Malice Striker (Viking Vengeance #1)
by Jianne
Carlo
Published
by Etopia Press
57,000 words (eBook format)
Erotic Historical Romance
Contains Elements of Action, Adventure and Suspense
Heat
Level: Sizzling
Available at:
Blurb:
Can a mere Viking save the daughter of a goddess?
When Scotland’s
King Kenneth orders his death and kidnaps his sister, the Viking Brökk—the
Malice Striker—plans his vengeance: he’ll steal the king’s bastard daughter
from Sumbarten Abbey and use her to buy his sister’s freedom. But his schemes
go awry when his liege lord commands him to wed Skatha—and when he finds five
women instead of one at the Abbey, none of whom will claim the King as father.
When the Viking
abducts Skatha and her women, she’s bewildered. Why did Brökk seize her? Why
does he want her for his wife? She weds him willingly enough when he threatens
to kill her companions, but she vows to control her own destiny and escape. For
if the Viking discovers her secrets, the laws of his people will force him to
cast her aside…or kill her. And even Skatha, daughter of a goddess, might not
escape the Viking’s wrath.
Warning: This title contains
scenes of an erotic nature (highly explicit sex scenes/course language).
Excerpt:
All at once Skatha’s
shoulders slumped and the enormity of her situation brought tears to her eyes.
She blinked and clenched her jaw. “My lady. How will I do this? Why does he
want me for a wife? What will I do when you all leave?”
“Where is my
stouthearted, fearless girl? The one who defied all and mastered a wild
stallion?” Lady Gráinne squeezed Skatha’s hand. “All will be well. Focus your
attentions on this day. The rest will come.”
If only ’twere
possible to halt the questions popping into her head with every step. She
chewed the inside of her cheeks and focused on her surroundings. “’Tis not
noisy. I hear none milling about, and we have walked thirty paces.”
“The Lady Hilda left
to visit a neighbor at dawn, and the maids were twiddling their thumbs, so I
suggested to them that the lord might look more favorabllyfavorably on them if
they used the good hands he gave them to launder the linens of the keep.”
Skatha repressed a
smile. When Lady Gráinne gave a ‘suggestion,’ one obeyed without delay.
Prisoner though the abbess may be, she wore her god-given authority with such
confidence that none would defy her direction.
Elspeth leaned
closer and whispered, “They cowered like mice and sped to the river.”
“Stop that
whispering, Elspeth, and go help Dagrún up the steep part of the hill.”
“At once, my lady.”
“We approach the
main entrance to the longhouse. ’Tis a double door similar to that of
Sumbarten. The longhouse is made of stone. To be cert, ’tis a formidable
fortress. The jarl has spared no coin building his holding," Lady Grainne
spoke in a low voice.
“The holding is
guarded. Four men, fully armed, are at the door, two on either side.” Skatha
kept quiet as they entered the great hall, not speaking until their shuffled
footsteps echoed in the chamber. “’Tis warm. More than one hearth?”
“Aye, three. Six men
are in the great hall. All are older with missing teeth. They are hunkered at a
bench and table close to the entrance to the kitchens.” Lady Gráinne slowed her
pace, and Skatha adjusted hers.
“I have not heard a
dog bark. And only the occasional cat’s meow.”
“Why ’tis the truth
of it.” Muíríne caught Skatha by the forearm. “I have seen nary a one. ’Tis
most peculiar. And mayhap why the rats have the run of the place. For the only
cats Lady Gráinne saw last eve were moth-eaten creatures in their dotage.”
“Our words and
footsteps echo. The chamber is bare?”
“Bare of rushes.
There are no tapestries; instead weapons cover the walls. Axes, swords,
daggers, bows and arrows, all gleaming and polished and ready to be used.
Mayhap while we are here, your jarl will consent to make Bita Veðr more of a
home than an armory. The floors here are stone and whitewashed. The roof is
timbered, high, and arched.” Muíríne squeezed Skatha's forearm.
“It smells clean and
fresh, and I can feel the sun beating upon my back. There are windows?”
Lady Gráinne
answered Skatha’s question. “Aye, seven on the right wall, six on the left, and
arrow slits twixt and tween. The dais is opposite the largest hearth. Elspeth
and Murine will walk you up and down the chamber. They will lead you to your
seat at the high table. When you are comfortable walking around and seating
yourself, then they will bring you to the kitchens and to me.”
“Yes my lady.”
Skatha dipped a curtsey and waited until she could no longer hear Lady
Gráinne’s half boots slapping the stone. She turned to Muíríne. “Why is she
angry? Who has spurred her ire?”
The silence that
greeted her questions made her heart thump like a rabbit facing a pack of
wolves. “What? Tell me true. And be quick. I am cert you have naught but dire
news to impart.”
“’Tis said the Lady
Hilda sleeps in the master’s chamber.”
Skatha frowned,
tipped her head to one side. “Nay. I slept in his chamber last eve.”
“Nay. Skatha. He has
a chamber adjacent to the Great Hall. ’Tis where he normally sleeps.”
She stumbled into a
table and gripped the rough wood so hard a sliver pricked her thumb. Skatha
collapsed onto a bench. “Tell me ’tis not true. He left me and went to…her?”
About the Author:
Award winning, author
Jianne Carlo’s motto is simple: “Alpha Me Please”. While strong
heroines, exotic locations, and cultural differences are her forte, she goes
weak in the knees for warriors of any type: rebels, SEALs, Vikings, and bad-ass
mercenaries.
Send her a man
with an attitude and she’ll find the right woman to tame him.
Jianne’s writing
career began in 2008, and since then she’s been lucky enough to have over
twenty books published. Most of her books are TOP PICKs and several have been
nominated for and won awards and prizes.
Nothing makes
Jianne’s day more than an email from someone who’s read one of her books. So
far, she’s received emails from almost every continent on the planet. Almost…
Contact Jianne at:
Email - Jianne@jiannecarlo.com
Facebook - My Facebook Author Page
Twitter - Follow Me on Twitter
Amazon - My Amazon Author Page
Pinterest - My Pinterest Author Page
Goodreads - My Goodreads
Page
Giveaway Info:
Prize is 1 eBook copy of “Malice Striker”. Contest is tour-wide
and open internationally. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Ends Dec
8.
Rafflecopter Code:
Link to Schedule:
http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/2012/11/scheduled-vbt-malice-striker-viking.html
Jianne Carlo also is holding a giveaway as
part of her "Alpha Me Not" release. The link to the
contest is http://www.jiannecarlo.com/Contest.aspx.
Thanks bunches!
Thanks for hostimg me and Malice Striker, Rachel. Hope you are having a great holiday weekend.
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