Held in Custody

The Outer Hebrides, 1063 A.D., just off the coast of Scotland. It's here our story begins. Auden is Jarl, respected, a true leader. When mysterious intruders kill him, then disappear without a trace, his clan is stunned. Two years pass. Auden's widow, Eira, is being inexorably pushed into marriage. Seeking peace, she wanders to the site of Auden's murder. There she finds mysterious objects partially buried in the sand. Interesting? Absolutely! But she's no idea what they are or might mean. Pocketing them, starting back to her village, Eira soon finds herself chased by a man on an iron horse. She takes off in terror, never realizing how her life's already changed. Finn Olsen's a sergeant in North Uist, Outer Hebrides, the only police presence on the island. While he's riding his prized Kawasaki in December 2017, a storm's brewing. As he rounds a curve, a dark figure looms. He swerves, manages to lay the bike down nearby. Finn's seen all manner of things, survived Afghanistan, Iraq, whatever life's thrown his way. But he's never seen anything like the woman he encounters on the frozen moors that night. When she draws a knife, he disarms her, bundles her onto his bike, and takes her home. Who is she? It's none other than Eira! How? Where did she come from? Questions abound. There's all manner of difficulties to overcome. The language barrier, wariness, anger, terror, so much more. Things become more bizarre and unbelievable with each passing moment. But there's no way around the facts. Eira's there. She's a Viking from the eleventh century landed in a twenty-first century world that's as incomprehensible to her as magic and sorcery. Events spiral out of control with the sudden appearance of another figure from the past. Heretofore unknown evil also soon shows its face. How did Eira arrive in 2017? Time travel's impossible, right? What's behind these strange events? Who holds the key to the secrets behind these weird occurrences? Just exactly what lies ahead for Finn and Eira? There are too many questions and too few answers. It will take everything in both Finn and Eira to deal with the uncertainties facing them. Ultimately, can Finn and Eira overcome centuries of distance, culture shock, and pure evil to find what's right before them? Or will the forces arrayed against them tear them apart, destroy what might be, and end everything, not just for them but perhaps the entire world? Ashe Barker's a new author for me, and I'm so glad I found her! This book's a magical, mystical mix of erotic romance, scientific possibilities, and historical accuracy, with BDSM and police procedural elements intricately woven into the storyline. The premise is unique. The research put into writing this story is obvious. Ms. Barker's knowledge is beyond impressive. I literally couldn't put this book down. The historical aspects of the storyline are incredibly accurate. The physical descriptions of both early eleventh century, as well as modern-day, Scotland are breathtakingly beautiful. But it's Finn and Eira who are truly remarkable. There's nothing at all simple about their relationship. That a man from the twenty-first century can even relate to, much less learn to communicate with and develop a closeness to, a Viking woman from the eleventh century, is incredible. I totally fell in love with these two. Their story is so real and believable. It truly demonstrates Ms. Barker's amazing writing ability. I am in awe of the creativity, research, and attention to detail that went into writing this book. I easily give Held in Custody 5 stars. It's one of the most riveting reads I've experienced in quite some time. Congratulations, Ms. Barker, on a very special, captivating book! Thanks for reading my review and happy reading!