West Mercia, Spring AD 873
"Hurry, you're wanted in the hall!"
Merewen looked up from the cough mixture she was preparing in the small hut she used for such tasks. Her younger sister, Aelfwynn, had pulled the door open and stuck her head inside, panting slightly...
The Blurb
A love that will change them forever
A treasure that will bring them home
West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen's settlement is on guard against the outside threat of the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen. But for Merewen, the real threats come from within, as her future is cruelly snatched away from her.
Eirik, a Norseman, finds himself abandoned and injured after his uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed – until Merewen saves his life.
Hereford, Present Day – Left reeling after a huge betrayal, Alix moves to her grandfather's farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. There, after being given a family heirloom, she soon finds herself haunted by memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in which she never existed.
Local farmer Noah is being hounded by the police to find the Viking hoard that his sister and her criminal boyfriend stole from his farm. Noah must prove his own innocence while struggling to decipher the curious connection he has to newcomer Alix – a bond that seems to transcend their own reality.
As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start to feel the whispers of a love they never expected, one powerful enough to echo through history.
My Review
Christina Courtenay is an author whose books I have been meaning to try for ages. When I was offered a copy of this book to review, I was very pleased to accept.
This is a dual timeline novel, and moves between AD 873 and the present day. In the earlier setting, the main character is Merewen, a healer who stumbles across an injured Norseman, Eirik, who is an enemy of her people. Despite this, her compassionate heart leads her to help Eirik, and it is not long before an attraction between them evolves.
In the present day, Alix's grandfather has given her his house when he moves into more suitable accommodation. She is in desperate need of a fresh start, so this has come at the perfect time for her.
Alix's neighbour, Noah, lives with his sister, Niamh, on a nearby farm, and there seems to be some strange connection between Alix and Noah, even though they have never met before.
Both strands of the story read extremely well, and I was gripped by them both. The author portrays both the characters and the settings with enough detail to make them utterly believable.
The story moves along at a sensible pace for the genre and moves seamlessly from one time period to the other, whilst deftly connecting the two stories together. The author is clearly a great storyteller.
I enjoyed reading this very much, and will definitely be reading more by this author. She has woven together this story with skill, and I enjoyed it very much.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dual timeline novel, historical fiction or romance, both contemporary or historical.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1035418633
Publisher: Headline Review
Formats: e-book, audio and paperback
No. of Pages: 304 (paperback)
Purchase Links
About the Author
Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings.
Christina is a Vice President and former chairman and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. RIPPLES THROUGH TIME (dual time historical romance published by Headline Review 21st November 2025) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).
You can also find Christina at:
(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)
(all opinions are my own)
(Bookshop.org affiliated)
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