Sabrina Jarema's Norse inspired Viking Lords series continues with Lord of the Mountains. Eirik Ivarsdottir's village has been cleared of thugs and he is nearing the end of his marriage celebrations. His wife's brother, Magnus Sigrundson, is preparing to head back home, but not without taking the chance to persuade Silvi Ivarsdottir to visit Thorsfjell. Silvi, on the other hand, is stubbornly determined to give herself to the gods and become a priestess at Upsala. Her family has other intentions for her.

The story concept is great, but I wish there had been more fire in Silvi. I didn't immediately love her and honestly by the end I thought she was just okay. There seemed to be some conflict in her character, because her mother and brother believed she was strong based on the fact that one had to be in order to channel the power of the gods, but she acted very naive and needy and just didn't show that strength well. Magnus was a rock throughout and proved time and time again that he was worthy of Silvi's love. I did enjoy watching their romance unfold, because their love was not immediate, or easy.

Lord of the Mountains made me feel like I was reading a contemporary military romance transferred to another time and place. Readers follow the warriors into battle and get a sense of their strength and ideals, while entertained by the antics of two people navigating the rough waters of an uncertain relationship. Overall, I enjoyed Sabrina Jarema's style and attention to detail. I have no inkling of Norse culture, but I was able to easily envision the story and believe Silvi had once walked upon the lands of Norway. I'm eager to continue the series to see what other angles she can work from this fascinating group of people, because she definitely laid out the possibilities. Lord of the Seas will no doubt be an interesting addition to the Viking Lords series!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Few authors venture to tell tales set in this beautiful country of fjords with its violent and bloody history.   I am so pleased to discover this series by Ms. Jarima who keeps her readers spellbound with the richness of her story telling.   From the casting of the runes that foretell the future, to communing with the gods in quiet groves and mountaintops, to battles at land and sea the story will sweep you in and leave you longing for more.
The marriage between Magnus Sigrundson and Silvi Ivarsdottir is a business conducted over an exchange of ships, swords and treasure.  Magnus has fallen in love with the beautiful Silvi and is happy at the opportunity to win her. Silvi in turn agrees to the match when she's told that she has no recourse but to marry. Magnus for all that he is a great Jarl, a ferocious fighter and a great seafarer is a gentle man who is determined to woo a willing Silvi to his bed.
Silvia lusts after her handsome husband while she wrestles with the dilemma of her desire to be priestess to the gods like her mother before her. She goes around Magnus's holding ministering to his people and creating her own place as his wife as his partner.  When Magnus is attacked by a vengeful enemy and Silvi stands accused of witchcraft, Silvi finds a way to justify separating herself from Magnus and making her way to the temple at Uppsala.
The author does a fabulous job of weaving in the history of the times into her story describing the day to day life of the people. The action both on land and see is well crafted and well paced with the emotional elements of the story and will hold the reader's interest.   I really like how Ms. Jarima ties all the various threads together with the mix of politics and religious beliefs and romance to give us an unforgettable story.  I look forward to reading more books by the her.

My Review: I see Vikings and in the romance genre, you better believe I was looking forward to reading this book. It is the second book in the series so I wasn't sure if I would be lost, but I definitely wasn't. This book can be read as a stand alone but I will be going back to read the first book. There is a handy glossary and pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book which was great as there were times where a longer description would have thrown the story off. I really enjoyed each of the characters, they were each unique in their own ways, even from other similar books I have read in the past. I loved that Jarema obviously spent a lot of time researching not only the world and customs but also the belief systems and put her own spin on everything to suit the story. I will definitely be following this series in the future and be reading more of her books!


My Rating: I really enjoyed this book, more than many of the Viking books I have come across. Jarema did a great job of weaving a beautiful story together with the tough and brutal world it takes place in. I give this book a rating of Four Paws!

I started and finished this book in the same day. I've never read this author before, but I will make sure I read things from her in the future. Her style of writing was such that it keeps you interested and eager to see what happens next. Of course the fact that she has a lot of strong female characters as well. Would definitely recommend my friends

I really enjoyed this Viking romance, so much so, that I ended up buying and reading the first book in the series too. Sabrina Jarema does an excellent job shaping a historical Viking world and combining it with sweet and sensual romance.

a truly interesting storyline .Good characters. Enjoyed

Really enjoyed this story and I'm not a big fan of historical/science fiction but this one flowed really well and the world built around the story meshed fact and fiction really well.

It's a long time since I've read a Viking book and so I thought I'd give this a try, I haven't read the previous book 'Lord of the Runes' but that didn't matter since this can easily be read as a standalone.
It started well, Silvi Ivarsdottir has always known her future belongs to the gods she believes her destiny is to go to Uppsala and become a priestess. Her mother Lifa a respected rune mistress herself trained at the temple under the priestess Unn but she doesn't want his life for Silvi and even her brother Eirik says she will only go to Uppsala when he's dead.
Despite her steadfast believe in the path her future will take Silvi feels an attraction she can't explain to Magnus Sigrundson but she brushes it aside even though he looks her right in the eyes. Magnus has been drawn to Silvi from the first moment they met and he wants her for his wife but Silvi is set on her path to Uppsala.
Her family wants more for her, Magnus wants her and although she doesn't know it yet she wants him as well and so she's coerced into marriage, a marriage she's not sure she wants but not sure she doesn't.
This book is thick with the Norsemen beliefs and religion, it's a slow descriptive read full of visions and rune readings.
Having finished this book it would be so easy to give it 4* and write a positive review because that's how I felt at the end but I struggled along the way.
As I said it's a slow descriptive read but at times it just felt too slow and after the initial introductions I started skimming, I kept pulling myself back but before I knew it I was skimming again.
This however wasn't my main issue that was Silvi herself, I know she believed her life would take a certain path and she's detoured along the way but at times she seemed like a petulant spoilt child and she annoyed me more and more the more I read, there's times when she seemed mature but then she went back again, I know she's been sheltered yet she's seen such horrors but Magnus is almost perfect, she couldn't wish for a better husband.
This is an interesting book full of history and beliefs with a story and romance holding it all together but at times it moved at a pace just too slow for me and Silvi annoyed me too much and took away some of the appeal of this book.
I did wonder when I started this if I'd go back and read the first book but I won't but if the next book belongs to Rorik then I might have to give it a try because I found him intriguing.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Kensington Books.