Long and Short Reviews
Completely alone after her father’s death, Alfild knows her world will become far more difficult. Born blind, she knows her options are limited, though she strongly wishes to remain on her family farm. When Vikings come to conquer their small village Alfild sees her chance to avoid a life in the nunnery. I really enjoyed this short story. Told by Alfild in the first-person perspective I was initially concerned this would make it difficult to fully grasp Jorgen and Aldric’s characters and intentions. But I was relieved when instead this perspective really helped me appreciate both how lucky and smart Alfild was. Her father had helped set up their little farm in a perfect – and completely historically believable – manner to suit her blindness, using different stones and wood beams so her staff could tap different tones and sounds to lead her in various directions. Seeing the world through Alfild’s sightless eyes was interesting, refreshingly different and educational for me. After reading this short story once I immediately re-read it (something I don’t do very often) to pick up all those smaller aspects I might not have caught on the first reading. The author did an amazing job with this and I found the story and Alfild’s perspective in particular gripping and delightful. While set long in the past, readers who really love their historical accuracy might need to give a bit of leeway. I feel the author did an excellent job with balancing the actual harsh realities of the historical time period with making the story palatable and readable. I fully understand most Vikings and their actions were not hero material or romantic in the least, but with just a little bit of flexibility in this area I feel the author has kept much of the richness and difficulties of the historical setting alive and accurate, but still softened enough areas to make the story steamy and a delicious read. Personally I really enjoyed the story and setting and feel the author did well with this. Sensual and steamy, I found Alfild falling for both Aldric and Jorgen to be a little fast-paced, but understandable given her circumstances. Readers looking for a refreshingly different style of story should find this suits their needs wonderfully. I enjoyed both the historical setting and the outlook Alfild being blind gave to the story and romance as a whole. This will definitely be a story I reread a number of times into the future and an author I plan to keep an eye on. Recommended.
