A Cut Twice As Deep

Rating: 3 out of 5

"The darkness can't hide the passion in you. Try as hard as you may to be ice, you are fire!"

Twin sisters, Liana and Deirdre were inseparable, making the pain of having to leave each other cut twice as deep. Their father, king of Svartur Rokk, did not care about twin bonds and severed the pair in a single blow. Both have been sold to the highest bidders for ships, weapons, and alliances. For their father these are profitable and advantageous marriages, but the twins would be torn from each other's lives and sent to lands far apart. Liana is forced to leave her childhood sweetheart and marry a stranger. Sweet, timid Deirdre would wed a Viking warlord. Given no choice but to embrace the lives planned for them, they find that the future holds more than they could ever have suspected.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, as most Viking romances lately have let me down a bit. I think this book was a cute read, but I don't know that it should be considered Viking. The Viking aspect is hardly mentioned and really the focus is just on each sister and how she is adjusting to life with a man she's never met before being forced into marriage. It only felt like a Viking novel towards the end, and even that left me wanting more than I got. But that's okay because the story was still a good one.

The book focuses on both sisters and their marriages, I just wish the perspectives could have been distinguished better. The author does a marvelous job of creating the world and story. She presents well rounded characters and you can see character growth taking place throughout the story. For a bit of the book it felt less romance and more just two sisters lamenting not being together anymore. I think it took a while for the plot to happen and even then it felt less like a plot and more like a side quest. I wish that the book had a bit more action. It was a cute story, if somewhat predictable, but I just wanted a little more.