Welcome to my review for S.T.Bende's Tro, the final book in phenomenal Elsker series
Read my thoughts and also read an excerpt!!
Finding her destiny nearly cost her everything. Kristia knows she can handle whatever The Fates throw at her next—including her long-awaited honeymoon with the God of Winter. But as things heat up between Kristia and Ull, a frost settles over Asgard. An unexpected death marks the beginning of the end, much earlier than anyone expected. Kristia’s barely begun to understand what she’s capable of, and controlling her powers seems completely out of her grasp. With her new family fighting for their lives, and Ull fighting for their future, Kristia has to make a devastating choice: preserve the life she loves, or protect the god she can’t live without?
Thank you to ST Bende for providing me with an advance copy
The Elsker Saga has been an incredible read and the improvement in my Norwegian has been immense!
Kristia and Ull's journey is nearing it's end, will they have a happy ending or will Asgard fall and those they love be lost?
Before anything happens though they need to have their honeymoon, at the end of the last book Kristia became Mrs Myhr (breaking thousand of fan girl hearts in the process) and Ull has one hell of a romantic honeymoon lined up, which I will let you read about for yourself!
Kristia is still learning how to deal with her powers and her visions are becoming more frequent, the evil elf is still showing up and in this book his true identity is revealed and as a fan of that person in another series I was like "why does he have to be sooo bad when he is so damn handsome in that other series" (that's my clue see if you can work that out!!) but of course he is meant to be bad.
Tro is a very satisfying read, the characters as always are brilliantly written and the seamless changing between Midgard and Asgard is again just perfect. The Elsker Saga has all the hallmarks of a great series for me, a fantastic plot, engaging characters and great settings, plus it doesn't always take itself to seriously and of course it does help your Norwegian too!
The climax of this Tro was excellent and the glimpse in to their future thanks to Elsker spilling her secrets was much appreciated!, plus I forgot to say we find out a little bit more about Kristia's family history which comes in handy when a beloved character is taken ill.
So if you have enjoyed the previous books in the series, you will love Tro!
Awarded 5 out of 5
EXCERPT
“What
do you want to know?” Ull lowered his sunglasses lazily and eyed me
with a look that made my insides burn.
“Well.”
I paused. “Uh , . . What am I supposed to do if I’m attacked?”
“You
mean if this happened?” Ull launched himself off the chaise,
wrapping one arm around my waist and dragging me across the beach. He
cradled me in his arms and landed in the froth where the ocean met
the shore.
“See?
I’m totally defenseless.” I gazed up at him, my back pressed
firmly against the wet sand. He hovered, supporting his weight on his
forearms.
“I
am afraid you are.” Piercing blue eyes locked in on mine. Between
the depth of his stare and the heat from his abs, I forgot everything
else.
“Um
. . .” I bit my bottom lip.
Ull
tilted his head to one side, a small smile playing on his mouth. “Now
what did you want to know?”
“I—”
A
wave washed over us. The warm saltwater lapped up to my waist then
retreated, leaving a film of sand over my legs.
“You
were asking me how to defend yourself?” Dangit, it was hard to
focus with Ull’s dripping body pressed against mine. Yes, I wanted
whatever it was I’d asked about. Self-defense. Right. But there was
something else I wanted more.
I
bent my knee and twined my calf around Ull’s. I shifted my hips
just an inch and stared into those endless eyes. They sparkled in the
sunlight. My arms were trapped beneath his torso, so I turned my
palms upward to touch the spot where his chest met his shoulders. It
was so smooth, so firm, and so very, very warm.
My
eyes never left his as I moved my thumb along the line of his
shoulder, over his bicep, and down to the crook of his arm. I drew a
slow circle inside his elbow and Ull blinked.
“Kristia,”
he whispered.
“Yes?”
I tried to reach up to stroke the stubble lining his square chin, but
my arms were pinned.
“You
are not trying to defend yourself.”
“So?”
I raised my head and kissed his jaw. “Maybe I don’t feel like
fighting you off.”
“Mmm.”
Ull closed his eyes as I kissed my way up to his ear. “So if
someone came after you, you would just let them do this?”
He
swiftly rolled onto his back, forcing me on top of him. He shoved his
fingers in my hair and tugged gently, pulling my head back. He kept
the other hand just above the bottom of my bikini, firmly pressing my
hips into his. I squirmed against the hold, trying to find a way out
of his grip. Though I tactically had the upper hand, I couldn’t
move.
“Well,
I wouldn’t let just anyone
do this.”
“I
should hope not,” he growled softly. He raked his teeth along my
throat and paused at the hollow of my neck. “Because if I ever
caught wind of someone doing this to my girl, it would end very badly
for them.” He ran his tongue along my collarbone. I shivered.
In
a lightning-quick move, Ull flipped me onto my back and pinned my
arms above my head with one hand. I gazed adoringly at the fierce
assassin glowering over me. “And this. What would you do if someone
did this to you?”
“Uh.”
I blinked. If I told Ull what I really wanted to do right now, I’d
turn every possible shade of crimson.
“Focus,
Kristia.” Ull stared at me. “What would you do if you were
trapped?”
“I
. . . uh . . . I’d . . .” My cheeks felt hotter than a grizzly in
a desert. “You seriously want me to fight you off?”
“If
you are so bent on going through with this little exercise, then yes.
Give it your best shot. And then, I believe, you promised to pay me
for the lesson.”
“Gladly.”
I narrowed my eyes and wrenched my arm as hard as I could. It didn’t
budge. I tried again but it was futile.
“You
are outmaneuvered and I am twice your weight. Try something else,”
Ull commanded.
I
threw my shoulder into his chest and tried to roll to one side.
“You
cannot out-force me. Look at the difference in our masses. Think
tactically, Kristia. What can you do that will debilitate me?”
My
eyes widened. “You don’t want me to—”
“I
want you to find a way to get me off you. Do what you have to do.”
I
closed my eyes and raised a knee to his groin. Ull groaned and rolled
off me.
“I’m
so sorry! You said to—”
He
raised a hand and waved at me, turning away.
“I’m
sorry,” I repeated.
“That
was good.” He rolled back with a grimace. “But if someone is bent
on capturing you, they will come back for more. And quickly. Your
next step should be to run.”
“If
you want I can get some ice for—”
“Run,
darling.” It was a threat. “Now.”
I
jumped to my feet and took off down the beach. I ran just shy of the
shoreline, where I was less likely to be slowed down by soft sand.
The water lapped at my heels as I built up speed, pushing off the
balls of my feet. A warm breeze caressed my bare skin and every cell
in my body buzzed as if someone had turned on a light switch.
Movement came so easily now.
Something
hot hit me from behind, and I felt Ull’s arms curl protectively
around me as he tackled me. We landed just inside the surf again, and
this time the wave crashed over our heads. I sputtered as the water
covered my face, wishing I’d had time to hold my breath. The
saltwater burned my nose.
Ull
was on top of me again, and this time he wasn’t hovering. The full
weight of his body pressed me into the sand. His legs were tangled up
in mine, and his hands cradled the back of my head.
“You
did not run fast enough, sweetheart.”
Author Social Media Links:
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of McVities cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the books of The Elsker Saga. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day, pastries will be considered a health food.
Find ST on Twitter @stbende, her blog, or send her an e-mail. While you're at it, introduce yourself to @UllMyhr -- when he's not saving the cosmos from dark elves, he loves meeting new friends . . . especially the human kind.
Thank you so much for reading the Saga! I'm so happy you got a kick out of the boys. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure!
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