Danielle L. JensenA Fate Inked in Blood: Saga of the Unfated, Book 1

“Not all scars we earn are skin-deep, Freya Born-in-Fire.” “There is no less honor in them.”I’ll be honest, I knew I was going to enjoy this book, before even reading the first page. When one of my favorite authors announced she was writing a Norse inspired Fantasy Romance, with a shield maiden named Freya, as the main character… I immediately preordered it. But I wasn’t expecting this to have everything I could ever want in a book, and some how even more.“I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.”The banter, with absolutely ridiculous humor (I’m pretty sure I actually snorted a few times), to the phenomenal Norse mythology elements, made me devour this book. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, and fell asleep clutching my kindle, because I just couldn’t put this book down. And don’t even get me started on the incredible sexual tension, the mutual pining, forbidden love, enemies to friends to lovers, SHIELD WALLS, and the revenge plot.“In our world, power is most often achieved with violence.”This entire book was a thrilling adventure, with exceptional pacing, that barely gave me a moment to catch my breath. Considering the fact I was punching the air and yelling “F YEAH” by chapter 2, I knew this was going to be great. The rage and absolute need for retribution I felt from these characters, was noticeable very early in the story. But the devotion, determination, bravery… and yet, heart breaking self doubt, you see through especially Freya’s perspective, made her one of my favorite and one of the most relatable characters I’ve seen in a while. And Bjorn… he’s got BVDE, and I fell in love with him the second he stepped out of the fjord. The tension and respect between these two, was a delicious slow burn at its finest.“Freya used to be a good and loyal woman.””She still is. You’re just no longer worthy of her loyalty.”If you’ve read The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne, and loved it… but thought what if this was sexier? Or possibly you’ve enjoyed, another one of my favorites Wolf of the Sands by Amy Kuivalainen, or maybe you love the show, Vikings?!? This book is for you. It’s filled with strong female characters, epic Norse mythology, and although quite different writing styles, they both feature characters with “gods blood” or that have been touched by the gods. I truly think this is a phenomenal book.“They say being given the blood of a god is a gift,"I whispered. “But it's a curse.”

“You are mine, Born-in-Fire. Even if only the two of us know it."To think this all started with a fish slap to the face 😂This was my first Norse mythology and forbidden love romantasy book despite already being acquainted with some of the gods mentioned and I had a good time with it. The world building here didn’t feel difficult to get into but instead easily comprehensible for me (probably because not too much was happening yet there was). I also have to note that I did put this on pause initially for a bit given that i wasn’t in the mood for it at the time, but i binged the last 35% like my life depended on it! The slow burn was so real here that when something finally happened I wasn’t left disappointed“I used to dream only of fire and ash," he whispered, running a thumb over my cheek as I lifted my face to meet his gaze. "Now when I close my eyes, all I see is your face.”Bjorn & Freya.. the banter, tension and push and pull between them was everything. Bjorn was such a grumpy brute towards everyone but so soft & charming to freya and that type will always do it for me. I loved how protective he was of her (he was giving bodyguard vibes) while also encouraging her how she could forge her own fate for the most part. And his power and axe? I couldn’t help but imagine a different even hotter version of Thor with how he’s described to look like which made my impression of him even better"Her fate is inked in her blood," "It's carved in her bones. This power is Freya's destiny.”As for Freya, she wasn’t always given a choice in life with the family she was dealt with and those around her other than because she was the shield maiden. She was completely selfless and protective over those that didn’t deserve it and it equally angered and bothered me but i did admire her whenever she stood her ground. I can see the potential for more character development on her end and can’t wait for what’s next for herAside from Freyas family and others, Snorri was completely delusional and egotistical in his quest to become king lol the man was such a joke of a character and I need someone to really humble him in the next booksome thoughts:The immediate mutual attraction between them kinda felt like insta-lust? but I considered her past circumstances with her ex husband so I excused it as it didn’t bother me given the connection that was there. At times it felt like nothing was happening but things were happening if that makes sense. it was also slow in the middle to me but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down with everything that was happening that made it shift to a more thrilling experienceThe cliffhanger and twists towards the end I was able to pick up on through earlier foreshadowing but had no idea how it was gonna unfold. it was still enjoyable and has me eagerly anticipating book 2 and all that’ll happen there. I’m also holding out hope for dual pov and some grovelingSome other quotes:“I wanted you the moment I first set eyes on you. I wanted you in Fjalltindr. I want you now, and tomorrow, and all the tomorrows, Freya.”“Freya used to be a good and loyal woman."''She still is. You're just no longer worthy of her loyalty.”“Not all scars we earn are skin-deep, Freya Born-in-Fire.” “There is no less honor in them.”

I had never read anything by this author before but was drawn in by the premise and a romance novel is far from my preference but I devoured this thing in a couple weeks which for me is a fast read. Throughout the book I hated multiple characters, but knew that was probably intentional which is a strength of the story. I was not having a good time for so much of it but I kept going. The story is labeled as book one so you know there's going to be more. There is a point where I told myself the story could end where I was and it would be a good ending, but seeing as it is book one I knew there had to be setup for more books. The story is strong and full of characters I hated, and the romance is fine although not my interest. Interested to see where the story goes from here, and I will say I loved the book and would recommend it to a lot of people especially if like me romance isn't your cup of tea.

Köpte versionen med sprayade kanter (ISBN-13:‎ 978-0593599839) och den är så fin i verkligheten! Kom i perfekt skick.

✨𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 + 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀✨“𝐼 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑠ℎ,” ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑏 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑎𝑧𝑒. “𝑁𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒.”🪓 MF Romantasy🪓 Norse mythology🪓 Gods / blood of the gods / power🪓 Vikings🪓 Forbidden love🪓 Destiny / prophecy / Chosen one🪓 Betrayal / secrets🪓 Battles🪓 Banter🪓 Spice🌶️🌶️🪓 He falls hard for her, will become very protective, he will do anything for her.🪓 New Book Boyfriend🪓 Plot twists🪓 Cliffhanger✍️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is a book I’m going to think about daily ..Saying it was addicting is an understatement, unputdownable-even-if-your-life-is-at-stake is more accurate ..I loved it , how could I not ? Danielle wrote an original Romantasy with a gripping plot.Loved the characters, I mean : Bjorg ! Come on ! just for him you should read it ..the spice is what you can expect in a NA, welcomed after a slow burn , it was enjoyable.The end ? I saw it coming but not all the details .. 👀 but knowing it was coming didn’t lessen the impact but just placed the sequel on my most anticipated release list..

Book came in a great condition even though it was not protected in any way (no bubble wrap, only the paper package!). First edition, with georgeous silver-blue metallic foil edges. (this edition's ISBN: 978-0593599839).

It's been ages since I've been so excited for a new releaseI immediately started reading when the book arrived and it was absolutely worth it.Since I'm a huge fan of the show Vikings I knew I'd love the world the story is set in.The magical/fantastical touch, with the godly gifted people made it the perfect book. The MC are just great and work perfectly together. Freya is a strong and fierce woman who fights for the ones close to her. Bjorn is charming but also caring and determined to protect Freya from harm. I love how their friendship developed throughout their journey. It was enthralling and exciting to the end.I just know this will be one of my new favourite serieses.