Those who are lovers of romance novels will know that one of the best things about these books is that they span over so many different genres. You’ll find all manner of different romance categories out there, including paranormal romance, historical romance, pirate romance, contemporary romance, medical romance etc… The list just goes on and on!
One of the sub genres that’s been proven to be one of the most popular over the decades are viking romance novels. These are heralded as being one of the main tropes that you’ll find in romance novels, and there are an abundance of great books out there featuring this category.
I mean, who doesn’t love a sexy warrior, traveling around Northern Europe, engaging in battle and making maidens swoon? Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the very best viking romance novels you need to read today.
To find out more, simply keep reading below, as we take a closer look.
1. Come The Morning, Heather Graham
Those who have been lovers of historical fiction for several years, will already be familiar with the work of Heather Graham. She is heralded as one of the originals who produced swoon worthy book, after swoon worthy book.
One of her most popular books is a title called ‘Come The Morning’. It features a trope in romance novels that we’re all familiar with, the marriage of convenience. A young noblewoman named Mellyora, must marry a gentleman called Lord Lion.
She herself is a viking warrior, and loves nothing more than the prospect of wielding her own sword and going into battle. She’s not too pleased when she finds that she must marry Scottish clansman Lord Lion in order to form an alliance, and she feels incredibly torn between loyalty for her own people, and her budding romance with this handsome hero.
2. Roger’s Bride, Sarah Hegger
If you’re looking for a viking romance that’s set amongst lots of intrigue and family drama, then we’d most definitely recommend this one written by romance author Sarah Hegger.
This one follows a young man named Roger, who holds a strong political position within his viking community. He wants to remain un-tied to a wife, and carry on with his life as he always has, with freedom and independence. As a result of burgeoning political conflicts, however, he finds himself forced to make a proposal to a suitable young maiden.
He chooses Matty, a young woman from a family of equal political significance, but who runs away at the prospect of marrying this rogue.
As a result, her sister Kathryn, who similarly to Roger, fancies herself an avid warrior, and has so desire to be tied down, must make the most difficult decision of her life. With Matty gone, there is nobody left to marry Roger but herself. But can this headstrong young woman really be tamed?
3. Surrender My Love, Johanna Lindsey
Very much like Heather Graham, Johanna Lindsey is considered to be one of the most prolific romance writers of all time. She began her writing career way back in the 1980s, when romance novels with sensuous scenes featuring love making had only just become a thing.
Lindsey has written many viking romance books during her time that we’d recommend checking out. The one featured here, called ‘Surrender My Love’, is actually a part of a series, all of which center around a viking clan, so there’s plenty of material out there that you can search for.
This book in particular, however, is thought to be one of her best ones, and can be read as a stand alone novel.
It follows the story of a man called Selig, who has spent many years enduring treacherous conditions at the pit of a dungeon, all at the hands of Lady Erika. Her sister hears about his plight, and takes pity on this viking warrior.
After his sister makes a rescue attempt, which is ultimately successful, Selig then captures Lady Erika, and decides that he’s going to make her his slave after his many years of mistreatment. This doesn’t go to plan in the way that either of them expect however, and as you might have guessed, these two hapless characters fall in love.
This is a classic example of one of the key romance tropes that we all know and love, enemies to lovers. This trope takes two seemingly opposite characters, and brings them together featuring the most unlikely circumstances.
4. Season Of The Sun, Cathryn Coulter
This novel on our list is truly one of the most heart wrenching viking romance novels that you’ll find. It’s one of the original viking romance novels that every true fan needs to read. It was written in 1991 by Cathryn Coulter, and is regarded as one of her best romance books that helped to catapult her to stardom.
Magnus, a viking lord is absolutely captivated by the stunning red headed Zarabeth. He travels to her land to seek out a bride, and she is the one whom he chooses. Zarabeth too, is completely captivated by this handsome warrior lord, and wishes nothing more than to find out the mysteries of his heart.
Her stepfather is determined to keep the two apart, and does not wish to put a price on his stepdaughter’s head, despite her wishes.
He captures her as a result of her stepfather’s misgivings, and takes her with him back to her homeland. Both of them must see past their differences, and attempt to create a new future for themselves as equals.
5. The Outlaw Viking, Sandra Hill
If you want to read a real old school romance, then we’d recommend The Outlaw Viking by Sandra Hill. It has all of the high stakes pomp that we absolutely adore when it comes to historical romance novels.
This one features time travel too, and is reminiscent of the Outlander series, which has gained immense popularity over the past decade. Dr. Rain Jordan, who has been studying viking history for her entire life never believed that she would get to explore the wild and rugged surroundings for herself, but with a sharp blow on the head, she wakes up, and nothing is the same.
Indeed, she wakes up in the midst of a battlefield where she finds wounded viking Selik, who desperately needs her help. She heals him, and he is taken aback by her incredible medical knowledge, and her considerable knowledge of the male anatomy.
He decides that he is going to take her prisoner, and use her skills for more than healing purposes. Rain has more than primal carnality on her mind however, and having studied her ancestors for so many years, begins to fall in love with this storybook hero.
Selik too gets more than he bargained for, and begins to lose his heart to this mysterious woman.
6. The Norse King’s Daughter, Sandra Hill
The Norse King’s Daughter is another unforgettable viking tale on our list that is sure to captivate your mind and heart. It follows a young princess called Drifa, who is completely enthralled with a young viking called Sidroc.
She doesn’t anticipate the fact that Sidroc might be using her for political gain. As the third son of his family, he stands no chance of inheriting the vast fortune that they boast. He knows that he must marry somebody of considerable wealth and power in order to secure his financial future.
As you can imagine, Drifa isn’t too pleased when she finds out his true intentions, and instead thinks that what Sidroc deserves is a sharp blow to the head.
Unfortunately though, five years later Drifa finds that she’s the one who is in need of help and protection. Where will she turn to? To Sidroc of course! Sidroc can’t resist boasting over his newfound revenge, and ensures that if their romance is to take place, it will happen on his terms, and nobody else’s.
But, did this young Viking warrior ever believe that he would actually fall in love with this headstrong princess? And how is she supposed to tame this rogue? This is another fantastic enemy to lovers’ romance that is sure to keep you on your toes throughout the course of the novel.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, there are a whole host of different viking romance novels out there to browse. Simply take a look at our recommendations above and choose your favorites.
