Special Agent Trace Dyson races around the world, retrieving priceless artifacts from criminals. But his one dream is to recover a spear, stolen from The Valkyrie's Tomb. It's his family's White Whale, his father and grandfather's unfulfilled mission—and when he sees a beautiful and mysterious woman steal a bracelet from the tomb’s exhibit, he’s intrigued. Before he takes her to jail, he has a few questions. Laila Nyland is a Valkyrie on the edge—worn out from her duties, her final mission is to come to Midgard and find a mystical spear lost centuries ago. Forced into a partnership with Trace, she can't help but be attracted to the hardcore treasure hunter even if he drives her up a wall. The more she learns about him—the harder it is to lie to him about her mission. Before their secrets rip them apart, these two will be responsible for saving the world—that is if they can trust each other longer than two minutes.
I’ve been trying to find more Norse mythology themed books since the Thor movies came out so I had high hopes for this book. Overall, it was a pretty decent read. I was hoping for a bit more adventure, but that’s ok. The romance was pretty quick, as it tends to be in many books. I wish there had been more about the Norse mythology. I wouldn’t mind reading more from this author. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I loved the sound of this book from the blurb, it sounded fab, but whilst it was a good one time read it didn't enthral me. Trace and Laila were good main characters but something about the development of their relationship didn't wok for me - it felt a tad rushed.

Another great entry in the series! Trace is an Indiana Jones type hero and Leila is a Valkyrie and their quest for the same archaeological object leads them to work together to achieve their goal - though their final objectives aren't the same and things take some dramatic action packed turns on the way to their HEA. Some sexy scenes and a fun romance for two like minded souls. I love the worldbuilding in this series, the Norse mythology themes are well researched. It's an entertaining pnr adventure!

3,25 battle-scarred *
I wanted to give this 3,5* but then I would have needed to round it up to 4* and it didn't feel quite right to do that.
I expected some sort of Relic Hunter/James Bond crossover but was left a little bit unfulfilled in that department. I also hoped to be a bit more drawn into the realm of Norse mythology. The elements that are there are somewhat prominent, but the world-building was a bit too mysterious to be convincing.
The book had its good parts but especially from around 85% on I was just shaking my head and already expecting an over-the top ending. I dislike these exaggerated closures more than open or even unhappy endings. Another disappointment was the Romance part. I just can't with this stuff that goes "Spent 5 days with her, kinda like her, must be love". I don't buy it. I refuse to.
In general, however, this was a pleasant read and I was glad to have the opportunity to get more into Norse mythology.

This book is for you if you like Romances that go fast, hot fighting scenes, a 30/70 ratio of action/investigation, don't want to get too many details and are in the mood for a light and easy read.

What's happening.
For hundreds of years, the cane has been hidden and now the Valkyries of Valhalla have discovered its whereabouts. It carries the power to free the Wolf (to some this death bringer may be known as Fenrir, but that's not mentioned in this story), who will bring Ragnarok - the Norse version of the apocalypse - down on this world and all the others.


Freya thus sends Laila off on a mission to retrieve the cane. I sort of had Xena the Warrior Princess in my head because she certainly is a skilled and feisty fighter.

She semi-willingly teams up with Trace, a mortal (?) whose life-long mission it is to give stolen and lost artefacts back to their rightful owners. Although there is considerable chemistry between the two, they have decisively different definitions of what it means to get the cane back to its rightful place. They follow a trail that leads from France to the US and they leave a trail of defeated opponents behind.


In the midst of all the investigating, forging identities and hatching plans they cannot deny the pull they feel towards each other. How couldn't they? I suppose it's natural to feel the urge to get close to somebody in pressuring situations like theirs and is certainly an intense time they are spending together. But when the l-word fell I was a little bit confused.

But who am I kidding, I have no idea how I will react should I ever be in a life-threatening situation. So all scepticism put aside, this was a light and fun read for in between.
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Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*

pace = 3*

plot development = 3*

characters = 4,5* (I honestly think the Valkyrie was a very good character)

enjoyability = 3*

insightfullness = 1* (wayy to little on Norse mythology)
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This eArc was provided by Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/07/02/warrior-in-love-by-sheryl-nantus/)

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story. 


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Medium burn

Relationship dynamics: The Cocky Interpol Treasure Hunter (H) / The Retiring Valkyrie (h)

Sexual content: A smidge. "Onscreen,” somewhat explicit

Triggers: Gun violence; war violence; some symptoms of PTSD (h)

Grammar/Editing: A few minor typos in the ARC, which will hopefully be fixed in the final, published version.

Review: Though this could be a quick read for some, I found this novel to be a bit slow-going. The novel is set in the modern world (New York, LA, and Santiago), but does include reference to mythological realms. In this respect, the world building is mostly adequate, although the descriptions of the realms were a bit short on detail. That being said, in terms of the events borrowed from Norse mythology, what is described is accurate and well-researched. 

Trace and Laila's relationship is founded on mutual goals and need of skills. It evolves quickly but naturally. The banter in the book is good, although the tone felt a little clipped at times. The personal background stories of Trace and Laila were really well-done and this really added to the success of the family legacy aspect of the plot.  The supporting characters were well-enough developed but many seemed inconsequential. The villain(s) were sufficiently threatening and their evil plan came together without any loose ends or lingering questions. 

Antiques Auction Entry Version: The specimen is in good condition and of verified provenance. The design is uncommon, although not unique. Condition notes: no chips or cracks; some fuzziness in what could have been a distinct pattern. A nice entry level antique.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to Love this book as I liked previous ones. Yet here I am... wondering what to
write in my review. This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't Great either.
Trace and Laila were Good and I think their relationship was developing in a really Good way, just
it hadn't worked for me that much. They were connected in a nice way - with no instalove that is
not really my cup of tea beside paranormal/fantasy stuff.
The whole upbuilding and tension building for The battle made The whole thing of relationship
feel like rushed and not exactly well built in each stage.
I really liked how There was Even more info about what was going on with Odin's Bastards and
The Wolf which is getting even more complicated!

He races around the world, retrieving priceless artifacts from criminals, but Special Agent Trace Dyson’s dream is to recover a spear that was stolen from The Valkyrie’s Tomb. He sees a woman steal a bracelet from the tomb’s exhibit and he’s intrigued, so before he takes her to jail, he has a few questions. Worn out from her duties, Valkyrie Laila Nyland’s final mission is find a mystical spear lost long ago. Forced into a partnership, Trace and Laila’s respective missions become one mission – one that makes them responsible for saving the world – that is if they can trust each other longer than two minutes.

The ‘Odin’s Bastards’ series just keeps getting better and better. Laila and Tyson are strong, bold characters that easily fall for and their chemistry is full of electrical sparks that set off lots explosive clashes with each other whether steeped in passion, heat, or combatant. Their secrets cause quite a bit of problems for the couple as well which keeps emotional turmoil at an all-time high throughout.

The plot is fast paced with lots of thrilling suspense, exhilarating excitement and jaw dropping moments that ratchets the enjoyment of the is reading experience to epic proportions. The story has quite the adventurous “Raiders of the Lost Ark” feel to it and keeps readers’ fingers ready to turn the page at a split seconds’ notice. The author incorporated more paranormal and mythological elements to the story that includes a very exciting battle with monsters and the story itself keeps readers in suspense regarding the HEA until the end of this riveting read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a great book , I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone.

I had not read any of this series and from the description I wasn’t sure that it was going to be the one for me. I had read Sheryl Nantus’ Delta Force Brotherhood Series. Enjoyed those so much that I decided I would give Warrior in Love a try. WOW, it blew me away! It is unique and original with the mystical tying into the present-day world in a perfect blend. So well written that the story just grabbed me and held me until the very end. Really even more than that since I bought the first book in the series before I finished this three book.

Special Agent Trace Dyson and Valkyrie Laila Nyland have a story that is a cross between Indiana Jones or National Treasure and Norse mythology. There is enough romance especially in the build up of the relationship as well as danger, suspense, and the unknown that it is a page turner. I was totally surprised by how the show down with the villains all worked out. The conclusion received a big Hurrah from me.

I had thought that perhaps the first two books were Trace’s father and grandfather’s story but that is not the case. I have already started the first book which is a completely different plot. Each story seems to be different but with a hero who is worthy of Valhalla; one who has integrity, honesty and courage. Also a heroine who is a Valkyrie; a female with a mission to complete. Each is a stand-alone so I can attest that they can be read in any order. Be forewarned the books are addictive, I want more. Warrior in Love is a true gem.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars

I went into reading Warrior in Love, the third book in Sheryl Nantus’s Odin's Bastard series, with a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and dread. Excitement and anticipation because I love the series and couldn't wait to read the book. Dread because this is the final book in the series and I don't want it to end.

Warrior in Love finds Valkyrie Laila Nyland at her breaking point. For centuries, Laila has been tasked with taking evil souls to Helheim. She can no longer take the pleas and cries for salvation nor the shocked looks when one’s soul and spirit leaves their body. Understanding what Laila is going through, Frejya asks her to complete one last mission. Laila is to go to Midgard (Earth) and retrieve a spear disguised as a walking cane of a fallen Valkyrie. To do so, she must first visit the museum where Mala’s tomb is located and retrieve the bracelet she is wearing. The bracelet will then guide Laila to where she can locate the spear.

Trace Dyson has lived his life believing in the retrieval and returning of stolen artifacts to their rightful owners. At times, the work is tedious and often dangerous. Being recruited by Interpol fresh out of college allowed him to continue the family legacy of hunting down treasures. After all, it was what his father and grandfather did. Trace has been fascinated with The Valkyrie’s Tomb for as long as he can remember. In fact, after the tomb was raided during World War II and its items scattered all around the world, it was his father and grandfather who retrieved two of the items. The only item left to retrieve is the cane. “And now, it was his turn-his duty, his charge to find the cane and bring it back.”

Crossing paths in New York, Laila and Trace agree to work together to retrieve the cane/spear. Both agree the cane/spear should be back where it belongs. Trace has every intention of returning the cane back to the museum tomb. Laila plans on taking the spear back to Valhalla where it belongs and where it will be safe from the Fenris Wolf. Their search takes them from New York to Los Angeles to Chile where surprises await. They find themselves in a “no retreat, no surrender” situation. “Fate loves the fearless” and the fate of mankind and the world rests in their hands. One thing is for certain, their lives and the lives of those who conspire against them will be changed forever.

It was so easy to lose myself into the pages of Warrior in Love. Sheryl captivated my attention with the first sentence and kept it until the very last word. While this is the third and final book in the series, it is truly a standalone read, without mention of the previous characters. I love that all the heroes in this series are so different. The only thing they really have in common is their honor, courage, and willingness to sacrifice themselves for the Valkyrie they love. Thank you Sheryl for introducing me to Valkyries and piquing my interest with their strength, power, courage, love, and loyalty.

Ahhhhhhh Warrior in Love was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

Since I have reawakened my love for historical romance, I tend to read only the authors I already know in fantasy or paranormal romance.
But the blurb caught my eyes, I made me think of Anna Hackett and her new series Team 52.
But it was only the magical artifact which could be linked between these two series, the similarities end there.
There was so much arriving, it is impossible to sum it up. But I do loved how the relationship between Laila and Trace moved. I was just at time upset by Laila as she didn’t trust him enough to explain the whole scheme and only gave him scraps of the story.
I loved Trace Dyson, he is a good man, working to restore stolen items to the relevant. But doing this he tries also to avoid causing hurt. He knows his line of work is not a major deal but in the crime world, it does not stop him from trying to righting the wrongs done by greedy beings. And he trusted Laila instantly even when he knew she was hiding things from him, he still was ready to help her.
I needed a bit more time to warm to Layla, it do understood the importance of her role but why keep going and still hiding secrets when the future was at stake and Trace proved to be more than reliable. Eventually he is a too good man to not forgive her but I would have preferred her to have more faith in him a little earlier in the story.

« “I can’t think of anyone who could love me more than to let me die to save the world.” »

The last twist in the plot felt a bit far-fetched why I thought the end a little rushed, but in all it was a very entertaining action-packed story.

I was provided an advance copy thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Entangled Publishing, but I choose to give my right and unbiased opinion.
4.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Though this book is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I have not read the other in the series and did not feel lost at any point. This tells the story of Laila (who is a Valkyrie) and Trace (who is an Interpol agent) as they team up to find a stolen artifact. There's supernatural elements, because you know one is a Valkyrie, but you don't have to be versed in Nordic mythology to keep up. There's fight scenes and love scenes that were exciting to read. However, I had a little trouble with the falling hard and fast that happened between our heroes. All of this really only took place over the course of about a week and by the end they were making life-altering decisions with each other. Just seemed a little forced at points for my liking. All in all though, a fun summer read. And now I want to read the other 2 books in the series.

The whole storyline, the concept of fantasy combined with the modern day world was written and told so beautifully.

Trace an Interpol agent that recovers stolen artefacts worth millions of dollars as well as have historical significance and heritage. His whole family has had a history of returning these precious artefacts however there is one that is on his mind day and night, that is the Valkyrie Tomb that posses a cane strong enough to summon spirits good and bad.

While at the tomb site, he comes face to face with Laila, a Valkyrie warrior who is also after the cane to return to her land where it is rightfully placed.

The whole storyline of having Valkyrie and Odin's being in modern day society, the concept of the legends and the worlds above and beyond are simply magical. The tension and chemistry between Trace and Laila is evident at the first mentions of the two of them together in the same room, and from then on, it simply grows and blossoms. There are tons of plot twists and moments that will leave you wanting to read more and I would definitely recommend. There are other books in this series that I have not read, but this book was a stand-alone book so therefore I didn't have to read the others to understand the plot and what the characters possessed.

I was generously provided an ARC of this novel by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and views expressed are my own.

This author really knows how to build an epic tale. Imagine modern time colliding with Norse mythology and you would have an idea of the story. Trace doesn't know his connection to the Gods. He just knows he has a family task to complete. When he sees Laila and her wings he is like a dog with a bone. An Interpol agent and one of Freyja's chosen. That alone sparked my interest and kept it all the way through. Highly recommend this one.

I just love this series, this is book 3 but can be read as a standalone. Just can't get enough of these Valkyeries, have yet to read one I didn't like. Has just the right enough romance and mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher , I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Trace may be an Interpol agent but I can't help likening him to a certain intrepid archaeologist! He and his family have been involved in restoring artefacts to their owners for generations. But his white whale is the valkyries tomb - almost all the artefacts have been returned to the tomb but when a mysterious woman turns up at the tomb alarm bells begin to ring in his mind.

Laila may be a Valkyrie, but even they can come to the end of their tether. Laila is burned out and ready for hanging up her wings and remaining cloistered in the compound but when Freya herself requests she undertakes a mission then Laila is compelled to do so. She did not figure on meeting Trace or finding her mission at odds with both her feelings for Trace and his family oath to return all treasures.

The Fenris Wolf has made a pact with an earthborn billionaire scumbag and Laila and Trace have their work cut out for them.

Brilliantly crafted, unusual take for PNR, the Norse legends are woefully underrepresented. The fast-paced action does not deter from the love story or passion between the leads but is entirely appropriate to the story and not just stuck in willy nilly.

The cover for this one caught my eye, and although I’m not too familiar with Norse mythology, I am a sucker for characters with secret/hidden identities. So I decided to give it a try… and I’m very glad I did!

This is a new-to-me author, and I was really impressed with the quality/style of writing, as well as the attention to detail woven all throughout the story. I especially enjoyed everything to do with the artifact/relic smuggling, collecting, auctioning, retrieval, etc. It strongly reminded me of one of my favourite movies (National Treasure), and I loved that! Also, I don’t know how “accurate” the portrayal of it all was (I know next to nothing about this, outside of movies/TV), but the way it was written was extremely interesting and intriguing, and made me feel like the author was either already knowledgeable, or did a lot of research. Either way, I really appreciated the portrayal of it all.

Laila and Trace were both great characters, and although I did like them together (their relationship/romance), I couldn’t help but feel that it was a bit… lackluster. I know it’s a slow-burn romance, but I was hoping for a bit more “umph!” in the attraction department. More sparks, more sexual tension, and a slow ramp-up of intensity, to really give me that feeling of excited anticipation for when they finally come together. But it just seemed like a very easygoing, sweet relationship that held steady at one level for about 80/90% of the story, and then suddenly spiked to sex and declarations of love. I was a bit like, “Oh, okay… that was fast”. LOL! But I’m glad they got their happy ending, and the epilogue made me grin and chuckle.

The one thing that truly disappointed me, however, was the secret/hidden identity aspect. Oh, boy… I love that feeling of knowing the secret that one character is hiding from the other, and the delicious anticipation of wondering when the “big reveal” will happen, and how. I live for that moment… which usually happens in some wonderfully accidental way that has me grinning like an idiot. But that didn’t happen here. *cries* Trace sees something right at the beginning and pretty much immediately guesses her secret. And he’s so blasé about it all. Kind of like, “Oh, hey… so you’re a Valkyrie, huh?” Ack! *cries some more*

So, yeah. No awesome “big reveal”, unfortunately. That, and the lackluster, weirdly-paced romance are why I had to knock off a star. I was actually waffling back and forth between 3 or 4 stars for a while, but eventually decided that despite the romance issue and secret/hidden identity disappointment (which is more of a personal pet-peeve, rather than something wrong), this story really didn’t deserve to be rated as just “average” (3 stars). There was still so much about it that I did enjoy, which made me want to go check out her other books.

WARRIOR IN LOVE is a well-crafted and engaging fantasy romance. Trace is an Interpol agent who works in stolen artifacts. One of his greatest goals is to finally restore all the artifacts to the exhibit/collection of the Valkyrie's Tomb. His grandfather and father also worked on this, but as the pieces were stolen and sold during WWII, they are hard to find. He only has the cane left to find, and he's determined to do so.

Laila is a Valkyrie who has been struggling with the job lately. When Freya gives her the task of locating a great weapon- hidden in the cane for which Trace is searching, she takes it. Finding this weapon and keeping it from the enemy (the Fenris Wolf) could prevent Ragnarok. To find it, she must first get the bracelet from the Vakyrie's Tomb and use it to locate the cane. As she obtains the bracelet, she is observed by Trace who follows her.

Soon, she and Trace team up on the search for the cane, using the bracelet and police work to find it. Along the way, they get to know each other and their attraction deepens into something more. With a mystery and international art/artifact underworlds plus a romance, this book is fast-paced and engaging. There are a lot of twists and turns in their search, and it doesn't all come easily. If you are looking for a fantasy romance with a bit of suspense/mystery, this is a great pick!

Although this book is part of a series, it was easily read as a stand-alone. Highly recommend for fans of Donna Grant and Nalini Singh. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.