The Viking's Warrior Bride by Mairibeth MacMillan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Bjorn and Ylva. Two warriors who fight side by side. Two lovers who avoid commitments. But their convenient relationship just got complicated.

Determined to redeem her father’s name through her own brave deeds as a warrior, Ylva has no desire to give that up to be a mother. On the eve of returning home to the Norselands to find a foster family for her child, she is injured in an attack by a mysterious group of mercenaries. When Bjorn discovers her secret, everything changes. He has never wanted a family, his own father’s betrayal has seen to that, and yet he begins to wonder if there is anything else truly worth fighting for.

After a series of attacks by mercenaries on the fort they have been guarding, they’re asked to disguise themselves as traders and travel up the River Clyde to gather information. As they travel the situation grows stranger with every village they visit and Ylva begins to wonder what she is fighting for. All around them they find missing villagers, a mysterious bard and a population unhappy with their king and his choice of allies. When they visit the supposedly abandoned former royal residence at Alt Clut, a mysterious woman and her son stow away on the trade boat, putting all their lives in danger and prompting them to make a final stand but how much are they willing to sacrifice for their future?

Read an Excerpt

Neither Hjördis nor Ylva spoke as they rowed the byrthing away. Close to the mid-point of the river, they stopped rowing, and Hjördis set the sail while Ylva stood, staring back towards the shore, trying to watch Björn.

“Can I help?” Gemma asked from her hiding place under the sleeping furs.

“No, stay hidden,” Ylva said. “If they are to die today, then we must get you to Lord Cenydd so their deaths are not in vain.”

“I’m sorry,” Gemma said, but neither Ylva nor Hjördis responded. In the distance, she saw Björn stumble and a longsword swing towards him. She didn’t even blink as it hit him, high on his body, maybe even at his neck. She saw a curved scimitar swing, and Björn’s attacker fell. Björn slowly toppled over. Beside him, another man, perhaps Merfyn, fell too. She could see Qasim continuing to fight, but Stigr was not so easy to pick out of the crowd of men.

Ylva gripped the sides of the byrthing, staring back at the spot. She didn’t see Björn get up again. She started to shake and didn’t know how she managed to remain standing. Everything inside her had turned cold. “We need to go back.”

“No.” Hjördis’s voice was flat. Ylva glanced around, but they continued to sail downriver. Away from Björn.

About the Author:

Mairibeth MacMillan lives on the shores of Loch Long on the edge of Argyll and Bute. While very picturesque, living there seems to involve endless driving and family life currently involves running a taxi service.

She was a drama teacher for many years until, during a career break, she studied for a Creative Writing degree through the Open University followed by a Masters degree in Playwriting and Dramaturgy. Over the years she has had some success with short stories and flash fictions in various competitions, magazines and anthologies. In 2014 she was shortlisted for the New Writer’s Award at the Festival of Romance.

Inspired by the discovery of a Viking fort marked on the Ordnance Survey map nearby, she started working on a series of Viking Romances set in the Kingdom of Strathclyde at the end of the Ninth century. The Viking’s Cursed Bride was the first in a series of books about four Norse cousins as they build new lives far from home. The second book The Viking’s Warrior Bride is available now.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MairibethM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MairibethM Website: mairibethmacmillan.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mairibeth-MacMillan/e/B082FSM9D4/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

The book will be on sale for only $0.99.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vikings-Warrior-Bride-Brothers-Thunder-ebook/dp/B092558PPB/ref=sr_1_3

a Rafflecopter giveaway