RAVISHED BY A VIKING – Delilah Devlin
Berkley Heat
ISBN: 978-0-425-23961-2
January 2011
Erotic Fantasy Romance

New Iceland and aboard the Proteus

With his brother missing, Dagr Ulfhednar, king of the Wolf Clan, embarks upon a risky endeavor to save him. He has learned that Eirik isn't the only Viking missing, and with so many missing from so many clans, the obvious villains must be Outlanders. Their Viking ancestors had been lured to this icy world, only to become slaves mining the “pure light”. They later earned their freedom but are still closely watched by Consortium ships hovering in their orbit. If the missing men haven't been captured by other clans, they must have been transported to the Consortium ship: and Dagr's miners have found a way to transport themselves to the ship.

Captain Honora Turgay is shocked and dismayed to learn that her ship has been boarded by pirates. The advanced weaponry does little to hold off the barbarians, and Honora's chance to signal the Consortium is thwarted by the compelling leader of the pirates himself. When he takes her to her private quarters, Honora struggles to ignore the sexual pull she feels towards the pirate captain, all while trying to figure out a way to take back her ship. Then she learns that Dagr is not a pirate captain but a King, and he's looking for his missing brother. Honora had dutifully turned a blind eye toward the bounty hunters aboard her ship until she learned their cargo was human and ordered them to leave. Knowing that she was complicit in the abduction of Dagr's brother, Honora expects little mercy from the barbarian.

A daring rescue mission brings together two enemies in RAVISHED BY A VIKING. Dagr is a warrior intent on finding his brother and revenge, but finds himself captivated by the Outlander captain. To overcome her father's mistakes, Honora has had to be a strong captain, yet after a few private minutes with Dagr, she has to admit that she likes his dominating ways. Both the attraction between them, and Dagr's intent to establish control over the entire crew mean that Dagr and Honora come together pretty quickly, and in the days that pass – very often. In spite of her desire to be mastered by Dagr, Honora doesn't submit very easily outside of a sexual situation, which causes a few battles, and a deeper understanding of each other.

Along on the mission are, first Birget, of the Bear Clan, and Eirik's intended bride. Dagr's plan had been to hold her as hostage in his keep until Eirik is returned safely, But Birget – trained as a Valkyrja – is not about to sit quietly by with the women while the men fight a legendary battle. Though she is to marry Eirik once he is found, Birget chafes against Dagr's restrictions, and can't ignore the attraction she feels toward Baraq, the ship's security officer. Helping to take over the ship is Cyrus, another major secondary character. Once a Consortium captain himself, his refusal to follow an order he felt was wrong got him dismissed and later sold into slavery. After finally escaping his master, Cyrus travelled to the one planet that would intimidate his owner, and is now happy to help the Vikings on their quest. While Cyrus and Birget are secondary characters in this story, some of the threads of this tale were left hanging, and either or both of them will play a large part in the likely sequel.

A steamy and fascinating adventure, check out RAVISHED BY A VIKING.

Jennifer Bishop