Stranded in the Arctic
With a lone-wolf Viking!
Lost in a remote wilderness in a snowstorm, Embla is rescued by local ‘Wild Man’ Runar and taken to his cabin—with just one bed! But as he warms her icy body with his, passion enflames them both… She’s been warned against this man for her entire life…but when she realises she might be stranded with him for weeks it seems her only option is to trust him…and their intense attraction!
| Title: | Snowed in with the Viking |
| Author: | Lucy Morris |
| Series: | HMB Historical |
| Pages: | 255 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Harlequin / Mills & Boon Historical |
| Trope(s): | Viking Romance Only One Bed |
| Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | Gudvangen, Northern Norway |
| Setting: | 825 AD – Viking |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 21st December, 2023 |
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Will keep you warm on a cold winter’s night
I love a Lucy Morris’s Viking story so when I heard she was releasing a Christmassy, wintery, Yule type tale – I was delighted. The fact that it’s also a snowy, only-one-bed, yearny, perfect partners type tale is just the holly on the yule log.
Embla has never really found her place in the world. She’s a people pleaser, determined to show her worth yet always feels like she’s overlooked and under appreciated. This is exactly what leads her to be lost in the woods and snow – ripe and ready to be rescued by wild man and loner, Runar.
I really enjoy a character like Embla. She’s determined to see the best of things but despite surrounding herself with people, she’s deeply lonely. If you’re a people pleaser or someone that has never felt like they belong, then you will definitely feel an affinity with our heroine. While she maybe a little lost, she never comes across as a moaner or someone you need to feel sorry for. She’s also a curvier girl – in fact, the cover model is exactly how I would picture Embla to be – but that’s never really an issue and Runar definitely appreciates Embla exactly as she is, despite Embla perhaps feeling she’s not really worthy of a man like Runar..
A Viking of any sort is my kind of hero but Runar definitely breaks the mould. He’s a big, burly mountain man, feared and ignored by the town’s folk. But underneath, he’s just a big, lonely softie who has a heart of gold and longs for companionship. As soon as he meets Embla he’s smitten – but his dislike of people and hermit-like existence make him feel as though he’s not worthy of Embla’s affections. It’s the kind of unrequited, yearning, angsty feelings that give me all the feels.
“…all of it makes me giddy and I love it!”
It isn’t a well-known or well-used trope – if you can even call it that – but I am a complete sucker for a tale where the heroine goes to the hero’s house and makes it a home. Clean it, make it pretty, cook tasty meals, make him wear slippers – all of it makes me giddy and I love it!
One of the many things I love about Lucy Morris’s books is her ability to weave the environment and history into the story without the reader even realising what’s happening. The world just appears around you and before you know it, your characters are inhabiting the rich world of the Vikings and Sami people that’s built up around you. Obviously we’ve got the Viking people whose traditions and lifestyle are better known to most. Runar, however, is half Viking and half Sami. The only things I knew about the Sami people are the Christmas Reindeer Sleigh Ride programmes so it was fascinating to hear more about their lifestyle.
Back to our couple – I really felt the pull between Runar and Embla and how it took a while for them to admit their attraction and take their relationship to the next level. There’s a lovely bit of sexiness – enough to melt the snow – but it’s never gratuitous. It definitely adds to the relationship and growing feelings between our pair. They seem like a perfect match and really complete each other. The ending and how everything worked out just made me happy. How you can bring two very different people, with very different lives, together and make a joint life that makes them both happy – it gave me joy.
Vikings, Christmas romance, Harlequin / Mills & Boon, snowed in, only one bed – whatever you like, I’m sure you’ll love this romance that’ll keep you warm on a cold winter’s night. 5 stars.
* I received this book in exchange for my honest review*
Lucy Morris lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two young children, and two cats. She has a massively sweet tooth and loves gin, bubbly and Irn-Bru. A member of the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association, she was delighted to accept a two-book deal with Harlequin after submitting her story to the Warriors Wanted submission blitz for Viking, Medieval, and Highlander romances.
Writing for Harlequin Historical is a dream come true for her and she hopes you enjoy her books!
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