This dual time Viking narrative set in current day and ninth century Sweden is a well researched and entertaining book. It reads well with good pace, is rich in both Viking lore and archaeological interests. Add to this romance in both timelines and what you have is an easy read to escape with.

I found the historical timeline to hold more interest for me. The two main leads - Ceri, a young Welsh woman taken prisoner by Haukr (the raiding Viking) and taken back to Sweden - were both likable characters. At times she was too sweet and he was too considerate (although the author did claim in her notes she wished to highlight the gentler side of Vikings). The present day Mia and Haakon worked well on their archaeological dig site (where Ceri and Haurkr had once lived) and the plot revolving around the il/legal search for relics was interesting. However the link between the two couples I found to be rather tenuous and not fleshed out enough to ring true. Were they supposed reincarnates or just picking up the energy of the site and rings is not made clear and I could have done without that component of the story.

The research is good regarding both history and culture of the Vikings and present day museums acquisitions. The writing was simple with basic dialogue and some modern concepts applied to the historical aspect which did not sit well. Both relationships (love triangles included) are predictable but there is a good twist at the end - but once again the author tried too hard to draw parallels between both storylines.

Overall this is an easy romantic escapist read that I enjoyed proving informative, interesting and light entertainment.




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Echoes of the Runes is a beautiful story set in two time periods-present day and 9th century Sweden. In the present day we follow the story of Mia who has recently inherited a cottage on the Swedish coast from her Grandmother. She meets a Norwegian archaeologist, Haakon through her familys historic gold ring at a Swedish museum. And from there, the interest in her Grandmothers property as an ancient Viking settlement brings Haakon and his archaeological team on a search for viking artifacts. Interspersed with Mia and Haakon's story is the story of Ceri and Hawkr. Hawkr is the leader of a viking village who is forced by his wife to raid some Celtic villages and bring back treasures and slaves. In his travels he brings back the beautiful Ceri who he instantly recognises as special not only because she cares for his deaf daughter Joren. The connection between Hawkr and Ceri causes lots of issues and many viking battles ensue.
I really enjoyed the spiritual link between the modern day characters and the mysterious vikings and how they were living almost parallel lives.

I received this as an ARC copy from Netgalley.com and Hachette Australia but it was very difficult to read as their was a paragraph of text reminding you that it was an ARC copy breaking up every page that made it hard to focus and find what you needed to read.

I loved the dual timeline of Echoes of the Runes, which is set in both the 9th century and present-day Sweden. Ceridwen and Haukr, meet when Haukr raids Ceridwen’s village. The people of the village are taken back to the Viking settlement,
Fast forward to present day, and Mia, a museum curator, having inherited a cottage in Sweden, has to decide what to do. However, she soon finds herself immersed in the history of the cottage and the life of Ceridwen.
The relationship between Mia and Haakon, a Norwegian archaeologist, was well paced. I liked to think that the connection between the modern-day romance, mirrored that of Ceridwen and Haukr, but others may disagree. Either way, both stories are well delivered and the connection between them, seamlessly told.
This is a well-researched book and I found myself fascinated by a time period, that I knew little about. Whilst essentially a romance, the suspense of the storyline is effective, keeping me reading well into the night.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Hachette Australia for sharing an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Mia is a conservator at the British Museum. At the opening of the story, her grandmother in Sweden has just died and she's found out she is to inherit the beloved cottage and property. She plans to keep the property but her fiance wants her to sell so they can fun a better home in London. While in Sweden she meets Haakon, a Norwegian archaeologist and it's not exactly love at first site. He accuses her of having kept an artefact (a ring that has passed through generations in her family). It happens there is a ring like it in the museum collection. When matters are somewhat clarified, Haakon takes interest in the property as he suspects there may be more to find there.

Weeks, maybe months later, the archaeology team sweeps in to start the dig with Haakon and Mia in charge. Mia is still wearing her ring and Haakon has "borrowed" the other ring and sometimes wears it. They both have strong dreams that connect them to the original people from the property, Hawkr and Ceri, who lived in the 9th century.

It's a sort of time-slip story with two time periods represented. We have the ongoing story of Mia and Haakone plus the story of Hawkr who raids the village where Ceri lives and takes people and goods away home to what is now called Sweden.

I found this hard to read at times as every page of the book (I"m presuming the print copy) had a heading with book details in it which broke up the text. I'm sure reading this in the proper version would have been a lot easier.

The actual story was quite interesting and was somewhat engaging. I mostly liked the story of Ceri and Hawkr and Hawkr's daughter (deaf and left mostly alone until Ceri came along). The modern story is okay but I found the slight connection to the past didn't totally work for me. I'm not sure why that was but perhaps there didn't seem to be any strong point of this connection other than to bring them together. I assume we are to presume they are a sort of reincarnation of the earlier characters but outside the artefacts it's not too clear. Still there was plenty to enjoy here and the dramas of the main characters in the background provided lots of other story to engage the reader.

Overall, I'd give this a solid 3.5 stars.

Echoes of the Ruins is a wonderful dual time-lone story, Mia in the present was left a property “Birch Thorpe” when her grandmother past away... this land is linked to Vikings and when an archeological dig beings on the land she feels a sense of the pervious inhabitants.

We learn about the Vikings that were there before both through their story and through what is unearthed in the dig.

A wonderfully captivating story of love that resonates through the centuries! I love how Christina Courtenay wove the story through the dual timelines, keeping you hook all the way needing to know how it all ends for both the lovers of the past and the lovers in the present!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars... totally recommend it to anyone who loves a romance and historical fiction!

Echoes of the Runes is a delightfully entertaining novel.

The premise for this novel had me instantly intrigued when I first read the blurb and after finishing the novel I am pleased to say I was not disappointed.

I found the dual timelines flowed well together and created a level of suspense & interest in the characters as well as the overall plot.

This is the first novel by Christina Courtenay that I have read but after how much I enjoyed Echoes of the Runes I will be sure to check out her backlist.

This was such a sweeping romance and it caught me completely off guard. I wasn’t expecting it to catch me right in the heart.

It starts with Mia and Haakon, two historical experts who come across each other in a Viking exhibition. Mia’s gran has just passed away and left her summer cabin to Mia, not realising its historical significance. When the pair start and archeological dig there, the unravel a past they never dreamed of.

Then, a world away, we’re introduced to Ceridwen a welsh girl and Haukr a Viking jarl respectively and their connection seems fated from the start.

I love the way this book illustrates Viking culture in a very accurate way and the romances are sweet too. The parallels between the couples are really lovely and written in a great way.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me the read, great stuff.

Echoes of the Runes is a dual timeline novel set mainly in IX century and present day Sweden. The plot revolves around the story of the two main characters: Ceridwen, a Celtic young woman from a Welsh village, and Haukr, the “White Hawk”, a Viking chief. The two characters meet by chance when Haukr and his men are raiding Ceridwen’s village: the young woman is among the prisoners taken back to the Viking settlement to work as slaves or be held as hostage while waiting for a ransom to be paid. Little they know on that day how that raid will change both their lives… Back to present days, Mia inherits a summer cottage in Sweden and has to decide whether to sell or keep it. Another chance encounter at a museum leads Mia to further investigate what’s hidden in the past of her property, and that is when her life starts resonating with Ceridwen’s memories…

This dual timeline romance has a good flow, the story is well paced and is overall pleasant to read. The author shows a good knowledge of history and culture of Viking tribes in IX century, even if I found that most explanations of the Norse words used in the text were a bit clashing with the flow. The main characters are likable – maybe a little too much in the case of Ceridwen, who seems almost perfectly good – whereas the main antagonists are totally negative, in all the aspects of their personality. I’d usually prefer when characters are less polarized towards both extremes, since they seem more real when less perfect. Some dialogues were also a bit odd - I’m not sure a Viking in IX century would ever reply with a “we agree to disagree”. Apart from that, this is a well written romantic story that may appeal to readers interested to the Viking age, romance and a hint of time travel (though there’s no time travelling, but more of a connection between past and present characters).

Thanks to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.