This was a great start to a series. Felt a little same-y but I hope that picks up soon. The setting was great and i'm intrigued to where the story goes.

A Fate Inked in Blood was an absolutely fantastic book to read! I literally read this in ONE day and it is over 400 pages long.

I've never read anything Norse inspired, so was super excited to dive into this book! The world building was very easy to understand and follow, and the journey was everything I wanted and more! Danielle L Jensen has this amazing way of not allowing you to put her book down 😂 the tension, the banter, the battles, the SLOWBURN, ugh!!! One of the best romantasy's I've read in a LONG time!

Eine super interessante Geschichte die mich immer moch umlaut. Eine absolute Empfehlung für alle Fantasie Fans, die auf spannende Geschichten stehen. Perfekt!

I loved this. I did find it a bit confusing at the start but it never took me long to understand it all.

I really loved Bjorn I thought he was a really well developed character.

It was a really well paced book too not to slow or felt like the plot was moving to fast that some bits made so sense. I haven’t read this authors first series but I’m 100% going to be buying them!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me arc for this books!
The whole Norse inspired world was very vivid and well described. What I love about this author's books is that the fantasy element is present, but never that heavy. She weaves historical -feeling narratives with a bit of magic so well that the world almost feels real.
I was a bit frustrated during the book about some of the MC's decisions, but thinking back it does make her mor 'believable'. I'm looking forward to the sequel. This is an enemies to lovers, slow burn, action packed book- with a big twist at the end!

That ending!!! The fighting, the betrayal, the professions of love, the big reveal. It’s going to feel like forever until we find out what happens next. Fantasy lovers aren’t going to want to miss this!

I loved the Viking vibes. I loved the magic system. I loved the political ramifications of every action. I loved all of it. Give me more, more, more!!

I really enjoyed this Norse inspired spicy romance. Freja has hidden her gift from the World as she would be sought after and used but lives an unpleasant life as the wife of horrid God blessed lord. A prophecy has been maid that the shield maiden will bring a King and now she’s been found.

Danielle L Jensen has a way, much like the Bridge Kingdom, of creating characters that you become invested in. I really liked Bjorn and his story, the little snippets you get through the book are intriguing. Freya was a complex character though some of her actions and decisions were infuriating, which I think was the point.

There is some predictability about this book and I had figured out the main twist in the story fairly early so it did feel a little slow to the reveal.. however I could not put this down. Im feeling pretty tired after staying up until the early hours reading it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book had me gripped from the very start right through the very last page! As with Danielle L. Jensens other works, A fate inked in blood is fast paced and completely immersive that will make you forget you're even reading. Freya and Bjorn's dynamic throughout the book is the perfect slow burn romance that will tease the reader just enough to make you unable to put it down! The action and battle scenes were nothing short of bloody and action packed, combined with magic and Norse gods Jensen writes a novel about destiny and power and the struggle of trying change it or letting it change you. This is one of my new all time favourite fantasy romances! I would definitely recommend this to fans of fourth wing and Sarah J Maas!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

oh.my.god.
this was hands down THE best fantasy I read this year.Probably my top 3 ever.This is the next best thing.I'm calling it!!! I didn't get these feelings since TOG. I can't put it into words how much I loved and enjoyed this.The mythology, the action , the slowburn.I am absolutely gobsmacked. I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait for the second book when the first one is not even out yet.12/10 and hell yes I recommend!!! already preordered the first edition!!

I was so excited that I got approved for this book as it has everything I look for in a book Romance, Fantasy and Norse mythology.
The world building in this book was fantastic and the book was so well written. I adore the author’s writing style and found it easy to follow along. The plot was fast paced and i enjoyed that there was always something going on. There were many twists and turns in this book, that at times it kept me on the edge of my seat, especially that ending!
The romance in this story is definitely a slow burn throughout the book. I like that you could feel the chemistry growing between our two main characters Freya and Bjorne.
The book is written from Freya’s POV.
I enjoyed the magic system of this book and the fact that not everyone is gifted with the blood of a god but those that were are amazing.
This book also features revenge, betrayal, trust issues, fighting for power, threatening family, trust issues and more! It leaves you with so many emotions throughout.
I did not see the end coming! It left me shocked and I really felt for Freya.
I absolutely can not wait for the next book in the series to see where this goes!

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC, the following is my honest review.

The premise of this book really hooked me in - I'm a fan of anything mythology retelling/ related fantasy series, and I feel that Norse/ Viking is something not largely seen in the fantasy genre. After hearing and reading lots of great views and being recommended this on Goodreads and social media, I was really excited to read this.

However, it just wasn't for me. The writing was great, in that it was easy to follow along, but there were just a few things I personally didn't like or wasn't sure on:
- the two main characters hardly knew each other. A few banter scenes does not equate to love, and this was definitely too insta-lovey for my tastes.
- the female main character, Freya, was not to my liking. I found her actions and decisions questionable at best and downright stupid at worst. Her addiction with protecting her family seriously annoyed me - she continuously chose to protect them over the people in her country even though she wasn't close to them at all, we saw 2ish interactions with her family of which showed they were horrible people but she was still protecting them? It would have made more sense if we saw greater depth interactions between her and her family.
- The plot line very much lacked logic and consistency at times, especially towards the end. It was also really boring at times in the middle, even the fighting scenes I wanted to just skip over.
- The bad guys didn't really do it for me. Nothing bad seriously happened in the book for me to think Freya should be acting the way she was

Things I did enjoy:
- There is potential here for sure. As rushed as the ending was, a lot happened and it made me want to finish the book to find out who was the traitor/ spy.
- the mythology/ lore with the Gods. The author definitely put a lot of thought into this, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.

A Fate Inked in Blood | eArc Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 /5 | 🌶️🌶️/5

I was super excited about this book, because it had Romantasy, Norse Mythology and was written by the same writer as ‘The Bridge Kingdom’ (a series that I enjoy), and it didn’t disappoint!

The book immerses you straight into the action, the world-building is light and spread across the book, and the two main characters are well-developed and have great chemistry.

This was such an enjoyable read for me, I haven’t read a Dane/Viking book in a very long time and I was so glad to be immersed again in Norse Mythology. I would say that this book is primarily a Romantasy than a full-blown Norse book. The romance was a slow burn and you could empathise with the characters’ struggles and feelings during their journey.

However, I felt that the plot’s ending dragged slightly, which made it easy for me to predict the twist at the end. This hasn’t dampened the book’s enjoyment, and I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to Danielle Jensen and Random House Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

‘A Fate Inked in Blood’ comes out on February 27th 2024. Add it now to your TBR! 

Read this book if you like:

🛡️ Norse Mythology 
♥️ Adult Romantasy
✨ Prophecies
🦸‍♀️ Strong Heroine
🚫 Forbidden love
🔥 Slow-burn

What drew me most to this book was the Nordic/Viking vibes.
Freya situation in the beginning is not one of the best... (although I kinda loved how she handled that..)
She does make some frustrating decision, but for me that made her feel more real. A MC who doesn't always make the perfect choices.
I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to being able to read the sequel!

A Fate Inked in Blood is a fast-paced, thrilling and exciting new Romantasy story from the author that gave us the gem that is the Bridge Kingdom series. Filled with hilarious banter, swoon-worthy tension and epic battle scenes, AFIIB is un-put-down-able. Freya is such a likable and feisty FMC, who is well-fleshed out and so easy to root for, and going on the journey of discovering her own self-worth and honing her abilities with her has such satisfying pay off. The plot itself was interesting and you can definitely tell the level of research and detail Jensen put into it, though most of the plot twists are fairly obvious and easy to uncover. This never took away from the enjoyment of reading though, so I think as long as people don’t go into it expecting to solve a great mystery, they will love it too.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, and NetGalley for providing me with the eARC. All opinions are my own.

“If there is nothing in your life worth dying for, then what is there worth living for?”
“You are mine, Born-inFire. Even if only the two of us know it.

These two quotes perfectly sum up this book and what you should expect going into it.
A headstrong main character with everything to lose and everything to fight for.
I loved the Norse mythology tied into the story and the fantasy elements with the power given by the gods was fascinating.
Overall the story was excellent and compelling.
The romance was an important factor in the high rating. With the forbidden nature of it creating such tension. But it’s nice to see a fantasy book where the romance is not all physical and you can actually believe that the main characters like each other!!
There are plenty of plot twists that set up for an interesting next book in the series. Even though some of them were predictable, they still set a good foundation for what is to come.

My only issue with this book, and I feel it is personal preference, was how much detailed description there was of the fighting. This I found I was skimming over. So if you love fantasy with lots of action and epic fight scenes then this book is 100% for you!!

I think Danielle L. Jenson is highly underrated, she knows how to write a compelling story and I can’t wait for more to come.

The romance tropes that stood out to me were: Forbidden romance, enemies to allies to lovers, touch her and you die

I've debated a lot whether to rate this book 3 or 4 stars, as the first half was firmly a 3, and the second 4. I found certain sections of the story a little slow, but the pacing in the second half was much better. The foundations for the romance felt a little weak to me, but by the end I was fairly hooked by the tension, and the twist at the end was fantastic. I'm excited for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I've been excited about this book ever since I saw the author teasing it in early 2022, so needless to say, I screamed when I got the email that I got approved for the ARC and dropped my whole reading plan to get to this.

I had no doubt that I would love this book. I mean, we have vikings, Norse mythology, romantasy and it's written by one of my favorite authors, but I am still so happy to report that it was everything I wanted it to be.

I really love how the book took vikings and Norse mythology and stayed true to it while also twisting it in a new way, so that it felt like its own fantasy world.
I'm not an expert on vikings but I would say I have a decent knowledge, and I really liked how vikings were the very core of the worldbuilding and I think it stayed very true to the historical inspiration. I think with vikings and pirates, there is sometimes a danger that authors make them a lot more... mellow than they actually were. Here, the vikings actually brutally raided and conquered their enemies and it was neither romanticized nor crucified, it's just the way they live.

The magic system was very much based on Norse mythology and the Norse pantheon of Gods, but with the twist that some humans are "children" of the Gods and therefore inherit some of their powers. There were also some other creatures from Norse mythology. In general, the book wasn't very heavy on fantasy elements, but it was all so cohesive and just worked.

The book is very much a romantasy, so there is a heavy emphasis on the romance, however, I love that there is a very organic element to why the main couple can't just easily be together. There's tension, there's a bit of a slow burn, and while it's not really enemies to lovers, it comes with some of the banter that the trope is known for. It's also spicy, and personally I found it to be a great balance of the romance and fantasy elements.

One of the reasons I love DLJ is how she makes her books feel so unique, even if they have a rather simple concept at their core. That is why I love The Bridge Kingdom so much, and it's why I loved this one so much. At its core, it's a story about a woman being used for her magical powers to advance a man's thirst for political power. However, there is so much more that goes into it, and the more the story progressed, the more I got invested.

The book was also really focused on Freya's character development. She very much felt like the fantasy version of the meme "in my villain era (setting healthy boundaries)". Freya is used to being used, to being a pawn, to doing her duty because she wants to protect her family. Yet she is also defiant and strong, and is very much caught in between duty and desire. It's not a new concept by any means, but I found it to be executed very well here and I felt a lot for Freya.

I think it's become quite evident that I loved this book. It was so good and I know I'm privileged to have gotten an ARC and having been able to read the book months before release, but I still have to say... I need the sequel ASAP and don't know how I'm supposed to wait for probably 1,5+ years to find out how the story continues :(

A Fate Inked in Blood is the first book in Danielle L Jensen’s new Norse-inspired fantasy romance series. I loved this book. After not finishing several fantasy romance books and feeling that I’d never find another that would hold my attention, I picked up this one and immediately knew I was reading something great. The writing style was superb and I was very quickly enamored with this book. The story instantly swept me away into this unique and captivating world. I loved the magic and the Norse-inspired world. The relationship between Freya and Bjorn was nothing short of epic and the build up of tension was perfectly paced. There was plenty of romance and spice.

If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Kerri Maniscalco, or Carissa Broadbent, this book is an absolute must-read. This book does end on a cliffhanger and will make you want to read book 2. I’m eagerly awaiting the release and hope the author doesn’t keep us in suspense too long.

I’d highly recommend this standout book and plan to read The Bridge Kingdom by this same author next.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful guilty pleasure read this turned out to be.
I came across this book while aimlessly browsing and after just recently returning from a short trip to Norway I thought it would be fun to read something Norse inspired and I am a big enjoyer of the whole Vikings vibe so I picked this up thinking why not.

Very rarely have I picked up a book that hooked from from basically the first page - and I can't even really put my finger on why lol. This was just an enjoyable read that kept me speed-turning page after page. I was enthralled in the intrigue, enjoyed the characters and dialogue, and my god the slow-burn romance was done just right in my opinion. I definitely felt the tension between the chararcters, loved the whole magic 'blessed by the Gods trope', really exciting to develop the gifts of the different characters. I felt like the writing flowed and suited the kind of story - this was truly un-putdownable.

Sure, while this is not the most original of stories, I am willing to see past all the flaws I thought this book had due to the immense enjoyment and pure norse vibes that captivated me while reading this. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a big sucess especially on BookTok. It's got all the ingredients of what readers seem to like at the moment; big props to the forced proximity (I don't want to admit it but it is one of my favorite tropes when done right) in this, it was just chef's kiss.

Thumbs up to the ending - even though it was predictable I am equally smiling while punching the air, furious that there isn't a book 2 I can immediately sink my teeth into.. Great start to the series, can't wait to read more and needless to say I have added further Danielle L. Jensen books straight onto my TBR.

>> Review also posted on Goodreads

Freya is a young fisherman's wife. Although it's not the life she always dreamt of. She wants to fight for the jarl, to be worthy of Valhala, and own her own life.
One day, jarl Snorri comes to her, and asks his son Bjorn, who owns a God power, to fight her. To protect herself, she then reveals her biggest secret, and her life is changed forever...

Danielle L. Jensen wrote a new series, and as for the Bridge Kingdom, I'm hooked ! This one takes place in the Northern territories, and nordic Gods rule among these lands.
Every little thing that I enjoy in a romantasy book is there : great building of the world and the mythology, slow burn and banter between the two main characters, forced proximity and some spicy scenes.
But also revenge and duplicity, true love and week family, fights for land and power, and a little bit of God's magic.
I really enjoyed this book, couldn't put it down, and can't wait to read what comes next ! Thank you NetGalley and DelRey for sending me this book !