To Sin with a Viking excerpt and Sale!

July 16, 2013

Styr Hardrata stood, eager to escape the confines of this place. He struggled to open the door, but when he stepped outside, he breathed in the scent of freedom. All was quiet, the night cloaking the sky with darkened clouds. In the distance, he spied the flare of a single torch.
Caragh.

He gripped the chains to hold his silence as he tiptoed into the night. Soundlessly, he made his way towards the beach where he saw her staring intently at the sand. Alone, with no one to help her.

In her face, he saw the dogged determination to survive. It was breaking her down, but she kept searching. He’d known men who were quicker to give up than her.

She walked alongside the water, the torch casting shadows upon the sand. In the faint light, her face held a steady patience. Her skin was golden in the light, her brown hair falling over her shoulders in untamed waves.

She was far too gentle for her own good. What kind of a woman would capture a Norseman and then give up her own food? Why would she bother treating his wounds, when he’d threatened her?

And why was there no man to take care of her? No husband or a lover . . .

Styr remained in the shadows, even knowing that he shouldn’t be here. He ought to be studying the perimeter of the ring fort, searching for hidden supplies or information about these people.

Instead, he couldn’t take his eyes off Caragh, as if she were the vision of Freya, sent to tempt him. Like the women of his homeland, she possessed an inner strength he admired. Though Fate had cast her a bitter lot, she’d faced the grimness of her future.

Taking him prisoner was the action of a desperate woman, not a cruel one. He knew within his blood, that if he left her now, she would starve to death.

He shouldn’t care. He owed her nothing.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.

Look for To Sin with a Viking, available July 23rd, 2013, from Harlequin® Historical. You can read more about the book and find pre-order links here or join the discussion on Facebook. (P.S.–it’s on sale for $1.99, starting July 17, for a limited time).