Some may not know this, but Emma MacKenzie is actually a pen name used by the fabulous Karina Halle.  I was ridiculously excited when I found out she had released this book.  As one of my favorite authors, I can’t get enough.  I am grateful (and amazed) that she writes as fast as she does.  And the subject of this one… Seriously, how hot are Vikings?  Eric Northman will always have a place in my heart, so the idea of another Viking Erik was intriguing. 

 

Savagery was not at all what I expected.  I did not apparently read the entire summary on Amazon, so I ended up coming across a major WTF that left me shocked.  Horrified, even.  As quoted "It IS sexy (M/M/F ménage) and emotional but if you need a rainbows and kittens HEA on your love story, this is NOT the book for you!"  READ THIS.  READ IT AGAIN.  I myself like the rainbows and kittens.  They give me fuzzies that feel so nice in the tum. 

 

I also had a difficult time connecting with the main character, Cherine, as much as I have with Karina’s other female leads.  As I have said many times, third person narrative is not my favorite.  It always leaves me feeling a little removed.  Cherine’s acceptance and enjoyment of some of the ways she was treated by Rolf bothered me.  I couldn’t relate at all.

 

Savagery is not a bad book.  It is well written, and the sex is for the most part pretty hot.  There is a sexual brutality that is seldom found in the types of books I read.   There is a lot of gore and battles, but a book about Vikings is bound to have some violence, so that part has to be expected and didn’t bother me.

 

All in all, Savagery is a decent book.  I did enjoy most of it, just not the HEA.  I’m all about the angst, but I like my HEA with a side of happy feelings.  There were also some questions that weren’t quite answered for me, and I hate loose endings.  I am curious to see if she writes another book under this alter ego. 

I am in LOVE with this story so far!

 

WARNING: This is a dark erotic romance that contains triggers for some people, inc scenes of violence, rape and abuse. It is NOT a standard HEA ending. It also isn't for historical buffs as liberties have been taken with the dialogue. It IS sexy (M/M/F menage) and emotional but if you need a rainbows and kittens HEA on your love story, this is NOT the book for you!

 

In 10th century France, 18-year old Cherine Cadet only knows one thing: that the life of a peasant isn’t a life at all. Tired of working in utter poverty for an unfeeling Lord, with only her indifferent family and love-struck best friend as company, Cherine dreams of the day she can run away from the future set-up for her, even if she knows there’s no real escape from her destiny.

Then, in one brutal instance, everything changes. A Viking fleet led by the powerful nobleman and warrior, Rolf the Walker and his right-hand man, Erik the Axe, arrive on the shores of the Lord’s estate. In minutes, the entire land is up in flames, Cherine’s family and fellow serfs are killed, and Cherine comes dangerously close to death herself. She is saved only by the fierce Erik – but a new lease on life comes with a cost.

Cherine becomes a slave to the Vikings, a fate she thinks is no better than the one she had before. But as she finds herself being shared between the two men, the savage and darkly handsome Rolf and the mysterious and sensual Erik, Cherine discovers that she too has a fiery warrior heart and that the flames that consumed her old life might burn them all to the ground.

Note: Emma MacKenzie is a pen name for USA Today bestselling author Karina Halle. Cat's out of the bag!

NB:  Review originally posted 6-Aug-2013 on GR.  Minor edits made.

 

 

★★★½ (rounded up for compact yet full story, decent realism and non-traditional ending)

Fast, hot read―but not your typical enemies-to-lovers romance. The path traveled in this love story is twisty & bittersweet, with the ending...

 

likely to piss off (or depress) more than a few readers.  So if an HEA is a must for you, then better to give this book a wide berth.

(spoiler show)

 

I admit that I got lulled and therefore, it came as a shock. I actually choked/teared up at the end. ME! (totally blame it on PMS)...

 

 

Genre: historical (Dark Ages)

Length:  novella (147 pgs)

Sexual content:  erotic (dub con, multiple partners, pony play)

3.5 stars

Dipping my toes into some het/rom/erotica...

Hey, there’s actually an interesting plot to go with the smut! Nothing shatteringly new, but a good well-laid plot with plenty of action. Lands plundered, bodices ripped, maidens despoiled...all in a day’s work for Vikings invading Normandy. And a feisty vixen who wants what she wants and gets what she gets. But dang, the guys sure are either 1. conflicted or 2.plain evil. No real complaints writing-wise except for the occasional modernism used (“blond chick”). Be warned that the ending is bittersweet at best.

Daydreaming...la-dee-dah...I could very well imagine a ‘Charles’ in the place of the ‘Cherine.’ Sammiched between lovely Erik and wicked Rolf...mmmm. Wait, wrong genre.

Erik the Axe...yum.

2.5 stars. It was okay. I was particular interested in the Viking aspect of the book. The plot though, was not what I was expecting when I read the synopsis. I was thinking M/F/M.. but in reality, it was more M/F and the F being forced against her will (or sort of) with the other M. I'm not one to shy away from forced situations, but I just didn't find that it worked in this particular story. There were unexpected twists to the book & I did find it good enough that I was able to finish, but that was it. It was okay, borderline good, thus the 2.5 stars :0)