About the Book
Separated by time. Brought together by fate.
Linnea felt a shiver travel the length of her spine.
It hadn’t been a joke – the runes really had shown her destiny.
Indulging her fascination for the Viking language and losing herself in an archaeological dig is just what Linnea Berger needs after her recent trauma. Uncovering an exquisite brooch, she blacks out reading the runic inscription, only to come to, surrounded by men in Viking costume, who seem to take re-enactment very seriously.
Lost and confused, Linnea finds herself in the power of Hrafn, a Viking warrior who claims her as his thrall and takes her on a treacherous journey across the seas to sell her for profit. Setting sail, she confronts the unthinkable: she has travelled back to the ninth century.
Linnea is determined to find a way back to her own time, but there’s a connection forming with Hrafn. Can she resist the call of the runes and accept her destiny lies here …
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Runes-Destiny-romantic-timeslip-adventure-ebook/dp/B084P2VJ6N/
US – https://www.amazon.com/Runes-Destiny-romantic-timeslip-adventure-ebook/dp/B084P2VJ6N/
The Runes of Destiny is a fantastical story about a world long buried and forgotten. It is rich in description, heartwarming, and inspires the imagination.
I do not review historical fiction very often, but I enjoy reading the genre from time to time. I enjoy it the most when the story can pull me into that world in a way that feels like I truly understand what life was like at that time. The Runes of Destiny brought 9th-century Norse life alive for me by giving me a good sense of what travel by boat must have been like during that time. I have seen replicas of ships from long ago and marveled at how people traveled such long distances in a small boat. It seemed inconceivable until I read Runes of Destiny. Now I can imagine it a bit more clearly.
I liked that the romance was an organic part of the story and not an overwhelming presence. Linnea and Hrafn have a love that transcends time and place, literally. But it does not happen right away, and there is no triangle to contend with. But, they do have challenges, and those challenges set a fast pace and kept me glued to the page, as life during that time was much more dangerous than it is today.
I also enjoyed the time travel aspect. I do have some practical questions about how it worked. Still, I was quickly able to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the tale. I loved seeing the different reactions to experiencing a new place and time. It is such a fun aspect of the story.
The character development is good enough to have me speculating whether enlightened men like Hrafn really existed. I would think they were few and far between. Still, I doubt society could have changed into what it is today if men like Hrafn had not existed throughout history. It is fun to speculate, and that is another aspect that I enjoyed about this story. It had me thinking beyond the story.
Fans of historical fiction will love the depth of history found within the pages. Romance lovers will enjoy the slow burn romance that threads its way through the story. And, fantasy lovers will enjoy the time travel aspect that is so fun to imagine. So, this story contains something for a broad spectrum of readers to enjoy.
About the Author
Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014). The Runes of Destiny (time travel published by Headline 10th December 2020) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).
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Giveaway (INT)
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Tessa Talks Books 
Fab review! xx
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Thank you 🙏
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Thanks for the review, Tessa. I’ve made a note of this one.
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It’s definitely worth taking note of. Thank you!
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Same here, Tessa. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but when I do, I enjoy learning what life must have been like during that time period. I can’t begin to imagine what 9th century Norse life was like. Time travel will grab my interest every time.
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Those little boats for such a long distance amaze me. I saw replicas at a museum in Lisbon and I couldn’t even imagine what ocean travel must have been like.
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I’ve actually discovered that I enjoy historical fiction. I like the details about a time period and the way they add another layer of interest to the story. Combined with fantasy, it works for me. 🙂 And a slow burn romance without a love triangle (lol) – I can live with that. Thanks for the review!
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I think historical fiction and fantasy have similar world building, which I love.
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