A perfect Harlequin Romance! I'm really hoping Harlequin continues publishing romances like this set outside the Regency era. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the attention to detail was sublime. The romance was a quick burn but this isn't a bad thing. I loved it.

Solid read! Story and plot progression were great, at times however, I felt as though the internal monologue, specifically for the FMC was too much but nothing too crazy to make me dislike the book.

This story was just delightful!

First of all, the setting. I'm not usually a fan of Viking romance (at least I wasn't used to being... maybe that's changing now), but when I saw the location was Constantinople, I was sold. I love seeing historical romances set outside the traditional Regency era.

The romance between Thea and Erik was both sweet and spicy. They both had their duty to their Emperor, and would do what they needed to - but instead followed their hearts.

A great story, and this is the author's debut. I cannot wait to read more by her!

Part of the reason I like historical romance is that it introduces me to parts of history I know nothing about. Like, in what other genre would I find out that there was a Viking guard on the Byzantine Emperor in the 10th Century AND ALSO get hot sex scenes between a member of said Viking guard and a Byzantian princess? AND includes a historical tidbit in the denouement? NO OTHER GENRE.

This is a fast-paced romance between Erik, a Varangian Guardsman, and Theadora, the emperor's niece and adopted daughter. When a palace coup throws the two into close proximity (Road trip! Only one horse! Wolf attack! Shepherd's cottage to escape a thunderstorm!) they get to know each other and the two fall in love. But Thea is promised in marriage to the King of Macedonia, while Erik has his own past trauma that is keeping him from committing.

I was 0% surprised to see in the foreword that Roxy Harper was inspired to write this book after learning about the Varangian Guard. Seriously, it's such a great concept for use in a historical romance! I had a whole ton of fun reading this and going down Wikipedia research rabbit holes afterward to find out more about so many things.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I DNF'ed at 40%.

I was really intrigued by an historical set in a less common place and time. But unfortunately the characters never really sang for me. Theodora is a princess who is also a healer and an orphan. But we didn't understand her healing path by 40% and I didn't really get a sense of who she was. Erik is a Viking who is also part of the royal guard in Constantinople and probably also a prince (I didn't make it to the clarifying reveal). He's lost his family before and blames himself.

They were in danger, there was action, and I just didn't care. I wasn't feeling any chemistry.

Maybe it's a me issue, but this one didn't hit the spot.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

This book was an absolute delight! The unique Byzantine setting immediately drew me in, and it was refreshing to read a historical romance that stood out from the usual fare. The lead characters were wonderfully crafted—strong, compelling, and easy to root for. I loved how their chemistry unfolded against the rich and vivid backdrop. I was swooning the entire time!

Roxy Harper’s storytelling kept me hooked from start to finish, and I genuinely can’t wait to read more from her in the future. It’s rare to find a book that feels both unique and captivating, but this one delivered! Definitely a story I’d happily revisit.

This one releases May 27th and I will for sure be picking up a physical copy! Thanks NetGalley for the early copy!

I really enjoyed reading The Viking's Royal Temptation by Roxy Harper. I always enjoy a historical romance novel that is NOT set in England sometime during the 1800s. The author clearly did a fair amount of historical research, which I recall appreciated. Great read! I could not put it down until I was finished. The epilogue was disappointing in that it put modern customs/ideals into the book, which kind of ruined the historical nature of the book for me. We all like a neat and tidy ending, but this was a little much.

Thank you net galley and the author Roxy Harper for this arc.

I’ve been always fond of period dramas and historical romances. I like the way they are slow paced and the characters long for each other for almost all book.

But, this book is the first Viking romance I read and is fast paced. However, it sounds so rights being fast paced. Their lives are so quick, full of drama and action always happening, and they are running out of time with each other. So it only makes sense this book being fast paced as their love, cause that’s what felt for them those days. For them those days were so fast and they felt they needed more, as us as a reader thriving for more.

So that said. Let me introduce you a little bit more about their story and the setting it takes place

Roxy Harper presents us a scenery that is not common for a book, but worked very well: Constantinople 979 CE. The characters are living in this city with a political instability rising. Thea is a princess and a nurse, and Erick a captain who is loyal to the Emperor (Thea’s uncle). When a civil war is happening within Constantinople walls, the royal family needs to run and seek shelter in another city. Erick as a Captain of the royal guard swore to protect the princess and take her to somewhere safe. So here becomes the journey of Erick and Thea.

I will not say they fall in love at first sight, but they are attracted to each other at first sight. Is a tension between them in their first dialogue. Everything about them is attraction, desire, and full passion. And you can feel it in all their interactions.

But they can’t be together. They are from different ranks. She is betrothed to another, and he wants to leave the royal guard and make a life for himself

He is broke he carries a shield not only around his body, but around his heart. He doesn’t want to fall in love. He still holds a trauma from the past

She doesn’t trust men, but he is the first man she trusts

Their journey to go somewhere safe (to another city where her betrothed is the leader) feels too short, we end up longing for more as the characters. They don’t want the journey to be over. Thea does not want to get married to whom she is promised, and leave her life as a nurse behind. And Erick does not want to ignore the feelings he has for Thea, and go back to a loveless “Thealess” life.

They both are torn between love and duty.

Their love Totally bound to happen

The only thing I would change is the time skip in their trip I wanted to see the days they spent alone. Hour by hour. Day by day. But I understood the reason behind it.

This is a debut story and really kept me hooked. I am excited to read more of the author
Is a very short book so you can read it in one sitting.
The writing is good as the descriptions of the scenery and historical elements. Even though, is a short book it keeps you entertained.

A historical romance set in 10th century Constantinople. Kudos to debut author Roxy Harper this unusual and intriguing setting. There's a strong thread of adventure, as well as romance, which reminded me of Melissa Oliver's award-winning Harlequin debut 'The Rebel Heiress and the Knight'. The heroine Thea is a princess who works as a healer in a sanitorium; the hero Erik is a soldier in the Varangian Guard who has a sword called Skull-Splitter and looks like he could "wrestle a bear and win."

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Roxy Harper’s The Viking’s Royal Temptation is a captivating historical romance that whisks readers into the heart of 9th-century Constantinople. The story follows Princess Theadora, a devoted healer, and Erik, a stoic Varangian guard tasked with escorting her to Macedonia for a politically arranged marriage. Their journey sparks a forbidden attraction that challenges their loyalties, values, and the future laid out for them.

Harper skillfully blends romance with rich historical detail, immersing readers in a world of palace intrigue, cultural tension, and personal sacrifice. The chemistry between Theadora and Erik is undeniable, and their emotional journeys feel authentic and compelling. The setting—exotic, dangerous, and beautiful—adds depth and texture to the story.

While the pacing slows in a few places, the emotional payoff and strong character arcs make this a satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I love a modern, debut historical romance. Even if it has got some issues, a debut historical written by someone in a time when this genre has been declared all but dead by the publishing industry tells me the author has something they'd like to say. Things get even more interesting when the debut is a medieval romance set outside of Britain. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for sending me an early copy of The Viking's Royal Temptation!

We open in Constantinople in the year 979 CE. The empire is politically unstable and the emperor is reliant on his Varangian guard made up of Norse mercenaries to keep himself and his family safe. Erik Svenson has spent the last several years serving in the guard, having left Norway to outrun the demons of his past. He meets the emperor's niece, Princess Theadora, by chance when he brings a little boy he's taken in to see her for medical treatment. Thea serves as a healer and is immediately attracted to the Viking captain but she's wary of men. In her position as a princess of the empire, she's been manipulated before. But when her uncle's rule is threatened by a rebellion, Thea has to put her trust in Erik to see her to safety before she falls into rebel hands.

The Viking's Royal Temptation is Roxy Harper's debut, which is so exciting. I am thrilled that Harlequin took on a new author writing medieval romance, and an unusual medieval at that. It's rare to see a romance set in this time period outside of Britain or Northern Europe. We get a decent description of 10th century Constantinople as our main characters flee the city and we get a bit about the politics of the time, but what we really understand is the cultural landscape of the Byzantine Empire. We clearly see how Erik, despite the fact that he is the son of a jarl and noble by birth, is considered to be a Barbarian simply because he is not Greek. We see that Thea is expected to give up her work as a healer when she marries because she is a woman and cannot have an occupation. We also get a glimpse of their religious differences since Byzantium had converted to Christianity by this point while the Norse remained polytheistic.

This book is fast-paced, giving the romance a quick burn. These two characters are thrown into an intense situation (the rebellion) with high stakes (Thea's attempted kidnapping) which gives the romance a danger bang vibe. They feel the pressure of the situation and both acknowledge at different points that they could die any day and they don't want to go out without being honest about how they feel. If you want a romance where the characters individually realize pretty quickly what they're experiencing, this one is for you.

My favorite part of this book was how Erik resolved the romance plot. Read it, you'll understand why I was obsessed with his solution to their problem.

The biggest issue I had with this book is that Roxy Harper was too reliant on the characters' past trauma to keep them apart. In a quick burn like this, I think she could have relied less on their previous relationship experience and more on the external forces to keep the characters apart. I didn't really buy that two people who both realized how deep their feelings were as quickly as they did still fell back on old hurts to keep from being together. It would have been super easy to turn up the pressure from the external forces a little more.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Roxy Harper clearly loves this genre and did her research. I'll definitely keep her on my Harlequin Historical must-read list if she keeps putting out interesting Viking romances!

I sometimes find myself bored with the same old setting and time period of historical romance so this is definitely a breath of fresh air for the genre. I found the romance between the two MCs to be very sweet and the plot very interesting. Sometimes the internal monologue was a bit repetitive, but overall a very solid debut from this author!

I enjoyed reading Roxy Harper's story and the feeling that it would end up being a noir story but I was surprised that it had a happy ending. Thea, as a princess of royal blood, seem to be far above what a princess was because she was also a nurse and took care of everyone. Erik, was Svensen, of the Varangian Guard, who made Thea swoon when she saw him bring Alexios in to be treated for being whipped by a General. That kept Thea in love with Erik the whole book with action flowing throughout it. She was to marry another man who's king of a near by country and really wanted to choose who she would marry, but Demetrious, who was the General who whipped Alexios and ended up making a bid to make himself the king. That should end up with Erik fighting Demetrious and then I'll let you finish the story.