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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Princess Scorned!
Princess Drifa can certainly see whySidroc Guntersson is a living legend—on battlefield and in bedchamber both.But the King of Stoneheim’s willful daughterpitches a royal fit when she learns of the truereason for the virile Viking’s passionate attentions.A third-born son with no hope of inheriting thefamily jarldom, scheming Sidroc must marry andis interested in Drifa only for her father’s landand money. The barbarian is lucky she just crackshim on his fool head with a pottery pitcher!
Five years later, Drifa needs Sidroc’s protection—in Byzantium, no less!—though revenge holdsmore appeal for this man she left for dead.’Tis a pity two such perfect enemies matcheach other so well, passion for passion.So much so that the bold Viking berserkeris soon thinking marriage again . . .only this time it will be on his terms!
LASR_Reviews
Posted September 27, 2011
An arrogant lout and an independent princess cross words and pots which set the stage for a long and roundabout romance plagued with mishaps, kidnappings, lustsome thoughts and naughty shenanigans.
Such is the final story of the last unmarried princess in King Thorvald's household, Drifa. She's a woman of quick temper, deep passions and has a fanatic enthusiasm for all plants green, flowered and tall. That small hobby of hers gets her into more trouble than she believed possible. Because Drifa has been allowed to make her own decisions and get her way at home, it's given her a false sense of security and safety. She comes across as a woman who knows what's going on but even when she's hit by the figurative wall of bricks, she remains inured from the thought of possible harm to her. She's a king's daughter, what could possibly happen? She accepts the need to be cautious in name only and goes off to do what she wants to do anyway. I knew she was going to lead the hero on a merry chase and I was right.
The hero, Sidroc, at first doesn't seem like a hero at all, but a manipulative jerk. Only as I read did I find out this man has undiscovered emotional depths hidden behind a veneer of lust - for both war and women. He's not what he seems at all but the conflict comes from Drifa overhearing a conversation that was meant for another man's ears only. What a man does when he thinks all is lost shows his inner character. Sidroc is not a quitter, nor a shallow man. He is a man of loyalty, valor and integrity, even when he doesn't want to be. He also has a liking for adventurous sex and he uses that as a clever ploy to get Drifa to do what he wants her to do. The fun part comes when the tables are turned and the heroine ends up getting him to do what she wants. The best part, he doesn't even know it. If that sounds ambiguous, it is. Only by experiencing the book will a reader understand just how twisted that gets.
Ms. Hill is known for her knee-slapping humor and clever play on words during the telling of her romance tales. Readers will find that the asides of inner dialogue used in juxtaposition with what's actually being said or done is still an effective and fun technique that the author used to good effect. However, the loud guffaws never came. I chortled a few times, giggled at others but my knees were in no danger of being tormented this time around. The final book seemed to have treated the characters in a gentler fashion. I liked and enjoyed the book, but didn't fall in love with it. Alas, all the loving is between Sidroc and Drifa.
As much as I liked Drifa, she annoyed me too. She blithely ignored the battle-seasoned warriors at her side when they warned her, repeatedly. I understand she had a passion for plants, verging on obsessive, but that tunnel vision of hers that she persisted in indulging in drove me nuts. Frankly, there were a few moments where I'd classify her character as too stupid to live. Of course, if she wasn't, then a lot of the plot conflict would have disappeared and I wouldn't have been treated to the interesting encounter in the Arab lands. The information that she came back with was put to good use by leading Sidroc around by his hormones. Ms. Hill certainly explored some creative use of scarves and marble.
Read the Full Review at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.His father orders Sidroc Guntersson to throw the female baby into the thrall. However, the widower decides he needs a wife to raise his daughter. Sidroc woos long in the tooth hybrid Princess Drifa, daughter of King Thorvald. They marry, but she becomes irate with his boasting of gaining wealth as a third born and a mom for his child; Drifa hammers her new spouse with a pitcher to his head before walking away. When he awakens after days of unconsciousness, he learns his wife has left him and his baby is gone.
Five years later, Sidroc and Drifa meet in Byzantium. He is irate to learn she has a daughter Runa. Needing revenge, he courts and beds his virgin wife. Stunned Sidroc realizes his spouse is raising his daughter. When Drifa is kidnapped, Sidroc vows to rescue her so they and their child can forge a loving family.
This is similar in tone to many of her Viking romances (see The Viking's Captive) with modern day humor imbued into a Dark Ages gender war. The lead couple is a delightful pairing of two strong individuals who both melt in each other's arms though sometimes caustically and with their child. Readers will appreciate the battle between two powerful adversaries in love as even their trysts are jocular (don't tell Sidroc I said that).
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 10, 2012
Kept me interested I'd say worth reading.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The last of the Viking Princess has now met her man. Of course being that this is a Sandra Hill book it won't go easy for them and there will be a lot of laughter along the way. I'm almost sad to see the stories end and hope in the future she mentions them in other books. Drifa and Sidroc might have taken a long time to realize that they loved each other but when it happened it was magical. Read the Viking Princess's in order to fully enjoy them.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 25, 2013
I loved it, i read the whole thing in one day. I just couldnt put it down! She is my favorite author. All her viking books are good. I like how they all have the same characters. This book was sweet, funny, and romantic. A must read! :)
~valkyrja~
Anonymous
Posted August 5, 2012
This was my first romance novel and it reallly wasnt as bad as i thought it was going to be, i liked it because of the historical norse and roman aspects, also how drifta was exotic looking. I felt that there were some parts were it felt like they were teasing each other as they would in present times, it kinda threw me off.
This was a good read and I'm glad that this was my first romance novel.
Anonymous
Posted January 2, 2012
I had read the back covers on a few of sandra hill's viking series and thought they looked interesting. This was the first one i tried and it was awful. Truly bad dialogue, the heroine was borderline stupid, and the hero was a nasty man whore. I realize that "act like they hate each other but they really are madly in love/lust" is a common (very occasionally successful) plot element in romance novels, but the constant irrational bickering was really overdone. Honestly mystefied as to how anyone likes this book.
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Posted December 30, 2011
Hated it. Not bad writing, but the story was boring and unappealing. I had to force my way through it.
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Posted November 19, 2011
Another great viking story by Sandra Hill.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 1, 2011
Another good book by Sandra Hill. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was a good fit with the other Viking books about her sisters. I really enjoy Sanda Hill's books and recommend them to everyone!
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Posted October 30, 2011
Sandra Hill has a great sense of humor and this book represents that to the fullest. I highly recommend her complete series.
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Posted October 18, 2011
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Overview
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Princess Scorned!
Princess Drifa can certainly see whySidroc Guntersson is a living legend—on battlefield and in bedchamber both.But the King of Stoneheim’s willful daughterpitches a royal fit when she learns of the truereason for the virile Viking’s passionate attentions.A third-born son with no hope of inheriting thefamily jarldom, scheming Sidroc must marry andis interested in Drifa only for her father’s landand ...