Stacia in Progress

He wished for a moment, that another life could be his.What a compelling story! I honestly thought To Sin With a Viking was going to be a 5 star rating because I was completely enraptured with my read...until one scene evoked feelings of extreme frustration in me. But we'll get back to that nitpick later. :pIn short, this is the story of a Viking lord who was captured under unusual circumstances by a woman that managed to intrigue him more than he was expecting...No man ever wanted to admit his marriage was dying. He'd been married to her for five years, and it still felt as if they were strangers.Trigger Warning : Emotional Unfaithfulness. I almost didn't put in the trigger warning because the book explains over and over that Styr was in a loveless, arranged marriage in which he honestly tried to be faithful, when his wife wasn't wanting him at all. So this isn't cheating in the traditional sense of the word.It was as if she'd awakened a part of his spirit that had been shielded for a long time.So there you go. I can't say that there weren't feelings and desires and a few stolen moments, but the story was not meant to be about cheating. This is about a man who went without love for his entire life, and how he discovered the meaning of love.Because of the success of the t.v. show Vikings, it looks like there might be a new trend arriving with an assorted batch of Viking romances. Sure, there had been Viking romances penned before the show (case in point, Believe in Me, which I recently read), but this is still a fairly untapped market for mainstream romance. While I tend to despise trends and tons of authors jumping on a bandwagon just to make money (death to gajillionaires!), I can't say that I'm sorry to see any sort of historical romance outside of the tired Regency set getting some attention.After all, the world of the Vikings is extremely interesting to observe, especially when you get to see how layered their culture was. We know something about the raping, pillaging and conquering, but when you peel back that initial layer and see how they worshipped (there's mention of the different gods and even traditions, such as human sacrifice), how they ran their households (the scene which showed Styr's knowledge of fishing was a great one), and how they lived their every day lives, you realize that there's a lot to discover. And who knew that the were making ivory dildos back then? IT'S ALL JUST SO FASCINATING! Many fans of romance like to read a story in which a rough, hard-edged man is somehow softened by love. This story does not disappoint. Styr is not quick to waver from his responsibilities. It takes time and care from Caraugh to melt the ice around Styr's heart. Theirs is a beautiful love story, full of moments in which both characters need to learn to bend and listen to the other person. What I most appreciated about this story was that all of the obstacles were real, and not imagined in the characters' heads. There wasn't time for ridiculous misunderstandings and people running away out of misinformation, because there were actual issues at work trying to keep these two people apart.There was such a depth of storytelling present. I fell in love with each phase and stage of this book, never skimming to get ahead, because each intriguing moment led to another intriguing moment. I was engaged in a way I haven't been very often with any kind of romance lately.You might be wondering why there was a scene which angered me, if I didn't have an issue with Styr having feelings for Caraugh, in spite of having a wife. For those who have read the book (or those who don't mind being spoiled), this is why : The scene where they were not "touching" but pleasuring themselves, Styr considered it a lesser form of cheating, but getting naked for someone and performing is NOT all that different from going through with the deed. In his heart, he was cheating. Let's call a spade a spade here. If you're going to do it, own it, or don't do it at all.Even though there was one scene which could have been handled differently, I still relished Styr and Caraugh's journey. I look forward to the next tale that's been planned for Elena and hope that this author adds even more stories in the future. If you're curious about Viking romance or are a fan of the Vikings show like I am, I'd highly recommend giving this a try.This book provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-release copy and may either be altered or omitted from the final copy.