Echoes of the Runes: The classic sweeping, epic tale of forbidden love you HAVE to read! Kindle Edition

Characters are stereotypical and very predictableSo is story lineThe book version better than the audiobook version, since the narrator sounds like reading to a class of five year oldsGood book , if you need to turn of your brain, but very easy to put down .

This book is similar to others I've read, with history and the current circumstances entwined. The characters names are Nordic and Welsh, so it is slightly confusing to keep the plot lines attached to the correct people. The historic detail is interesting and keeps the story flowing to the end.

This is a tale of two stories: a contemporary romance set at the site of a Viking archeological dig and a historic romance set at the same site when it was occupied by the Vikings. Unfortunately, only one of the stories held my interest. The historic story is far better than the contemporary story. It begins with a Viking raid where the loot includes treasures and people. The people will be thralls (slaves by another name) or, in the case of one woman, a hostage held for ransom. Life in the Viking settlement is harsh, and the details are interesting. The contemporary love story, with its paranormal elements, never came together. I read a lot of books with time slips, spirits, reincarnation, or other paranormal aspects where it is easy to suspend belief and enjoy the story. It just did not work here. The love story is sappy and predictable. It is not a dreadful book, but it is not very good.

I really enjoyed this Viking story! The time slip element was interesting and the story unfolded in a believable way. I am a history buff and it was nice to read about some place different than England were a lot of period romances are take place.Switching time periods in the middle of chapters was a bit jarring, and it may have been better to separate them into different chapters, but it was easily overcome. I look forward to reading the next book.

One of the best books ever!!! I could hardly put it down but now I am sad I have finished it. It is so well written with 2 beautiful stories, wonderful characters, exciting plots, a hint of reincarnation & psychic medium impressions. At the end the author says she hopes she has inspired us to learn more about the Vikings. She sure did me. I downloaded The Vikings by Robert Wernick quite some time ago but haven't gotten to it yet. He says the same thing she does, that they weren't just violent barbarians, like they are so often portrayed so, I have started his book immediately. Echoes of the Runes is just a fabulous book, one of my favorites now for sure!

This was a good read, even though I'm more of an action/ thriller type of guy. Good character development and links between the past and present.

I read this book in one sitting into the wee hours of the morning because I simply could not put it down. I found that the research on 9th century Sweden (and yes, I do know whereof I speak) was spot on and not so overwhelming that the reader would get bogged down in a history lesson.The story is set mostly in Sweden and has parallel stories -- one set in 9th century Sweden, the other in the present day. The ancient love story of Ceri and her Viking lover seem to draw the present day Mia and Haakon, a Swedish archaeologist into a time web that echoes through the centuries. As a mysterious forces seems to draw Mia and Haakon ever closer as the past and present collide, a very real menace threatens everything they hold dear.Exciting plot and very engaging characters make this a great read, and I frankly hoped there might be another book about them when I'd finished!

For the most part this was an interesting story. I have read other time slip stories that handled the transitions far better such as Irina Shapiro. The characters were not as well developed as other as authors I have read.

You always know you're going to get a good read from Ms Courtenay, but I reckon this is one of her best.So what did I like?Well-rounded characters faithful to their time and who develop personally through the story. And the parallels are clever, occasionally sneaky. ;-) The heroines are accomplished without being over-smart, independent, but oh, so human. And what a hero, especially the modern one...I've been to Stockholm, including visiting museums, and also stayed in the countryside at a friend's house by a vast lake. And I've worked on archaeological digs. Believe me, Ms Courtenay has got the descriptions just right, but without being overloaded. The author never falls into the trap of being too wordy, but conveys the setting beautifully in just the right number of words.Switching timelines can be tricky, but I never felt lost as I followed both stories through. I did have to stay up late to find out what happened next for several nights. Highly recommended.

Writing time-slips is hard. I doff my cap to anyone who pulls it off, and Christian Courtenay has produced an excellent example in Echoes of the Runes.Firstly there’s the present-day Mia, half Welsh, half Swedish Conservator at the British Museum, who inherits her Swedish grandmother’s cottage Björketorp on the shores of Lake Mälaren. With the inheritance comes a 9th century gold ring, exactly like on in a museum in Stockholm. Enter Norwegian archaeologist Haakon who initially thinks Mia must have stolen hers, but ends up leading an archaeological excavation on the land around the cottage for signs of a Viking settlement.Interleaving the story of the excavation and the unfolding relationships on the dig is the tale of Ceridwen, a 9th century Welsh girl abducted by raiding Viking Haukr and taken back to his hall at Björketorp. Mia and Haakon, uncovering their traces in the present day, feel an almost numinous connection with the past.Two love stories, both with complications from existing relationships and hostilities, unfold in parallel. Both are threatened by forces outside their control as tension builds towards violence and resolution.All the characters are believable and empathetic, both Viking and modern, and Courtenay has managed to interweave their stories in a way that flows naturally, without any sense of being contrived. Time-slips almost inevitably have some element of the supernatural to link the worlds, but this is done with a light, romantic touch. The context is well researched and Courtenay’s love for the Swedish countryside shines through.Well recommended for lovers of historical and time-slip romance.

My thanks to Headline Review for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Echoes of the Runes’ by Christina Courtenay in exchange for an honest review.Time slip novels are a guilty pleasure of mine and I was totally caught up in this enthralling historical romance that wove together two time periods: modern day London and Sweden with 9th Century Sweden and Wales.Mia Maddox is employed by the British Museum as a conservator specialising in artefacts from prehistory and early Europe, including the Viking period. When she inherits Birch Thorpe, her grandmother’s summer cottage located on the southern shore of Lake Mälaren in Sweden, she faces a dilemma.She is very attached to the cottage yet her fiancé, Charles, wants her to sell it so they can buy a flat in a trendier area of London. When Mia is approached with a request to conduct an archeological dig on her land it offers her a reprieve from making a decision.She agrees with the provision that she can be part of the on-site team. However, she finds herself drawn to the lead archaeologist Haakon Berger. Both of them are sensing the past inhabitants of the site while trying to resist the growing attraction between them.They slowly piece together the story of a Welsh noblewoman, Ceridwen, and the Viking leader, Haukr Erlendrsson, known as the 'White Hawk', who stole her away during a raid in 869 AD. She is well treated as she is a hostage awaiting ransom by her brother. However, Haukr’s wife takes exception to Ceri and becomes a deadly enemy.The narrative moves seamlessly between the present and the past and weaves a powerful story that is reflected in its title as the power of the runes echo down through time.Is it a story of reincarnation or of how historical artefacts can hold emotional energy and transmit such down the ages? It’s an interesting question that is central to time slip novels.I also felt that Courtenay did well in acknowledging both the pagan faith of her Norsemen with the Celtic Christianity followed by Ceri (despite her being named for a powerful Celtic goddess). It was interesting to see the lack of conflict between these religions during this time period.This was superb and I was delighted to see that another archeological Viking-themed novel, ‘The Runes of Destiny’ is due out in December 2020. I can hardly wait!

I was a little disappointed in a few aspects in the book, although I liked the plot in general.I didn't buy into the relationship with Charles, who just seemed awful! Why Mia had ever got together with him was beyond me, and whenever she was around him she was far too kowtowed and allowed herself to be bullied by him, yet otherwise was a fairly strong character.I found the ending on the island a little forced/contrived.Some of the writing was flat with a lot of telling rather than showing and some very wooden dialogue in places.It was a shame, as I wanted to like this much more.

Writing a time-slip story which keeps you engrossed in both ancient and modern story isn't easy but I'm pleased to say The Echoes of the Runes is one of the best I've read for a long time. Both Mia and Haakon 21st and Ceridwen, and Haukr 9th century stories bled seamlessly together in a page-turning and satisfying read. It's clear that Ms Courtney has a deep understanding of and interest in the era and the little touches about Swedish culture were nicely place but not intrusive. To be honest, I'm a massive fan of all things Viking and Medieval so it was not hard to persuade me to read Echoes pf the Runes but even if you no very little of the period you'll enjoy this story. I hope there will be more of the same soon.