Not Enough History -- Yet Not History-Lite

"A Moment's Madness" is my first Helen Kirkman novel. It was published by Harlequin Historicals in 2003, but the later books in the series moved to Harlequin's HQN line. The book satisfied a longing for historical romances set in something other than the Regency period -- the books are set in Wessex prior to the year 1000 AD and involve Vikings (or Danes) and Saxons. This is hardly a well-worn path for a romance author, although Viking romances were at one time very popular -- for the most part they were also not very accurate.

A visit to Ms Kirkman's website indicated that this is an author who has done much research on the period about which she writes. The website is colorful and has wonderful information about the cultures and their histories. I looked forward eagerly to delving into this book, with it's beguiling cover art (okay, I admit it --I am a fan of the so-called decapitation covers, and the couple is shown in all its glory on the back cover as well).

The opening chapter was exciting and full of the promise of conflict and, I thought, of the rich historical details I love -- I think I was expecting Elizabeth Chadwick in 292 pages, which is just not possible! Yes, there were historical details about the conflict between the Danes and the Saxons, brief, but close enough for government work. There was some use of Danish and Saxon words -- not enough to overwhelm those who do not care for that sort of thing, and just enough for those who do. But, basically, deep down, at heart this is a rather traditional character-driven romance novel, centering on the relationship of the heroine and the hero(a young Danish widow and a weary Saxon warrior). Most of the action takes place in the bower, where Sigrid and Liefwin overcome their fears in an attempt to come together as a couple.

For those who like historical romances to be primarily about the couple, with less emphasis on history, but still accurate, this would be considered an excellent book. It is not History-Lite, in that the author knows her subject and is skillful in recreating aspects of the world as it was once in that time and place. It is also well-written, although I have some quarrel with many of the conversations consisting of Liefwin saying,"Sigrid," followed by Sigrid replying, "Liefwin," with long looks and pregnant pauses abounding. But, after all, this is a first novel!

I have all the books in the series, which is current as of March 2006, and I do intend to read them all. I am just hoping the rest of the books get us out of the bower and onto the battlefield a little more often, and that the dialog is not quite as stilted as that in "A Moment's Madness." I give it a B+ for the setting and the research, but only a C for plot and execution.