A Fate Inked In Blood was one of my favorite reads this year. I didn't want to put the book down from the first chapter. From amazing Norse mythology to the banter between Freya and Bjorn and the excellent slow burn romance, it was fantastic. I found myself highlighting so many lines that were just masterful.

“I will be at your back until I cross the threshold to Valhalla, Born-in-Fire, whether you want me there or not.”

Forbidden romance (bodyguard romance adjacent), hidden powers, fate/destiny, children of the gods, well developed use of mythology - what more can you ask for?

I can't believe this book doesn't come out until February and that I have to wait so long for book 2. The curse of ARCs!

Go pre-order now if you love romantasy or Norse mythology, you won't regret it!

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

This is pure perfection! Love this story and am already looking forward to reading it again!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I DNF’d this at 36% (chapter 15). I really wanted to love it because of the hype, and how much love the Bridge Kingdom series received, but unfortunately this is not the book for me. I appreciated how quickly the story moved in the beginning, but I struggled feeling any connection to the characters as the plot tried to develop.

The writing style is very internal and external dialogue heavy, and I wanted to see more world building or descriptive language about what’s happening around the characters. The battle scenes are over as quick as they began, and I don’t feel immersed in the story.

I’m not a fan of the instant love connection between the main love interests, and the animosity between others feels forced and unrealistic.

I don’t know enough about Norse mythology to know if the representation is accurate in the book, but I did really enjoy the concept and was excited about that aspect of it.

It could probably be a quick read but I’m choosing to protect my peace and move on if I don’t love a book!

This was such a great book. I hadn’t read anything from this author before, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story was action-packed with romance that kept the pages turning. There was never a dull moment, and I couldn’t put it down. I can see this becoming the next book that everyone needs to get their hands on once it’s published. After reading, I’m still thinking about the characters and what will happen next in their story. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author, and to the next book in the series!

4⭐️
Captivating, unique, fast paced, beautiful prose AND dialogue. This was such a fun read. The plot was solid (although at times predictable), the characters were lovable, the setting was unique (I am loving the Norse inspo). I think this is a very good dip your toes into fantasy read. As far as criticisms go, I have a few but they definitely don’t outweigh the good.
1) the first half was nearly perfect in my opinion. so captivating, the banter was amazing, the characters had real struggles that we could feel and the stakes felt high. the second half lost a bit of that momentum. certain things got a bit repetitive, it became clear what the “plot twist” would be, and the dialogue started to get a bit dicey.
2) I found it hard to feel for Freya’s struggle with her family bc I was like F THEM they suck. they weren’t redeemable to me and that made me feel irritated when Freya kept making choices regarding them.
3) I think this book could’ve benefitted from being a bit shorter and having the plot revealed sooner but also I am not an author and could be totally wrong.

Overall I am so excited for the next installment and can’t wait for people to read this when it officially comes out!!!

<b>4.25 stars!</b> This Norse-inspired fantasy romance that has all the makings of a popular hit series: forbidden love, fickle gods, magic, mystery, and betrayal, all set in a brutal world with vikings.

Freyja has a drop of the goddess’s blood within her, making her a shield maiden. Sold by her husband to the region’s jarl, she is forced into the company of Bjorn, the jarl’s devilishly handsome and powerful son who becomes her bodyguard. While Freyja is resourceful and loyal and will go to any lengths to protect those she cares about, Bjorn is more of an enigmatic rogue.

With violence and fate tangled together, who can Freyja trust in a world that just seems to view her as a tool to be used?

I had a fun time reading this one, and thought it was fast paced and easy to binge. Bjorn was my favorite character, from his humor to his strategic battle prowess. Freyja at times frustrated me with her self-sacrificial attitude when it came to her family. I did predict some of the plot, but it did not make the reading journey less enjoyable. At one point, it did feel like there was a god/goddess for every little thing! I’m curious where the story will go next and what new gods we’ll discover in the future…

This is a world where all decisions will have terrible repercussions, which made it impossible to predict what the characters would do next... I can’t wait to see where the next book takes them.

4.5 Stars ⭐️

A Fantasy romance reminiscent of Percy Jackson with the adult fantasy spin of ACOTAR. I loved this story and the way it provides a fresh take on Norse mythology with strong world building and great characters. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for the next book!
Highly recommend for fantasy readers or those wanting to get into the genre!

A Fate Inked in Blood is an amazing fantasy romance read with vikings. The story follows the MFC who has magic that she is forbidden to use/told to hide who gets thrusts into a tug of war with rival leaders of clans/kingdoms who want to use her magic for their own agendas. The story is very well written with a interesting magic system. There is spice towards the end, but there is also tension between the MFC and the MMC to keep you interested. The MMC is very witty and I enjoyed his humor/banter with the MFC. I would definitely recommend this book and cannot wait for the second to release!

I devoured this book so quickly. I love Jensen's writing, and A FATE INKED IN BLOOD didn't disappoint! As a huge fan of Norse mythology, I was captivated by how Jensen wove together fantasy & romance while making a traditional, highly-used mythology feel new.

Oh my goodness, you guys, let me just gush about this book! I am absolutely, positively OBSESSED! Seriously, it was beyond amazing! Like, I had a feeling I'd love it before I even cracked open the first page. You know when one of your all-time favorite authors announces they're writing a Norse-inspired Fantasy Romance? Yeah, you preorder that masterpiece ASAP. But here's the kicker: it was everything I ever dreamed of in a book, and then some!

"A Fate Inked in Blood" (the first in a duology) is a Nordic/Viking-inspired spicy romantasy with writing that'll make your heart sing, swoon-worthy tropes (think: one horse, forbidden romance, and the slowest burn you can imagine), and a plot that has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This book is hands down one of the best ARCs I've had the pleasure of reading in a while, and I'm already on pins and needles for the sequel, even though the release date is a distant speck on the horizon (2024, I'm looking at you!). The struggle of being an ARC reader is real – I NEED book two in my life like yesterday! 😫💕📚

This book is a total gem, and it's the kind you can recommend to your friends who aren't even into fantasy. The world-building and magic system is so easy to grasp, and the characters? Oh, they're as distinct as can be! Even with those Nordic names, I had zero trouble keeping everyone straight. Can we talk about how this book dives deep into Norse history instead of just being "inspired" by it? And don't even get me started on the spicy scenes – they're chef's kiss!

Danielle L. Jensen is an absolute genius at weaving tension, foreshadowing, and those will-they-won't-they high-stakes romances. And this book? It's all that and a bag of chips! I devoured this masterpiece in a single day – I couldn't put it down! I was hooked from literally chapter one, and honestly, I can't even remember the last time a book had me all in like this.

Boy do I love Danielle L. Jensen!! I actually devoured this book and finished it in a day! Sure, I struggled to get through the beginning a little bit and I felt that the middle was a tad bit slow and the plot twists were a bit predictable, but there was just something so amazing about the characters and the world and he writing that those things didn't matter to me at all! It actually helped me to forget about those small details and enjoy the book to the fullest. I really love Danielle, she is such an amazing writer and this is an AMAZING novel.

I’M READY TO RIOT THE LANDS FOR THIS NEXT BOOK CAUSE YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS WITH NO ANSWERS. The only way to simply put things without me spoiling the book is; badass FMC, morally trouble MC and hidden villains.

I ATE THIS BOOK UP.

I was kindly allowed to read this book thanks to GalleyNet and Del Rey. This novel takes almost no time getting into the action. From the start we see dynamic character development and shifts.

The Nordic traditions are intense and I had to utilize the kindle dictionary for many of the terms in the beginning. This novel red very quickly in the beginning during the world building phase and then in the middle I was easily bogged down. I felt as if a lot of the story from 30-80% drew on longer than completely necessary. The battle scenes were very long, but I see why it was important for the storyline.

There is so much banter in this novel. I love some witty banter, but I almost felt like this was a bit too much. This is also my first Nordic novel and so unknowingly all of the male characters spoke in the same accent as the shop keeper from Frozen.

Overall, this book was good and I see why people love it. The last 3-4 chapters I couldn’t put the book down. The action really dialed up for the ending and propels you to want for book 2.

I would like to start of by saying thank you to NetGalley and Danielle L Jensen for this ARC.

I am going to start off with my rating. I am giving this one 3 stars. Things I did love about this book were the magic systems and how children of the gods would inherit these powers and how they would fight with them. I truly thought that was brilliant. I would have to say this reminds me a ton of the Percy Jackson series. Just an adult version of it.

Now I am going to be honest this is not my favorite from Danielle L Jensen. I have to admit that I loved the Bridge Kingdom more. Especially book one of that series was everything. To me the heroine of this new book just came off to be to naïve and the story line very redundant. At times I felt like the pacing was rather slow which did make me bored at times. I try not to be too hard on book one because I know they are setting the stage for a new world but for some reason this was just not as good as her other works. Also the ending is was a tad predictable and I’ve seen it done before. I will probably be reading book two, but it will not be a priority for me.

4.5🌟
One of my favorite reads from this year. I was completely taken by most of the characters. Freya’s abilities are foretold to unite the lands by a king who will control her fate. She exchanges one prison for another, held down by the threats of Snorri the man who believes he is destined to be king. Freya struggles with her growing temptation for a man she can’t have and to control her fate while saving others from having theirs cut short.

The world building was simple and well explained which makes it very easy to read from end to beginning in no time. I wanted to love Freya but I was waiting for her character to take a big turn towards the end, but I’m hoping to see more character development from her in future books.

Excellent read…devastated that I probably won’t get another book for probably a year. However I will definitely be reading other books by this author.

4.5 rounding up

This book was intriguing. Total disclaimer: I am not a fan of swearing and smut, both of which were in this book. I felt like I had to skip though several pages of "spice". That aside, I really enjoyed this book. Freya was a well rounded character with deep and understandable flaws. Even if I did not like some of her decisions, I understood them. I also became quite attached to Bjorn, though I wish we had a little more context for the *twist* at the end. I am sad this book is done and am anxiously looking forward to a sequel.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. It was much enjoyed!

To begin, this is one of my favorite authors ever. So writing this review is very difficult for me. This book just didn’t hit the right notes for me. I’ve really enjoyed this authors other books from third person, and I felt that from the first person I did not connect with the main character. I was able to predict almost all of the twists, and I found myself skimming towards the end just to have my predictions confirmed. I feel like there’s a lot of potential here, and I am interested to see where the story is going, but Some of these tropes were not to my liking.

As soon as I started this book, I knew it was going to be one that I stay up and binge read all night. It pulls you in from the first pages. I felt connected to Freya. She was shown as a hard worker that cares for her family. She is in a horrible marriage so that her family will be taken care of. Her whole world changes one day while on the riverbed cutting fish for the market. She meets Bjorn and her life is taken on a different path than she expected. I have always loved stories with an enemy to lovers trope. I felt for not only Freya but Bjorn as well. I would look forward to reading more of this book after work and into the night. It was an amazing fantasy book and I can not wait until the next book in the series!

Thank you to Danielle L. Jensen and Random House Publishing Group for giving me this ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Danielle comes with a Norse mythology-based romantasy with a hunky male main character, a fiery and opinionated female main character, and a whole lot of cool world building around Norse gods. I loved the entire premise of the book and I feel like it was not something that I’ve seen a lot of recently! It was really a breath of fresh air.

The romance was, of course, delicious. Danielle L Jensen KNOWS how to write a tense and angsty romance and this one did not disappoint. Was it trope-y and predictable at times? Sure. But I still found myself kicking my little legs and squealing. A man fated to protect the woman who has suddenly discovered her powers??? Come on, chef’s kiss! Forced proximity, bodyguard trope, ONE HORSE, “get your hands off her.” I mean I could go on.

The ways I think Danielle Jensen falls flat is her world building. A Norse mythology based fantasy is so unique and I really was excited to dig deep into the lore of this world but I found it just falling short. The pacing was choppy and there were moments where I just had no idea what was happening or why it was happening. Dialogue between characters felt rushed, certain scenes felt elongated for unknown reasons, and the world building itself felt like it wasn’t fully fleshed out. This was an incredibly fast paced book, like the characters are ALWAYS doing something, and I think because the book was so fast paced we lost a lot of the story telling elements that I love in a fantasy because it was just action action action.

Overall I definitely liked the romance part of this book the best. And honestly it’s why this book got 3 stars! If I was rating it just based on the fantasy it probably would’ve gone a little lower. But it ended in a cliffhanger (again a predictable one, but a cliffhanger nonetheless) so I am interested to see what happens in the next book.

This was my first read by Danielle Jensen, so take that into account. I loved the MMC and the twists in the story were fun. I didn't connect with the FMC, but that's personal to me, so it doesn't mean someone else won't.