Book Extract: Legacy Of The Runes by Christina Courtenay

Published August 24, 2024 | By Laura

I’m so excited to be welcoming Christina Courtenay back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, Legacy Of The Runes.

A bond that even time cannot break

Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only make sure she’s safe by going after her.

Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised in marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm.

The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .

Christina has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.

*****beginning of extract*****

The heroine Freydis’s betrothed, Ingolf, has come for a visit to look her over and she hates him on sight:

Freydis made sure she behaved impeccably during Ingolf’s visit, and to her huge relief, he left the following day. He only spoke to her one more time, to say farewell. ‘I will see you at the Yuletide celebrations over on Mávey. I’ll be there too.’

‘Yes.’ She nodded, even though this was the first she’d heard of it. She hadn’t known they would be going there this year, but it didn’t matter.

‘Until then, farewell.’ He gripped her face with both hands and placed a proprietorial kiss on her mouth, then turned to stride down the path towards the ship that was waiting in the cove.

She suppressed a shudder and made a beeline for the bathing hut. There was water and lye soap there, and she used it to scrub her mouth thoroughly. It was the only place she could do it in private, and she couldn’t let anyone see what she was doing. Ingolf’s kiss hadn’t been slobbery or unpleasant, merely impersonal and harsh, yet the imprint of it lingered. It was his way of branding her, she supposed. Her skin still crawled at the thought of it. Never again. She would not let him anywhere near her.

‘So you really like him then.’

Freydis jumped, and almost dropped the linen sheet she was roughly drying her mouth with. Storm had stealthily entered the hut and pulled the door shut behind him. He was leaning against the door frame with his powerful arms crossed and his mouth quirked up on one side. Laughter danced in his eyes and she wanted to hit him.

‘You find this amusing?’ She threw the piece of linen onto the nearest bench, then stalked over to stand in front of him. Poking him in the chest, she added, ‘You don’t have to marry someone against your will. Nor be kissed by them without any say in the matter.’

His teasing expression faded and he reached out to grip her upper arms. ‘I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. I have a habit of joking when I shouldn’t. Forgive me? I meant only to lighten the mood.’ His pale green eyes stared into hers and he did look very earnest.

She huffed. ‘I suppose so. Now let me go.’ Trying half-heartedly to tug herself loose, she stared at the floor.

‘Are you sure you want me to? I taught you enough already that you could easily have made me.’

Her eyes shot back up to his. He was right. She was allowing him to manhandle her. Enjoying it, in some perverse manner. ‘I . . .’

She couldn’t deny that she ought to have stopped him. So why hadn’t she?

He glanced at her mouth, as if he was contemplating kissing her himself. A thrill shot through her, all the air left her lungs and she blinked. What would that be like? Storm had a beautiful mouth, surrounded by a closely cropped beard that looked soft but would no doubt prickle if he touched his lips to hers. For some reason, she relished the thought of that. She wasn’t at all repulsed by the notion of kissing him, the way she had been with Ingolf, but it wouldn’t be right. She bent her head again, a deep sigh escaping her.

He let go of her arms and instead put both of his around her, pulling her close to his chest. ‘You’ve had a horrible day and I reckon you need some comfort, am I right? Please allow me to hold you for a moment. Trust me, it will help.’

Her cheek had come to rest on his chest, close to his heart. She could hear its steady thumping and the sound was indeed soothing. Comforting. Calming. Almost of their own volition, her hands came up to rest on his shoulders. They were strong and unyielding under her palms, but reassuringly warm through the thick material of his tunic. She breathed deeply and inhaled the scent of wool, peat smoke and man. The unique blend that was Storm. It was perfect. Another sigh came from deep inside her, but this was one of relief, letting go of the tension that had been coiled inside her ever since she’d been told that Ingolf had arrived.

Her entire body relaxed and melted into his. She felt his arms tighten around her, and he rested his cheek on top of her head. He didn’t seem in any hurry to let go.

‘How did you know it would make things better?’ Her question came out as a hoarse whisper.

‘My mother always says that this is the best way to recover from something awful. She’s a very wise woman. You’d like her, I think.’

She could hear the affection in his voice when he talked about his mother.

‘Yes, I believe I would,’ she murmured, slowly extricating herself from his hold. It went against her instincts. She would have liked to stay in his arms for a long, long time, but that wasn’t prudent.

He smiled and brushed one of her plaits over her shoulder, bending to place a soft kiss on her cheek. ‘I hope you feel better,’ he said. ‘I’ll leave you for now, but you know where to find me if you need my assistance with anything.’

‘Yes. Thank you.’

She watched as he let himself out of the hut, standing there staring into space for quite some time. If only she was marrying someone like Storm instead of Ingolf, life would be so much better.

*****end of extract*****

About Christina Courtenay–

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings.

Christina is a Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes.

LEGACY OF THE RUNES (time travel historical romance published by Headline Review 15th August 2024) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

Say hello to Christina via her website, Facebook, X, Instagram and Bluesky.

Legacy Of The Runes was released by Headline Review on 15th August 2024. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US.