To Sin with a Viking by Michelle Willingham

To Sin with a Viking by Michelle Willingham

Forbidden Vikings Series, Book 1

Publisher: Harlequin Historical (July 2013)

283 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $1.99)

Book Rating: 3 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Caragh and her small village are starving, many of the men including her two elder brothers have gone off in search of food, when a Viking ship appears, and assuming they mean to attack the village, there is a struggle, ending in Caragh taking the leader, Styr, captive. Unbidden, captor and captive grow closer to each other than either of them intended. Even if it didn't go beyond small touches, embraces and kisses, and wasn't technically adultery, it nonetheless, for me, crossed the line. And when Styr was struggling so hard to remain true and faithful, I didn't think it said much for Caragh to force a kiss upon him and continue pursuing him, ensuring his betrayal of his vows, regardless of her initial intentions. Once Styr was free of entanglement is one thing, but before . . . no, regardless of his wife's actions or their estrangement, he was not free and nothing should have happened other than perhaps words. I thought their slowly developing relationship was so beautifully orchestrated, that I wish it could have been achieved without the betrayal of his vows. Caragh's continued pursuit of a married man made it difficult for me to remain her proponent, though I admit I found her very likable and sympathized with her plight. I was also disappointed in Styr for giving into weakness. I enjoyed the brooding picturesque quality of the writing, and found the melding of the Viking and Irish worlds intriguing. The next book in this series is To Tempt a Viking, due out next year.