Enter Ninth Century Europe at the dawn of the Viking age.
Moira agrees to become Eirik Ivarsson's wife and accompanies him to his homeland, where she discovers a way of life incomprehensible to her. Northwind is her struggle to understand this new world and her adventures as she accompanies Eirik and his brothers on their voyage to make their fortunes, a voyage that takes them all the way to Byzantium and back home to Norway, where they must face a dark destiny awaiting them.
Excerpt
Seven weeks after Moira arrived in Norway, the snow began to fall. Wind roared across the open fields, swooping down from the north in a rage of destruction. It seemed to call to Moira as she stood in the doorway watching leaves and snow swirl in an unending tide.
"Mo-eeee-ra!" it called.
"You betrayed me," she whispered back, setting her hand over her rounding womb.
"Nooooo!"
She heard its laughter and its pain. It revealed itself to her in all its longing and loneliness. It howled her name, summoning her to itself, offering her the promise of undying desire and permanent union. Caught within its hypnotic spell, Moira tried to go out into it. The fierce wind tore at her, eager to consume her within its hungry depths.
"You betrayed me!" she screamed at it. She backed away into her home and closed the door against it.
It shrieked, thwarted, and raged through the night. In the morning, subdued, it passed on and left a sparkling blanket of snow in its wake. Moira opened the door and jumped back with a startled cry as a heap of white cascaded in. A shaggy form blundered into view.
"Gaill-Eirik!"
His sullen expression lightened. "You are still here. I thought you'd gone out into the storm. The wind kept me cold all night."
She was embarrassed. "I am sorry! I didn't realize--"
His frown returned, darker than ever. "Close the door."
She stole another glance at his clothing and wasn't intimidated by his dark mood. "I can't!" she laughed, pointing to the snowdrift inside her door.
He stared at her face, so beautiful in its pixyish Irish laughter. Then he shook his head at the pile of snow. "It will melt and be a mess. Here." He set his hat upon her head. Taking a shovel from the mountain of clutter beside the horse's stall, he quickly cleared a path alongside the house to the other door. "Go. Eat." He waved her off and vanished again into the depths of the shed. When she returned, he was standing beside a wooden box on curved slats.
"Where are you going? What is this?"
"A sled. We are going sledding."
It wasn't a Gaelic word. She didn't understand it. Her confusion cleared when he tumbled her into it and pulled her to the edge of the hill. Without warning, he hefted her up, took her place in the sled, and settled her onto his lap. The sled tottered precariously and then plunged over the edge.
"Oh dear God, we're going to die!" she screamed.
Eirik laughed and steered it skillfully around trees. They halted. Moira slowly uncovered her face, savoring the relief of still being alive.
"More?" he shouted.
"Oh yes!"
They toiled up the hill again and again. Fat flakes drifted around them from the leaden sky. Moira caught them in her hand and marveled; she tipped her face up and giggled in delight when they melted on her eyelids and lips.
"I could live forever in Norway!" she cried.
"But not with me," he retorted acidly.
"If I had been born Norwegian, of course," she amended hastily.
Professional Reviews
Mari for Amazon
By Mari (New York) - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Northwind (Paperback)
This was an excellent book, certainly a keeper. It is so much more than a simple romance novel. It takes an honest look at a time in history when life was not particulary kind, especially to women. Moira was taken away from everything that she'd known and forced to live among strangers that did not understand or accept her. She manages to survive and adjust to an extent, but suffers in various ways constantly. She is an outsider and always remains so, even her children seem strangers to her. Moira is loved, but in a destructive kind of way. Eirik and Harald bounce restlessly around the world, dragging Moira and her children with them. She seeks peace and happiness in a place she could call her own, but although simple, this is completely out of her reach. Years pass. This book is not a "happily ever after" kind of book. It's up to the reader to figure out if Moira finds what she is looking for at the end. I loved it. I would compare it to "Winter Serpent" by Maggie Davis-another excellent novel.
Fourth Book in the Southern Swallow Series finds the Academician Li K'ai-men in exile on Hai-nan Island. China has a new invasion threat. A showdown between ingenuity and technology explodes as the Sung Dynasty tries to preserve itself.
A novel about a family during World War II, set on the homefront in Springield, Mass., and in the South Pacific. The book focuses on four characters and how their lives were affected and changed during the war years.
