Roxy Harper
Roxy Harper's Debut Historical Romance Novel - The Viking's Royal Temptation
Princess and healer Theadora doesn't flinch at the sight of armed soldiers. Yet when another uprising threatens to disturb Constantinople's peace, and Varangian guard Erik bursts into her sanitorium, she's stunned by her body's immediate reaction to the rugged Viking...
After the tragic loss of his family, Erik vowed to never love again. So he refuses to let his inconvenient attraction to Thea distract him from his duty: escorting her to marry the king of Macedonia.
If Thea doesn't wed, her people will suffer, so can the star-crossed lovers fight their feelings, as well as their enemies?
I love reading about all periods in ancient history, but Erik, the hero of this story, has been in my thoughts for some time, which is why I chose the setting of my first book to be the fast-paced, action-charged period of the Vikings; but I wanted to introduce a fresh spin on it by shifting the traditional locations in which Vikings feature much further east, to Constantinople, the jewel of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Neighbouring states constantly jockeyed for power over it given its strategic location, while internally, its courts were fraught with palace intrigue, betrayal and political scheming. But it had one unchanging feature for several centuries… The Varangian Guard. An elite group of
soldiers, comprising mainly Vikings, they were unswerving in their allegiance to the
Emperors of Constantinople. I was captivated by what I read about the Varangians, and the idea of Erik was born.
The character of Princess Theadora naturally had to act as a strong complement to Erik. So she is fiercely independent, beautiful and passionate about her work as a healer, which, coupled with her mistrust of men, does not afford much time for romance. That is, until she meets Erik… whom, she discovers, is not so different to her and whose heart is equally as closed off to love.
Together, they embark on a journey of twists and turns, fighting against the external foes that strive to keep them apart as well as their own internal barriers to falling in love. I very much hope you enjoy my debut novel..stay tuned for the sequel!
Roxy
