In a world full of winged warriors, what difference can a wingless girl make? Surrounded by powerful Valkyries, Emberly's wingless status is viewed as a curse. She never expected to be more than a slave and a training subject for the warriors. A chance rescue by the Princes of Ardenia changes her life - but is it for the better? Thrown into a world of politics, legends, and bigotry, Emberly must try to find a way to survive. With the help of the Princes-- Suneel, Jett, Blaine, Hunter, and Flynn--she begins to learn not only about life outside of the barracks, but about what it truly means to be loved.
Paste Magazine Pick for Best New Fantasy Books of July 2022 From the time she was born, Sigrid has only ever been ordinary. Being paired at birth with a plain horse—instead of the powerful winged mare of a valkyrie—meant there would be no warrior path for her. No riding the skies, no glory among the nine worlds. Just the simple, unremarkable life of a stable hand. Everything changes when a terrible enemy ambushes Vanaheim and Sigrid sees a vision of herself atop a mythical stallion, leading the valkyries into a harrowing battle. Finally, she can grab her future with her own two hands and become the hero of her own story...if she dares. But her destiny is tied up with Mariam, a fallen valkyrie who’s allied herself with the very enemy Sigrid is trying to stop. Now Sigrid has left ordinary behind as she begins a journey with the beautiful—if treacherous—valkyrie, each step bringing her closer to answers...and to awakened feelings for Mariam. But the life Sigrid left behind is starting to look a lot like paradise...especially when her destiny lies in the one place no mortal should tread: the gates of Hel. The Sigrid and The Valkyries series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 The Valkyrie’s Daughter Book #2 The Valkyrie’s Shadow
As a rare half-blood among a race of witches and shifters, Freya has enjoyed living a quiet life away from the royal court of Lindoroth and among those who know little about her. She's had the freedom to make her own choices, and fighting alongside the local marshals is just an added bonus. When obligation arrives on her doorstep to remind her of promises made long ago, her quiet life comes to an end. With hardly time to say goodbye, Freya is whisked off to the capital city of Iladel to attend a prestigious royal academy with her peers, where appearances can be deceiving and connections are everything. While there, she'll be reunited with her childhood friend, Prince Aerelius, and begin to experience life at the royal court in ways she never did as a girl. As Freya and the prince dive into old routines and explore new feelings, they uncover the secrets and schemes that lurk below the court's surface. When a secret is unveiled that changes everything, they must do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of their kingdom. If they fail, long-held alliances will shatter and war will come to the shores of their land, threatening all they hold dear.
Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she'll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she's there. What Ellie doesn't anticipate is Graham's infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect that something powerful and ancient will awaken in her and that strange whispers will urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, suddenly there's a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it's up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring, Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them. Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl's unexpectedly epic coming-of-age.
Sometimes the smallest person can change your life, something the Valkyrie Hild is about to learn herself. When the Valkyries ride to Midgard to investigate a vision that her Norn friend Skuld has seen. She thinks it will be the same pointless and dull repetition of the same day that she feels she has been living for eons. Not even the thrill of killing or sex satisfies her anymore. But on her night walk in the magic palace of Rome, she finds herself in the royal family’s garden. Face to face with the tiny crown prince, a meeting that starts a bond with this little boy that will forever change her Valkyrie heart, and her future.
With death stalking his every move, Prince Godfrid must call upon friends, new and old, to find the killer … May 1148. All Dublin is shocked by the murder of a prominent merchant, but only Prince Godfrid knows that the dead man was also a co-conspirator in his brother's plan to take the throne of Dublin. With death stalking his every move, Godfrid must call upon new friends and old to find the killer--and with their help uncover a conspiracy stretching beyond Dublin's walls to every kingdom in Ireland. Join Godfrid the Dane for murder and mayhem in medieval Dublin in The Viking Prince, the 11th Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery. A Note about Godfrid the Dane: Godfrid makes his first appearance in the Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries in the first book, The Good Knight. He comes to Anglesey at the behest of Prince Cadwaladr, but quickly realizes that the deal he's made is not quite what he thought, and Cadwaladr is not worthy of his allegiance. He takes it upon himself to keep Gwen safe and gives her up to Gareth when he comes to Ireland in search of her. He and Gareth grow to respect each other, and Godfrid returns to Gwynedd in The Fallen Princess, on a quest to find the Book of Kells, which has been stolen, and again in The Lost Brother, in search of allies in his conflict with Ottar of Dublin. In both instances, he ends up aiding Gareth and Gwen in their investigations. It is the dispute with Ottar that, in the late 1140s, drives Godfrid and his brother, Brodar. They seek to overthrow Ottar, whom they believe usurped their father's, and now Brodar's, throne. With the approach of the summer solstice and the coming thing, the great meeting of the Danes in Dublin, Godfrid is faced with a mystery of his own, which he must solve if his brother's victory is ever to come to pass ... The Viking Prince is his story. Complete Series reading order: The Good Knight, The Uninvited Guest, The Fourth Horseman, The Fallen Princess, The Unlikely Spy, The Lost Brother, The Renegade Merchant, The Unexpected Ally, The Worthy Soldier, The Favored Son, The Viking Prince, The Irish Bride, The Prince's Man, The Faithless Fool, The Honorable Traitor. Also The Bard's Daughter (prequel novella).
Being both a valkyrie and a princess isn’t turning out quite the way Sigrid imagined. The other valkyries still treat her like a stable hand. Her relationship with Mariam is less “long-distance” and more “worlds apart.” And lately, she’s been wondering if Sleipnir, her new horse, isn’t making her a little bit...well, evil. But Sigrid’s first official valkyrie mission sends ripples through the Nine Worlds. She’s attracted the wrath of not only the Night Elves but their sinister king, who wants nothing more than to bring darkness down on everyone. Worse yet, Loki might just be interfering with the balance of light and dark... When war threatens the shores of Vanaheim and her friends are in danger of being exiled, Sigrid makes a deal with the new queen. She will ride Sleipnir against their enemies and use his might to defeat them, even as he pulls her closer to that line between good and evil. What she becomes will either save everyone...or unleash disaster upon them all. The Sigrid and The Valkyries series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 The Valkyrie’s Daughter Book #2 The Valkyrie’s Shadow
Welcome to Valkyrie High School... Time to Reap my First Soul The first law of the Valkyrie is "Don't fall in love." I messed that one up... big time. I failed my sisters and fell in love with William Johnson. I've watched him for three lifetimes and a little piece of me broke every time I had to let him die. I paid the price for breaking the first law of the Valkyrie. I lost all the memories I had of Will. That's why Sam is keeping tabs on me. She's an ever-present shadow during my time at Mattsfield High. Sam is the perfect Valkyrie. Tall. Beautiful. Heartless. I may not remember Will, but my heart does. If Freya thinks I’m going to be a good little Valkyrie this time around… she’s wrong. Valkyrie Landing is the first in the highly-acclaimed series “Valkyrie Allegiance.” Ideal for readers of strong heroines, urban fantasy themes, and a heavy dose of Norse Mythology (as well as a spaceship or two). You'll be blown away by this character-driven trilogy that'll take you all the way to Ragnarok, so hang on tight!
The #1 New York Times bestselling, controversial portrait of the British royal family -- as told from behind the palace walls -- for fans of Netflix's The Crown and all royal watchers They are the most chronicled family on the face of the globe. Their every move attracts headlines. Now Kitty Kelley has gone behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace to raise the curtain on the men and women who make up the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Diana...here are the scandals of the last decades: the doomed marriages and the husbands, wives, lovers and children caught in their wake and damaged beyond repair. No one is spared.
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE Valkyries: the female supernatural beings that choose who dies and who lives on the battlefield. They protect some, but guide spears, arrows and sword blades into the bodies of others. Viking myths about valkyries attempt to elevate the banality of war – to make the pain and suffering, the lost limbs and deformities, the piles of lifeless bodies of young men, glorious and worthwhile. Rather than their death being futile, it is their destiny and good fortune, determined by divine beings. The women in these stories take full part in the power struggles and upheavals in their communities, for better or worse. Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological evidence, Valkyrie introduces readers to the dramatic and fascinating texts recorded in medieval Iceland, a culture able to imagine women in all kinds of roles carrying power, not just in this world, but pulling the strings in the other-world, too. In the process, this fascinating book uncovers the reality behind the myths and legends to reveal the dynamic, diverse lives of Viking women.
