The Sea King is Jolie Mathis’s debut novel, an historical romance combining war, royalty and Vikings into a wonderful adventure that you won’t want to miss.

Saxon Princess Isabel once saved Kol Thorleksson from the wicked avenging hands of her brother, King Ranulf. Her girlish daydreams of the man she considered her angel were quickly shredded by the barbarian horde attacking her brother’s realm. Treachery runs deep in the kingdom, just as secrets crack the foundation of the royal home, and Princess Isabel is pressed to decide whom she can trust.

Her indecision is coupled with the knowledge that her “Angel” - the very man who has hauntedher dreams since that long-ago day by the river - leads the barbarian warriors. Her heart is forced to choose sides, a difficult choice where she will lose either way. Her loyalties are stretched to their limits, and her virtue is about to be determined.

The initial escape scene was well-constructed, feeling as realistic as one can get. The entire first chapter is fantastic, actually, leading the reader to look forward to the rest of the story. It is hard to fathom that this is Jolie’s first novel. The Sea King has been well received by some of the top review sources (The New York Times, Historical Romance Writers). As is evident in the list of acknowledgments, Jolie performed extensive research to keep the novel as accurate as possible, using authentic dialect which Jolie discovered through her research at the Icelandic Language Institute.