We love well-written, thoroughly researched historical fiction when it pulls back the veil of time and introduces us to people, places, and events that we are otherwise unfamiliar with. But outside of shows like the History Channel’s Vikings and DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, we haven’t really been exposed to vast quantities of Viking lore, except through historical romances by authors like Johanna Lindsey (Fires of Winter, Hearts Aflame, Surrender My Love) and Catherine Coulter (Season of the Sun, Lord of Hawkfell Island, Lord of Raven’s Peak, Lord of Falcon Ridge) back in the 1980s and 1990s. Still, we don’t recall any of those books digging as deep into the annals of history as Cathie Dunn is doing with her new series about the early women of the House of Normandy. If you love history and have a penchant for stories about strong women and Viking legends, you’re going to devour her first book, Ascent. Enjoy! —J&H