Review: Dark Viking by Sandra Hill

October 17, 2010 By Amy 9 Comments

Dark Viking
by Sandra Hill
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Available: October 5, 2010
Genre: Paranormal Romance

If life weren’t dangerous enough, stuntwoman Rita Sawyer has been recruited by the Navy SEALs. Now instead of being lit on fire and hurtling through skyscraper windows, she’s trying to survive her grueling SEALs training. But when a sea operation goes wrong, Rita awakens to find herself still clad in her wetsuit and in a cage with a bunch of Vikings staring at her. With no idea how she traveled back in time to the Norselands, all Rita is certain of is that her Viking warlord captor is tempting her beyond reason…

Steven of Norstead can’t belive the sight before him. The strange sea creature he found is actually a beautiful woman. But with her sharp tongue and irksome ways, Rita’s like no other woman he’s ever known. Steven’s been in a cold, dark mood for many a sennight. Mayhap this unusual woman will be the one to light his fire…

Quick Rundown: Rita Sawyer, former movie stunt woman, is now training to become a female Navy SEAL. She is knocked out cold (hit on the head) during a routine SEAL training session and time travels to Norstead during the Viking age. Steven, leader of Norstead, discovers Rita, believes she is a sea creature (given that she arrives in a wetsuit) and decides to jail her until he figures out what she is and what to do with her. The witches of the land believe they have cast a spell to summon Rita’s arrival and that she is the light to Steven’s dark, brooding demeanor.

First Impression: I had not read any of Sandra Hill’s books before, but I understand now that she writes with and emphasizes humor. Going in, I had no idea how silly it would be. Silly as in cheesy. So much so that even within the chapters there are sub-titles such as “He was the Donald Trump of the dark ages….” and “They weren’t Reva and Josh, but there was a Guiding Light…”.

The Hero: A depressed, barbaric Viking that Rita says “has the blues.” (As a form of punishment, he decides to parade “Ree-tah” around town with a slave collar to assert his power and control.)

The Heroine: An independent, feisty woman who adjusts unrealistically well to her new way of life in the Viking age. (She decides to make the best of it and invent deodorant and condoms, the two things she feels is needed most.)

What worked: Ms. Hill has a flair for description and two of her passions are food and sex! I have never heard an author be so descriptive with food and the sex scenes were sensual, hot and probably the only non-corny part of the book! Also, Ms. Hill references Clark Gable and Johnny Depp who are two of my favorite men, so I will give her kudos for that!

What didn’t work: While I enjoy books with humor, the overabundance of it in this case was a turn off for me. I believe Ms. Hill referenced pop-culture and modern day topics in an attempt to highlight the difference between the time periods. However, the jokes and on-liners ended up being more distracting and didn’t particularly forward the generally weak storyline. As a reader, I kept questioning why I was not laughing and ultimately felt no real connection between Rita and Steven and did not really care where they ended up, past or future.

Final conclusion: I don’t think the Vikings are for me, but if someone enjoys (corny) references to pop culture that outweighs storyline and character, this is the book and world to chose.