Viking Mistress

From the back of the book: WORLDS APART - Determined to escape marriage to a man she did not love, Nama fled her Anasazi village. Barley escaping with her life, she stumbled into a Viking camp..and into the haven of Garrick Nordstrom's powerful arms....BOUND BY A PRIMITIVE PASSION - From a fierce mountain wilderness across a vast sea to Norway, Nama embarked on a journey of discovery and desire that would take her from tender innocent to passionate woman. Driven by her desparate quest for freedom, she fought for her future in a strange new land...and defied the gods themselves for love of the virile northern warrior who was her breathtaking destiny. When I purchased this book, I was guessing it was the sequel to Beloved Viking that would involve Shala and Eric's child, but instead Nama is Shala's friend and Garrick is Eric's brother. Nama's story begins after Hooked Nose threw her over the cliff because she was trying to stop him from attacking Shala. Thinking her friend was killed because she helped her run away, Nama made herself an outcast from the Eagle Clan by not returning after recovering from almost drowning. I was pretty frustrated with Nama in previous book because it’s like she waited for Shala to do everything and never wanted to do anything on her own. But in this book, she had to face some real facts….she couldn’t lean on Shala’s strength anymore. Nama has taught herself how to hunt and protect herself. She also knew what she wanted and that was her freedom to make her own decisions. What I didn't like is that Nama made a lot of internal assumptions that created a cycle of misunderstanding between her and Garrick. Garrick was an alpha - he wanted it his way and was pretty stubborn about it. What I liked about Garrick is stepping in to save Nama, even though he was in a foreign land and had already been in several little skirmishes with the skraelings. What I didn't like is that Garrick tricked Nama and took away her choice in going to Norway. I also didn't like him flaunting the other women in front of her...even if it was to make her jealous so she'd come back to him, it was wrong and humiliating. It's frustrating seeing Eric get so close to letting his brothers know he's alive but just missing the boat. There's also a small romance going on with Garrick's brother Olaf and the Desert Clan woman called Walks with Thunder/Desert Flower. I liked that BB could show the other brother finding his mate but not take way from Nama and Garrick's story. The ending bothered me at first because Brynna is introduced, but it leaves you hanging as to what happens with her (her story is Warrior's Destiny). I'm hoping her story has a family reunion with Eric and Shala, Nama and Garrick and Olaf and Desert Flower.