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HaBO: She Wants to Be a Skald

This HaBO is from Carrie, who is searching for this historical romance. And oof, it sounds a bit dark:

I’m looking for a book I read in my early teens (probably early to mid 90s).

It was a Viking themed book. The main character was a woman captured as a slave and was trying to protect her siblings (I think). She also desperately wanted to be a skald but of course “women don’t do that!”

I also remember vivid descriptions of her starving before she was bought (maybe won in a bet?) by her hero Viking. He of course was the captain of a ship.

Sound familiar?

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  1. Mem says:

    Lord of Raven’s Peak, Catherine Coulter, 1994?

    I only remember the heroine having one sibling, but it matches the slaverly and skald details.

    Heads up that Coulter is a creepily old school author, in my opinion.

  2. SusanE says:

    If it’s not the Coulter, Johanna Lindsay also did some very old school Viking themed books. I don’t know if any had a female skald.

  3. Jenny says:

    Could it be “Lord of Raven’s Peak” by Catherine Coulter (1994)? This is the summary: “Merrick Haraldsson, the younger brother of Rorik, the Lord of Hawkfell Island, begins his journey in Kiev where he comes away with two slaves, but they’re not who or what he thinks they are, not by a long shot.

    Then the question arises: Can a woman be a skald, a troubadour of Viking times? Laren, one of Merrik’s slaves, is just that, and she’s quite good. She wants to tell stories to earn enough silver and gold to buy her and her little brother from Merrik, only he refuses to sell her. And now that she’s his, he must protect her when she’s accused of murder, then save her yet again when he discovers her secrets…”

  4. Alina P says:

    I am throwing my hat in for Johanna Lindsay

  5. Arijo says:

    Nuh-uh, sorty Alina, it’s not Lindsey. In the Haardrad series, the first book is about Brenna who was raised as a boy and all she wants is to play with her sword, not become a skald (imo, that book = Lindsey at her worst… please go read the first 1* review on Goodreads, it’s EPIC!!!). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/891814.Fires_of_Winter

    The 2nd book is about Brenna’s daughter Kristen. I read that book a zillion times when I was a teenager (yay! an heroine that isn’t modest and takes no prisoner!) and she’s not interested in music/storytelling, but in skewering men and making nut bread.

    The 3rd book is about Kristen’s brother Selig and his love interest is a chatelaine he has Kristen kidnap for him because reveeeeennnnge. Again, no skald.

    The C. Coulter blurb hits pretty close to home, there’s a good chance that’s it. The only other Viking series I know is Sandra Hill’s, and that doesn’t sound like her style.

  6. Arijo says:

    *I meant, “sorry Alina P” ‍♀️

  7. Diane says:

    Another vote for Coulter.
    Another vote for both Coulter and Lindsay being creepily old-school.
    and
    Another vote to go check out the review Arijo suggests… it a giggle-worthy sendup of creepily old-school books.

  8. Sandra says:

    Nothing to do with the HABO, but I keep trying to read the title as “She Wants to be a Salad”. That should be an easy HABO to identify.

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