A Fragile Trust

Stop, the man is alive. That is how it all started. Gemma could not leave the battered man lying by the woods. She had to take him home & heal him if it was at all possible taking into account the severity of his wounds. He seemed at deaths door. She knew she was taking a serious chance since she was living among the Viking stronghold. I savored every word of it. Ash(Ashbeorn) was born English but raised among the Viking's with his traitorous father so he was able to blend in with either one. I think Ms. Kirkman did a very fine job telling Gemma & Ash's story. She kept you totally enthralled, at least I was.

By 872, the Viking raids have devastated the English countryside. Everyone is frightened as only Wessex remains as the last kingdom barely resisting the Viking assault, but have little hope of holding out much longer. The Viking won the last battle overwhelmingly. Near the Mercian border, Lady Gemma finds a bloodied male lying in the forest. She knows he must be a warrior most likely a Viking as he has muscles while her side is skin and bone from starvation. Still she nurtures the injured man in spite of his warning her to leave him because he brings danger to her. Ash, an Englishman raised by Vikings, has sworn his fealty to the King, but has been betrayed by an Englishman not a Dane; his men murdered by treason. He plans to avenge their death, but first he must prove he lives up to the honor of Beowulf that Gemma expects of him while keeping her safe from a sly traitor as they begin fall in love with one another. A FRAGILE TRUST is typical of the Dark Ages romances, but yet contains a fresh plot due to the courageous lead couple. Gemma risks all to nurse Ash back to health while he vows to keep her safe in a world where betrayal and violence are the norm. The story line brings out the late ninth century through tidbits like the Beowulf reference (could they really know of this Danish poem in England at that time?) and especially the impact on the people by the Viking raids. Helen Kirkman provides a terrific tale starring two honorable heroes struggling against treason and duplicity.

Setting, Wessex, England 871 AD --- It was a tumultuous period as Wessex, under King Alfred, was the last English stronghold resisting the raging Viking plunder. There were those who pledged loyalty to the new twenty-four year old king struggling against the overwhelming forces of the enemy. Ash, English by birth, had been raised among Vikings, but sickened by the horror of the Viking pillaging was determined to prove his allegiance and was a favored warrior to the English king. In the latest battle, an English traitor betrayed him and after all his comrades in arms had been slain, Ash was left for dead. Coming back from gathering wood in the forest Gemma spied Ash's body and, even though she thought him to be an enemy, risked everything to rescue the beautiful mysterious warrior. Gemma whose work as a jeweler had always been her all consuming passion was confused over her feelings and undeniable attraction for the wounded warrior. When Ash began consorting with the enemy, she should have been frightened, yet she could not fear him. She feared herself -- what she felt for him -- and the heat that consumed her body when he was near. As Gemma perpetuated the lie of his presence in the Viking camp, the dangers grew day by day. When the traitor returned to reveal him his identity to the Vikings, Ash would make the ultimate sacrifice in risking his own life to save Gemma and her brother. *** While this is a very well written, original, and well-researched novel, it is VERY character driven in that there is NOT a lot of action or dialog. What dialog there is - seems stilted because of the nature of the two characters who 1) do not trust one another, and 2) are uncomfortable with the intensity of the physical attraction between them. Gemma is a very original heroine, depicted as a master jeweler impoverished and forced to complete a commission for her captors who are holding her young brother as hostage. Gemma's feelings seem to be examined much more readily than Ash as her thoughts describe what she'd like to say to Ash, but can't voice. Ash is very secretive, totally enamored with the beautiful woman, and her talent, who saved his life but cognizant of the danger she'd be in, should the enemy discover who he was. Additionally, Ash felt a inadequate due to guilt of having once been part of the Viking terror that he couldn't voice his feelings either. Though neither could voice their true feelings, the physical chemistry soon overcomes what words could not convey and the sensuality of the lovemaking is tastefully and beautifully done, built slowly, and occurring much later in the story. I can definitely recommend this novel for the sheer beauty of the writing, and the love story, but warn readers that the pace is slow and if you're looking for an action read, you would probably find this frustratingly slow. (...)