A fate inked in blood has me in my Viking Era, if I ever left it to be honest.

The story follows Freya, a fish wife to a child of the gods who can call fish up out of the water. Unfortunately he’s the absolute worst. She dreams of being a warrior and going into battle, not just battling her deranged husband. One day while tossing fish her husband carelessly sent to the shore she meets a mysterious man, and by meet I mean she hits him with a fish. After some flirtatious banter he announces he is heading to the village to kill her husband and to claim her. Horrified as to whether he is joking or not Freya chases him into the village. Only to be confront by the Jarl and said husband. He announces that she has hidden her true nature and that he wants a divorce. The only way she will get away with her life is to defeat non other than the handsome stranger. Forcing Freya to use her power that she has kept hidden for so long and admit that she is in fact a highly prophesied child of the gods.

We soon learn the handsome stranger is known as Bjorn, the son of her soon to be husband the Jarl. This story then follows the growth of Freya in accepting the prophecy, dealing with her power and slowly but surely falling in love with Bjorn. It was fantastic, and I was truly surprised by the ending. I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you again NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

As a avid player of Assassins Creed: Valhalla and the latest God of War games, I jumped at the chance to read Danielle L. Jensen's newest fantasy series. Freya is such a relatable character, she is strong and fierce, but many times she is forced into circumstances beyond her control. She's also reckless and doesn't think beyond the moment when making decisions. I loved Bjorn, he is charming and intelligent - and I love the slow burn between him and Freya. I knew this would end on a cliffhanger-but it was good enough to only make me a little mad!

DNF @ 60%. I LOVE Norse mythology, so I was very excited for this. It started off great, but then it just dragged. I didn’t care much for Freya either, so that was another reason why I may have just lost interest.

This blew me away! Absolutely obsessed with this book, so immersive and magical. This felt like what it felt like playing Assassins Creed Valhalla for the first time, I could not put it down. I am so eager for the next book. This should be on everyone's TBR.

I'm sad that I didn't love A Fate Inked in Blood because the story definitely sounds like one that I'd really like.

The character setting is different than your average girl suddenly getting power. Freya is a strong woman trying her best to forge her own destiny, and this is probably the only thing I like in the book.

I didn't really feel the chemistry between the FMC and MMC, it feels more physical attraction than anything else to me. The plot was moved through different battles to conquer and I found myself not really care about what happens because they're repetitive, and I kind of saw the final twist coming, yikes.

Probably will not read the next books in the trilogy.

I have been saving A Fate Inked in Blood for a rainy day. I like to save books I highly anticipate for times when I want to devour a book and be sucked into a story. This did not disappoint! I love stories of Vikings and Norse mythology.. I was happy to see some traditional terminology, I appreciate when an author does their research. I also loved the characters and their separate journeys and struggles. I was gifted a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher. However, I loved the book so much I purchased a hardcover edition for my bookshelf.

I’ve never thought I would be so invested in a Norse mythology book, but here I am, head over heels in love with where this series is going to go. We follow Freya, a literal warrior goddess, who would do anything to protect her family even if they don’t do the same for her. She was in a loveless marriage with a man she couldn’t stand (which neither could I), until she did something to change it, which then changed her life in a complete 180. She was no longer just a helpless wife, she was able to show the world that she was a shield maiden who was told she would help a man become king of their land if they were ever connected in a union of marriage. However, so many other details were left out of her knowledge, that she was set up with trial after trial, one of which includes falling for her new husbands son (but he seems like a hottie, so i’m here for it). I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this my first Danielle L. Jensen book? Yes, yes it was. Did it live up to the hype? Absolutely.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen is a fantasy novel that was coined as a norse mythology based novel. What more could I ask for? 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, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her 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. The greatest test of all, however, 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 has sworn to protect.

Did I love this book? Yes. Did I think it could also have done without some of the spice? Also yes. But hey, that's just my opinion.

A Fate Inked in Blood has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year! Danielle Jensen is one of my favorite fantasy romance authors. This book is unlike anything else she’s ever written!

I loved the steam and chemistry between the two main characters, but the Viking storyline is what stood out to me. It was creative & still felt very original. I did feel like the pacing for the first half of the book was slow and I wasn’t as motivated to read. The confessions between Bjorn & Freya after halfway was when I felt it really started to pick up.

The ending did shock me! But I did feel like some of the plot points weren’t super well thought out. It felt less like story telling at parts & more like convenient checklist at parts. I felt a little less immersed in this story than I have in her other series. That being said, I thought this was still a brilliant and really fun read. I’m hoping to see more interaction between the two main characters in the next book. And see more secrets come to light, as we learn more about Freya and her heritage & Bjorn & his betrayal!

Thanks you for the advanced copy! I am really really excited to see where this series goes!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Absolutely adored this book!! I'm a sucker for Viking stories, especially a Viking romance, and Danielle L. Jensen absolutely delivered. The worldbuilding is incredible and the pacing is perfect. Weaving together romance and character arcs can be so difficult, but Danielle balanced them perfectly. Freya is loveable, and I found myself rooting for her from the very beginning. The romance is filled with witty banter and tension that leads to an ultimately believable romance and incredible ending. I cannot WAIT for the next book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it has the FMC who doesn't listen and does whatever she wants even though she knows she's not supposed, which is not my favorite, it was a very entertaining read, and I would love to see where the rest of this story will go. I did see part of the ending coming though I wish I hadn't, as I wasn't shocked by the "cliff hanger." I would have liked to see more interaction with the Norse gods, or getting some background on them. I would have also liked to read more about the location as you get bits and pieces but not a full on description of the world you are in.

Very interesting premise and world, my biggest issue was with how dumb and naive Freya was. That said, I did mostly enjoy the book. I found the characters interesting and their motivations very believable and compelling. The magic system combined with the fated/unfated dichotomy made for an engaging world. The relationships between Bjorn and Freya was a bit underdeveloped but the tension was definitely there. Overall, an enjoyable, relatively tropey romantasy that made me want to pick up the next book.

Dreaming to be free of her vain and unkind husband and take control of her fate, Freya’s life is turned upside down as she finds herself suddenly wife to a jarl, a gods mark inked in blood on her skin. Yet this new position gives her no more freedom, as her power hungry husband seeks only the destiny that has been foretold to the one who controls hers. As trials force her to stand on her own, she is surprised to find her only ally is his son, Bjorn. They find themselves bound in more ways than one but can she trust Bjorn to set her free?
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Ugh I had a lot of hope for this one. Such an interesting premise. I loved the idea of the children of the gods and their roles amongst morals, of fate that is either decided or not, of shifting loyalties amongst a war driven culture of people. I was hoping for a shieldmaiden and got a damsel in distress. *rolls eyes* while driving plot is presented as Freya taking control of her fate, in my opinion, she kept doing the exact opposite. Maybe I should have more empathy. The twist at the end did not have me counting down the days to the sequel.

LOVED!
I haven’t had these vibes since ACOTAR. The slow burn forbidden love is to die for. Can’t wait for the second one!

Percy Jackson meets Norse Mythology but make it spicy and rated mature.

# A Fate Inked in Blood
# 3/22/2024 ~ 3/24/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0

A Fate Inked in Blood is a Viking fantasy Romance book. I loved this book. I love how Freya is taken from her small village with her hidden magic to finding herself at the mercy of men who would just use her for her powers. Who say that her fate is tied to there. Freya's character growth was amazing. She is the strong character that we all wanted her to be. I cannot wait to see what happens next in her Story.

I was excited to read this Norse-inspired story as I enjoy stories around tales and mythology, I was immediately immersed into the world with the vivid descriptions of the setting and Freya being so likeable. I loved the journey that Freya went on, especially to protect her family. While there was a romance in this book, I was more eager to see how Freya would stand on her own and fight for what she believed is right. While this book didn't have fast action, it had enough that I will be waiting and anticipating for the next story to be released! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This was the first Viking romantasy I’ve read (a pretty specific thing to say but you get what I mean) and I am officially hooked. A lot of the lore/historical elements were completely new to me but so well done. I felt immersed in Skaland and it added so much to the story.

There was a great mix of plot and character-building and slow burn romance. Freya and her story were compelling straight from the start and I was sucked in instantly. I loved all the characters, they were so believable, and Bjorn’s dry humor was off the charts 😩. I think I highlighted 50% of the things he said 😂.

This is a top tier historical romantasy and I’d highly recommend for fans of the genre!

Title: A Fate Inked in Blood
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Series: Saga of the Unfated (#1)
Genre: Fantasy | Romance
Narration: First-person | Single POV
Keywords: magic | political intrigue | vikings | Norse gods | forbidden romance | forced proximity | insta-lust | slow burn | cliffhanger

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was completely drawn in by chapter two. The characters and world-building are great. It is action-packed, tense, emotional, has witty banter, and I would say it’s medium-paced overall. There’s a twist at the end – so be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger. To be honest, I kinda guessed it earlier in the book, but I still loved how it all came out in the end. I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

insta love in a nordic mythology fantasy novel? a badass warrior that will do anything for the woman he can’t have? because she is “married” to his father? but their tension is intense and the attraction is undeniable? YES PLEASE I NEED MORE NOW