Published 5 March 2024 - (Call now to reserve your copy of A Fate Inked in Blood - The Lane will notify you via text once it's in stock❤️)

Darci's Review

Danielle L Jensen depicts Norse mythology brilliantly in her new fantasy novel, A Fate Inked in Blood. In Skaland, Freya lives as a fishmonger’s wife to a child of the gods, Vragi, one of the unfated. As Freya tolerates her marriage for her family’s sake, Vragi betrays her by outing a secret she had been hiding since she was a child: she is also unfated, a child of Hlin. As war between the Skalanders and Nordelanders is imminent, Freya must prove herself worthy as the shield-maiden to Jarl Snorri. Unfortunately, she must also fight her attraction to Bjorn – son of Snorri, and unfated through Tyrn's bloodline – lest she fail to unite Skaland once and for all. Battling trysts through swordsmanship, magic, and lust, Freya grapples with humanity, justice, and betrayal, while fighting to keep control of herself for the sake of her people. 

Jensen’s prose is magnificent, depicting the world she builds through a historical lens. Her knowledge of Norse mythology, landscapes, and political environments is captured within the atmosphere of her novel, making you feel as though you were in the times of Norse Vikings. If you were a fan of her previous series, The Bridge Kingdom, you need to pick this up!

Publisher's Review

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 this Norse-inspired fantasy romance 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. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret- she possesses a drop of a goddess's blood, which gives her magic capable of repelling any attack. A magic that was foretold would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath a king-the one who controls the shield maiden's fate.

Believing he's destined to rule Skaland, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders his son, Bjorn, to protect Freya 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. Except the greatest test of all 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.