Set
in 10th century Brittany, this is the story of Adele of Vannes, the
daughter of a duke and granddaughter of a king and the Viking who claims her. Adele
was bartered at birth in a marriage treaty for the sole purpose of producing a
royal heir. When her philandering husband, the duke, is slain by Norse
marauders, she marries their chief in order to protect her home and her people.
Valdrik Vargr, “the Norse Wolf”, has dreams of a dynasty and so he uses his might and his shrewdness in statecraft to conquer Brittany and claim Adele’s hand to sire sons from royal blood to solidify his hold.
Vane
does a wonderful job of bringing us into
the times of the Norsemen who arrived in France (Brittany in this case) not to
pillage but to conquer and settle. Vane does her research and it shows. This is
the first of three short tales that involve the matches made by Valdrik and his
men. A great short read.
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| Map of France showing Brittany |
The Wolves of Brittany Trilogy of Novellas:
Breton Wolfe
Ivar the Red
The Bastard of Brittany
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