Nena by Ann Boelter

Nena, the first book in The Viking Treasure Huntress Series, is a well-crafted historical romance with strong, memorable characters and an enjoyable storyline. 

Buy or Pass Recommendation: A good buy for fans of historical romance. 

The Good

It’s not for nothing that Nena was voted one of the top five Viking romances on Goodreads. 

As it is a period romance, the social and cultural mores of the time need to be established early on, which the author accomplishes with ease. The author has also done a great job endowing each character, no matter how small, with a distinctive feel and personality.

Nena is believable as the strong-willed, intelligent, and unyielding princess. As a reader, you sympathise with her situation and are immediately in her corner. Jarl is equally convincing as the merciless, yet not wholly uncompassionate, leader of an enormously successful Viking tribe.

But the star of the show, so to speak, is Altene. As Jarl’s jealous and scheming mistress, she could easily have been turned into a hateful figure. Instead, the author uses Altene as a medium to utter some harsh truths about the unintended consequences of wars.

The Bad

About a third of the way in, there’s a brief interchange between Jarl and his men that I found unsettling.

Jarl is addressing the concerns of Gunnar (the main character in the next novel in the series, Fiona) and Tryggr, his right-hand men, regarding his growing, and as yet unrequited, infatuation with Nena. A frustrated Tryggr advises him to use force. Jarl does not heed the suggestion, it’s true, and that would have been that but for the most disturbing part of the conversation:

Gunnar, speaking about a woman he once captured in battle:—

“I was young and did not wait … Though I had to do much to make up for that later.”

“In the end, she forgave you?” Jarl asked. 

“Yes. We were married…”

Now, I understand the story is set in a different time period, and that’s how things worked for a lot of human history. Twisted as that argument is, I get it. Or I would have had the author not taken pains to establish that Jarl is not like other men; he doesn’t force himself on women.

Seeing as this was done to make Jarl more palatable to the readers, it was surprising to find the mantle being passed onto Gunnar of all people at the end; a character redemption we could’ve done without.

The Nit-picks

None.

Despite my reservations, I do recommend the book. My issues are with Gunnar, who is a relatively minor character in Nena. So, go ahead and buy it.