A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while
also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired
fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series. 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. It
was foretold such a magic would 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 swore
to protect.
