Hello book friends!
This is my last blog tour for a while due to my upcoming thesis in the spring. Very glad I got to end on a high blog tour note this year because this book is definitely up my alley! The synopsis is borrowed from Goodreads:
Separated by time. Brought together by fate.
Indulging her fascination for the Viking language and losing herself in an archaeological dig is just what Linnea Berger needs after her recent trauma. Uncovering an exquisite brooch, she blacks out reading the runic inscription, only to come to, surrounded by men in Viking costume, who seem to take re-enactment very seriously.
Lost and confused, Linnea finds herself in the power of Hrafn, a Viking warrior who claims her as his thrall and takes her on a treacherous journey across the seas to sell her for profit. Setting sail, she confronts the unthinkable: she has travelled back to the ninth century.
Linnea is determined to find a way back to her own time, but there’s a connection forming with Hrafn. Can she resist the call of the runes and accept her destiny lies here…
When reading Runes of Destiny I’m very glad I haven’t read Outlander yet. I’ve only watched the series and there is several similarities between the two. However, I’m more interested in Vikings than Scotland in that sense so I’ve enjoyed this read quite a bit! When I first picked this up I noticed that it was very easy to read. There was something going on from the very beginning but you weren’t thrown into the action like BOM! The story built up with a very nice speed and sorta kept on with this speed all the way throughout the book. I think the slowest part were during the travels over land with the boats but even the characters seemed to find this boring so it wasn’t that big a problem. I also liked the writing-style in general in this book. Some words are old Norse which I think is very cool! The language is otherwise very easy and flows well which makes the reading experience more intriguing for me.
I love Linnea, our female lead character! She’s just my type of corny, strong-minded, and stubborn female and the fact that she ends up in Viking times where females has a completely different role is quite cool to witness! I enjoy how she uses her knowledge, the fact that she knows so much is amazing, in her new setting and that she just doesn’t break down in hopelessness. A few times I were wondering why she didn’t think this or did that but most of the time she’d follow my train of thought and get on with it. I know this is not how it works but with this story it happened a few times, and I actually found it rather enjoyable. Some other time I might have found it tedious. Then there is Hrafn, our male lead character. I wasn’t able to pronounce his name once whilst I read this book so I made my own version which is probably wrong even though I am Norwegian, haha! Hrafn is in many ways a stereotype Viking but he also has a somewhat different mindset than other men of his time. Every once in a while there has to be one who doesn’t follow the flock. I feel that Hrafn changes more during the story than Linnea. Linnea is more sure of herself and who she is whilst Hrafn, when introduced to someone like Linnes, becomes more unsure of his role and his place in some ways. I think it was rather interesting to see how conflicting things could be, both between Hrafn and Linnes, but also between Hrafn’s different roles. I’m curious to see if other readers thinks the same!
Runes of Destiny is definitely your type of read if you enjoy historical fiction, romance, and Outlander. The story has a good flow with solid characters and it is a rather easy read perfect for Christmasbreak if you’re up for something light after your exams like I was!
Published: 2020
Genre: Historical romance
Theme: Viking-age, love, friendship
Author Bio
Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014). The Runes of Destiny (time travel published by Headline 10th December 2020) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).
Social Media Links
Webpage: http://www.christinacourtenay.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/
– The Book Reader
TheBookReader 