Cover Image: The Norse Protector

The Norse Protector

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and heroine. Torunn and Brandr were well-written characters. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

Was this review helpful?

Do you like paranormal romance? Historical romance? Witches that are not witches? Brilliant writing and plot?
This author delivers! Vikings ... Book number one in a new series is a must read!!
Read this book and read all her books in THE IRISH WITCH series! You would love it and crave for more!
5 stars is not enough!!!

Was this review helpful?

An interesting jaunt through Viking tales. Its hard to put a good category on this as it's slightly historical and fantasy. I enjoyed the book but did find myself skimming ahead at times. I would read any other books featuring the characters in this one though.

Was this review helpful?

This book was not for me. It was hard to dig in and enjoy. I had a hard time with some of the writing and the basic story. I really wanted to like this book as the description sounded awesome.. Thank you for the ARC

Was this review helpful?

A quick, fun read that admittedly kept me company while sunbathing and for the most part I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things, not bad at all.

Was this review helpful?

Torunn the Strong and her sisters are the only remaining people of the descendants of the Norse goddess Solveig. They live in Highgard, protected from any other worlds outside their own, but their population was decimated by the Red Death. In an attempt to save some of their people, three young boys were sent to Midgard years ago. Now, after their sister’s death, Torunn and her two remaining sisters must do something to ensure their survival.

In steps a mysterious group of light beings, who tells them about a vessel that can take them one at a time to Midgard and that it is their only chance to save themselves. Torunn is the first to make the journey. She meets Brandr, a man living on his own in the mountains.

Together they travel to the village below, and eventually further to find Torunn’s two sisters. During their journey they discover that Brandr is one of the Highgard boys that came to Midgard years ago.

Torunn came from a world where she grew up with absolutely no contact with any men, and therefor has no experience dealing with them. The sisters received some information from the light beings, but quite incomplete and not wholly true in some spots. Yet, she had no problem starting up a relationship with Brandr, who didn’t have great experiences in his past with women. She was untrusting of some people she met, but very trusting with other strangers, and there didn’t seem to be any particular reason for this behaviour.

The world the author created is interesting, and I would like to know what happens to Brenna and Aster (Torunn’s sisters) next, and their quest to discover a cure for the Red Death. Overall I quite enjoyed the book, but the writing didn’t appeal at all times. In some places the dialogue seemed to jump around and I felt like I missed something somewhere.

I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, let me start by saying I am SO happy this is going to be a series! The romance, the action, and everything a reader can dream of for a good Norse novel. I cannot wait for the sequel of this Strong viking women, courageous viking men, and some of the viking gods; with an amazing world built along with awesome characters. please give me more!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book The Norse Protector by Leigh Ann Edwards.

Norse Mythology and the human world mixed together made for a nice story about three sisters having to leave their hidden world to escape the dreaded desease that killed the entire population of Highgard.

The story did lack speed in some places and was drawn out in other side stories that weren’t that important to the storyline. I did enjoy Torunn and Brandr together and can’t wait for next book in the series.

I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is wish fulfilment historical fantasy romance and should be engaged with as such. In that regard, it’s a lot of fun and the author’s writing has come a long way from her entertaining Irish witch series. Do not expect a great deal of historical accuracy because it’s not there. For instance, following the tropes and understanding of history from three decades ago, the female characters have little agency or autonomy. This simply wasn’t true amongst the Norse. While marriages could be arranged, it was with the girl’s agreement. Rape did happen, but it wasn’t considered the norm, it was considered a crime. It was hard to get convictions but those who were convicted of rape faced terrible punishments. Assuming the girl or her family didn’t simply revenge burn the perpetrator alive in his own lodge! The Dane law which protected women in Britain from rape and forced marriage, came into acceptance during 10th C – it was adopted originally by Alfred the Great. Sure the Normans set us back about 200 yrs after 1066, but after 12th C, it was illegal to force a woman to marry. (Ok the king could technically command a ward of the crown to marry, and it would have been hard to say no. Other families beat or starved girls into agreeing or emotionally blackmailed them – but forced arranged marriage just didn’t happen.)

And women owned property – in fact the hearth and home belonged to the woman! It was up to a woman if she wanted to divorce her husband, not the other way around, and it was done with a simple recitation of intent. (This is law that was continued in Ireland up to the 17th C!) Women could and did, do almost everything men could do. They were equal partners in a marriage and childrearing, they went to war, they were spiritual leaders. Yes a few were oppressed or abused, and if you were a slave or ceorl you were out of luck (although indentured servants and slaves could and did earn their freedom). And then the issue of sex outside of marriage. Marriage was a very fluid concept. Virginity was not nearly as much of a prize as it became in latter centuries. It frequently did occur before marriage and guess what, they had pretty effective contraceptives to help prevent pregnancy. There was no real concept of illegitimacy because so much of leadership was based on merit. They elected their rulers based on strength – just as we did in Britain until the Normans arrived.

Ok that all came out a bit ranty. Basically this is a fun book for the Outlander crowd who want to read tropes about women succeeding against the odds in a time when they were marginalised. None of which is true, btw, and I find it extraordinary that anyone can write a fantasy based on history, and rape is where they decide the line must be drawn on historical accuracy. It’s just bizarre. Where has this ‘must have rape in order to be accurate’ attitude come from? You have gods and heroes and other worlds, you’ve ignored well documented historical fact and yet abuse of women is where you draw the line? (Sidebar but the Norse weren’t all straight. There were no strictures about homosexual relationships so there was much experimenting if people were inclined.) So, clearly this wasn’t really the book for me in terms of history or fantasy. For pure entertainment, it was quite enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/08/02/the-norse-protector-by-leigh-ann-edwards/)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library romance ebook collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


___________________




Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Medium burn

Relationship dynamics: The Reclusive Mountain Man (H) / The Powerful Descendant of a Goddess (h)

Sexual content: Some; explicit and “onscreen; frequent use of euphemisms for anatomy

Triggers: descriptions of rape; extreme violence; a lot of death; animal death

Grammar/Editing: My ARC had a number of issues, including imprecise pronoun references, comma splices, typos, incorrect verb tenses, and about a million exclamation points.

Review: This novel read very slowly for me, hindered by what I consider to be a lot of repetition of detail. Some of the prose is stilted and some details in the novel seem thrown in as afterthoughts. As a result, the narrative did not feel very seamless. I believe that some judicious content editing would have greatly improved the flow of the novel. While this is the case, the world building and mythology are well-done. The fictional realm of Highgard is well-developed enough for the action that takes place there, although most of the description of Highgard is done after the action leaves that realm. Solveig, the goddess, is also fictional, although the name is Norse in origin. The details about the Norse gods are accurate and well-researched and the fictionalized realm and goddess are well-slotted into the mythological narrative. The bulk of the novel is set in circa 1000 CE, and while there is now some debate about the nature of Vikings from this time period, the author comes down consistently on the traditional side of things, which is to say that vikings were brutal, bloodthirsty rapists. I appreciated that the author did emphasize, however, that not all Norwegians were Vikings.

Brandr and Torunn’s relationship begins in necessity and develops into something more quite quickly. Brandr is, by his nature, a rescuer – not just a protector; Torunn is strong and fiercely protective of her sisters, to the point of single-mindedness. Even given that, though, she is a bit odd about what we would call her “deal breakers.” What would be a firm “no” for most women can seem to be okay for her in certain circumstances. Brandr is by far the more interesting of the two characters because he has a fairly complex backstory, which is gradually revealed rather than all given up front like Torunn’s is (the story being primarily told from Torunn’s point of view) and he is the reason I eventually became invested in the love story in this novel. The supporting characters are well-developed, some with fairly elaborate backstories. This is one of those infrequent books that includes supporting characters that are just as interesting as the leads. The villains, however, are only as developed as far as necessary – their motivations are not complex and when they are defeated, they are quickly forgotten.

I do intend to continue with this series, with hopes of better prose.

Tagline version: Come for the story, endure for the story.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A fascinating Nordic tale- Torunn the strong is sent to a new land to save her sisters from a mysterious disease. She encounters Brandr, an ex-viking warrior, living reclusively on a mountain. He saves her from wild animals and helps her get to the town by the sea where she expects to meet one of her sisters. On her journey she meets others she did not expect to find in the same time and place. You will be drawn into this story and left wanting the next book in the series.

Was this review helpful?

It has been over a year since Leigh Ann Edwards’ last series ended so I was delighted to see The Norse Protector, the first in a new series. This time Ms. Edwards has taken on Viking mythology. The prologue and first few chapters set the stage for what has led up to Torunn, the strong coming to the Viking world. The world building in this new series is extremely well-done as is the vivid description of the land in which she arrives. The separation of the sisters is a main plot of the story along with a subplot. Because of the world building and introduction of the quest this book feels long.

The Norse Protector is a fantasy romance in a historical setting. That is the way the last series was done. It is also character driven as Torunn goes on her quest. Then add one reluctant hero, Brandr, who is battle weary and life scarred. Together they have quite a journey facing many calamities along the way. The plight of women in these times is also part of the story. I say this because it could be a trigger for some. Still life was harsh then and sadly is still that way today for many of the world’s women.

One aspect I really liked is that the Torunn and Brandr story is complete by the conclusion. There is a cliffhanger but it is with the overall theme. This leads the way for the next sister to receive her story. Hope it will be soon.

Was this review helpful?

I don’t think the author researched very well before writing this at all, very unrealistic for the lives women actually had. It was repetitive and a bit annoying at times, unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me at all.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Was this review helpful?

This title was not for me. I feel that a more feminist approach should have been used. I did not like the style of writing. It felt as though the author wanted to recreate the Edda or other sagas but it fell short. I also disliked the romance. It felt unnatural and unbelieveable.
I think for me, this needs rewriting.
Not a great read all in all. But the folklore and mythology felt reasonably researched.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a fantastical journey into Nordic mythology and Norwegian lore. The characters are bold, strong and mysterious in their own right. I enjoyed every moment and had a tough time putting it down. I can’t wait for the next book.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Rating: 1🌟

Genres: Adult, Romance, Historical Fantasy

Trigger warnings: death of loved ones, gore, blood, violence, multiple mentions of rape, sex

____________________________________

She learns the ways of the fiercely loyal, but undeniably dangerous Vikings

Torunn the Strong and her sisters, the descendants of the Goddess Solveig of Highgard are the only survivors of the dreaded Red Death. Tall, blonde, beautiful, brave and skilled in weaponry, Torunn will do whatever is necessary to save them from the scourge that killed their people. Forced to leave her sisters and her world behind, she is transported to the land of the Vikings where she is to discover the fate of the lost Highgardian boys sent there twenty years earlier.

Near death, she is saved by Brandr, a fearless, tall, muscular, ruggedly handsome man once a Viking warrior. Torunn and Brandr are forced to battle the brutal mountainous climate, wild beasts, and dangerous enemies. Neither want to admit they are falling deeply in love, for Torunn hasn’t ever met a man before and Brandr’s past is filled with tragedy and betrayal.

Is it possible for them to find happiness together?

____________________________________

I don’t think this book was really for me.

I almost gave up reading this book while reading the first chapter. But decided to keep going to see if I got used to it. I was not a big fan of the writing style in general, especially how the dialogue was written. It felt stilted, forced and as if the author was trying to emulate a writing style from a past century.

At first I thought that it might just be to show the difference between those in Highgardan and in Midgard. But no, they spoke pretty much exactly the same.

Often the characters would repeat what they had already said or repeat the information back to other characters that had already been said. Rather than showing the reader the author opted to tell the reader everything. Repeatedly. Even things they, and many of the characters, already knew.

It did annoy me a bit that there was a lot of emphasis on Torunn and her sisters being pure and unworldly, unaware how to act around men, only for Torunn to have sex and fall in love with the first man she ever meets in Midgard. Also the fact that they kept calling it ‘joining’ I felt was a but weird. I don’t think it was ever just call sex.

Also there was a lot of mentions of rape. Of characters having been raped in the past and threatened to be raped. Paired with the fact that Torunn was constantly warned not to be alone or let people know that she was otherwise she would kidnapped, raped, killed, sold as a slave, or made into a prostitute (referred to exclusively as whores) made me feel pretty uncomfortable.

Female characters had little autonomy. I feel like the author ran with the idea that women in the medieval era weren’t allowed indepence or any/few rights. Without taking into account the amount of freedom viking women had. They were allowed to have there own property, money, freedom to marry who they wished, divorce, fight and join in the raids as shield maidens. I know that every woman wouldn’t have had all of these options depending on class, wealth, etc. But a lot would have. I would have liked to have seen more variety.

Same goes for the men. So many of them were big, strong, tough vikings that would do anything to protect “their women” got old pretty quickly. I would have like more that weren’t just fighters that just lived more normal everyday lifes.

I know that this is a historcal fantasy story and you can’t be true to everything. And that there was a differnt social structure and values, but that didn’t mean that there couldn’t have been more of a modern spin on things. Because some parts of this book just felt pretty old fashioned to me.

Another thing that I didn’t like that every character seemed to be a seer or read runes. It just made it feel less special that so many of the characters that Torunn meets can do this. At first it was only Torunn and her sisters. Then ever Highgardan she meets has these abilities or some other magic power. It just felt over used and unnecessary. If it had been established earlier on that all Highgardans had the ability to see bits of the future I wouldn’t have minded.

I felt like many of the characters weren’t fleshed out enough. They felt very flat at times.

Now on to the things that I did like about this book. :/

Honestly there’s not much.

I liked that it was a pretty simple plot and that it was character driven. Some characters I would have liked to have seen more of. Like Thurston (I think that’s how you spell his name) he ended up being a better character than when he was first introduced. Or Asta, one of Torunn’s sisters. I really liked her snarky humour and her constant digs and questioning of everyone and everything. Sadly she was only in the book in the start. Where it left everything it did sound like she would be joining her sisters in the next book. I had thought that the next book would about finding the twins Asta and Brenna until Brenna showed up in the last chapter.

I thought that the world building was pretty good. I was able to imagine everything as I was reading it. And I very easily could imagine the characters in my mind.

I loved the idea of adding onto Norse mythology by creating a whole other world for beings descended from gods. I would have liked it if Torunn, or any of the other characters, were shown struggling more with adapting to living in a new world. There was some but Torunn seems to simply just see it, learn about it, and then instantly adapt. I would have liked to have seen Torunn take more time to really comes to grips with everything and struggled more as she adapted. I think it would have made it feel more believable.

I’m unsure if I’ll read the next book in this series. At this point probably not. It will all depend on of I remember this book by the time the next comes out and whether or not I am curious enough to see where the series goes. Because the book did leave off with a bit of a cliffhanger and left me with some questions and curiosity of what will happen next.

Was this review helpful?

I love Norse Mythology, and since I have been breaking out of my normal reading habits by reading more romance books, I stumbled upon The Norse Protector by Leigh Ann Edwards. It's part fantasy, part historical fiction and part romance, so I think it has something for everyone. I especially love the setting of this, and I felt like I could just see everything in my head.

One thing that made me not like this book as much as I thought I would is the pacing. I believe this is the first in a series, so I think a lot of this is because of setup. I just felt like it took way too long to get anywhere in this book. And then when the romance between Brandr and Torunn starts to really heat up, they go their separate ways and I wasn't really that interested in the new characters she meets. They are important in the end, but it just felt like there was a lot of walking in this book.

I do appreciate that even though this book is set in ancient Norway, during the time of Vikings, the mention of sexualities outside of heteronormativity is discussed. Because...heterosexuality has never been the "default" so that was cool to see in this book. Although, it does bring up a weird subplot of this novel that I just felt was a little unnecessary.

This story is interesting, but I'm unsure yet if I want to continue with the series. I think the next one is going to be in one of Torunn's sister's point of view, which could be interesting, but I'm afraid of reading another book that takes forever to get to the point.

*I received an eARC copy of this book via Netgalley from Tule Publishing. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I'm already a great fan of Leigh's books and this new series is just amazing if you love this type of genre.
Highly recommend. Can't wait for more.

Was this review helpful?

A good bit different then what I usually read. This book kept me entranced with the many trials that Torunn and Brandr had to go through in order to find the love they knew was theirs. Toruńn had to leave her sisters and venture out unto a new world fraught with all kinds of perils. She meets Brandr who not only helps her through the difficult times but teaches her the arts of love between a man and woman. Can she reunite with her sisters? What happens between her and Brandr?

I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Don’t ask me why but while reading this first in a saga, a series I read two decades ago popped up in my mind, the Earth’s Children by Jean M. Auel. It has nothing in common except for the encounter of two different worlds and the journey of the main characters to discover who they really are and what threats await them at every turn.
In all, it was a tale of epic proportions, with all the elements to keep you on edge.
Mrs Leigh Ann Edwards is a new-author-to-me, what a talent she has to narrate such a tremendous legend.
Torunn is a force to be recognized, why she is named The Strong. She is so determined in her quest, she sometime runs straight in the traps set for her or awaiting for her. But despite her fiery temper, she is also tender-hearted. She is sure very focused on her pursuit but she is not the sort to turn her back to those needing her help.
She has an innocence in her which enlightens this story, so bad events wounded the people she meets during her journey that her simple view of life is also quite refreshing. She makes mistakes but won’t settle for half-hearted measures, she wants all or nothing as for her commitment to Brandr.
Brandr is one of those scarred soul, he had lost so much, but he is still the one taking care of the others. He is the one who will bring back a startling fallen from the nest. He is a caretaker, always there to assist those in need. Even if at time, to avoid the pain brought by loosing his loved ones, he decided for a solitary life. Torunn’s intrusion in his well ordained life shattered his illusions that he was safe living all by himself. She introduced new hopes while reawakening old wounds. So which path will he choose, cautious but desolate or full of hurdles but fulfilling with the woman he cares for.
The side protagonists are aplenty, each with moving background, some with scars so deep it nearly destroyed them but also hope for a better future for them.
The storyline plot ends on a cliffhanger but the main couple get their happy for now end, so I suppose the next book in this series will be about the next couple Mikkel and Brenna as the tittle lets it imply.
I was granted through Netgalley by the publisher Tule Publishing an advance copy, I also purchased my own. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?