First, I’m taking a star off for the stupid blurb. Why on earth do they mention rock ‘n’ roll when talking about this book? There is nothing musical, nothing punk, nothing rebellious. It’s a buzzword they used simply because they wanted to draw attention to the title; it’s blatant, stupid, and makes me wonder if Chat GPT was used.

This is a perfectly adequate romance. Haakkon falls in love at first sight, Kenna is attracted but very aware that this is a Viking, and a man her village has to bow down to. When she’s claimed as Haakon’s wife, the villagers all go along with it, leaving her afraid but determined to do her duty, but Haakon, like any reasonable man, doesn’t get off on the thought of raping his wife and tells her he’s not going to touch her until she instigates it. Then her mother tells her to be a dutiful wife, so she instigates it, they have sex, and the book ends.

There’s a hint of a plot, but only hints, with any and all actual story happening — I imagine — in future books. However, I wasn’t caught enough by this one to care about picking up a sequel. While the writing is fine, it also has the ubiquitous sassy “I’m not like other girls,” girl. Kenna has no personality beyond that, and Haakon’s personality is good guy. It’s shallow, but it’s quick, and I appreciate the way Haakon eventually handles the whole sex issue … nevermind he forced her to marry him by threatening to kill her people; that's never addressed at all.

There are no consequences, no reactions, and nothing here to hold my attention. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

A Viking’s Love – A Tale of Passion and Peace
When he arrived in her village, it wasn’t with the thirst for conquest—but with the hope of a new beginning. Haakon came not to pillage, but to plant roots. To secure peace, he offers marriage to Kenna, the fierce and beautiful woman who stood over him when he washed ashore, half-drowned. In that hazy moment between life and death, he thought she was a Valkyrie.
Now, back in her village, he makes his proposal. Kenna must choose: accept this stranger to protect her people, or resist and risk war. But can a union born of duty grow into true love?
Bats Out of Hell delivers a satisfying mix of romance, tension, and emotional depth. If you enjoy historical stories where love grows from unexpected beginnings, this one is well worth the read.

What do you get when a strong Viking Haakon and strong Scottish lass Kenna get together. Fireworks, romance, fighting, and a while lot of banter. Nice start to a series.

#BatsOutofHell #NetGalley.

Arc provided by the publisher

3 stars for me, I’d read more by this author. The HEA for this couple is set by the end but we are still in the midst of a bigger story arc and set up for the next book.

Kenna & Haakon

Kenna is a Scottish Christian. Haakon is a Viking looking for a new home after battling his brother for his father’s kingdom and losing. When his ship is wrecked and Kenna pulls him onto shore he thinks she’s a Valkyrie bringing him to Valhalla. When he sees her later in her village, he knows she’s his fated love. Kenna wants nothing to do with the ‘heathen vikings’ and tells Haakon so. He really has to win her over, even after they are married.

I haven’t read a romance set during Viking times and wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a lot like medieval. What threw me off was the title and reference to rock ‘n’ roll Vikings, « sex, drugs and rock n row »? Is it Vikings + some modern references? There is no drugs, or music, but there is sex and rowing the ship. Some of the language took me out wondering ‘would they say ‘pussy’, or ‘fuck’ or ‘take a piss’?’ I try not to let that stuff bother me, its a Romance book and doesn’t have to take itself too seriously. This case it was enough to take me out of the story a bit. There is also a lot of discussion about Gods here as the Vikings explain and follow their Gods like Odin, etc. And the locals in the village believe in a Christian God. I was worried this would be too preachy, but its more of a case that each is explaining their beliefs and pointing out the similarities.

I appreciate an author that tries something different. This didn’t quite hit for me, but it could be the perfect thing for someone else.

This book was amazing! I love Viking books and I don’t usually see that many. But I was so happy to find this one! The romance was so swoony and the plot was action filled and amazing!

This first book in the Vikings Rock series was an original and intense historical Vikings romance. It is full of drama, action, adventure, humor, and a lot of excitement that kept me entertained. I enjoyed the heroine being so strong-willed, and I found the hero to be quite interesting. Their chemistry and slow burn romance were really good. I highly recommend reading!

Strange book, I cant decide what the genre was because it isn't really a romance, there wasn't really any spice, just some crude language. There's no rok or roll so an odd marketing strategy. Overall an easy read but it never hit the mark of romance or caring for the characters

Wow, what a wild ride! This book is like if "Thor" and "Outlander" had a fiery, unapologetically steamy lovechild. Haakon is the kind of Viking hero you can’t help but swoon over—all possessive growls and unwavering devotion, convinced Kenna is his fated queen from the moment he washes up on her shore. And Kenna is no damsel in distress. She’s tough, skilled, and refuses to bow to anyone—until Haakon takes over her village.

The chemistry between these two is off the charts. It’s a slow burn that absolutely delivers, and when things finally heat up? Let’s just say Haakon’s *ahem* unique jewelry lives up to the hype. The mix of humor, adventure, and sizzling romance kept me hooked, though I’ll admit the Viking alpha-male bravado took some getting used to. (So. Much. Grunting.) But if you’re into bold, insta-love-meets-destiny stories with a side of Norse intensity, this one’s a blast.

Fair warning: It ends on a cliffhanger, and now I’m desperate to know what happens next. Bring on book two!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Haakon, a viking, and his crew get stranded in part of Scotland. His Viking ways of conquering and worship are at great odds with Kenna, a local girl. He makes an agreement that will cost her, her freedom. The first of a uniquely different historical romance in ancient times. It's filled with some humor and lots of steam. Fabulously engaging and entertaining well paced too.

4.7/
Tropes: historical, crazy wild Vikings crash their ship onto an unknown shore, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, he's very possessive, shes a strong-willed woman, slow burn, she is terrified he is...pierced. LOL
Ah, this was so fun! I loved this book and am super excited for the next book ( Hamish!!!!!) It's full of adventure, humor, and swoony romance. Kenna is a strong woman, skilled at taking care of her loved ones, in I am guessing the Scottish lowlands/English border. Haakon arrives by shipwreck and at the first moment he sees Kenna he believes she is his true destiny and he makes his home in her town and will not raid the town if she weds him. It's so fun and full of great chemistry, and plenty of slow burn too. Great if you love Marvel's Thor movies, I kept thinking of Led Zeppelin music the entire time I read it.

Thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the highlands with these Vikings. The author did a great job capturing some insta-love from the MMC after the FMC saves him from drowning. I liked seeing the way he earned the respect and adoration of the FMC. Looking forward to the rest of the books!

Family, Destiny, Trust, Negotiations.
My first time reading anything by this author and the story was quite unique.
I was not a fan of any of the characters in the story.
A crew of Vikings stranded and wanting to negotiate for a place to live but soon their leader Haakon took over and made himself the king and
new wife Kenna queen.
Married right away but their marriage was not consummated until the last part of the book. This is where the story took a turn with the couple in their displays of intimacy that was very detailed.
I usually like a good Viking story, but this turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment for me plus a cliffhanger ending.
Mature Advisory: 4/5
Book Rating 3.3

I liked this authors medieval book I read but the time period is not one I enjoy so when I saw she was coming out with a Viking series, I figured I would try it. Her men are so alpha again, its very in your face. Be prepared for crotch grabbing and a lot of "manly" dialogue. Its not really my thing but I didn't mind it since Haakon is very much love at first sight as he believes Kenna is his destiny and he is devoted. Kenna is a strong woman who even though she may not have been treated as such by other men, her father taught her to hold her own when it came to living. We had to wait a while to get some steamy scenes but I feel like the last 20-15% was making up for that. There was no dub/noncon in this book.

Even though I really did enjoy it, I don't really care for the alpha male/war lifestyle of this time. I will continue to read this series as I am thinking it will be his siblings in the other stories. But bragging about pillaging and taking of women (rape if we are honest) doesn't do much for me. It also didn't give me big feels. It was very grunty man trying to convince a woman that his dick is everything she could every want, and I am very down for that. She was dickmatized and same. SAME

If you like smutty Viking sagas this is for you!

I think this book is well written and captured my attention pretty early on. Definitely spicy and it is more focused on the spice than plot progression. Probably 4/5 🌶️ Although it was well written and imaginative (which is why I gave it 4/5 stars), it wasn’t what I expected. I kept feeling like I needed to finish it after I already finished the story. I believe Lily Harlem is writing more books in this series so maybe the plot will progress more in those books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lily Harlem, and Dragonblade Publishing for the chance to read this ARC before it hits shelves!

This is the first story of the Vikings Rock series and it is a great start. I loved the storyline and the two main characters Kenna and Haakon. They are both strong but from two different worlds, Viking meets Christians. There is an outside threat that will soon be upon them but now they train. The story is well written, entertaining and with bits of humor throughout. The story has a cliffhanger and hopefully the next story is close. It’s a story that is worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.