ARC Review: Bjorn Cursed by N.J. Walters

Title: Bjorn Cursed

Author: N.J. Walters

Series: Forgotten Brotherhood – Book 4

Page Length: 400

Publication Date: Jan 18, 2021

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Synopsis: Lucifer is up to his old tricks, causing problems for the Forgotten Brotherhood. This time, he’s had a woman removed from the Norse afterlife and placed her right in the path of Bjorn Knutson. After the slaughter of his wife and family centuries ago, tortured and broken, Bjorn was cursed as the first Norse werewolf. Now he’s been tasked by Odin himself with killing the woman who escaped. Failure is not an option.

Before he can track her, he stumbles across a woman being accosted by three men in the middle of the night. Even though she’s human, he intervenes and is shocked to recognize the face of the one woman he could never kill — his wife Anja.

She’s also the one he’s hunting…and if he doesn’t kill her then both their lives are at stake.

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

When Odin orders Bjorn to kill a soul that escaped Freya’s hall, Bjorn never expects that the escapee is his long-lost wife Anja. Bjorn mourned the brutal murder of his wife and children and raged in grief for years. How can he now send his wife back to Freya for punishment?

Anja has no idea how she ended up in this new world. All she remembers is an endless void and then a bustling city. When Bjorn rescues her from some unsavory characters, Anja is stunned. Like Bjorn, she resigned herself to a solitary existence, so reuniting with him is like a gift from the gods. However, someone wants Anja dead, and there is nowhere to hide. Can Bjorn and Anja survive the will of the gods and figure out who is messing with the Forgotten Brotherhood before it’s too late?

This is a fantastic addition to the Forgotten Brotherhood series. I was hoping for Bjorn’s story and loved finding out what happened to him and the rest of the brotherhood. Bjorn never really got over the death of his beloved wife and children and spent so much time avenging their deaths and living in a haze of rage and revenge. He was on the brink of losing his mind he was so riddled with grief. Knowing how deeply he cared for Anja made their reunion all the more lovely. Their chemistry is off the charts, and their long-lasting love is unconditional.

Of course, many obstacles stand in the way of their happy ending, including murderous and meddlesome gods and the reappearance of someone from their past, but Bjorn and Anja didn’t come this far to end up apart! I love how fiercely they fight for each other and their love and how they face their battles head-on.

I also love that all of the main couples from the first three books come to Bjorn’s aid in this book. Ash and Jo, Alexei and Cassie, and, of course, Maccus and Morrigan staunchly support Bjorn and Anja to help figure out who is behind Anja’s unexpected reappearance. They also stand with Bjorn and Anja against the most dangerous of foes. I love this found family, and Bjorn and Anja realize that, though they miss their family most desperately, their found family is quite special too.

Bjorn Cursed is an action-packed and engrossing addition to the Forgotten Brotherhood series, and I can see many ways in which the author could expand the world. (Yes, please! I need Sven’s story!) Each story in the series can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend starting with the first book if you want to fully understand the context of the plot and the characters’ actions. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.