Sandra Hill
Hill, Sandra - BEWITCHED VIKING, THE (Love Spell - 1999) (4)
While celebrating his successful trading trip, Jarl Tykir
Thorksson is approached by a messenger sent by his cousin, King Anlaf. It seems the king's most important body part has taken a downward turn due to a witch's evil spell! Tykir is commanded to find and return her to the king so the spell can be reversed. At first he refuses his cousin's demand; all he wants to do is get back to his home before the long, fierce winter sets in. However, the messenger hints that Tykir's nephew is being held as a friendly hostage until Tykir and the witch arrive. Reluctantly, our hero and his companions, Rurik and Bolthar, head for Britain to hunt for the troublesome enchantress.
Wed and widowed three times, Alinor of Graycote is sick and tired of being married off because of her brothers' greed. Considering her age (she's an "old" twenty-five) and appearance (long, uncontrollable red hair and many, many freckles), the only men willing to have her are rich, old men. Alinor is perfectly content raising and herding her flock of sheep, but her brothers have arranged yet another marriage contract. While trying to extradite one of her ewes from the briars, her day suddenly goes from bad to worse; riding toward her are three furious-looking Vikings who have spent six sennights searching for her. Despite Alinor's persistent declarations that she is not a witch, she is carried off to face King Anlaf's wrath.
During the journey, Tykir finds himself bewitched by Alinor despite her prickly personality. And she soon begins to believe he is her "Angel Troll," someone her One-God sent to save her from her bumbling brothers' inept schemes. What will her fate be, however, when they arrive at King Anlaf's court? Will Tykir leave her there to be punished, maybe even killed, because this shepherdess can't reverse a nonexistent curse?
Sandra Hill's many fans will thoroughly enjoy this sensual and humorous romp. THE BEWITCHED VIKING is the first book in Love Spell's "Wink and a Kiss" line and even though it is the fourth book in her Viking series, it easily stands alone. The strong personalities of the hero and heroine are vividly portrayed and make for engaging reading. Tykir is a man who has learned from an early age not to stay too long in one place...or become close to anyone. He shouldn't feel responsible for Alinor after delivering her to the king, but he does. Alinor, thinking all men are trolls, can't believe this man may be her salvation from a lonely, loveless life.
THE BEWITCHED VIKING is not your "run of the mill" Viking tale, but a lighthearted depiction of that time in history. The tone is hilarious, and Bolthar's numerous sagas about Tykir's life will leave you chuckling. One word of warning—be prepared to see some very modern-day phrases mixed in with the language of the time. Although they may seem out of place, I felt they enhanced the humor. ~Sharon Laird for Bookbug on the Web
Hill, Sandra - LAST VIKING, THE (Leisure - 1998) (4+)
Meredith Foster, a professor of Dark-Age Norse culture, is
trying to realize her beloved grandfather's lifelong dream of building a Viking ship and sailing it to Norway—when into her life walks a real-life Viking from the tenth-century! After a shipwreck in modern-day Maine, Viking warrior Rolf Ericsson believes that the half-built ship is his way back to the past. Even though Rolf explains his origins to Meredith, she doubts his story until he relates information about various historical events, detailing life in tenth-century Norway. He agrees to help Meredith finish the ship if she will allow him to build a smaller version, which he will use to travel back to his century. A sizzling attraction develops between them, but Rolf is determined to return to his own time in order to honor a pledge to his father.
Sandra Hill has created a sensual and fun time-travel romance, with a Viking hero all readers will love. The story is often tongue-in-cheek and captures Rolf's most endearing quirk, his mispronunciation of many modern-day items and well-known names. THE LAST VIKING is a wonderful read that will make readers chuckle and perhaps shed a few tears. ~Sharon Laird for Bookbug on the Web
Hill, Sandra - LOVE ME TENDER (Leisure - 1998) (4)
When Prince Perico Thomas de la Ferrama ("P.T.") arrives at his corporate office in Manhattan, he is not pleased to be greeted by a protester carrying a picket sign that boldly states, "The Prince is a Royal Pain in the...Foot." In three short weeks his company is going public, and the last thing he wants or needs is unfavorable publicity.
The sign carrier is Cynthia Sullivan, also known as "the shark," a prosperous Wall Street trader until the purchase of an expensive pair of Ferrama blue suede shoes changed her life. Cynthia's thirtieth birthday gift to herself proved disastrous, causing a corn and badly bruised toes. Her sore feet led to slowness on the trading floor and the loss of her job. With no job, no money, and the mortgage due, what she needs is a settlement. Cynthia and the prince clash immediately, despite his attempts to charm her, but he is determined to let nothing ruin his business plans.
As Cynthia leaves his office, she encounters three very unusual people in the elevator. Enter the prince's two stepsisters, Naomi and Ruth, plus an Elvis impersonator named Elmer Presley—an odd trio with their own agenda. In order to keep the protester from making further trouble for the prince and his company, they kidnap Cynthia and hide her in their castle in the Catskills. P.T., unaware of the trio's plan and the action they've taken, rushes to the rescue, only to find himself locked up with Cynthia. Then the fun really begins. Reluctantly, they start to fall in love, aided by the spells cast upon them by fairy godfather Elmer. But her fellow prisoner is not the prince that Cynthia believes him to be. Will she still love P.T. when she discovers who he really is?
Once again, Sandra Hill has written an outrageously funny and sensual romance—a Cinderella tale with an Elvis twist. The hero is Prince-Not-So-Charming and the heroine isn't all sweetness and light, but these two are so likable and real, they could be the life of the ball...uh, party. The antics of the numerous secondary characters, including the prince's stepsisters and fairy godfather Elmer, along with a hearty dose of wisdom from Cynthia's Irish grandmother, will have you laughing out loud! ~Sharon Laird for Bookbug on the Web
Hill, Sandra - LOVE POTION, THE (Leisure - 1/00) (4+)
Award-winning Sandra Hill has created yet another hit! THE LOVE POTION will have your heart thumping and your head spinning when Lucien LeDeux accidentally swallows a love potion developed by Dr. Sylvie Fontaine.
Cajun bad boy, Lucien, has been at loggerheads with Sylvie, a Creole uptown debutante, since grade school. Now a lawyer for the fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, he needs help from his old adversary to do some chemical testing of the fishing waters being ruined by the oil companies. Wanting to ask for Sylvie's help, but afraid the oil companies might get wind of his activities, Lucien secretly visits Terrebonne Pharmaceuticals where she is testing her newly-developed love potion. While there, he innocently dips into the candy jar filled with jelly beans—candy that has been injected with Sylvie's enzymes, ready for the human testing phase of her experiments!
When the news leaks out that Lucien is seeking an independent chemist's help to analyze the fishing waters, and word spreads that a bona fide love potion is being tested, Lucien and Sylvie are hounded by newsmen, fishermen, and people from both the oil companies and Terrebonne Pharmaceuticals. The couple heads for the bayous to stay undercover while the chemical testing is done and the love potion that Lucien swallowed has a chance to wear down. Armed with a measuring tape and charting paper, Sylvie proceeds with her experiment and records Lucien's reactions to the potion. This almost violently hostile couple must also contend with thieves, bullets, Lucien's raging libido, his runaway nephew, and his aunt (who is very insistent that Lucien marry...and soon). And they must keep track of two very sexually active laboratory rats that were part of Sylvie's first experiment.
Sandra Hill always tells a delightfully humorous story with a unique twist. Once again, she uses that well-tested formula to create THE LOVE POTION. Readers will chuckle as they get caught up in the romantic sparring and all the madcap adventures. Then the chemistry between Lucien and Sylvie turns erotic, and their talk about his reaction to the love potion becomes show and tell! THE LOVE POTION is definitely a read-again book, just to make sure you didn't miss anything! It's a HOOT. ~Vicki Patterson for Bookbug on the Web
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