I’m officially obsessed with this book. I could not put it down and I absolutely devoured it like a starving woman. Honestly, it’s not even surprising to me because I have loved every single book I’ve read by Danielle L. Jensen.

I loved the setting and all the Norse mythology included in this. It was just the change of pace I needed and it was awesome to have a new world go delve into. I absolutely adored Freya and her her quick wit. She always had the best responses and I loved how she we go toe to toe with Bjorn. And Bjorn!! That sexy, fire blooded, axe wielding man has my heart. The only thing I’m upset about is the cliffhanger and that I have to wait to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

This was really fun!

This book had adventure, romance, intrigue, and VIKINGS! The pacing was really good except maybe I could have done without so many drawn out battles, there were a lot! But overall, I had a great time with this book. That ending was AMAZING and I already can't wait for the next book to come out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House publishing group for the gifted arc

I am so thankful to Netgalley and Danielle Jensen for providing me with an early arc! This was everything you want in a fantasy romance. Desperation, war, enemies to lovers, and angst. Then tension was wonderful, and Bjorn was delicious like Jason Mamoa mixed with Thor 😋 4/5 ⭐️

aaaaaaa anaother amazing romantasy. this is gonna be the "Fourth Wing" of the year i'm pretty darn sure. gorgeous norse themes, mythological settting, nice characters! for me the only question is this, if there is a romantasy category will Iron Flame win or will this one? thanks for the arc

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book, the Norse mythology, and Viking vibes - which were all successful in my opinion. I found it hard to really connect to the characters aside from Bjorn, though. The character relationships were clear, but I didn’t get that deep feeling of connection between the characters while reading like I did in The Inadequate Heir but I’m hopeful these relationships develop more throughout the series. So excited about Hel vs Hlin and Nordeland in the next book!
3.75 stars rounded up to 4

A Fate Inked in Blood is the first Danielle L. Jensen book I have ever read. For about the first 30-40 percent of the book I was unsure about how I felt about the book. The premise of the book was interesting but I felt that I could not connect with the characters and the actions they took regarding situations they were in. Thankfully I continued to read and the second half of the book was better. I was able to understand a the characters a little better and therefore I was able to connect with the characters and enjoy the book. Overall I feel that this is a solid first book in a series and I would recommend reading. As always happy reading!

Danielle L. Jensen must have a drop of gods blood herself, as the way that her words immerse me defies all rational logic. From the moment that I picked up A Fate Inked in Blood, I was completely consumed by the characters and utterly entranced by Freya. Her desire to forge a more meaningful life and her devotion to her family despite the gift/curse that she had been dealt captivated me from the beginning. The world building was perfectly paced and made it so easy to fall into step with Freya on her journey. The plot twists, in true DLJ form, kept me on my toes and squirming in my seat almost as much as the building tension between Freya and Bjorn. Each of their interactions had the feel of a slow, saucy seduction and I was thoroughly seduced alongside them. I will say that I would have loved to see more from Bjorns perspective and am hoping for some alternate POV bonus chapters or even a dual POV moving forward. I truly was not ready to leave this world and am awaiting the next chapter with bated breath.

I absolutely could not put this book down. From the first page, I was hooked. Freya's powerful determination and spunk is absolutely evident from the very beginning and she only becomes more interesting as the book continues. The worldbuilding was clear and purposeful. The inclusion of Norse mythology was on point. the pacing was so exciting that I actually read this entire book in less than 24 hours. I really, really just could not put it down. AND THE TROPES. Top Tier. Moody, dark, and dangerous man? Check. Is there forbidden love? Absolutely. Is there forced proximity? 100%. Betrayal? YES. Witty Banter? Mmmmhm. Spicy slow burn? Pour yourself a glass of milk. And our girl Freya! She just makes sense. I already told everyone I know to buy this book as soon as it comes out. It's one I will GLADLY read again when the rest of the series is released. 5 Stars.

This was fun! Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s got forbidden romance and Vikings and fighting and betrayals and war and some great banter. I think the pacing was great, and I loved that it is Norse-inspired. It was, however, TOO predictable (and trust me, authors do not have to work hard to surprise me) and the use of modern curse words took me out of the story a few times. I liked Freya and Bjorn enough and am looking forward to what happens in book 2, but overall Bjorn was too two-dimensional for me and Freya’s inner commentary got very repetitive by the end – I feel like we did not need to have the same internal debate 74 times. In the end, I wanted so badly for this to be 5 stars because I love The Bridge Kingdom and I love Vikings and while I still had a lot of fun with it, it wasn’t perfect.

4.5/5
I quite enjoyed this new book from DLJ - it was an especially compelling read knowing that this book was a passion project! If you love a biking story, then this is the book for you - I swear, the entire time I was reading this book, I was thinking of all the badass shield maidens from the show Vikings, as well as the brutality of raiding for wealth and sustenance. I loved the tension between Freya and Bjorn; however, I felt that Freya sometimes became a little childish, baiting and snapping at Bjorn like a little headstrong kid with a crush.

I also felt like the story was a bit predictable and I found myself internally screaming at Freya for being so dense at times. The caveat to this is that I did NOT see the turn at the end regarding Freya's origin story, but I did see who the "betrayer" was that Freya was constantly chasing from a mile away. I enjoyed this read and cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Danielle L. Jensen for allowing me access to an ARC for my honest review and thoughts!

A Fate Inked in Blood grabbed me from the very first chapter. From the moment we meet Freya, we are instantly invested in her story which starts off with a bang and doesn’t really let up! As an FMC, Freya is complicated and relatable and it was refreshing to see her try to figure out her next steps. As is often in life, the right thing to do is so rarely clear and readers will instantly relate to her and her journey. It was really refreshing to see an FMC who doesn’t always make the right choice and who doubts herself like we all do. Her relationship with Bjorn, the MMC, is full of chemistry and I want more of them in my life. Bjorn is the man we all want and thank you to Danielle Jensen for putting him on paper! His humor and devotion will make you swoon. The banter between them left me giddy and smiling more than once and I love how Freya holds her own against him. The Norse mythology provides a refreshing background to this addition to the romantasy genre. This is an incredibly propulsive read and I eagerly wait for the next installment!!

5 stars

Trying to find the words to describe how amazing I thought this book is has been crazy. It has a beautiful cover, so it is eye-catching. It has been such a long time since I found a good Viking story and this one was delivered. It reminded me a lot of the Viking Tv series with the action, mythology and twists but with so much more great romance plus a ton of magic and I loved it all. This story follows the perspective of Freya, I definitely had mixed feelings about her. One moment she is strong, fights for what she believes in, knows what she wants but then she was easily manipulated by a number of different factors so easily and I just wanted to know where the strong powerful woman went. She never gave up and really faced every challenge head on. Bjorn, I don’t like; he is just rubbing me the wrong way and I am not a fan of how he handled some things. Magic is this story I thought was unique and very rare, it drew me in with how fascinating it was. This story was anything but predictable, it took such a wild ride with so many elements and angles and I loved not knowing where it was going, the ending had me gasping in shock and I can’t wait to continue this series. I highly recommend, please go check this story out!
I received an advanced ebook, Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

3.5/5

Thank you to Danielle Jensen, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Freya is an unwanted marriage to a man she doesn't love. She guts the fish her husband brings back day in and out while she dreams of being a warrior and harboring a secret that could be dangerous for her. Her life changes drastically when her traitorous husband reveals her secret to her area's power hungry jarl. Freya has the blood of the goddess, Hlin and her shield magic has the power to make kings. From one unwanted marriage to another, Freya is caught between being a pawn in a game between powerful men and weaving her own fate.

"A Fate Inked in Blood" was very readable but there were a number of things that didn't work for me. The world building/magic felt a little thin, but I did like the Norse inspired mythology. The relationship between Freya and Bjorn lacked depth for me. I enjoyed the tension and magnetic pull between them but it turned to love too quickly to feel earned. I also hate the betrayal trope and this one was very obvious and not well executed. The other thing that was missing for me was a strong case of supporting characters. There's a very limited number of people Freya is interacting with and she doesn't find new friends and allies outside of those people.

I did like enough pieces of "A Fate Inked in Blood" to read the next book and I think there's potential for it to be a great series.

For the right audience, this book will be an absolute hit! It was a DNF for me at 50%, but I think it was mostly a timing issue. When I'm in the mood for more of a slow, politically intense fantasy, this might be more up my alley. It was a little too drawn-out and confusing for me unfortunately. I know lots of people love The Bridge Kingdom by this same author, but I also DNF that series, so it may be a me problem.

Actual Rating: 4,25 ⭐️

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a surprise for me. I read the premise and thought: this must be interesting, but I wasn't expecting to have such a good time with this book.

Plot

God-blessed Freya, a shield maiden, fights to bring her country together under a despicable monarch while also restraining her growing feelings for his fiery son Bjorn. Freya, stuck in an unwelcome marriage, longs to turn into a warrior and break her husband's back. She engages in a lethal combat with her husband's son, Bjorn, when he betrays her to the local jarl. Freya needs to confess her secret—that she is a supernatural being with the blood of a goddess—in order to live. Freya is bound by the jarl's blood pledge and forced to learn how to use her power and battle. The biggest challenge is overcoming her forbidden desire to Bjorn, which has the potential to jeopardize both her own fate and the lives of the people she vowed to defend.

I liked the plot of the book. The story is engaging and the book was fast-paced. The ending was also good, although I discovered some of the twists.

Characters

Freya

Freya is an engaging MC. The gods blessed her. But she is also brave and kind. She grows a lot in the novel, and the reader can feel how different and stronger she is by the end.

Bjorn

Bjorn was my favorite character of the whole book. He has a sad and dark past. He can be really rude, but he also has a sense of humor. He can be sarcastic sometimes, but he has his own soft side.

Snorri and Ylva

Snorri is Bjorn's father, and the jarl Freya marries against her will. Ylva is Snorri's wife. I don't know what to think of Ylva. I didn't agree with her in some parts and I found her character to be annoying in others. However, I don't think she is a bad person. I wouldn't say I liked Snorri. He was so irritating the whole book that I honestly can't think of a good quality about him.

Writing

The writing is good. This is the first book I read that was written by this author, but I really liked the writing style. I loved the descriptions and how she described those times. The writing is simple, but it kept me engaged the entire time.

World-Building

I don't know much about Norse mythology, but the author explained its aspects well. I also liked the magic system, and the author did an excellent job of explaining it.

Romance

The romance between Freya and Bjorn was perfect. I loved the tension and the banter between the pair. The chemistry was also excellent. The reader can see how much they care for each other and how much Bjorn tries to protect Freya against any threat. While I saw the twist coming at the end of the novel, I still want to know what will happen between them in the next book. We will probably have a lot of angst.

Final Thoughts

It was a very good novel based on Norse mythology. I look forward to the sequel.

Thank you thank you thank you so much to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

This was pretty close to as good as an initial series book gets, albeit a little predictable. I'm leaving wiggle room to see where the rest of the series goes as I am sure the author has something or things up their sleeve to keep the story going. For this first installment it was riddled with tension, great action sequences and a refreshing Norse inspired world. I loved Freya and Bjorn pretty much instantly, but I was so excited to delve into each of their characters heavily the more time we spent with them. Getting small glimpses into Freya's backstory and slowly unravelling Bjorn's history is something I'm looking forward to in the next book, and I'm dreading the wait to see how their story continues.

This was a fun, fast-paced read, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book! I also loved the Norse mythology that was featured l, and the twists were great.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Fate Inked in Blood is the start to a Norse inspired fantasy romance series. We follow Freya as she is forced to leave the life she has known as people fight to control her fate and magic in order to become king. I found Freya to be a well realized main character, she feels very human in that she has a tendency to let her emotions get the best of her and to act before thinking. There were multiple instances where she would jump to conclusions and turn a blind eye to any other possibilities. Sometimes this could read as a bit repetitive and annoying because she would go back and forth in her mind on what decisions to make, but it felt realistic and I understood why it was a struggle to make the decisions she needs to. I’m interested to see how her character develops in later books in the series. The plot was fun and adventurous and it was cool to encounter other children of gods and to see their powers in action. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and can see myself picking up the later installments in the series.

Danielle L. Jensen is the queen of forbidden romance and heart racing scenes. It’s been awhile since I’ve flown through a fantasy like this!

A Viking/Norse mythology inspired world sets the stage for an epic tale of meddling gods, conquering clans, magic, prophecy, and fate. Freya longs to claim her own fate, but she cannot escape men seeking to control her rare, prophesied magic through marriage and warfare. She is not always the most likable main character, but who would be under those circumstances?

Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn. He instantly won me over with his good looks and humor. I looooooved the way his and Freya’s relationship developed from sassy banter and attraction to forbidden romantic tension and longing to genuine feelings for each other with so many swoon worthy lines. The spice is HOT.

The story is full of intense action, mysterious prophecies, deadly secrets, betrayal, and plenty of twists with enough misdirection to keep me guessing up to the cliffhanger ending. I can’t wait to see how Freya explores and masters her power in book 2.

This book was so good! I loved the Norse mythology with a twist. The MC was so fiesty and totally relatable to me.
I loved The Bridge Kingdom series so I was already familiar with her writing and she has become one of my favorite authors! Can’t wait for book 2.