REDISCOVERING THOR

Author: Kate Hill ISBN: 1553161440 8/2005 PARANORMAL Publisher: LTD Books

In the midst of battle, Viking warrior Eadred is abducted by aliens and preserved for over a thousand years. He awakens in a hospital in modern day Boston, completely alone in a wondrous yet terrifying world. Language expert Portland Ellis jumps at the chance to act as interpreter for a man who has supposedly existed since the Viking age. Passion is the last thing on her mind, yet she and the handsome warrior are instantly attracted to one another. Eadred and Portland enter a reluctant romance in which their love is tested by his grief over his lost family, her link to an abusive stalker, and government agents sworn to keep Eadred's alien ties a secret.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

When I read the prologue of REDISCOVERING THOR, I thought I would enjoy this book. In the middle of a Viking war, a hero emerges: Eardred. Because he saves a religious man from death, the religious man, in turn, saves Eardred's life—for a thousand years. Fabulous. Good science fiction.

However, by chapter three I was ready to put the book down. The plot fell apart for me when the heroine, Portland, a jewelry-maker who can speak 12 languages, is brought in to communicate with the gorgeously preserved Viking, now waking. I guess I expected more culture shock for our hero—and I understand it was part of the plot to have him adjust quickly to modern-day life—but it was the heroine who confused me. She's supposedly brilliant, yet on day one with this man she's tweezing his brows and dressing him in blue jeans. I didn't understand Eardred's compliance with any of this either. What Viking would let a woman pluck his brows? He'd just learned he lost his home, wife, children, basically his whole world, but his big question: why isn't the beautiful Portland married?

As for the rest of the story, other than Eardred's and Portland's growing love, revolves around Eardred's tattoo and how it resembles crop-circle patterns, mad scientists, and one stalker boyfriend. I put it down frequently.

Cynthia Whitten