Today I’m kicking off the blog tour for Loki’s Deceit by Donovan Cook. It’s new out today so grab a copy while it’s hot!
Here’s the blurb
A king, old and frail.
A challenger filled with vengeance. A kingdom’s fate at stake.
Sven the Boar is Jarl of Ribe once more. He and Charles try to settle into their new lives, but trouble and treachery are never too far away.
Tormented by recent events, Charles struggles to adapt to life amongst the heathens that mock his Christian God and the arrival of a priest from the south only makes things worse.
Meanwhile, Sven is burdened with the responsibilities of being Jarl again and protecting his grandson from those hunting him.
When forced into an alliance with King Horik’s nephew who is raising an army to challenge his uncle for the throne of Denmark, Sven makes an important decision.
As the threat of war becomes real, Sven rides to fight a battle that will change the destiny of Denmark.
But whilst he fights, will Charles remain safe or are other games in play that threaten him?
Review
After reading Odin’s Betrayal, book 1 in The Charlemagne’s Cross Series and quite frankly falling in love with it, you can imagine my excitement to read book 2.
I would recommend reading the fist instalment to really understand the characters but felt the author did a really good job of throwing little titbits of info in just when needed so even a new reader would understand the emotions and motivations behind the characters. For me it reminded me of those past events and credit to the authors ability it easily transported me back and I can remember those events vividly.
With Charles now under his grandfather’s care, Sven the Boar it’s going to be a rough ride. It’s been a difficult time for both, and the trouble isn’t going to go away any time soon.
Charles is still young, and a Christian living in a town of heathens. His religion is important to him and it’s an internal battle for him to understand why anyone wouldn’t believe in the one true god. As time passes you can see him start to grow, he learns religion and mans urges aren’t always linked.. just because you pray to god doesn’t make you good.. and similarly, just because you pray to another god doesn’t make you inherently evil.. there’s more to peoples motivations and sometimes you need to look deep to find the deception.
Sven has his own issues too after avenging his wife’s death by killing his brother no less! He and Charles find it tough to connect since they have been brought up in very different worlds and Sven really doesn’t know how to be there for the boy but does things the only way he knows how and has the boy start training.. Charles needs to learn to protect himself.
We quickly learn that there’s a lot of secrecy and deception afoot..but are the motivations good or bad? And what will happen to Charles? He’s already lost his father after all.
I don’t want to spoil the secrecy of the tale but I was engrossed reading as the different players show their hands in the tale, you learn so much more about Charles family history and what led to the events surrounding his fathers death.. there’s love and political motivations and at times it’s hard to see how Charles will recover if he ever learns the full extent of his origins.
While these events are playing out behind the scenes, Sven is dealing with a much closer threat. After becoming Jarl again he’s made the King look weak… and a blast from the past shows up with war on his mind.. but he wants Sven’s help… and actually Sven needs his too. Things aren’t going well for him.. the people are still angry after Sven murdered their previous Jarl so there’s an interesting chance for both of them to get what they want.
For me this instalment was all about the development. Don’t get me wrong the plot is unparalleled but the development of the characters just outshines anything I’ve read before. There’s so much depth added to the main characters but at the same time we are introduced to new ones, and again the detail added really helps you imagine their look, mannerisms, motivations.
The book is paced very well, plot is just gobsmackingly good plus detail and development added with precision to give you a captivating story.
I’m very much glad I found this author and their work and can’t fault it. 5*
My thanks go to @rararesources for having me on the tour, as well as the author and publisher for supplying an ARC to aid my review. As usual though… I’ve bought the book too. At £2.99 It’s too good not too!
To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon
Why not follow the tour?
Author Bio –
Donovan Cook is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series which combines fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world, and is inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DonovanCookAuthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/DonovanCook20
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