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Avelynn: A Novel Hardcover – September 8, 2015
This dazzling debut brings the Dark Ages to light and illuminates one Saxon noblewoman's romance with a Viking warrior and her struggle to find her path in a changing and dangerous world
869. For eighteen years, Avelynn, the beautiful and secretly pagan daughter of the Ealdorman of Somerset, has lived in an environment of love, acceptance, and equality. Somerset has flourished under twenty years of peace. But with whispers of war threatening their security, Avelynn's father makes an uncompromising decision that changes her life forever.
Forced into a betrothal with Demas, a man who only covets her wealth and status, Avelynn's perception of independence is shattered. With marriage looming, she turns to her faith, searching for answers in an ancient ritual along the coast, only to find Alrik The Blood-Axe and sixty Viking berserkers have landed.
In a year of uncertainty that sees Avelynn discover hidden powers, stumble into a passionate love affair with Alrik, and lead men into battle, Avelynn must walk a fine line as her deceptions mount and Demas' tactics to possess her become more desperate and increasingly brutal.
Avelynn and Alrik are caught in the throes of fate as they struggle to find the way back to themselves and onwards to each other.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Griffin
- Publication dateSeptember 8, 2015
- Dimensions6 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
- ISBN-101250063930
- ISBN-13978-1250063939
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A must-read for Diana Gabaldon fans – but also for anyone in the mood to escape into an enchanting, romantic world vividly portrayed by an author with just the right pitch for this type of fiction... Campbell writes about Alrik and Avelynn’s star-crossed love affair in a gorgeous, breathless manner that should cement her status as a Canadian author to watch."―The Globe and Mail
"Campbell carefully straddles the line between historical romance and historical fiction. The depth of detail, along with an exaustive plot, presents the readers with a protrait of an exceptional woman... an interesting debut for those craving an old-fashioned tale."―Romantic Times
"Avelynn is a well-researched, beautifully written tale... I highly recommend Avelynn for a trip into the dark past of the Saxon and Norsemen era."―Romance Reviews Today
"Marissa Campbell brings a long-forgotten era splendidly to life in this adventurous and passionate debut."―Susanna Kearsley, New York Times bestselling author
"A story full of hope, tragedy, sacrifice, and love. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to get swept away this fall; and if you like books by Susanna Kearsley, you’ll want to devour Avelynn."―Hook of a Book
"A stimulating new voice in historical fiction is always welcome and I'm anxious for Marissa Campbell's next endeavor. If you love historical adventure with a bit of old world mysticism mixed in, add Avelynn to your next-to-read list."―Romantic Junkies, 4 Blue Ribbons
"I loved it!... The descriptions and story and of course the characters were just so perfect in this book. It’s a definite must read!"―Night Owl Reviews, "Top Pick"
"A charming, elegant, suspenseful tale. The characters are well developed. You, as a reader, truly feel that you get to know each and every person. Let me tell you, some of the characters will make your hair stand on end! Others will make you cheer... I look forward to more by Marissa Campbell."―Book Lovers Paradise
“Avelynn is a captivating tale of star-crossed lovers. He is a Viking and she is a Saxon. Their struggle to be together will lead you on an exciting journey through a background filled with rich and detailed description.” ―Connie Mason, New York Times bestselling author of Viking Warrior
“Marissa Campbell's Avelynn is a fast-paced, rollicking historical novel whose irresistible heroine starts out as the willful daughter of a Saxon earl and evolves into a warrior and leader, as fierce as she is passionate.” ―Barbara Rogan, author of A Dangerous Fiction and Suspicion
“A hot-blooded tale of Viking invasion, Saxon valor, and a love that conquers kingdoms. Get ready to be bewitched by the bold, brave Avelynn.” ―Barbara Kyle, author of The Queen's Exiles
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Griffin (September 8, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250063930
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250063939
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Marissa Campbell is a published author of romance, historical fiction and self-help books. Her debut novel, Avelynn, released through St. Martin's Press in 2015. The second book in the series, Avelynn: The Edge of Faith, released Fall 2016.
In her spare time, she can often be found curling up with a good book, sharing a bottle of red wine with friends or scouring Netflix for her next binge-watching marathon.
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Strongest point to this book is our lead, Avelynn. You want a woman with guts? Look no further! Facing a brutal, tragic timeframe for women in history, she fights for choices in her life and to lead the one she wants. She personally experiences violence and the threat thereof; yet she doesn’t let that break her. She reminds me of another female from the British Dark Ages I came across in another book recently. Badass doesn’t begin to describe Avelynn!
All of that bravado and guts is balanced out with an impulsive nature that leads to the ruin of many of Avelynn’s plans. She doesn’t always contemplate all the consequences of her actions or thinks she’s completely prepared for what may come. She makes choices that burn many of her bridges in life; regret is an emotion she’ll become familiar with in book two, I predict.
The author does a great job in making Dark Ages Britain a real location. Around the time frame of a young Alfred the Great and at the height of the Viking threat, all the gory brutality and threats make an appearance, from bloody battlefields to graphic threats against Avelynn’s person. She also shines a light on local customs, holidays, and religion. I especially liked seeing Christianity and Avelynn’s Four Goddess’ religions shown side by side; it was interesting to see the strengths and weaknesses of both religions and their adherents.
My one let-down with this one was the romance, my biggest expectation that wasn’t met. Don’t get me wrong; the chemistry and emotional connection between Alrick and Avelynn is there when they share page space. They were powerful when together and made my heart sing.
However… And it’s a big “however”. The page time these two share is ridiculous for a book that pushes its romance as a big draw. For the actions that transpire at the end, I didn’t see any build up to it. They seem to come out of nowhere and with little motivation. Their romance is one of those “insta-love” things that drive me up a wall. Little development makes it lack much of the punch that I could have had given its forbidden nature and their mutual chemistry when together. Missed opportunity there.
Where the book leaves off makes me believe that we’ll get more development of this primary relationship in book two. I mean, it can’t help but develop unless Campbell changes the story flow drastically from where it left off. So this disappointment looks to get better in future; I can only hope as this was what drew me to the book in the first place.
While it failed in some expectations for me, I still got a great story and main character. Her history provides a vivid backdrop for Avelynn and her struggles; what romance there was shining all the brighter for the background darkness. The relationship front looks like it might get more development and page time in book two. I look forward to more of that development as I would desperately love to see more of these two together. I’m looking forward to book two; Campbell, bring it on!
This book covers a long time period and summarizes over months a lot. A couple chapters ended with a threat of war or conflict that took a long time to play out. There was plenty of war later on, but I felt let down when I read a chapter ending with the Viking’s storming the village and then it was just glossed over in the next chapter.
There are some intimate moments that will not be suitable for all readers, involving rape, same sex relationships (not always in the best light) and even rude comments directed at children. I think for the time and the villain, these things were backed up with a sound plot, but I think some readers will find it too much. The love scenes between the hero and the heroine are intoxicating and lovely.
The bad guy is someone you will want to strangle while he sleeps and he isn’t the only one. The author creates baddies and heroes well, making you really care when some of them die. My favorite character in the book was Wulfric, a sort of guard who was always around. I think I"d like to read a whole book on his life.
While the love story is fair, there is a lot of stuff in this book that didn’t need to be there. I found way too many paragraphs of lists…listing food, listing herbs, listing items in her pack. And also many paragraphs of questions…What would she do? What would he do? What would they do? Who was he? Where did he come from? Etc… For me, these lists and questions became tedious. I would have enjoyed the book much better without them.
However, I think if you are into witches/druids/earth magic, you will enjoy this book. There were many druid rituals played out as she called for each goddess and cast circles and did witch-y things. There is also a large amount of fighting and war. For a historical romance, I’d say it’s heavy on the history, ritual, and daily life of someone of Avelynn’s time. While the love story is great, it takes a backseat to the telling of a life story. Provided you like Avelynn, I think you’ll be looking for a sequel.