Danegeld

Witch or saint? That is the question Britta cannot answer as she tries to connect to the mysterious power she lost just as she discovered it. The many gods have not yet faded before the one God in Dark Age Britain, and miracles are still possible. DANEGELD is a carefully researched journey into another time and place, filled with adventure, laced with passion and magic.

All Britta wants is to reclaim her enigmatic gift, lost when Offa, a mighty Saxon thegn, raped her long ago. Karn, proud Viking warrior, is tired of wandering the world. He wants land where he can live in peace. That seems impossible for a fourth son. Their paths collide when Karn and his Vikings raid Britta's village. Offa captures Karn and tortures him. Britta is driven to heal him by a vision she hopes is the return of magic. But she cannot make his body whole. Pursued by Offa into the chaos of a world preparing for the final confrontation between Saxon and Dane, Britta and Karn both journey back from personal devastation to find new kinds of strength. Each must see past a traditional enmity to find their growing attraction to each other. Their struggle to carve a common language and a common destiny echoes the process alive in the land, as Saxon and Dane combine to build the island kingdom that will be called England.

Rated '3/5 - Open door' for steam/spice/heat level.