Book two of the Éire’s Viking Trilogy.
Beginning ten years after the end of Éire’s Captive Moon, this is the story of how Agnarr Halvardson returns to Éire with the intention of settling there, marrying, and siring sons.
It is also the story of Aislinn, who was a child in Ragor when the Northmen raided eleven summers prior but is now a working physician in her own right. She spent a year in Bangor Monastery and became a Christian before Cowan and Charis returned to take the children to Cowan’s village in the kingdom of Dál Fiatach and returns there a decade later to finish learning all she can from the monks about their healing practices.
When Cowan brings her a patient, injured and temporarily unable to speak, she can’t help but find the strong, tall man attractive, even if such feelings unsettle her.
Although sparks fly immediately, Agnarr’s idea of wedding Aislinn—the physician who heals him when he is injured—is hampered by many factors, including language and cultural differences. There is also the matter that he is the man who kidnapped and enslaved Charis years before.
Everyone who knows me knows I love a good Viking story, for the historical side and because Loki is my Patron God. I loved the first book in this series Éire’s Captive Moon by Sandi Layne so I was very excited to dig into the second book to see what Agnarr and Charis and Cowan would get up to again.
I can say I was not disappointed.
Once again we delve deep into a wonderfully written story of war, love, loss and dealing with emotions and learning forgiveness. The story is centered mostly on Aislinn and Agnarr and the story that becomes their love. Not only their love but what Agnarrs love for the land that is Ireland. Aislinn was one of the children from the tunnels in the last books, so her family was slaughtered by the raiding party and she held anger to the men from the North, which is fully understandable. However through her faith in her God she is able to slowly forgive.
As with the last book you can tell that a great deal of research went into this book and the blending of the cultures and histories is fantastic. While the one point I didn’t really like was when Agnarr converted ( I won’t give spoiler details as to what goes on.) , I know that is a personal preference. As a reader I fully understand why he did aside from it being one of the points of the stories, how Ireland came to be not taken over but settled, so it makes sense for the actual story and I appreciate that.
Personally for me this was another triumph of work from Sandi Layne and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the third installment. I love when a book makes me feel like I am visiting old friends and that is how I felt throughout the whole of this one.
My Gemstone Rating:
