Friday, October 21, 2011

Review: Enslaved by a Viking

Enslaved by a Viking (New Icelandic Chronicles - Book 2) by Delilah Devlin


Publication Date: October 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Erotic Romance/ Science Fiction/ BDSM elements
Pages: Paperback, 320pp
ISBN-13: 9780425243176
ISBN: 0425243176

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Heat)


Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Delilah Devlin on the WEB: website, blog, facebook, twitter


Excerpt from Enslaved by a Viking WARNING: This excerpt may not be appropriate for readers under 18 years of age.



Synopsis:


His suffering...


Through proud and strong Eirik, heir to the Ulfhednor kingdom, found himself seduced and taken from his home world by a bounty-hunting vixen who sold him into slavery. Purchased by a wealthy, Consortium-backed brothel, Eirik is kept at a heavily guarded and secure breeding facility, where he is forced to feed the lustful whims of the Helio elite at night. he bides his time, waiting for a chance to escape and get his revenge on the woman who betrayed him...

Her satisfaction...


Once a sex thrall, Fatin earned her freedom through service. Now, as a bounty hunter, she is determined to earn enough to buy her sister's papers from the same brothel she escaped. For this, she abducts a brutishly handsome, breed-worthy specimen from the Viking planet and delivers him to auction. But her desire for justice and his desire for freedom may consume both of them in a passion neither wanted - or can resist.


Thoughts:


Erotic romance with a Sci-Fi twist! Delilah Devlin is a veteran erotica writer with several novels to her credit. She is often put in a class of her own when it comes to passionate, steamy scenes and explosive content. In her latest book, Enslaved by a Viking, the second book in the New Icelandic Chronicles, Devlin certainly doesn't disappoint. Readers will have to turn on a fan and grab a cold drink when reading this one, it is sizzling. Probably one of the most erotic openings I have encountered in a book since I began reviewing erotic fiction earlier this year. Unfortunately, that can be good and bad.

This novel picks up with Prince Eirik and several other men being captured from their Viking home world by a cunning and deceptively, beautiful bounty hunter named Fatin. Eirik and his fellow Vikings are to be used as sex slaves to wealthy Helio women and their sperm will be used to breed a warrior class that will be able to conquer the Viking planet. Eirik vows his revenge on Fatin, who only agreed to capture the men in order to free her sister Zarah from the clutches of the Consortium. Though Eirik tries to hate Fatin, he cannot help the attraction he feels for her. 

I thought this was a great premise for a novel and I liked the fact that the author took something the reader might know a little about, like the Vikings and used it to create her own idea of what a Viking world might be like. She uses the basic knowledge the reader has and expands and twists it, adding a science fiction element that is a real stand out in the world of erotic writing. However, in the very beginning the focus of the novel is not on this unique premise, it is completely focused on the sexual aspects of the book. I found it a little imbalanced for a first few chapters. I think the author should have evened it out a little better. Devlin has so much to work with here. The human trafficking angle, the bonds between sisters, the fight for freedom. It's not that the sex isn't hot, it most definitely is, but it overwhelmed the plot of novel in the beginning. 


Once Devlin gets more into the book, however this evens out and settles in a  more balanced erotic novel. The sex is still white hot, but it doesn't take over the entire book. I loved the way that Devlin was able to start focusing on the relationship between the characters. Eirik is definitely what one would expect from a Viking hero. He is tough, a bit brutish, very handsome and very dominant both in and out of the bedroom. He may have been fooled by Fatin in the beginning, but once he figures out he is being used as sex slave, he will not stop until he gets his freedom back. His determination is boundless and once he starts to understand his attraction to Fatin, his protective nature takes over. 

Fatin has suffered a lot in her life but she doesn't let it define her. She is focused on getting her sister out of the brothel. She is also a very strong character and in my opinion a wimpy chick would not have been able to hold her own with Eirik, so I think the author was wise to make her independent and resourceful in her own right. The two together are nothing short of amazing. The passion they bring to life, spills over into the attraction they begin to feel for each other. Devlin is able to convey these deep feelings to the reader easily.

I recommend this one to erotic romance readers. It's not for the faint of heart and definitely not appropriate for readers under 18. But if readers are looking for a book with smoking hot sex and a really unique and fresh premise, this is it! There are some BDSM elements, which seem natural to the story considering Eirik's overall persona. I thought the were tastefully written and not overdone. Once readers get past a very steamy beginning the real story takes over and will grip their interest hard. I look forward to more books in this series as I think the author shows a lot of future potential with this plot.

Enslaved by a Viking is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.


I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!


 

Delilah Devlin is an award-winning author of erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. Whether creating dark, erotically charged paranormal and futuristic worlds or richly descriptive Westerns that ring with authenticity, Delilah Devlin "pens in uncharted territory that will leave readers breathless and hungering for more" (ParaNormal Romance). Ms. Devlin has published more than seventy erotic romances in multiple subgenres and lengths. 

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