I have to start by saying this is my first Viking story that I've read.
When I came across this book it was the cover that caught my attention, it is amazing and demands your attention!
As I read through the blurb I was certain this was a story I had to read.
I immediately felt sympathy for Freya (the FMC), her place among the Skalander people wasn't ideal.
I fell in love with Bjorn (the MMC) from the get go, this statuesque God of a man! Cocky, confident, sarcastic.
The author did a great job creating the characters, along with her supporting characters. I normally have a hard time remembering the main characters names but not this book! I'm still reeling with emotions of betrayal, sadness, shock and anger (with all of them).
I was surprised at how invested I became with Freya's story and just when you think you are about to get the answer to the million dollar question A Fate Inked in Blood ends on a cliffhanger!! 😫
If you can't tell by now, I without a question think that if you are in to fantasy romance this is a book you need to read.

Included in this book is magic, semi slow burn, touch her and die, political angst, mystery, and plenty of gore,

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen is a rare treat in fiction based around Norse mythology. I do think fans of her previous works will enjoy this title but as a book one it also works as an excellent entry point for the author. This is an instant pre order for me and I am honored to have read this early access edition,.

A Fate Inked in Blood is Jensen’s newest fantasy romance set in a Norse inspired universe. Freya is living an ordinary life until a power hungry jarl discovers she is a prophesied shield maiden. The jarl assigns his son Bjorn as Freya’s teacher and protector, but little does he realize that a forbidden attraction is growing between the two. As Freya finds herself a pawn in a dangerous game, she must decided whether she will remain a pawn or re-write her fate.

I absolutely adored this book. As someone, who loves mythology, I enjoyed how Danielle incorporated less well known Norse gods into this story. I also thought that this book was the perfect mix of engaging plot, great romance and fantastic cast of characters. In terms of plot, I’m glad that this is a Duology as I think the fast pace of this book will continue in book two. And I need book two because the cliffhanger is KILLING me. The romance was a perfect mix of slow burn tension and witty banter with mildly spicy scenes. Last, but not least, I adored Freya and Bjorn. Both have physical and emotional scats that they are still learning to accept. I'm very curious re: what kind of personal growth they may undergo in book 2

I was not expecting this book to completely blow my mind. But that it did.

Danielle Jensen's "A Fate Inked in Blood" is everything I could have ever wanted from a Norse mythology read. There is violence, intrigue, history, culture, romance and romance and romance all found within the pages of this fantasy read.

I went into this story completely blind. I knew absolutely nothing about the plot, characters, NOTHING. And I usually never do this but I recommend everyone do that.

My review will be very bland but just know you will not regret this epic story of finding oneself, love, betrayal, and honor.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for granting my wish!

A Fate Inked in Blood is a Norse inspired fantasy romance that brings the action, the fun banter, the romance, and the (best kind of) frustrating cliff hanger of an ending. In this book, we follow Freya, who is found to be the prophesied “shield maiden” and is expected to unite Skaland under one king. We follow her journey as she realizes that her life has been full of powerful men fighting over her power. As she begins to see events more clearly, she begins making more and more decisions for herself in attempts to regain her power. We see Freya struggle with self doubt and indecision, which felt very real for a character suddenly thrust into a world of battle and politics.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the Norse elements, especially the idea of some being born with “god blood” who are “unfated” and have the chance to change their fate. The romance was a great slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, forbidden love. Then we have the plot twist (that yes, I saw coming but I felt like it was still very well done) that makes me need the next book immediately. One slight criticism was the pacing. It felt like a lot happened in the last 20% of the book compared to the rest of the book, specifically the middle. The middle of the book took still had plot and it was still entertaining to read, but then we are hit with major action points and plot twists that felt slightly overwhelming in the last 20% of the book.

A solid 4 star read for me and I CANNOT WAIT until book 2 so I can see what happens to these sassy characters. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

At times, I found it a bit tedious on the hesitation of either pursuing freedom or deciding to move forward with the romantic relationship that was destined to happen. Towards the end of the book, I was unsure if I would continue the series, but it leaves you on a cliff hanger making the reader wonder what decisions will Freja make next and when will she come fully into her power, leadership, and feelings for Bjorn.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

I have to say I enjoyed this one. If you like ample amounts of spice, and norse mythology this may be for you.
Freya is a child of the Goddess Hilin, sworn by her family to never reveal such to anyone. Children born of the Gods, given a drop of their blood at conception, imbuing them with their power on earth.
Depending on the aspect of the Gods- they manifest powers in certain ways.
Freya is in an arranged, loveless marriage with a Child of Njord able to coax the creatures of the sea up into his own nets. Except he's a rude, greedy man who chides Freya at every turn.

Unfortunately her husband finds out her secret and reports her to a local Jarl who is obsessed with finding a child of Hilin, because she is connected to a prophecy that was once told to him, a prophecy which would see him King.
She finds herself swept into another life that would see her controlled by other's, by men who seek to control her. Freya struggles with it, with the pressure of others losing their lives because of her. With everything in the Jarl's future riding on her success. She is the prophesied Shield Maiden.
All the while she finds herself increasingly attracted to the Jarl's son. Bjorn, a child of Tyr- able to wield magical weapons of fire.

Caught between two warring clans, her guilt, the wanting of her heart and her struggle to understand where she fits and if she can hold strong and accept the sacrifices of others in her name.
Freya must work to understand herself and take control of her own destiny, to control her own fate.

4.5 Stars

I couldn’t have read this at a better time. This book was exactly what I needed.

It’s fast paced, gripping, and enticing. A Fate Inked In Blood is my first Danielle L Jensen book, and I absolutely fell in love with her writing. Captivating. Intriguing. Luring? Idk what word to use but Freya’s story immediately gripped me and whisked me away into Skaland. The sense of adventure and a hint of mystery kept me intrigued the whole time. It truly has everything a fantasy could offer with a hint of romance. The slow burn I tell you is everything. I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC!! A Fate Inked In Blood will be out February 27, 2024

Really glad I got a chance to read this book early. I've never read anything by Danielle L Jensen before and I was pleased to find that her writing style is really good! I loved the imagery. She does great with world building and has a great mix of descriptions and dialogue. I also love that this book was Norse based.

This book is mainly fantasy with very few spice scenes. The romance definitely feels like a subplot and there are themes of prophecy, fate, and destiny in this book. I like the themes and the romance level in this book a lot. I felt it was balanced on that part.

Some of the things I didn't enjoy so much is that this book was pretty slow in the middle. The wording was very cyclical and repetitive with Freya constantly evaluating what her fate was and what choices to make. I would liked to have seen less deliberation and more action in this book.

I also did not like how Freya constantly made rash and impulsive decisions. I feel her behavior was very immature. I wish we had more female main characters that were smart, thoughtful, intelligent and did not make hasty decisions. It was annoying that Freya constantly deliberated and still made the worst possible decisions. It seems this happened only to further the plot which I did not like.

Overall, I think this was a solid addition to the genre. I think anyone who is interested in Norse Mythology and romance would enjoy this. I just wish I personally liked it a little more.

I loved this so much! Worldbuilding, tension, pacing, all 10/10, I've already brought this up as a want to my bookclub and everyone I know. Can't wait to read more from Danielle!!

I had pretty high expectations for this one, and it was pretty good! There were a lot of things I enjoyed-Freya was a badass FMC and knew what she wanted, which I think we can always use more of. She and Bjorn had some really good banter and scenes together, and the slow burn romantic arc was well done. That said, I did have a hard time finishing this one for some reason, some of which I can attribute to being a mood reader. I do think that the solid cliffhanger sets the author up for some good growth opportunity, though!

I personally did not enjoy this book. I think that I might have expected to much. When it was marketed as "norse inspired" I wanted more actual norse culture and mythology. I felt disconnected from the main character and her motivations seemed forced.

I appreicate the chance to read this book, but I do not think I am the target audience. It defintely leans heavily into the YA/Romance tropes and was formulaic in that regards. Which I get that a lot of people truly appreciate. I struggled with it.

I had read the Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen after an ACOTAR hangover, and this was good. Definitely hooked and will pick up the next in the series. What I liked: a strong female protagonist who recognizes her flaws and is working on them, interesting world-building using Norse mythology, and the world-building was incorporated into the plot, so it moved. What I didn't like: plot predictability but ultimately, it was still entertaining and unlike what I've read before.

“All the women in Halsar will curse your name if I lose half my fingers.” - Bjorn

ARC Review - A Norse inspired romantic fantasy with fast-paced action and a slow-burn romance.

Things I Loved:
- Freya is an easy main character to like. She's got moxie. She knows what she wants and she is clever and brave. She borders on instalove for the walking thirst trap that is Bjorn. Not that I blame her.
- Bjorn has a lovable rake quality to him. I am an absolute simp for him and his BDE right out of the gate.
- Freya and Bjorn have some A+ banter
- Danielle Jensen really loves that slow burn. The way she draws it out borders on masochistic at times but I love it.
- I also appreciate that Danielle Jensen’s spicy scenes don’t make me cringe. She writes it well and I thank her for that.
- This will undoubtedly be a hot take but I didn't consider the ending to be a major cliffhanger. It's a good stopping point. No characters are in life-threatening danger but there is still tons of intrigue and unanswered questions.

A Couple Things Though...
- The twist at the end about Freya’s heritage wasn’t much of a surprise. I figured it out around the halfway point of the book. I wish it hadn’t been as obvious.
- The chapter lengths are really inconsistent throughout. It made it more difficult for me to gauge stopping points while reading.
- First person POV isn't my favorite narration style for romance. I would have preferred Bjorn be a POV character as well although I see why she didn’t go that route given the reveal at the end.
- The name Freya is too close to Feyre (A Court of Thorns and Roses). I realize the character was named after the Norse goddess but it’s so similar to Feyre it was a little distracting for me.

Book Details:
Genres: Fantasy, romance, new adult
Narration Type: 1st Person (Freya)
Steam: 4/5
Romance Tropes: Slow burn, Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity
Reading Age: 17+
Trigger warnings: Death, Grief, Abuse

I have barely been able to put this book down since I started it. I loved everything about it. My only regret is that it hasn't even been released yet and I want the next one!

Gifted with a drop of blood from the Gods, Freya is sold into a marriage with a Lord who is foretold to rule all the lands with Freya’s power. Constant attempts on her life and tests from the gods themselves has the Lord electing his son,Bjorn, to be Freya’s protector. But as feelings bloom between Freya and Bjorn, she begins to wonder who exactly should rule her power. And who should rule the lands.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️ 2/5

Tropes:
Bodyguard/Princess
Power of the Gods
Forbidden Love
One Horse

Triggers:
Loss of parents - one on page
Gaslighting from family
War

My Thoughts:
Danielle Jensen once again reeled me in after reading just one chapter of this book. Focused on social disparities toward women, kingdoms at war, and forbidden love, her books provide heart pumping adventure and passionate love stories. I hope book two comes out quickly, as I need more of this story!

Much thanks to Danielle L. Jensen, Del Rey Books, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! Going to do my best to keep this generally spoiler free. All in all I give this 4.5 stars!

This was my first Danielle L. Jensen book, and it has me moving her other books further up my TBR. This is a romantasy steeped in Norse mythology with a simple magic system that left me satisfied, but wanting to know more. I wish we got to know more about the general world, whereas with the amount of detail provided, I was seeing it as more of an olden earth, but with magic.

Freya was a strong female lead with many flaws (which we get to see first hand thanks to the first person perspective). Bjorn was a lovely male lead that had fantastic banter with Freya and other characters, and I can't wait to see how their relationship develops in following books, especially given the events of this story.

I felt some aspects of the plot were easy to guess (at least for me), and felt there were some repeating patterns, especially towards the end, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

All in all I loved the characters and the chemistry (A for tension), and cannot wait to see how the plot continues to play out in the sequel(s). I'm honestly a bit upset that I've left myself with so long to wait, considering this doesn't even come out until February 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

Holy Crap! I am obsessed with this story!! Not only did it catch my attention from the FIRST PAGE, but it kept it up until the last word. The tension in this book is what a dream come true. I am utterly in love with this book and these characters! The magic system was so easy to understand and follow. This is a Viking romantasy and definitely gave me "The Last Kingdom" vibes!

The FMC was one I could get behind! Freya is a bad*ss warrior who saves herself. The MMC is Bjorn and he is a not only a sweet talker but is so caring, protective and sweet. Although I did call both twists early in the story, I still enjoyed it as it didn't arrive there as I expected.

I CANNOT wait to get my hands on a physical copy, I have no idea who I will manage to wait for the next installment. 10 out of 10 Daniell!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This Norse inspired romantasy was fast paced from beginning to end. The world building and the magic system was very easy to understand. The author’s writing was extremely captivating and I fell in love with the FMC and the MMC.
It was a great enemies to lovers story. The ending left me speechless!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Ugh, the banter and humor between Bjorn and Freya! Loved Bjorn so much, especially the fierce loyalty he showed Freya. He kind of stayed mysterious throughout the book, but I have a feeling we’ll discover quite a bit about him in the next book! Freya is someone you could easily look up to with her selfless love she shows to those she cares about. Needless to say, I loved the characters and the plot stayed exciting throughout the book. However, it did feel like certain plot points were rushed. I would have enjoyed reading more about Freya training to be the fierce warrior she becomes.

But anyway, I’ve already preordered the hardcover version and I’m so excited for the next books in the series!