I was provided with an ARC for a honest review from Netgalley.

When I say I devoured this book, I DEVOURED IT! I saw a video on tik tok and how pretty the cover looked so I decided to take a look on Netgalley to see if it was available for an advanced copy and sure enough it was! It had everything you would want, forbidden romance, slow burn (totally worth it for that one scene. 🥵), gifts from the gods and action. The story follows the MFC as she gives whatever she can to the people she cares for to make their lives better while everyone else takes from her. Trying to navigate her life without it being her own and trying to figure out who she is and how she can change fate for herself and for the people around her. Don’t even get me started on that ending 😳😳 make sure you preorder and get yourself a copy when it’s available February 27th, 2024!

Only thing I am disappointed about getting the advanced copy?? I’m gonna have to wait forever for the next one 😭😭

Danielle Jensen is the master of writing sexual tension. The chemistry between Freya and Bjorn was absolutely sizzling and loved the banter between the two! The only thing was that I found it really hard in the beginning to associate a sexy Viking with someone named Bjorn LOL.

World building was nicely done and didn't feel info dumpy at all. Plus, I thought the battle/fight sequences were super badA! While her Dark shores series will always reign supreme in my opinion, this Norse inspired - Viking romantasy - definitely can't be missed!

**Thank you NetGalley and Random House publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

4/5 stars!

✨ARC REVIEW✨

This was incredibly hard to put down. Really nice change from your usual fae/vamp/shifter fantasy. Slightly fast paced but I don’t feel like I was missing anything. Some parts had very high stakes but seemed to resolve quicker than I would have liked but overall I devoured this and would HIGHLY recommend. Slow burn was *chefs kiss*. Ending has me not so patiently waiting for book 2 already!

I like Danielle Jensen’s characters. Unlike so many authors, her characters are neither good nor bad, but complicated which makes for a much more interesting read. A Fate Inked in Blood is based on the. Nordic Gods and their “chosen” children on Earth. Freya, the wife of a fisher, dreams of being a warrior, but is relegated to doing chores for the husband, she can"t stand. It turns out that she is the shieldmaiden, the woman blessed by the goddess Hiln and who is foretold as the one who will unite all of the warring nations under the ruler who controls her. Jarl Snorri believes he is that ruler and takes Freya as his second wife, but Freya finds herself totally drawn to Smorri’s son, Bjørn, who was kidnapped at an early age and raised by Snorri’s enemy, Herald. Throughout the book, the Gods test Freya at every turn and it is. Bjorn who has her back. All along, Freya hears warring factions within herself and tries to come to grips with what being the shieldmaiden actually entails forcing her to become what she doesn’t want to be. Who can she trust and who is a traitor is the secondary theme and the ending definitely leaves the reader salivating for book two. I know I can’t wait to see how this story turns out. Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray publishing for providing the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5⭐️s - This was everything!! Norse mythology + enemies —> lovers + plot twists galore = what more could you want?? Seriously, I can’t wait for February so I can talk about it more in depth cause that ending !!??? Give me book 2 immediately😮‍💨 RUN and add this to your TBR!!

I was so excited when I learned Danielle L. Jensen was writing a new Norse inspired series and I was not disappointed. The banter between Freya and Bjorn was very well done and I found myself smiling and laughing on multiple occasions while reading their conversations. Their first meeting starting right out of the gate with “You aim as well with your words as you do with fish, woman.” had me hooked. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here…especially with how book 1 ended.

Let me preface this by saying A Fate Inked in Blood is not my first Danielle L. Jenson book. I’ve read The Bridge Kingdom and The Traitor Queen, and while I enjoyed them, I felt A Fate Inked in Blood was much more fun to read and a better book overall.

There is a noticeable growth in Danielle’s writing from previous books. The flawless pacing kept me intrigued throughout the story, and the action and adventure around every corner held me in suspense. Freya was a complex protagonist, which made me invested in her character development. Because she makes mistakes and isn’t inherently good, it feels as if Freya is an authentic person. She's not perfect, and she has her flaws.

There was just the right amount of romance, and I felt it moved at the perfect speed. Being a slow-burn, I liked seeing Freya and Bjorn spend time learning about one another as individuals, albeit with loads of flirting here and there before anything developed romantically. It was apparent that Bjorn had a few secrets that would be crucial to the plot and affect his relationship with Freya. With how things ended, I’m excited to see what’s next for them.

A Fate Inked in Blood was my first time reading anything inspired by Norse mythology and lore, and Danielle made it so much fun, especially with the magic system. I recommend this to anyone searching for an action-packed fantasy rich with Norse mythology and slow-burn romance.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, for sending me an e-ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

A Fate Inked in Blood is perfect for fans of Netflix’s Vikings Valhalla, Norse Mythology, and stories with strategy and vivid action scenes that make you feel as though you are inside the book. The storytelling in this book is enchanting with so much Norse mythology lore. The journey the main character, Freya, goes through will have you at the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. We also get to see Freya come into her power and gain more and more confidence and the bravery to resist many controlling men who view her as a possession for who she is. A Fate Inked in Blood is such a marvelous read perfect for those you love action, adventure, and folklore.

Oh my god!!! When I tell you I did a little dance when I got approved for this arc…. It was a good dance lol!!!

I loved every second of this story! To start with I’m a big fan of The Bridge Kingdom and Danielle L Jensen is an incredible author. They way she draws you win… seriously perfection! I’ve not read much with Norse mythology and I’ll openly admit I had a hard time with names but that didn’t take away from the story. The world building and character development was just the right amount of details and at the same time it left me wanting more.

Freya has to be one of my favorite fmc so far, definitely top ten! This book displays the right amount of action/violence and romance! I can’t wait to see where this goes!!

Solid 4.75 stars ⭐️

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc!!

Romantasy and Norse Mythology, I am in.
I literally could not put this down. Battles, fate, greed, vikings, Gods, forced proximity, forbidden romance, and the slowest of slow burns. That is just some of the things you are getting when you pick this book up! Danielle L. Jensen truly did it again! First off, the characters were amazing, you love some and you hate many. Seeing Freya, go on this journey was such an experience. She is sassy, impulsive, and loyal to a fault. Bjorn is sassy, mysterious, loyal (iykyk,) and gives major “touch her and you 💀” vibes. Put these characters together and you get BANTER. Their banter had me kicking my feet from the first time they met. The romance had me hooked, it was believable and I could not get enough. Another thing I really enjoyed was that the bulk of the world building happens for the readers and Freya at the same time, as it is done though traveling and storytelling. The ending was such a cliff hanger and I cannot wait for the next one! As soon as I finished I went online and preordered a physical copy. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for letting me read this amazing book early.

Wow this was so good. Freya was so relatable and such a witty character. I really enjoyed the journey and I’m excited to see what comes next. This was adventure packed and had a epic love story and high stakes

I did not expect to feel all the things I felt while reading this! I laughed, I cried, my jaw even hit the floor.

The vibes of this book are just everything I wanted. Very Vikings meets Game of Thrones meets Fourth Wing minus the dragons.

Freya goes from one unhappy marriage to the next, in her quest as the shield maiden. Her powers holding her hostage to the king, less she fail him and risk losing her family.

Bjorn is every bit rough around the edges as he is protector, and dare I say, wears a little bit of his heart on his sleeve.

The betrayal in this is top notch. Page after page of deceit and lies that lead to more deceit and lies. I will say, the first half of the book had me GOOD. I gobbled it up. Then in the second half, I saw what was going on. It was a little obvious but I still look forward to seeing how it gets undone in the next book. There is lots of explaining to be had!! I hope this book gets a lot of hype about it because Danielle did good!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. First of all, Danielle can do no wrong in my eyes. She is a testament to the fact that fantasy books do not need to be 800 pages long to be compelling and well executed. This new series has all the wonderful things we love about her stories (forbidden romance, secrets, betrayal, revelations, tension) in a new Nordic inspired setting. Are you looking for a sarcastic and skillfully tongued Viking man? You got it. Are you looking for a spirited woman who is finding her inner self? You got it. The end of the this book sent me on an emotional roller coaster where I didn't know if I wanted to cry, cheer, scream, or throw up. I am devastated this was an ARC because now I have to wait even longer for the sequel! I will continue to be a fan of this author and look forward to reading her future works.

Romantasy Norse Mythology 😍 This book was so captivating that I found myself enthralled and then looked at my clock and it was 2am. A worthy binge read! I can’t wait for the next one!

I am a huge fan of The Bridge Kingdom and wanted to love this. The premise is interesting but the execution did not meet my expectations.



I think this will appeal to most romantasy fans but unfortunately it was a let down for me. A Fate Inked in Blood is missing the storytelling that I loved in The Bridge Kingdom.



I have to admit that I do not find the stepmom and stepson romance plot fine appealing. The world building was lacking and I felt like scenes were quickly glossed over only to move to the next scene when it would have been better plot wise to really dive into a scene to expand upon the world. I really struggled to engage and care about what was happening with the little I did read.

Went in knowing very basic info, came out with a brand new obsession. WHEN can I get more?! This book might be my new personality. Magic, myth, bad assery, betrayal. What’s not to love? YAS DANIELLE!

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.

I didn't like the Bridge Kingdom nearly as much as others did, so I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one. I didn't: I loved it. Very well done and obvious growth from the author.

THIS BOOK!!! I want to gatekeep it and tell everyone about it at the same time. I preordered a copy of A Fate Inked In Blood before I was even 50% of the way through this book that’s how much I loved it. I was hooked from the very first page. The tension between Freya and Bjorn!!! This is romantasy done right. I could not get enough of them. They had such incredible chemistry and banter. Bjorn is officially one of my favorite book heroes. Freya’s character arc is so interesting and I can’t wait to see more of it in the next book. She’s such a strong character and I kind of want her to be selfish and say forget everyone else and start fighting for herself but what we got to see of her at the end was really intriguing. The action and fighting scenes in the book were written really well too. I really enjoyed the Norse mythology and magic system. There was the perfect amount of world building. It wasn’t too overwhelming and it wasn’t too info dumpy so the story flowed really well. I thought the pacing was perfect. I literally could not put this book down and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about reading it. The perfect mix of romance and fantasy.

I can’t remember the last time I was this captivated by a book from the beginning. The cliffhanger ending!!! I’m kind of upset I read an ARC of this book so early because now I have to wait even longer for the sequel. This will be 2024’s big romantasy book.

-Norse Gods
-Magic
-Forbidden Romance
-Slow Burn Tension

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3/5 stars

This book was interesting but a little too predictable for me. It also was really hard to enjoy the romance when it was step mom/step son. It just felt awkward the whole time.

I enjoyed learning about Freya’s magic. I do think her character was not fleshed out well. She had values but almost never followed them or ignored them and then regretted it later. It was frustrating how back and forth she was. Also, about 3/4 of the way through she had a pivotal change that I had to reread 3x to understand what changed.

Bjorn and his magic ax was different and reminded me so much of Thor. He was the typical grumpy male. There wasn’t much to his personality besides he lived elsewhere for a long time. His actions were predictable and not really unique. I would have enjoyed him more if he had communicated rather than being silent.

Overall the premise was interesting. It just fell flat with the characters and dynamics. For someone who wanted to control her life so much she really didn’t make any effort to control it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for the ARC copy of this amazing story!

When I received the book I thought I'd skim through the first few pages just to take a peek since I do most of my reading at night. Well, I was pulled right into the story and the next thing I knew it was hours later, my dog was bugging me for dinner, and I had read half the book! I simply could not put it down and read the entire thing in two days. I was so intertwined in the story I was just there, in the background, watching everything unfold. It's been a very long time a book has dragged me in the way this one did. The characters were immediately likeable (or not) and I found myself rooting for Freya, and Bjorn, at every turn. Literally getting excited, or horrified at what they were being forced to endure. I don't want to give too much away, but seriously.... run, don't walk, to get this book! It was, by far, the best story I have read this year and it left me hoping the next ARC would be out very soon! I can't wait!!!!!