TAKEN BY THE VIKING
Michelle Styles
Harlequin Historical #898
ISBN 9780373294985
May 2008
Historical Romance

As a young widow of noble birth living in Northumbria in the year 793, Annis of Birdoswald had but few options available to her. She could do her uncle's bidding and join the convent, or marry a man who seemed to have more regard for her dowry than her person. However, when an expedition of viking traders stopped to discuss business with her uncle, the abbot and the monks at Lindisfarne, an unplanned raid placed Annis in the hands of fate. After many dead and the monastery destroyed. Annis and some of the monks are taken captive by the Viken and transported to their stronghold across the sea.

Haakon Haroldson is a warrior and the leader of his group. He regrets that a business transaction dissolved into battle but his honor and that of his men left him little choice. Facing down one of his own men, Bjorn, lost to blood lust, Haakon prepares to defend himself as well as two helpless women from the Norse berserker. When Haakon is tripped and becomes vulnerable to attack, Annis comes to his aid. Now not only does Haakon owe his survival to this woman, but he must protect her from his people if they should learn the truth about Bjorn's true fate. Attraction is undeniable though Annis longs for her freedom. Considering the world she left, would she be any better off as Haakon's mistress or his servant?

TAKEN BY THE VIKING is a true delight! As a reader, I have enjoyed each of Ms. Styles' releases from those of ancient Rome to the Victorian period, and now VIKINGS! Ms. Styles' enthralling prose weaves an intense tale of action, intrigue, danger and passion. I simply adored Annis' strength and determination even as punishments were heaped upon her. Haakon is a wonderfully crafted hero, the perfect balance of viking hauteur with a noble heart. As obstacles continued to be placed in their path, I found myself with a death grip on the book until the very last page... still very much wanting more!

Ms. Styles' vibrant descriptions of the viking world will no doubt carry the reader away, but it is the intricacies of the relationships of main and supporting characters which I found to be the most haunting. Without a doubt, one of the author's best to date! Very highly recommended!

Reviewed by Melissa Fowler
Rating 4 1/2