"A Viking we will go!"

Sandra Hill goes for tongue through cheek with this charming Time Travel and scores big! This is her best work yet, in my opinion, and a definite keeper! The Very Virile Viking comes with your choice of 'Keebler cartoon' Viking cover or the expected 'Hill Hunk' - though you will have to shop around for the Hunk since it is in short supply! This is the third in a set of Time Traveling Vikings, following THE LAST VIKING and TRULY, MADLY VIKING. Magnus Ericsson is a simple Viking farmer in the 10th Century. He loves the land, how to make things flourish and multiply...oh, boy does he....a father with 11 kids from 4 wives and six lovers and various one night 'after too much mead' stands! Worse, he has no mother for his 'herd' of rambunctious kiddies in spite of the parade of females through his life, because they had died or possibly run for their sanity when faced with his troublesome kiddos. Magnus has just been presented with a baby girl about a year old, told she is his, so he is somewhat of a joke in the Viking settlement. He swears a vow of celibacy, takes his wounded pride - and 9 of his children - and boards a longship, heading out to find Vineland in the new world.

Cut to present day, you meet Angela Abruzzi and her grandmother, Rose, trying to save their family vineyard and winery in Sonoma County, California. They are all that is left of their family so the business is failing. Angela is divorced, working as a real estate salesman just so she can plough the money into saving Blue Dragon Winery, her grandmother's love. Rose wishes for lot of grandchildren to fill her big house, but sees no hope as Angela divorced "the Creep" the year before and shows no interest in men now. What is a grandmother to do? She makes a wish on her rosary for a big strong man for her granddaughter and lots of grandchild for her ASAP please.

Off on the other side of the country (though still in the 10th Century), having found Vineland and left in shame because of the kids antics, Magnus and his brood hit a strange fog that seems to have no end. Suddenly, they enter a bright area, so blinding, and find they have landed in Holly and Wood, a most strange and adventuresome country indeed.

Naturally, Rose's wish has summoned him to where he and the children are much needed. Magnus immediately recognizes Angela is his 'destiny', only will Angela wake up and smell the wine? Worse, an honorable man, he has taken a vow of celibacy and is not about to break his word. What to do, what to do? Angela quickly falls for the children, falls for Magnus, though tries to protect her heart. Magnus is perfect to take over and save the winery with his love for farming not being that much different than growing grapes. There is a small subplot of a neighbor trying to steal the land from her grandmother, but Magnus quickly puts things to right.

It is so charming and utterly witty; Hill's droll humor absolutely brilliant. She deals with the time travel culture clash well, without becoming overbearing as some TT's do. Considering Hill had to juggle so many secondary characters with the children, you fear the leads would get lost in the stampede. Not so. She breathes life into the kids of all ages - makes them adorable without being Stephen Spielberg smaltsy - and yet more than deals with the love interest of the leads in a very sexy fashion.

An absolute must for Hill fans. For those who have not discovered this wonderful lover of Vikings that refuse to stay in their own time, you cannot do better than this one for an introduction. You will also get to meet his two time traveling brother from the first two in the series near the end, but it is not necessary to have read the first two books to enjoy THE VERY VIRILE VIKING. Simply divine!!!

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted March 28, 2003

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Winner of 2003 PEARL Award
- Best TIME TRAVEL Romance

Summary

Magnus is a 10th century Viking farmer.
Angela is a modern-day vineyard owner.

He has eleven bothersome children.
She yearns for just one child.

He takes a vow of celibacy...
Even though he is a very virile man

Uh-oh!
Let the Viking laughter begin!

Magnus Ericsson is a simple man. He loves the smell of fresh-turned dirt after springtime plowing. He loves the feel of a soft woman under him in the bed furs..when engaged in a different type of plowing. He loves the heft of a good sword in his fighting arm.

But, Holy Thor, what he does not relish is the bothersome brood of children he's been saddled with. Or the mysterious happenstance that strands him and his longship full of maddening offspring in a strange new land -- the kingdom of Holly Wood. Here is a place where the blazing sun seems to bake his already befuddled brain, where the folks think he is an act-whore (whatever that is), and the woman of his dreams -- a winemaker of all things -- fails to accept that he is her soul mate...a man of exceptional talents, not to mention...A VERY VIRILE VIKING.