Release Blitz + Review | North of the Stars (In Love and War #1) by Monica James → 5+ Stars!
SERIES: In Love and War #1 AUTHOR: Monica James
GENRE: Viking Historical Romance
RELEASE DATE: December 1st, 2021
England is burning.
And the cause…men are too afraid to utter in nothing but a whisper.
The Northmen.
My father is King Eanred.
And me?
I am Princess Emeline.
My father wants to protect our kingdom against the ruthless Vikings who continue to raid England, so he has betrothed me to Aethelwulf, the son of King Egbert of Wessex—the most powerful realm in all of England. Without this union, Northumbria will fall, which is why I must submit. I must do this for my people.
However, it is not in my nature to surrender. So when my father captures the most savage Viking known in our land, I do what no good, God-fearing Christian would do—I help him.
His name…Skarth the Godless.
People fear what they don’t understand, but I will not allow that to control me. Fear makes us blind to the truth, and I refuse to cower because Skarth soon becomes my teacher—in all things. And when his rival, Ulf the Bloody, shatters my world, it becomes clear the lessons have only just begun.
My soul is tarnished.
I am a sinner.
Lord, hear my prayer…
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⭐️ 5+ "Warrior" Stars ⭐️
North of the Stars was an EPIC read! It left me with such a book hanghover! It's been days since I finished my read and I'm still obsessing over this story! It was so different from what I usually read, but it still got all the feels and passion I love about Monica James's writing. Needless to say I was hooked from the start! This author likes to work with multiple genres and she once again proved her versatility with this Historical Viking romance.
"𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏."
Princess Emeline and Skarth the Godless's story is one of star-crossed lovers. The impossibility of their relationship was truly agonizing. The bond they seemlesly forged was beautiful, but so cruel. The heartbreak exuding from their every interaction and the injustice of their situation made me hurt for them. Seriously, this novel made me ache so badly from all the angst!
Emeline is such a courageous heroine, born in a time where she must submit to her father's rules. She's determined to dictate her own future, despite her duty. I was in awe of her strength through all the adversity she faces in her young life. Her curiosity and bravery makes her fearless, but reckless at times. She's without a doubt very intriguing to Skarth with all this fierceness. I really loved Skarth and his devotion to Emeline. He's captivated by her personality, but knows she's not for him. He's protective of her and would do absolutely anything for her even denying himself from her.
"𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒅... 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒌𝒌𝒊."
As if this story wasn't angst filled enough with these two, there was also other potential love interests introduced. Above all the romantic drama, North of the Stars is also a tale depicting some barbare scenes between Saxons and Vikings battling for territories. It's an addictive read for sure with so many unexpected events twists. I'm so eager to get the next installment in the In Love and War Series after that shocking ending.
** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
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