The Gripping Beast
Charlene Teglia
Samhain Publishing
Romance
January 2006
225 pages
$5.50
ISBN: 1-59998-005-3
Lorelei has everything she could ever want or need, but she still isn't happy. She is the lead singer of The Sirens and they are in the middle of an enormously successful tour; no matter how she looks at it, her life is lacking something important. When her friend, Dane, tells her the story behind his family's antique armband and offers it to her for good luck, she wishes that she could understand and experience the love that the Valkyrie and the Warrior shared. She finds that she should be careful what she wishes for.
Erik is in the trading town of Hedeby Noor hoping that his brother, Harold, will realize that there's more to life than wenching. Their father has sent Harold along with Erik in the hopes that Harold will listen to his brother. Erik has always been a very serious man willing to do whatever is needed to help his family, but lately he has been restless. As they go through Hedeby Noor they come upon a slave auction and an amazing woman is up next. Erik is amazed by his reaction and finds himself charging towards the slaver with his sword drawn as the man puts his hand on this exquisite creature. Erik finds himself in possession of a gorgeous woman who seems to be mad.
Lorelei cannot believe that she is in the past, but all things point to that very fact. She is in the past and is the slave of a Viking. A Viking who makes her tingle in places that have not felt that way, ever. Too bad he thinks she's mad and thinks that she will accept her fate as that of a slave. Can these two different people actually come to an understanding and accept each other?
Charlene Teglia has done a masterful job of combining romance and the fantasy of time travel. The backdrops like the lynx fur and the descriptions of the ship made the story real. I was thrilled with her descriptive style. Her characters are very true to both themselves and their time periods and yet mesh very well. Erik was a delightful contrast of a strong yet sensitive man and Lorelei was a sheer delight to meet. I loved her attitude throughout the book, she seemed to go with the flow and still stand firm in her convictions. To be thrust into a world that you only have a smattering of facts for and not lose your mind is no small feat. The secondary characters of Dane and Harold were gorgeous and I do hope that we will be able to read more of them. Also introduced were the band members from the Sirens, again an interesting sidebar that could be a series of fascinating stories. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I truly enjoyed this book. I do hope that she will follow up on the lives of the players in this novel.
4 ½ out of five pieces of hack silver
Serena Polheber, gottawritenetwork.com
Feb. 24, 2006
copyright Serena Polheber & GWN
