First to Burn by Anna Richland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow -- this was a really a delightful surprise! I admit that I'm not typically a military book reader, but this book was a really great blend of paranormal, military, romance, action, and mythology. I never thought I'd admit to loving a story that involves so much Beowulf after being forced to read it in school, but this book was just so unique!
I was worried, but, yes, this book takes place in present day. Seeing the word "Viking" in the series title always makes me think it's a historical read, so I figured that was worth a mention. It begins in Afghanistan with an army doctor and a special forces operative. Theresa is a Jersey girl (Jersey represent!) on the run from her connected family. Wulf has a lot more secrets than that and is forced to deal with a doctor poking her nose into his past. Being immortal, while beneficial in the field, is a little big harder to cover up when you get air lifted in as a wounded officer.
This was a great forbidden romance tale that sizzled off the pages. Because Theresa outranks Wulf, their relationship is off limits as far as the army is concerned. But don't worry, that's not the only story going on in this book. Aside from immortality and forbidden love, we've also got illegal smuggling, corruption in government, mob bosses, and forced research test subjects going on as well. This isn't just your typical quick and fluffy paranormal romance read. It is a very well developed and wonderfully written start to the world of Immortal Vikings. Even if this isn't typically your genre, it's worth a read!
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Thanks Carrie! I appreciate the review here and at Amazon & Goodreads - it's definitely an uphill struggle to find enough reviews, although people keep liking FIRST TO BURN. Thank you very much for taking the time to post everywhere. And I can recommend the Seamus Heaney-narrated ABRIDGED audiobook of Heaney's Beowulf translation, by the way. I never had to read it in school, so I was completely virgin when I started this series, and I wore out my copy of Beowulf: The Illustrated Edition (Heaney and John Niles). That version has a full page, full color photos of treasure, weapons, settings, etc. which made the book very exciting -- for an epic.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you're looking for another great read - you could try Amy Raby Assassin's Gambit or Sharon Fisher - Amy writes fantasy/magic romance a little bit like Game of Thrones with a happy ending, and Sharon writes more sci-fi romance, but it's great.