No spoilers ahead, just pure bookish love! So, "Inked in Blood" totally sets our nerves tingling with its eerie atmosphere—imagine moving through a mist of mystery, with every page adding a wisp of intrigue. The story unfurls in a world where secrets are etched beneath the skin, quite literally. The characters—each with their own haunted past—are drawn together in a tapestry of fate inked in shadows and, you guessed it, blood.

As our protagonists navigate this dark labyrinth, they unearth bonds that challenge their understanding of revenge, loyalty, and redemption. Each twist is like a whispered secret in a dark room, and though I clocked a few plot twists from a mile away (your girl loves her tropes), the tale had this magnetic pull that kept my eyes glued to the pages.

Now, let’s talk about the heart of the book—our beloved characters. They're so beautifully flawed, relatable but enigmatic, making you want to delve into their psyche. You'll see parts of yourself reflected in their struggles, their interactions grounding the supernatural elements of the story.

Did I wish for a bit more unpredictability? Absolutely! At times, the storyline seemed to tread a path well-traveled by its genre peers, but honestly, the emotional rollercoaster compensates for the predictability. It's like reuniting with an old song and still loving the chorus. Plus, the author's writing style is a chef's kiss—poetic but accessible, like moonlight captured in ink.

Overall, "Inked in Blood" was a thrilling expedition into the abyss, with just enough light to lure me deeper into its captivating world. Would recommend if you're all about that spine-chilling, heart-throbbing journey, with a little bit of spice and some characters who'll stay with you long after the last page. (See you in my dreams, Bjorn ♥)

Thank you to Danielle Jensen, and Random House Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review!

Until the next read, bookworms! And remember, the best stories are those that leave their mark... especially when they're inked in blood.

I loved A Fate Inked in Blood. I was so excited to receive an ARC for this book, and it certainly did not disappoint.

A Norse mythology inspired fantasy romance, A Fate Inked in Blood follows Freya, a small town fishmonger’s wife who secretly has been blessed by Hlin, the goddess of protection. After being forced to reveal her secret, Freya is lauded as the prophesied shield maiden who is expected to unite her split kingdom under a single king. This puts a target on her back as every jarl, the leaders of the separate regions, either wants to control her to become king or wants her dead. Freya is to be protected by Bjorn, blessed by the god of war, as decreed by her new husband, the jarl who discovered her secret and Bjorn’s father.

While this book was slightly predictable at times, that did not detract from my utter enjoyment of it. The slow burn, forbidden romance drew me in immediately, and the writing immerses you fully into the world.

I eagerly await book two of the series and am sure to pick up other books by Danielle L. Jensen to pass the time until I can read on in Freya’s journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse Publishing for the ARC of this highly enjoyable read!

a fun book! a little predictable if you’re familiar with the author but i know the next book is going to be great!

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in the first book of a Norse-inspired fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

The premise of this was nothing new but I still loved every second of it. I also loved how this was Norse-inspired and it made me want to read more Norse legends. I will absolutely be checking out the next book in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the ARC!

I finished this book a few days ago but needed some time before reviewing because the ending messed me up.
Everything that happened to Freya made me so mad. She is the shield Maiden, blessed by the Gods, soooo strong on her own. Throughout the book she never gets to think or do anything for herself. Everything she does she does for someone else. Her husband, her family, her people, Bjorn. She is so strong and fierce and honestly could be unstoppable on her own.
I hope in book two after the events at the end of this book Freya starts to do things for only her. She deserves to be selfish for once.
I like how Bjorn and Freya interact throughout the book, the whole forbidden love trope is a favorite of mine.
As with most books there are characters that made my blood absolutely boil by the mere mention of their names. Her brother, mother, her first and second husband. All suck and got what was coming to them or hopefully will face the consequences of acting like complete idiots and treating Freya the way they do.
Loved this book overall and can't wait to devour all of the books as they come out.

WOW. such an incredible book! Freya is one of my favorite female characters. Watching her go from a meeker female character to someone strong and seeing her strength through other's eyes was such a transformation. Bjorn was such a good main character as well. I love when plot twists are not shocking because there are breadcrumbs left for the reader, which Danielle Jensen does like a pro. There's so much to unpack within the next book! Patiently waiting for the release of this book for a re-read and for the sequel to come out!

I've read past Danielle Jensen books, but haven't read a Norse mythology based book and loved getting into some of the intricacies of Norse mythology.

I rate this book 4.5 stars. It was adventurous, fast paced, and the banter was amazing. The magic was very cool. This book does have a slow burn but not too bad. I loved the tension. However, the ending was a little predictable. But I did enjoy the cliffhanger, because now I MUST READ BOOK 2!!!

Main Characters:
Our FMC is named Feyra. She is selfless, loyal, and brave. She always put others first to a fault, which does not do her any favors in the end.

Our MMC is named Bjorn. He is a son of a Jarl, and a warrior. He is mysterious, sexy, funny, flirty, brave, over protective, and very closed off at times.

Back story:
The story begins with Freya being in an arranged marriage with a man named Vragi. Who is literally a horrible human being!!! Scum of the earth actually. One day Freya was out by the river and she stumbles upon a unknown warrior. We come to find out the warrior is Bjorn. The banter between these two is amazing right off the gate because when Bjorn laid eyes on Freya he immediately begins to flirt and try to pursue her in an intimate way. She advises that she is married. He offers to kill her husband so that they can have a one night stand. Freya declines and Bjorn goes on his merry way. We come to find out that Freya always wanted to be a warrior, but was unable to do so because she has a secret that her family wanted to protect. Freya's secret is that she is the shield maiden. But her husband, Vragi deceives her by planning a meeting with Jarl Snorri to discuss that Freya is the sheild maiden. Vragi wanted the Jarl to grant them a divorce in exchange Jarl Snorri can do what he wishes with Freya. Snorri grants the divorce but informs Freya she is required to marry him. At this moment we find out that Bjorn is Jarl Snorri's son. Snorri informs Freya that she is unfated like Bjorn and that no one truly knows their destiny only that a Saga advised that she is destined to make whoever controls her King of Skaland. Snorri ends up telling Bjorn that he must protect her at all cost and be with her 24/7.


Tropes:
- Mythology fantasy romance (Norse inspired)
- magic
- arranged marriage
- forbidden romance
- touch her and die
- slow burn

This was my first book by this author & I absolutely fell in love with it from the very beginning. Amazing character building, she gets right to the action! If i.could I would give this 10 stars! It's so heartfelt & moving. Definitely has some good twists in it too! I'm definitely going to read more from this author & excited to see the rest from this series! Thank you

I really really really really wanted to love this one. The situations and dialogue had me non-stop giggling for the first couple chapters and the sassy & flirty dynamic between Freya & Bjorn was 🤌 But about halfway through I started to feel my eyes glazing over trying to get through this. I wasn't inspired by the insta-love romance or the uninspired plot and I felt they both fell a little flat. Overall, I think this will work for a lot of people who like romantasy but it's just not for me this time around.

Thank you to Ballantine Books at the Random House Group for the opportunity to read this book early! This review reflects my honest thoughts.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book!

I will start off with the things I honestly really enjoyed about this book! First of all, the writing is easy to read, you pick it up telling yourself you'll only read a chapter or two and then end up zooming off into the book. The characters are interesting, the dynamic between our two leads isn't quite enemies-to-lovers but more of a "would be lovers but unfortunately, the circumstances".

What bothered me most about the novel however, was the setting. Not the Scandinavian setting, but more that I could not for the life of me picture where the characters were at any point in time. I'm a very visual reader, I see the scene play out in my head as I go along, but I found it difficult to do that in this book. I had a lot of moments of "oh there's a building here?" and "wait where are we?" and "how did we get here so fast?"

All in all an enjoyable read! Not my favorite, but enjoyable!

(Note for any editor - this isn't featured in my goodreads review - I found several typos of a specific sort on the epub. there were multiple instances of words italicized, and that italics deleting the space between that word and the next. I spent a couple seconds wondering what "seasin" was (Loc 2965 on the epub) before realizing that it was the typical typo in my copy. Just a heads up! This wasn't taken into consideration for my review as its just an easy formatting fix!)

5 out of 5!! This book draws you in from the very beginning. I love seeing a non-virgin strong FMC! The Norse inspiration shows through and explains the Gods, the magic and the land of Skaland. The storytelling is captivating (just like Steinunn) and the world building was so strong, I was feeling the chill of the fjords in my very warm house. The characters are so well written, I can picture them and they’re multi dimensional with their own realistic personalities and nuances. Let me tell you, this book was one of the first that had some plot twists I did not see coming, I’m impressed. I ran to pre-order this book so I can have a beautiful copy on my shelf!

very interesting new book by Danielle L. Jensen. I loved the viking mythology throughout the story and immediately loved the main character and of course Bjorn, can't forget him. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy fantasy romance to get into.

I loved this. The adventure, the love story, the strong FMC. The story was immersive and hard to put down. I will certainly be continuing the series to learn what is to come of the FMC.

For fans of Thor, Vikings, Percy Jackson, & ACOTAR -- I found AFIiB immensely enjoyable for a weekend read. The Viking demigod premise was a breath of fresh air amidst an onslaught of Fae romantasy, and scratched an itch I didn't know I had for a demigod story for adults. Jensen's writing has also improved significantly since I read The Bridge Kingdom a couple of years ago, which was something I was nervous about heading into AFIiB.

Bjorn was a compelling love interest and Freya a complicated heroine; I loved the intrigue surrounding her demigod powers and the two sides of her personality. The twists at the end made me excited for the sequel and I will definitely be continuing this series.

My only complaint is that Freya seemed a little waffly and her character development felt wishy-washy, and not in an intentional way. The arc was more of a sin wave and I found myself not clear on how I myself was supposed to feel, rather than having a big picture perspective and empathizing with her indecision.

When I was reading this I felt like it was very different and enjoyable but it was hard to motivate myself to pick it up other times. I saw the betrayal coming but I still really enjoyed the ending and have hopes for the next book. I will definitely be reading the next one and think this was a great intro to this new world

10/10. 5/5. All the stars. WOW.

This book is absolutely incredible, and like nothing I have read before. Norse mythology, badass warriors, children of the Gods, spicy 🌶️ , you name it and this book probably has it. I am basically at a loss for words, because after an ending like that, there isn’t much to say.

Absolutely read this book, no need to say more. Top 10 book of the year 2024, I’m calling it now, so keep an eye out for it!

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy!

This was an amazing, amazing and unputdownable read for me this year. The author masterfully developed a highly engaging lore around Norse gods and with the well though out characters of Freya and Bjorn, this book becomes an extremely enjoyable read. I absolutely loved the banter and exchanges between the main leads. The trials and tribulations faced by the leads and how they overcome those situations to unravel another part of the bigger puzzle keeps you hooked to the story. I cannot wait to read more on their journey and what comes next. A full 5 stars for this impressive book

A Fate Inked In Blood is such a captivating and magical story about a young lady, Freya, who has a secret that she has hidden for years but when she is forced to defend herself, her secret is revealed.

Her life is instantly changed and she goes from having one horrendous husband to another while being attracted to her new husband's son, Bjorn.

The world building in this story is wonderful and terrifying. There are bits that reminded me of LOTR (Fellowship of the Ring) and LOTR (Return of the King) and it pulled me in even more.

The banter between Freya and Bjorn is a delight and the slow burn between these two characters is everything. Battle after battle, Freya and Bjorn starts to become one (in my eyes). They balance each other in wits & snarkiness and their gifts pair perfectly together.

Bjorn and his words...."It is hard to keep one's wits when faced with a woman as beautiful as the sight of shore to a man who has been lost at sea."

All in all, this book was beautifully written and I'm looking forward to boom 2.

First thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC!
4.5 stars, A Fate Inked in Blood is a Norse-inspired fantasy romance that leaves you yearning for more! The plot follows our FMC Freya, a woman who has been in the same small village her entire life but who yearns to be a warrior, as she learns secrets from her past and discovers new truths of who she really is.
I would highly recommend this book to all adult fantasy romance readers. It's a steamy forbidden love, "touch her and you die" spicy MMC mixed with a plot that will keep you hooked. I enjoyed the suspense along her journey and witty banter between MMC & FMC. And that cliffhanger, I will definitely be following this series into the next book!
I'll leave you with my favorite quote:
"Not all scars we earn are skin-deep, Freya, Born-in-fire. There is no less honor in them"

The tension, the angst and the betrayal! These are the three components that I believe make a great first book in a fantasy series. I have been a fan of Jensen's books since reading The Bridge Kingdom books starting a few years ago. I always enjoyed how she creates strong female characters who are not afraid to fight for what they believe is right while also have a totally hot male character pining for them and falling so head over heels in love. While I enjoy space, she does not put it at the forefront of her books, allowing the characters to develop individuals and making sure that the plot comes first.

This was my first time reading a book based on Norse mythology. My only experience before was watching the Thor movies. It captivated me in a way that I have not been since reading Greek mythology books for the first time. I was definitely inspired to learn more about the gods.

Now onto the characters. Freya has her flaws, but we can see her working through them throughout the book. She is constantly struggling what she believes is right and what she is being forced to believe. Her family absolutely sucks as well as her whole situation with Snorri who as his core is a dictator. The only bright side of her predicament is Bjorn. Bjorn is the perfect cocky, yet sweet guy that we wish existed in real life. Immediately when meeting you could feel the sexual tension and attraction between the two characters. throughout the book Bjorn is a solid support system for Freya. He would literally do anything for her, including unaliving anyone who dares hurt her. Although we learn that there are ulterior motives, it is clear that his actions are more out of love than responsibility. The banter between the two is unmatched. They do not let one another give an inch which makes it so fun to read. I would categorize their relationship with the following tropes: forced proximity, unlikely allies, friends-to-lovers, forbidden romance and of course enemies-to-lovers.

Warning, this books does end on a cliffhanger. It is not the sort of cliffhanger though that has you wanting to rip pages out of the book, but instead the type that makes you in search of when the next book will be released. I will be honest, I did see the plot twist coming but that does not mean that I was not upset it happened. I thought it was the perfect ending for the book and could not have happened any other way.

Overall, this book was a fast-paced adventure. I am so excited to see where the rest of the series goes from here and watching Freya develop into even more of a bada**. I just know her relationship with Bjorn is going to get intense and spicy in the best ways because Jensen never disappoints when it comes to spice and redemption.

Thank you to Danielle Jensen and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley and Del Ray Publishing for the physical arc in exchange for my honest review.