Taken by the Viking

Vikings #1

by Michelle Styles

A Viking raidThey claimed they came in peace, but soon Lindisfarne was aflame. Annis of Birdoswald fled in fear, but she could not escape the Norse warriors.An honorable captorOne man protected her-Haakon Haroldson. The dark, arrogant Viking swept Annis back to his homeland, taking her away from all she held dear.A new life-as his mistress!Now Annis must choose between the lowly work that befits a captive, or a life of sinful pleasure in the Viking's arms!

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Harlequin, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Viking Romance

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Born and raised near San Francisco Califorinia, Michelle Styles currently lives a few miles south of Hadrian's Wall with her husband, three children and menagerie of pets. An avid reader, she became hooked on historical romance when she discovered Georgette Heyer, Anya Seton and Victoria Holt in her school's library. Michelle enjoys writing stories in a wide range of time periods including Roman, Viking, Regency and early Victorian. Her website can be found at www.michellestyles.co.uk

Reviews

[Corrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

This is a tough one to review. I liked the basic storyline, and I liked Styles' writing. I just wish she had had a larger word count to expand upon the relationship between Annis and Haakon.

Annis is a Northumbrian widow whose stepfather is pressing her into another unwanted marriage so he can gain power of her lands, and whose uncle, a powerful abbot, is pressing her into service to the church. Neither are viable options for Annis, but before she can voice her opinion, she is caught up in the midst of what appears to be a raid by barbarians.

What it is actually, is a misunderstanding that has gone horribly wrong. Haakon Haroldson has sailed from Viken for nothing more than his fair payment. When one of the monks of Lindisfarne attacks one of the members of Haakon's group and that leads to a brutal battle, he is regretful but decides to make the most of it. While he is gathering up as much goods as he can, he is saved by a traitorous member of his own men by Annis, and he in turn tries to save her. But when her loyalty to her maid overcomes her survival instincts, Haakon is forced to step in again, but this time, he is also forced to take her for ransom.

The culture of the Vikings is very interesting. I don't know much about it, so I assume Styles got most of it right. It's a very unique setting and a good story, but in the end I didn't really understand why - on such short acquaintance - Annis would forgive Haakon for so many things that should have jarred strongly against the culture she had been raised in. She seemed far too accomodating, and adapted to her new life style with unbelievable ease. Other than those few quibbles, it was a quick, fascinating read in a time period I don't normally pick up. B-/C+

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Harlequin historical, Michelle Styles' Taken by the Viking is an action packed tale about a Viking and his captive, which (like almost every other Viking romance) is similar to Johanna Lindsey's "Fires of Winter" but without the bodice ripper charm.

It has a solid kidnapping plot. Alas, the heroine went from being wishy-washy to kickass and back again too many times. And as for the Viking, yes he takes the heroine captive, but he doesn't "take," he seduces. He's rough and brutish, but not too rough and brutish. He's more of the typical watered down, sensitive and gentle Nordic warrior I see in almost every modern Viking romance.

Where are the books with hardcore berserkers ? Let me know if you have any recommendations for some real rapacious fun.

This is part of a series, and perhaps my Kindle touch skipped around a bit, but I felt as if I was missing relevant information at times.

Still, I appreciated the attempts at historical accuracy which did add more-or-less authentic feel to the story, even if the hero was too gentle.

Gentle and sweet is for real life. Fiction should dare to delve into darker territories... But that's just my opinion.

3 stars

[Love love · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one started out strong but lost it's steam quickly after that. Once Annis is taken back to Haakon's land everything just gets boring.

Annis (h) is a widow who is about to be married off by her stepfather to his son. While she wants no part of this, she's staying with her uncle and the monks until she figures ot what to do. When a ship approaches, what looks to be a Viking ship, she fears attack. As she watches from her window she sees what first looks like a peaceful meeting turn to one of horror. After seeing her uncle slain she turns and tries to find a place for her and her maid to hide.

Haakonn (H) had come on a peaceful mission, to be paid money that was owed him. When things go terribly. wrong and they are attacked, being the Vikings that they are they decide to finish the fight and leave no building standing. They decide to take what monks remained alive and Annis back as captives to be ransomed back.

There were many things that bugged me with this story. One of them was that the h in the beginning was a fighter, she said that there was no way she would marry her stepbrother and would fight yet she doesn't fight being a captive, taken from her home by the very poeple who just killed her uncle. Also the use of languge for a book that takes place in the in of the 900's. The author would switch from wording things that sounded right for the time to common wording for today.

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich and absorbing Viking romance
4 stars

This is the first of three novels all connected by the raid at Lindisfarne coming before Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife and The Viking's Captive Princess. While they share similar characters and back story, each are entirely stand alone.

Annis is a strong woman who knows her own mind but her insecurities and worry make her much more than a stereotype. Haakon is the strong Viking Jaarl who tries desperately to keep control of his headstrong captive and his own heart. The pair had chemistry and although the sex scenes weren't scorching, they were still nicely sexy. If I could have changed one thing, I would have liked to have Haakon show just a little more emotion when it came to his feelings for Annis - even if that was in private. Despite that, the ending was lovely and had me sighing!

The story was very rich in detail and it was obvious that the author not only did a lot of research into the time period but also put her heart into ensuring historical accuracy. At the end of the book she explains some of the points of note and lists the books she found useful which is an interesting touch and good if you are interested in learning more about the history of the Vikings.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story to pass the time and one that I would recommend if you enjoy a Viking romantic adventure. 4 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viking adventure and love

I love Michelle Style's books. I have read a few of her books. This story is of Jarl Haakon and a Northumbrian Noble woman named Annis. Annis is a widow. Her marriage was not a happy one. She is being pushed into marriage again but she doesn't want this. She visits Lindesfar where her uncle is the Abbott of St. Cuthberts. She looks out her window to see Viking ships. Men come ashore and meet with her uncle and several monks. The Vikings come in peace to collect a debt owed to them. One of the monks attack and kill a viking. From there it is a full out war and you know who wins.

This is a very exciting book with friends and foe alike. Annis is taken captive for a ransom. Things change in her life. Now she is a noble woman working in a kitchen. She falls in love, learns about herself, gives herself to the people through her healing knowledge and there are betrayals.

There are all kinds of twists and turns in this story. I loved it.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3 and 1/2 stars..

A sweet viking romance that I think could have done better... had a LOT of potential to a 5-star, but something held it back and I'm really not sure what it was.. I mean, loved how the general story line went. At certain parts I thought to myself that it could have been better if so or so happened.. or if the reactions had more fires in them.. I mean, they are vikings!! They had temper problems! lol

Anyway, as I said a sweet read :) and I'm looking forward for more from this series :)

[S. Rutherford · Rating 1 out of 5]

haaah... after four months and a reread of A Darker Dream by Amanda Ashley, the whole Harry Potter series, and more research books, I finally finished this measly 250ish page book. How sad...

Clearly, it wasn't that great.

[Kasandra See · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of the story has slight different from other Viking novels though it all ended with a happy endings. It describes the way Annis fights for her survival and love. She also shows selflessness to others during her captivity.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the description of a new historical background I knew little to nothing about before.

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it plain and simple. Anything with a alpha male trying to dominate sets me off. It was a quick and enjoyable read for me. I would recommend to any one who comes across this book.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a passable story but nothing gripping....a distinct lack of hunky blond vikings IMHO.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. I was so bored.

[Marie Flower Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas de panique ! Non, vous êtes toujours bien sur Drunkenness Books et oui, il y a bien la chronique d’une romance historique « harlequin » juste sous vos yeux. Et en plus, chronique faite par Marie. Je sais, je vous ai habitué à de tout autres types de lecture mais que voulez-vous, moi aussi je suis une fille qui aime bien lire des romans à l’eau de rose de temps en temps. Et c’est exactement ce qui m’est arrivé dernièrement. Par conséquent hop, un petit tour sur le site des éditions Harlequin qui, j’en étais sûre, allaient pouvoir m���offrir un type de lecture absolument sans prise de tête et rapide, idéal pour faire une pause entre deux romans plus costauds dirons-nous. De ce point de vue là, Captive du Viking a parfaitement su répondre à mes attentes. Cependant, j’ai malgré tout été quelque peu déçue par l’histoire en elle-même.

Suite à un raid viking, Annis, jeune noble, est enlevée par le beau et ténébreux Haakon le Viking. Bah quoi ? Vous vous attendiez à ce qu’il soit moche ? Pfff… mais non pas du tout. Forcément que Haakon est canon et Annis, elle aussi, c’est une bombe ! Du coup, je vous laisse deviner la suite. Non, en fait, j’ai envie de vous la raconter. Vous êtes condamnés à me suivre dans cette aventure qu’est la lecture d’une romance historique. Emmenée sur les terres froides et hostiles (vous inquiétez pas, elle aura vite l’occasion de se réchauf… pardon, j’anticipe) de son ennemi dans l’attente d’une rançon, Annis est ravalée au rang d’esclave. Certes, son quotidien va nettement se dégrader et on peut comprendre qu’elle préfère son ancienne vie. Mais bon, faut pas en faire tout un scandale non plus, après tout, elle a devant elle un très beau spécimen de la gente masculine auquel elle n’est pas insensible. Personne ne peut rester insensible à Haakon. Sous des airs de glace, notre guerrier a en réalité un grand cœur qui n’attend que d’être pris. Et devinez par qui il va l’être ? Non ? Vous ne voyez pas ? Vous ne voyez VRAIMENT pas ? Bon… bah tant pis. À la prochaine alors… Mais vous êtes sûrs ? Ah voilà ? Vous voyez que ce n’était pas difficile ! Annis bien sûr ! Nous allons donc suivre l’idylle naissante entre Annis et Haakon, qui soulèvera bien des oppositions, les hommes du Nord n’étant pas du genre à accepter aussi facilement une étrangère. Certains jugeront Annis sincère, d’autres n’auront de cesse de s’interroger sur ses réelles intentions. N’est-elle pas une espionne doublée d’une empoisonneuse ? D’où lui viennent toutes ces connaissances des plantes ?
Bien qu’écrite dans un style simple et fluide, l’histoire souffre de nombreuses longueurs et peine à trouver son rythme. Au point qu’arrivée à la fin, j’étais malgré tout soulagée d’en avoir terminé. Annis et Haakon forment un couple assez fade et même s’il n’y a aucune surprise attendue dans le dénouement, j’aurais aimé que l’auteur donne un côté moins superficiel au récit.

Ce n’est pas souvent que je me lance dans des lectures du type sentimental. Cependant, elles ont le mérite d’offrir un bon moment de détente et de légèreté. En cela, Captive du Viking a su parfaitement remplir son rôle même si l’histoire aurait pu être plus… captivante.

http://drunkennessbooks.blogspot.fr/2...

[Marie Flower Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

ous vous dites qu’il y a un souci de couverture parce que celle-ci correspond à Captive du Viking alors que le titre de l’article est L’Épouse Insoumise ? Non, vous ne rêvez pas et non ne vous inquiétez pas, je n’ai pas encore perdu la tête. Enfin… pas complètement ! L’Épouse Insoumise est le roman gratuit fourni lors de l’achat de Captive du Viking. J’avoue ne l’avoir remarqué qu’une fois la première histoire terminée… Pourtant, c’était quand même écrit en évidence, sur un gros fond rouge. « Ah oui ». Voilà pour la petite histoire.

Qu’est-ce donc que L’Épouse Insoumise ? Une romance historique tout ce qu’il y a de plus classique ! Bon, en même temps, quand on voit la couverture et les éditions, on se doute bien qu’il ne s’agira pas d’un essai traitant de la nature des relations amoureuses au Moyen-âge ainsi que du rôle et de la place de la femme. Quoique ! Non, vous vous doutez bien que tout l’intérêt de ce genre de lectures réside dans leur facilité et leur légèreté pour offrir au lecteur (plus souvent lectrice) un petit moment détente. Bien que cela ait été le cas ici, je ne peux pas pour autant dire que j’ai adoré cette lecture. Apprécier (sans plus) serait plus adéquat car là encore, ce roman n’a pas été particulièrement marquant.

Les deux personnages principaux, Oriane et Euan, vont se tourner autour dès le début du roman et rapidement se trouver. Ils vont alors se lancer dans un jeu du chat et de la souris, Oriane refusant catégoriquement d’épouser le fier chevalier. Non pas qu’il soit moche, loin de là, c’est juste que son côté autoritaire et sûr de lui l’exaspère. Et puis, pour qui se prend-il à vouloir lui dicter sa conduite ?

Il faut savoir que ce type de romance n’est absolument pas ma tasse de thé à la base, d’où mon regard peut-être un peu sévère. Le style d’écriture n’a rien d’exceptionnel et on ne peut pas dire non plus que l’histoire soit transcendante. Certes, l’ensemble est assez dynamique, la relation entre les deux héros évoluant rapidement avec plusieurs rebondissements (absoluuuuument paaaaas prévisibles du tout). Sauf que le tout reste assez superficiel et comporte de nombreuses incohérences.


En bref, L’Épouse Insoumise se veut une lecture sentimentale légère mais qui, à mon sens, ne saura ravir non plus complètement les adeptes du genre. N’en étant pas une moi-même, je n’ai pas conquise même si ce roman aura eu le mérite d’être une parfaite transition.

http://drunkennessbooks.blogspot.fr/2...

[Leela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me apetecía mucho leer algo de vikingos y este libro llegó un poco por sorpresa, así que me pareció la opción perfecta. La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho. He leído otros libros de esta colección de "Amantes históricos" y decepcionaron bastante, pero éste merece mucho la pena. Los personajes me gustaron mucho, la trama es bastante interesante, explora ciertos aspectos de la vida cotidiana vikinga...Es una lectura rápida, muy entretenida y que merece mucho la pena si te gusta el mundo vikingo.

[Leslivresdaudrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

✅ Ce que j'ai aimé :​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
- la façon dont est écrit le roman
- la plume de l'auteur
- j'avais des doutes sur une des servantes
- la façon dont évolue Annis
- le résumé
- l'intrigue de l'histoire même si elle est prévisible
- le caractères d'Haakon
- les multipoints de vue
​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
❌ Ce que je n'ai pas aimé :​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
- quelques coquilles
- la couverture

[Kazia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Stefania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bello e interessante

[Fanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai été agréablement surprise par ce livre, je m'attendais à plus de clichés. Ça reste une romance historique facile à lire et pas prise de tête, mais réaliste tout de même.

[Minni Mouse]

DNF at 18% because mediocre writing and storytelling.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: Lindisfarne is a holy island off the Northeast coast of England. Annis of Birdoswald was visiting her Uncle on the Island in 793 when several Viking ships came ashore. The leader of the Viking trading ships was Jarl Haakon Haroldson, and his only purpose in visiting the island was to collect payment that he was legitimately owed for the sale of his furs and amber.

The monks insult, refuse payment to, and kill one of the Vikings. Haakon came in peace originally, but the Vikings will not tolerate an attack on one of their men, nor will they leave the island unpaid. The resulting raid leads to the death of every resident of the island except Annis and a few monks who are being taken back to Norway with the Vikings to be held for ransom.

Annis’s life was spared by Haakon, who fought off one of his own men to save her. She is torn between viewing him as a handsome hero or an evil murderer, and vacillates frequently between her differing opinions of him. After reaching his homeland, Annis becomes one of Haakon’s kitchen slaves. The other women in the home don’t like having competition for the Jarl’s attention, and they seem to enjoy making her life more difficult. The worst offender is Haakon’s stepmother, who dislikes both Annis and Haakon and would love to be rid of them both.

Through celebrations, injuries, tense confrontations, betrayals, an escape attempt, and a few private moments, Haakon and Annis finally stop fighting their attraction to each other. Eventually, Annis becomes his official concubine. As such, she is allowed to visit the King with him when he is summoned to defend himself against charges of oath-breaking. After everything they’ve gone through together, it might be Annis who is the hero in the end.

Review: I was on a bit of a Viking kick recently, so I downloaded this book to my Kindle after reading a positive review. I’m not sure that the reviewer actually read the book, because she indicated that this was a time-travel romance (which is why I bought the book), but it definitely is not. This book is a straight-up historical romance, with no time-traveling or connections to Norse mythology. I thought I’d point that out in case any of you come across the same review that I read.

There were MANY similarities between this book and one of my Phooka Favorites: Fires of Winter, by Johanna Lindsey. In fact, the books were so similar in their storylines, events, characters and protagonists, that I wound up comparing them to each other the entire time I was reading Taken by the Viking. For the record, Fires of Winter was published 27 years before Taken by the Viking. This is unfortunate for Michelle Styles, because I may have enjoyed her book more if I had read it first. Under the circumstances, it seemed like a lesser quality imitation of an original.

The best part of this story was the use of the Viking raid of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in 793 as a starting point. Although the author uses creative license in describing the events of that day, I am always a big fan of using true historical events versus making up battles that “could have” or “might have” happened in that time frame. The raid on Lindisfarne is considered to be the start of the Viking Age, making this an important date in Viking history.

I enjoyed the love story in this book, and I thought the author did a good job of adding peril and suspense to certain scenes. I also really liked Haakon as the hero, although some of his actions were a little out of line with his character. Annis was likeable throughout the book, but her personality seemed to change periodically. This was odd, but at least none of her personalities were objectionable.

Although this book did not quite measure up to my expectations, I may still read Styles’s other two Viking romances. As much as I loved Lindsey’s Fires of Winter, I didn’t enjoy the other books in that series quite as much as the first. I’m curious to see if Styles was able to trump Lindsey in the sequels.

[LWB Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes you back to a time that Vikings ruled the seas, traded their goods or simply raided the lands of others. A time where people were in fear for their lives by the mere thought of a Viking ship. You get to meet Haakon Haroldson, a dark, arrogant, Viking warrior, who trades his goods for coin or gold so he can take care of his people and estate back home and Annis of Birdoswald, a young, fierce widow who came to the monastery of her uncle for counsel to avoid another forced marriage.

As Haakon came to the monastery to collect the coin that was legally his, he never anticipated that his visit would end in a raiding and massacre or that a beautiful intriguing young woman would save his life. To protect Annis against his own men and to keep her safe he takes her captive and sweeps her back to his homeland. But maybe she is not so safe there as he thought. Maybe he is not so safe in his own home as he thought, since greed, jealousy and betrayal are just around the corner.

The first thing that occurred to me as I read this story was that this is truly a classic Viking tale. It is obvious that Michelle Styles paid great attention to the historic facts of this period in time and this only benefits the story. These facts also provide a great insight of the day-to-day life of the Viking community.

With Haakon Haroldson Michelle Styles has created a characteristic Viking, arrogant, prevailing and honourable. Annis, the heroine, is an engaging, strong-willed, noble lady who desperately wants to be in charge of her own life again. I could feel the chemistry between them from the moment they met, it vibrates from the pages and their interactions sizzle.

Haakon to Annis and vice versa:

“I regret I will not be able to take up the invitation your lips issued just then when we kissed.” “My lips never did.” “Ah, but we both know the truth, don’t we, Annis?”

Besides the hero and the heroine this story has many engaging secondary characters. For instance there is Guthrun, Haakon’s stepmother, she is quite a hag and there is Thrand, Haakon’s half-brother. He is one of those secondary characters in a book who you would like to see in a story of his own. The stunning sub-plot concerning betrayal, greed and jealousy gives this story more depth and intrigued me till the last page.

From page one this story captivated me and urged me to keep flipping the pages into the wee hours of the morning. Michelle Styles certainly knows how to throw her readers back in time, she made me crave for more, more of those arrogant Viking warriors! Taken by the Viking is an enthralling, sensual, fast-paced read, a must-read for everyone who likes a classic historical tale!!

[Barbara ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before Annis was abducted the the Vikings, she seemed to be a strong, go-getter, who knew what she wanted and went after it. Once she was taken, she became a mouse. She was a prized captive and relatively well-treated but she just wilted. I found Haakon to be wishy-washy and definitely not the alpha male he seemed to be in the beginning. This tiny book took way to long to read as I kept stopping because both Annis and Haakon got on my nerves.

I don't think I'd read another book by this author. IMHO, Vikings are supposed to be strong warriors who take what they want and offer no apologies. Ms. Styles has gelded her Vikens and taken away any sense of Viking from them. The book sort of plodded along rather tepidly and I found it depressing and boring.

[Heathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential, but soon fell flat. What initially perturbed me is the fact that it was a love-at-first-sight story, which I don't necessarily have a problem with. However, the circumstances were outrageous & highly unlikely. What girl is going to fall in love 10 MINUTES after her relative is brutally murdered?

Too much cheese and too many cliches... I found myself rolling my eyes frequently and sighing out of boredom.

[Danielles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice!



Annis is very tough and Haakon is sweet!

He wants her,....anyway! But she doesnt know!,...

She is his slave and mistress, he is her lover,.....but not forever!
Untill,..........

A nice book, just like Margaret Moore,.....

You will enjoy!

[Ann Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

[Jackie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!

[Snoflake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author wasn't concise during storyline. It was hard to imagine what was taking place at times.

[Melann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Du Harlequin quoi !

[Frances · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! I almost gave it a dumb shelf, how could anyone believe that ending?