3.75 stars

Finally, Bjorn, father of all werewolves, gets his happily ever after! Bjorn Cursed is another fun installment in the Forgotten Brotherhood series.

After centuries of being ignored by the Allfather, Odin appears to Bjorn and assigns him to find and kill an escapee from Freija's Hall. On his way to meet his Forgotten brethren, he stumbles across a woman being accosted in an alleyway only to find it is his wife who has been dead for centuries. It soon becomes clear that the gods are playing tricks again and somehow Lucifer is at the root of it all. Bjorn swears he will not fail his wife given this second chance but can he defeat a god let alone multiple gods across multiple pantheons?

I was super intrigued by Bjorn in the last book, Burning Ash. He was scary and brutish and mysterious and you just *knew* he had a super awesome backstory. Sigh, there were so many "wrongs" righted in here, that you just can't help but feel satisfied. I'm not normally a fan of "second-chance" romances and this isn't - but - it kind of technically is. And, I was so down for all that closure happening in Bjorn's life. Plus, we get a new "brother". The gods bickering and the whole build-up to the great battle/climax/war-resolution kind of fell a bit flat because it was just -gods bickering- and being all narcissistically close-minded gods. I wish we got some more lucifer being all devil-y and stuff but se la vie.

I have very much enjoyed this series and am so looking forward to more.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Stupendous!

Bjorn and Anja have a love that defies eternity! I couldn't put this book down; emotion, action, twists, heat and visits from favorite characters. I can't wait to see what comes next.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Bjorn Cursed, the 4th book in N.J Walters's Forgotten Brotherhood didn't really lived up to the previous books in this series. I enjoyed the world building, the banter between the brotherhood but I couldn't get into the romance between the 2 MCs. It didn't feel organic to me and I couldn't feel the chemistry between them.

Nevertheless, I still will not give up on this series and I'm looking forward to reading the next one. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy, the thoughts above are of my own.

This series has a superb mix of paranormal, mythology and religious beliefs and characters all given their own twist in fascinating supernatural adventure.

The first ever Norse werewolf, created by the Norse god Odin, is Bjorn Knutson. When Odin gives him the task by of killing a woman who has escaped from Freya, he never dreams the woman is the one he could never kill - his wife Anja. So begins his adventure and fight to save her and keep them both together, despite the other supernaturals who are determined to capture her and the gods who are involved, too. Can these two long parted lovers find romance again and live to share a future together or will fates intervene and part them again?

This is a steamy, action packed romance with plenty of twists. There are new characters introduced, new interventions made and arguing gods to add to the mix. It is a good addition to the series and should still work well as a standalone, though I confess I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the earlier books in the series. There's a lot of time spent with the couple making up for lost time and with gods acting like bickering, spoilt brats but the intervention by a couple of surprise characters definitely added to the mystique and gives the possibility of further stories in the series in future.

Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Bjorn Cursed
Forgotten Brotherhood #4
N.J. Walters
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bjorn Knuston was cursed and became the first Norse werewolf after the slaughter of his family centuries ago. Back then he was tortured and broken, but the Forgotten Brotherhood helped him become a better person and one of their own. Now all of a sudden Odin himself has tasked him with killing a woman who has escaped from Freya's hall and he can't disobey a direct order from Odin can he?

Before he even has a chance to track the woman or meet with the Brotherhood, he hears what sounds like a woman being accosted. When he gets there he finds out that it's three men and he knows he can't kill them, but he can't let it go either so he intervenes and is more then shocked to recognize the face of the one woman he would never kill, the one woman that he has been thinking of for centuries. He sees his wife Anja.
He then realizes she's also the one that he is hunting and if he doesn't kill her then both of their lives are at stake.

As the Brotherhood get together they come to realize that this is Lucifer's doing and he's just trying to cause problems for the Brotherhood. Big, big problems.
Will they escape this with their lives or will they both die trying?

N.J. Walters is absolutely fabulous. This book was incredible. Somehow this author manages to take paranormal beings, Viking's, God's, and Goddesses from different folklore and time bringing them all together in one story. Bjorn is the Alpha of all werewolves and so strong, yet he has the sweetest side for his Viking wife. He's loves her so much that he decides he will do anything to keep her safe. Then we have Anja. She is one tough Viking woman who also loves and only wants her husband safe. When she and their children were murdered Freya came to her and offered her a deal because Anja fought so well. This deal was that Anja would spend eternity working for Freya in her hall and Freya would make sure that each one of her children were reborn into good lives. Anja being the woman she was jumped at this deal. Until Lucifer decides to butt in and Anja ends up alive again in modern times. I don't want to ruin this book for you so I'll say no more except that I had a blast reading this book and understood Anja's love for her family. If you love the paranormal side you will not want to miss this. There are more plots, twists, turns, and arguments between the gods then I have ever read and I will definitely be giving it another read at some point. N.J. Walters you wrote an amazing book and I felt like I was along for one of the best rides of my life.

This book was refreshingly different. I actually thought "this has the loving family feel of a Hallmark movie" only with all the supernatural beings l personally like to read about and really steamy romance. Bjorn is the father of werewolves. Odin has ordered him to kill a woman. The only thing is unbeknownst to Bjorn it's the one woman he could never harm.
Anja is thrust into a world she had only heard stories about from the new dead in the goddess Freya's hall. Anja has been a servant there since the Viking age.
Toyed with by the God's and stalked by bounty hungry werewolves these two are doing their best to survive. With friends like the Brotherhood they might have a chance.
I would like to thank Entangled publishing and Netgalley for the ARC copy of Bjorn cursed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I just reviewed Bjorn Cursed by N.J. Walters. #BjornCursed #NetGalley

Bjorn Cursed is the fourth book in N.J. Walters captivating and thoroughly addictive Forgotten Brotherhood and while I have enjoyed all the books in this series, I must admit that this one fell short. Constantly bickering Gods became annoying and distracting, and the character growth just didn’t happen in this book. For me this was a story with a volume of potential that never really developed. Bjorn Cursed is definitely my least favourite of this series to date.

If you love a touch of Norse legend, shifters, vamps, and fallen angels and the women who "tamed" them with the added second chance romance and fight with gods over their lies and stupidity then BJORN CURSED will fit that bill.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review may be found at: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=72785

Being at the whim of a God or Gods is uncertain at best. Being in service to one is unending. Bjorn and Anja have a path strewn with pitfalls and danger. Their story is one of unending love and and the pride of Gods. An intricate tale woven with clarity and skill. I highly recommend it

First, I want to say I love this series and hate to give it a low rating. I was excited about Bjorn’s story since he was introduced in the last book. He was full of anger, sadness, and loneliness so I couldn’t wait to meet his heroine. Although I like that it was the wife he lost centuries ago, their reunion and established familiarity was immediate in the first few chapters. He lost all the brooding alpha characteristics that made him interesting to me and his only purpose became repetitious scenes of introducing Anja to a new world and protecting her. That and their horniness was the majority of the book. Unfortunately I never connected to Anja or their chemistry so I skimmed almost all of those scenes.

My favorite part was what I kept thinking as the Avengers assembling for the final confrontation. Mostly they stayed in the background, which was understandable, but felt like a miss. I was relieved when Maccus said “It’s time to put an end to this once and for all.” I’m sure he meant Lucifer but I just wanted the (again, repetitious) back and forth to end. There were so many brief skirmishes between Anja/Bjorn with their Nordic gods (bored and ‘this is bothersome’ Odin/Freya). Repetition of how impressed Bjorn was with Anja’s bravery or how they’d always be together filled the long awaited confrontation.

There is the introduction of a new character that was a nice surprise and has me looking forward to the next book. I'm left wondering how he’d be a member when I’ve thought each were the supreme of their beings (vampire, shifter, etc.) Maybe that will be discovered or explained or the Brotherhood will expand beyond its original concept (for more books)?

In the end this wasn’t my favorite but establishes a new character and background. I loved seeing all of the previous characters and hope that continues.

This book was amazing!!!! Simply stunning in it’s story, it’s depth, it’s romance, and it’s world. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to stop, didn’t stop, as the next, the next, and the next thing came to being. There were tears, there were laughs, there was sexiness and romance. There were bonds existing, made, re-formed, and they tied all of these wonderful characters together. At the heart of the story was love. Love that never died, never wavered, never gave up. At the soul of this story was family. Families that interconnected from blood bonds to chosen to made and maintained. The mythology and the mystical is the spine of this story, but the characters that I connected with gave it the heart and the soul that made it an unbelievably amazing read <3

I definitely enjoyed the PR. I honestly didn’t know this was part of a series until I started reading thi... so just a heads up.

Standalone within the Forbidden Brotherhood. This story focuses on Bjorn, father of all werewolves. He lost his family and has served Odin for centuries. He is sent on an errand by Odin that changes his life. A good romance, full of action and steamy scenes. You will want to read the other stories in the series, if you have not already,

***Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date January 18, 2021.***

🐺🐺🐺🐺
3.75 – 4 stars

Bjorn Cursed is another very solid installment in the “Forgotten Brotherhood” series. I loved reading about Bjorn’s backstory (briefly introduced in the previous story, Burning Ash). And oh my, I wish I had a friend / colleague like Anja…one that I could learn many life lessons from . We’re also introduced to a new character who will *hopefully* have his own “Brotherhood” story soon.

Turns out Bjorn isn't just a grumpy growly old wolf, he's got a softer sexier side too -- it's just one only his late wife (who's death, along with their children's, resulted in his becoming an immortal Norse berserker who turns into a huge wolf so long ago) gets to see. Anja died while trying to protect her children from violent marauders while Bjorn had been called away to fight elsewhere. Anja's bravery gained the goddess Freya's attention who granted her the "honor" of serving in her hall in the afterlife while her young children would be allowed to be reborn for a chance at a full life. Anja unable to leave Freya's hall, worked each day finding comfort in the hope that her children (while they wouldn't remember her) had found happiness and long lives and waited to see if her husband (who surely would have gone to Valhalla upon death) would venture to Freya's hall in search of her in the afterlife. when Bjorn is tasked by Odin to hunt down & kill and escapee from the afterlife (the dead don't belong in the land of the living) and Anja finds herself suddenly pulled from Freya's hall and dropped into some strange alley and time it doesn't take long to realize that the Gods and similar powers are playing games and causing trouble for the Forgotten Brotherhood members once again. What we also get is a reunion story with plenty of love and passion between two individuals who complement each other and fight for a future together against some very steep odds. We also get the other brotherhood couples and the bonds that tie them together, a few twists & surprises, and a bit of humor to balance out what turns out to be an enjoyable installment in the series and reading time spent eagerly turning the pages to see just how the HEA comes about.

4.5 stars - I really loved Bjorn Cursed. He's a wolf shaped shifter, the first-ever made. He lost his family centuries ago and in this read, he discovers that all isn't lost. It's just the sort of sexy, thrilling read I've come to expect from NJ Walters. Nicely done!

Bjorn Cursed is an unforgettably phenomenal addition to this fantastically exhilarating series! It helps to bring even more intensity and emotion and danger to the already charged and deadly group of the Forgotten Brotherhood. This is a full charge ahead adventure that refuses to be slowed down or side tracked in its single minded focus of hope, love, and justice. Don't hold your breath because it will be stolen in the very next second.

Bjorn has been served a command from the lips of his Creator that will either grant him honorable favor or leave his world in shatters. Either way, he has to see it through. What he never expected was to have his very heart in the cross hairs. Anja has been pulled from her existence and placed into a foreign world surrounded by strangers. Trying to figure out what happened to her, she finds herself face to face with her distant past and hope gives her the courage she needs to figure out this mystery. When Bjorn's world explodes with a grand and unbelievable revelation, can he hope to keep his heart safe and protected this time, or will he find it shattered beyond recognition and forever destroyed?

Bjorn was always a character from the shadows who left me intrigued and wanting to know more. I knew he had just as an incredible story as the others, and I couldn't wait to crack open his hard shell to see what was hidden inside. Hearing his story tore my heart to shreds and had me rooting for him from the very start. Anja fit him very well as the perfect love and partner. She was just as fierce and raw and noble as he. I lost my heart to this daring and dynamic couple. They are just as amazing and sizzling as the other couples that we have gotten to know. They bring experience, heart, and determination to the Brotherhood.

N. J. Walters is a true wonder of an author who has created this wildly scintillating and deliciously deadly world of forgotten heroes. She is a truly gifted and boundlessly talented author who has forever brightened and deeply filled my world with precious words that never fail to entertain and instruct. The Forgotten Brotherhood is a wickedly fantastic series that is sure to dazzle and delight any fantasy reader who gives it a much deserved chance.

I've really enjoyed this series from NJ Walters. I guess each book could be read as a stand-alone, but I think you definitely get a better story if you read them in order. The stories involve gods, mythologies, and fighting for love. The Forgotten Brotherhood are outcast paranormals who are the ones that take care of other paranormals when they've gone too far.

We've met Bjorn the werewolf in previous stories. He's lived for centuries after Odin cursed him as a werewolf. Anja has been pulled from the otherworld and thrust into a game of gods and trickery. Bjorn, Anja, and the rest of the Brotherhood take a stand against the gods to fight for love and family.

Bjorn and Anja are different than the other couples in the series because instead of instant chemistry, they are long-lost lovers who had a family centuries ago. their love for each other has endured centuries and even the gods can't keep them apart. That doesn't dampen any of the physical attraction though. ;)

I thought maybe this was the last book since the known members of the Brotherhood have all had their books, but then we meet Sven. So who knows?

I had the chance to read an advanced copy through NetGalley for review.

ARC from NetGalley

2.5 stars

This book wasn't bad, it just wasn't terribly interesting. It's a paranormal romance about a werewolf whose dead wife is brought back to the land of the living. They get reacquainted while trying not to die, since Odin has put a bounty on her head, and Freya has come to bring her back to the land of the dead.

This was I think 4th in a series, and I didn't feel that I had missed out on anything. The romance was meh because they were already married, just hadn't seen each other in hundreds of years. So there wasn't any suspense. There were sex scenes, though not too many.

Eh, it didn't really leave much of an impression on me either way. I will forget it immediately.

**I received a copy of Bjorn Cursed from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinions were not solicited in any way.**

Bjorn Cursed by N. J. Walters is the fourth book in the Forgotten Brotherhood so I highly recommend reading them in order as it start where the previous book ends. I was so excited to hear Bjorn was going to get his own story as I love Norse mythology and werewolves and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Bjorn Knutson having lost his his wife and children to raiders in his grief he agreed to Odin's offer of being the first werewolf. But imagine his surprise when his wife Anja shows up in an alley in New York not knowing how she got there or why. He takes her to Maccus and Morrigan's with the rest of the Forgotten Brotherhood show up to figure out who took Anja from Freya's Hall. Hmm looks like Lucifer may be up to his old tricks again maybe? I will leave that there because the wild ride Bjorn and Anja will travel plus when Freya's enforcer shows up it will be a surprise for all. Beside I do love how other Gods and Cassie's Dad shows up to figure out how this story will end.