What’s that saying? Everything old is new again or what goes around comes around or nothing new under the sun…
http://josielittonauthor.com/
Anyway, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was an author by the name of
Maura Seger. Ms. Seger wrote a goodly number of historical books between 1983 and 1998. And then she disappeared. I, like a number of other people, kept looking for her. But alas, she just vanished. Probably to the Island of Disappearing Authors. Then in 2001 Bantam Publishing introduced a brand new author by the name of Josie Litton. They were excited because this new author was the bee’s knees! This great new author had written an exciting Viking trilogy which was going to be the bestest thing ever! But there was a mystery surrounding this new author. No one knew who Ms. Litton was or where she came from. Nothing could be found on her. The questions were many, the mystery only increased, (along with sales). Now, we all know you cannot fool romance readers for very long. No siree. Soon the hubbub hit the fan and it was discovered that Josie Litton was actually Maura Seger. Yes, Ms. Seger wasn’t on the Island of Disappearing Authors after all. Why all the “new” author hype? I’m sure Bantam had their reasons. For me it was all very odd. Especially when one considers alllll the authors who have tons of aka’s. There are many who use different nom de plumes when writing in different genres; it was all very puzzling. Even more so was the fact that a lot of us knew Ms. Seger had published under different names in the past. However, it wasn’t the use of a different name I found bewildering, it was the secretiveness which was employed by Bantam. I have never quite decided whether I should or should not have been insulted by someone trying to pull the wool over my eyes. Regardless of the reason, Josie Litton aka Maura Seger, aka Jenny Bates, aka Laura Hastings, aka Sara Jennings, aka Anne MacNeil, aka Laura Michaels, aka Laurel Winslow was back, and even after all these years, her Viking trilogy is worth reading.Vikings, Vikings, Vikings. What a forgotten romance genre. I wonder why. The first book in Ms. Litton’s Viking series is Dream of Me, which was written in 2001. The hero of this book is Wolf Hakonson and we know he’s a Viking because his last name has three syllables and ends with “son.” By the way, all the heroes in this series have animal names. Speaking of names, what’s with the heroine names? All three heroines in this trilogy have absurd names. Their names seem as if they should be in the futuristic fantasy genre not the historical genre. In Dream of Me, there is Cymbra, aka Super I-Fill-Your-Pain Girl. Yes, all the heroines have some kind of tiny paranormal thing they do. But don’t get toooo excited, the paranormal aspect of the stories is long forgotten by the end of each book. Krysta, aka Super I-Talk-To-Animals-And-Fantasy-Creatures Girl. Krysta is in the second book, Believe in Me. And, Rycca, aka Super I-Hear-The-Truth Girl is from the third story, Come Back to Me. Now that I have introduced you to all the heroines in the series, let’s take a look at Lady Cymbra and the book in which she resides, Dream of Me.
Dream of Me starts out with Viking prisoners being marched through Lady Cymbra’s brother’s village. Even as she watches from afar, she can spot the biggest, most handsome one and parts of her body start tingling. Because Cymbra is also Super I-Feel-Your-Pain Girl she must check on the Vikings to make sure none of them are injured. She’s just that kind of caring girl. Well, her senses must have taken the day off because the Vikings are tricking the Saxons. Oh by the way, Lady Cymbra is a Saxon. Anyway, the Viking's leader, Wolf, has allowed himself and some of his trusted cronies to be captured. He has one of those romance hero plans. His sole purpose in coming to the Saxon stronghold is to kidnap Simba..er..Cymbal..er..Cymbra. You might be wondering why. Well I’ll tell you. You see, he suggested an alliance between the Vikings and the Saxons. He sent a marriage proposal to Cymbra suggesting they wed. He received an insulting letter back. He and all the Vikings in the world were insulted and degraded. He must have revenge. However, when a stunningly beautiful Cymbra meanders into the dungeon where the Vikings are located, Wolf’s mind becomes muddled (his other brain takes over). You see, not only is Cymbra the most beautiful woman in the world, she is also very gentle and doesn’t seem to have a problem helping disgusting Vikings. Even though Wolf starts to discard the revenge plan, he still kidnaps Cymbra – ‘cause that’s what Vikings do. And, the romance begins.
Dream of Me is a standard, old-fashioned Viking tale, similar to some of Julia Garwood’s early medieval romances. If you are looking for hard-core, blood-thirsty, sweaty, Vikings, this story is not for you. These Vikings have a sauna. There is never any doubt as to what we will be getting in this book. There are no surprises and the misunderstandings are easily resolved. Curiously, this Viking story is almost gentle. While I may not have been blown away by the story, I enjoyed the mature quality of the writing. This story was a refreshing change from my usual Regency books and I delighted with being transported back into the Viking world, (even if it wasn’t as gritty as it really may have been).
Spoiler. The villain/villains trek through all three books in the series.
I do recommend this book. I enjoyed the romance between Wolf and Cymbra. It didn’t really bother me that misunderstandings were cleared up rather quickly. I thought the whole pace of the book was a pleasure. Even with the stumbling-block name of the heroine, I would have to say that this story is made for those nice pleasant reads at the beach. Or maybe on your porch, with a cup of coffee in your hand and the birds tweeting in the distance. Nice story.
Time/Place: Alfred the Great/Viking North lands somewhere
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
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