Review by Lyndell Williams
MARRIAGE OF TIME
By Mariah Stone
$12.99, 194 pp, paper
$3.99, 196 pp, Kindle
What is a pregnant woman to do when cornered by her mafioso ex? Why she gets some help from a magic-packed old lady with the ability to catapult her through time. In Marriage of Time by Mariah Stone, the main character Mia is smart, beautiful and very fertile. She had finally escaped her abusive Goodfella boyfriend Dan only to find herself knocked up. She tries to keep him from learning about the little bundle of joy, but we all know that never works out.
Dan isn’t going to just let Mia run off into the sunset with his baby. She ends up traveling through time, away from her ex and into the arms of hunky Norseman Hakon. He is fine, fierce and there in the forest to scoop up Mia. She is not too keen on being under the thumb of another man, but she can’t help but notice Hakon’s Viking—ahem—assets.
Hakon starts to feel Mia too. Unlike his tribespeople, she is not frightened by his fearsome look (courtesy of a birthmark) or growling. He starts to get distracted from his plans for vengeance on his enemy.
The couple draws closer, each hiding something about themselves that might just mess up their respective games.
Marriage of Time is book three of five in the Called by a Viking romance series. The main characters are mostly likable. Mia’s concern for Hakon’s pain and the well being of his people made her endearing, although a bit too perfect. A little more depth would have been great.
Hakon struggled through some deep pain while eyeing the new object of his affection. Stone gave the leading male some complexity through his emotional shifts.
There are a few story potholes and continuity issues but not any more than expected when dealing with a time travel trope. The story is really about the budding romance between Mia and Hakon anyway. So, readers may want to put a pin in the geeky stuff.
The steaminess was on the lighter side but overall satisfying. I was delightfully relieved that the author did not imply or include gratuitous sexual assault to convey Hakon’s “Vikingness.” I’m not one to shy from the theme, but it is best not to use it to demonstrate a character’s masculinity. Good for Mariah that she didn’t.
The Marriage of Time is an enjoyable romance.
Lyndell Williams 
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