I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.
RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:
I'm truly dreading to voice my thoughts on this book. I know that I'm going to offend a lot of Sandra Hill fans, but here it goes.
As I read this tale, I couldn't help but think of the movie `Robin Hood; Men in Tights'. That movie was a spoof on the Robin Hood legend, and this book, in my opinion, is a spoof on `Spartacus' in general, Vikings in particular.
The plot is simple. Rurik the Vein had a short liaison five years ago with Maire Campbell, or the Witch of the Campbell Clan as she's known. But instead of taking her for his wife or just taking her with him when he left, he rebuffed her and the little witch didn't like that so much. So, she marked him with a blue tattoo mark on his handsome face. From that point on, our Viking is in search of Maire so she can remove the tattoo and he can return to his homeland and marry another maiden.
Maire Campbell is a not-so-good-witch. She gets her spells all mixed up, and reminded me of Aunt Clara from `Bewitched'. After Rurik left Maire, she was forced by her brother to marry a Macnab, so the last five years were not so happy for our heroine. As our hero finally locates her, he's shocked to find her widowed and embroiled up to her neck in Macnab trouble. I didn't like her much.
This book was a slapstick comedy, both silly and humorous at times, but for some reason, I wasn't laughing that much. I just couldn't take it seriously, and in the end, I was disappointed in it.
I found the story unexceptional, and in all honesty, I can't recommend it. If you like slapstick comedy, by all means read this THE BLUE VIKING; I'm sure you'll like it. But if you're looking for a true Viking romance, a look into Viking life and the times in which they lived and loved, you'll probably be as disappointed in this book as I was.
Melanie