is his slave.

I first read _Fires Of Winter_ many years ago and to this day it remains one of my favorites by Ms. Lindsey. In fact, I'd have to say it's one of my favorites in the entire genre. Johanna Lindsey always delivers well-drawn and likeable characters, and Brenna and Garrick are no exception. Brenna is fiery, brave and headstrong while Garrick is stoic, courageous and stubborn. When these two first meet, sparks fly and wills clash in a battle that will leave you wanting more. And, since you will want more, it's lucky that Ms. Lindsey expanded this book into a trilogy (this one is followed by _Hearts Aflame_ and _Surrender My Love_).

One of the most fascinating aspects, for me, is the history. You're thoroughly immersed in the Viking culture. While sometimes the inclusion of historical details can weigh a book down with unnecessary information, I've always found that Ms. Lindsey incorporates history perfectly, weaving it into the story in such a way that only makes it more enjoyable. In fact, she's so good at this, that I often wish more of the history had been included.

I've noticed a few of the reviewers commenting on the brutality included in the book (the rape, pillaging, murder and abuse), but when reading this book you have to consider the time period (both when the novel was written and when the novel takes place). After doing so, I think you'll be able to see these scenes in a different light. While I am far from condoning rape or the abuse of women in any form, such was the way things were in times past. The hero *does* rape the heroine on several occasions, but as he grows to love her he grows as a person. You have to understand that Garrick, though having a Christian mother, has been raised a true Viking -- someone who is used to treating women like chattel. When looked at in that way, you come to see that it's not completely Garrick's fault that he is the way he is, he's a product of a brutal and unforgiving society. And he doesn't stay that way, he does grow into a likeable character.

All in all, _Fires Of Winter_ is a roller-coaster ride of love, passion and history. You'll be hard-pressed to put the book down, so make sure once you start you have a significant amount of time in which to finish it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical romances -- you won't be disappointed.