Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. And it’s been foretold that such magic will unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she has sworn to protect.

Surprise of the month: Vikings and magic are actually a perfect pairing and make for a fantastic story. Danielle L. Jensen has given us a transfixing Norse-inspired romantasy in A Fate Inked in Blood.

Freya is married to a violent, brutish fisherman—until she’s not. After being forced to live out her days performing the menial tasks of a Viking’s wife, Freya finds herself suddenly fighting for her life and freedom. Just when she rids herself of one awful power-hungry man, another steps in and forces her into yet another marriage…

The jarl of Halsar believes he is destined to rule as king, and needs a shield maiden to do so. Upon discovering Freya is a shield maiden blessed by the gods, the jarl forces her to marry him, and and tasks his handsome son Bjorn with protecting her from their enemies. With the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders, Freya must train to become a warrior and learn to wield her magic, all while being tested by the gods—and trying to ignore her powerful attraction to gruff Bjorn.

Pick up A Fate Inked in Blood and dive head-first into the icy fjords and electric raids between its pages. An epic story and a phenomenal read—Vikings have never been quite this fun before.