NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under
a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a
Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology from the author of The Bridge Kingdom series. “THE
must-read fantasy of 2024!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout author of From Blood and Ash AN ELLE
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Bound in an unwanted marriage Freya spends her days gutting fish but
dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya’s
dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl landing her
in a fight to the death against his son Bjorn. To survive Freya is forced to reveal her
deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood which makes her a shield maiden with
magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the
fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing
he’s destined to rule Skaland as king the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and
orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength Freya must
train to fight and learn to control her magic all while facing perilous tests set by the gods.
The greatest test of all however may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya
succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior she risks not only her own destiny
but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.
