BOOK
& AUTHOR INFO:
Desire’s Fury (Viking’s Fury
Book 2) by bestselling author Violetta Rand
Publication date: July 19th,
2016
Genre: Viking Romance
ABOUT DESIRE’S FURY:
Torn
between bloodfeud and desire…
After his
younger brother returns from Northumbria with a Saxon bride, Roald Blood Axe
refuses to welcome her into the family. His brother has married an enemy, which
goes against everything Roald believes in. But when his sister-in-law collapses
from a mysterious illness, Roald does what any man of honor should, he searches
for the most gifted healer.
Torn
between mistrust and temptation…
As the
last healer in her Sami line, Eva is expected to assume the role as noaidi
after her mother dies. Until then, she lives in the shadows—gathering herbs and
practicing her art on injured animals. One night while she’s camping in the
foothills, she encounters an enemy warrior who stirs more than her doubt.
She
accompanies Roald to his home where she promises to heal his sister-in-law.
Faced
with rejection and violence, Eva braves the tumultuous world of the lowlanders
to stay true to her oath as a healer.
Spending
time with Eva makes Roald realize he craves more than bedsport—he wants love
and everything it offers.
Together,
Roald and Eva make an indomitable pair. But when Eva’s brothers and Roald’s
greatest enemy join forces to destroy Roald’s home, will love keep them
together or will outside interference separate them forever?
DESIRE’S FURY EXCERPT:
He set his horse free to graze, then
approached the sleeping form wrapped in fur. Much to his surprise, it was a
woman—her long, blond tresses unbound and her delicate throat exposed. With a
careful look at her possessions, he discovered her identity. An embroidered
cloak was folded neatly on the ground by her pallet. Even her bags were
embellished with colorful stitching.
Cursed Lapplander.
Though the Norse interacted with her
people, tensions ran high. Many sheep and cows had been stolen from nearby
steadings over the years, and the thieves were obvious.
He should walk away and forget he
discovered a Sami woman bedding down alone. Leave her to fend for herself.
There were men of no honor who would pay to taste the tender flesh of a
reindeer walker.
As he turned to go, a blade landed in
the ground by his boot. Surprised, he stepped back, then gazed at her. The
woman was crouched on top of her pallet. Wild-eyed and incredibly beautiful,
Konal found himself unable to look away. Something about her held him captive.
“Hvem er du?” she asked in Norse.
He should be the one demanding to know
who she was. These were Norse lands. “Why are you here?”
She relaxed then, shifting to her knees,
but never taking her eyes off him. “Don’t waste my time, Norseman. I didn’t
wander into your camp. You disturbed my sleep without announcing yourself.”
“Twenty horsemen could have thundered by
and you would have slept through it.”
She chuckled. “Are you insulting me,
lowlander?”
Konal retrieved the knife, held it up,
and inspected the blade. He laughed at it, running his thumb over the blunt
edge. “I see your senses aren’t the only dull thing in this camp.”
She climbed to her feet, giving him the
opportunity to admire her slim form. Dressed in nothing but a shift and boots,
he could see the fullness of her breasts and her shapely hips.
“Give me my knife.”
He shook his head and sheathed the blade
in his belt. “You’re in no position to make demands. Tell me who you are and
why you’re here, first. If I’m satisfied by your answers, I’ll consider
returning the weapon. But only if I have your solemn oath not to try and kill
me again. Though your aim isn’t true.”
She’d given him every reason to tease
her. And he liked the way her eyes sparked whenever he said something
insulting. How long had it been since he’d met a spirited woman who didn’t care
if he was the jarl’s son?
“Jalla!” she spoke in her language now.
“Calling me an idiot won’t help your
cause.”
Her lips thinned in irritation. “You
understood.”
“Our people have lived side-by-side for
generations, woman. Do you not expect us to learn each other’s tongues so we
might communicate?”
“I expect nothing from a Viking,” she
said. “For though we are neighbors, there’s never been peace—not true peace.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “But if we are smarter
than our forefathers, we can perhaps exercise restraint now.”
“Restraint?”
“Respect,” he clarified.
She considered it. “All right.” She
walked to the place where the food and wine were set out.
“Break bread with me.”
In a show of trust, she turned her back
and picked up the loaf. Then she faced him again and tore a large chunk off.
“Here.”
Unless Odin willed otherwise, he’d
accept her offer. “I will sit to eat.”
Together they got comfortable near the
fire, and she pulled several items wrapped in cloth from one of her bags. The
first contained cheese, the next, strips of smoked fish. Though Roald had fresh
food in his saddle bag, he’d not miss the chance to know this woman.
“My name is Eva,” she said as she took a
drink. “My people come from Malangsfjorden, but we settled in the mountains
east of here generations ago. Occasionally, I wander the lowlands to collect
plants for medicine. Not all the species I can find here grow in higher altitudes.”
He considered her expression, the way
her hands moved when she talked, how she didn’t pause between words. All signs
that she spoke truthfully.
“I am Jarl Roald Blood Axe, and I seek a
skilled healer. My sister-in-law has fallen ill—gravely ill I fear.” If Silvia
died, his family would be torn apart. To happen upon this woman in the middle
of nowhere seemed too good to be true. Once again, Roald found himself indebted
to the gods, for Allfather must have led him here. “Are you a thrall?”
She snorted. “I am freeborn, Roald Blood
Axe. Should I dare ask how you earned that horrible name?”
He withdrew her knife from his weapon
belt and laid it on the ground between them. “By having better aim than you.”
She rewarded him with a smile as she
reached for the blade. “I don’t expect you to believe me, but I missed on
purpose.”
“Did you?” He swallowed a mouthful of
fish. “I will remember that, woman, and some day, if the chance arises, I will
ask you to prove it.”
She laughed, thinking it a joke, then
tucked the knife in her boot. “If I have my way, we’ll never meet again.”
ENTER TO WIN!
ABOUT VIOLETTA RAND:
Raised in Corpus
Christi, Texas, Violetta Rand spent her childhood reading, writing, and playing
soccer. After meeting her husband in New England, they moved to Alaska where
she studied environmental science and policy before attending graduate school.
Violetta then spent nearly a decade working as a scientist, specializing in
soil and water contamination and environmental assessments.
Violetta still lives in Alaska and spends her days writing romance. When she's
not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys time with her husband, pets, and
friends. In her free time, she loves to hike, fish, and ride motorcycles and
4-wheelers.
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