We’ve come a long way since the Middle Ages, thankfully. Part of what made this plot work, as well as what I disliked, was the historical male perspective about women.

Faith, daughter of Lord Terra, has been shamed and outcast from her home. She was attacked by a man and left scarred on her face, neck, and breast. She is able to hide the scar with her long hair, but no one will believe that her virtue was not taken in the attack. After all, no woman could actually fight off an attacker. Her father and step family were all horrified that she had the temerity to live, since any decent woman would have died from the shame and the injuries. Faith found the strength within herself to survive, and has become the village healer, with very few friends other than her dog, Rook.

Lord Eric of Shanekill has fought as a mercenary for many years, and his prowess in battle has earned him the name of “Irish Devil.” Eric is half Viking and half Irish. He is a fearless and deadly warrior with a large dose of Irish pride and love for the land. He has finally earned the goodwill of the king and has gained land for himself and his men. His marriage to one of Lord Terra’s daughters will help secure his holdings.

Lord and Lady Terra are mean-spirited and selfish and will not give one of their valued daughters to the barbarian, since they wish to make better marriages. Lord Terra believes he has coerced Eric into marrying Faith, since Eric met her briefly and asked her to lie with him, before knowing her identity. Lord Terra, of course, does not reveal Faith’s past to Eric.

The sparks fly between these two. I thought their frustrated desire would set the book afire before they finally consummated their marriage. Every conceivable obstacle is set in their way, medical emergencies, weather, warrior emergencies, etc. A few less obstacles would have tightened up the narrative.

During the early stages of their relationship, Faith’s scar is revealed, and Eric reacts in a medieval male way and believes that she is “soiled.” Her refusal to tell Eric that she is a virgin angers him further. Faith is a strong woman and refuses to internalize her shame. She has fought her own battles and won, and will not compromise herself any further. Even though she loves Eric, she makes plan to continue her life if he chooses not to believe in what he sees before him.

Poor Eric – I almost felt sorry for him. Faith invades every corner of his life and he wants to believe her. However, it is only when he realizes that he truly loves her, not lusts after her, that he sees the truth.

There is an enjoyable cast of secondary characters, including a romance between Eric’s half-brother and a servant of Faith’s. The mystery of Faith’s attacker is solved a bit too conveniently, and there is no mistaking the evil characters. I had such a good time reading about Faith and Eric though, that it didn’t matter to me that the villains were transparent.

This is the first in a series of books, all written by different authors. I hope that one of the next books is about Colin, one of Eric’s men, who is a charming rogue in his own right.